Should you “Winterize”?

Fall is the most important time to fertilize your lawn. Purdue’s grass experts recommend fertilizing in both September and November.

But should you “winterize”, using fertilizer given this specific name? To find out all about these products, just go to Purdue’s Turf Tips page.

You’ll find out about winterizing fertilizers here: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tips/2007/10_25fert.html.

You’ll find all of the Turf Tips here: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tips/index.html

If you want more information on caring for you lawn – watering and aerating as well as fertilizing, you can find it all at: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/publicat.htm.

Leaves begin to fall

The leaves are falling in Indianapolis, helped along by the recent winds and rain. What can you do with all those leaves? You can of course gather them to make fall decorations, press them for art projects later in the year, or make a leaf collection. Even if you do all three there will probably be leaves left in your yard.

In natural areas leaves can be left to decay naturally. You do, however, need to remove them from your lawn. You can mow over them several times, shredding them to a small size. Collecting them for curbside recycling is another alternative. If you’re a gardener, the best alternative may be to make a compost pile. You don’t need fancy equipment. You can build a compost pile by making a mound of leaves and enclosing it in a circle of strong fencing. 9.5 feet of fencing will make a compost pile 3 feet in diameter; 16 feet for a pile 5 feet in diameter. You’ll need some leaves, some soil, some water, and a source of nitrogen. If the grass is still growing, you can use green grass clippings to provide nitrogen. If not, you can use high nitrogen fertilizer, the same one you use to fertilize your lawn.

For more information on composting see:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ID-182.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/compost/
And for kids: http://sustainable.tamu.edu/slidesets/kidscompost/kid1.html.

The beginning of IndyGardening

A new adventure in Gardening begins today! I'll add comments, observations, and suggestions to help you take care of the trees, shrubs, flowers, even lawn grass in your yard. Let me know if you find these useful!