Happy Garden - November 5, 2009

This week, we have an article from Ellen regarding overseeding your lawn. If you have any tips for gardening and yard work in late fall, please send them in.

Thanks for reading,

The ThriftyFun Team

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Tips and Articles:

• How To Overseed Your Lawn
• Fox Urine Rodent Repellent
• Planting Spider Plant Babies

New Requests:

• What is This Plant?
• Growing a Cardinal Climber Vine
• Keeping Wildlife From Defecating on Patio
• Fruit Trees Not Producing Fruit
• Propagating White Trumpet Bush
• Getting Rid of Raccoons
• Using Bleach as a Weed Killer
• Something is Eating My Swiss Chard

Crafting for Fun and Money!

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How To Overseed Your Lawn
By Ellen Brown

It's no secret that a thick, healthy lawn reduces the need for using water and fertilizer. Today's grass varieties have been developed to have a greater resistance to insects, drought, and disease. They're also designed to stand up to heavier foot traffic. If your lawn is starting to look thin and tired, and the weeds are starting to creep in, it may be time to give it a boost by overseeding it.

• Mow it. The real key to getting grass seed to germinate is getting the seed in contact with the soil. To help facilitate this, mow your grass on the lowest setting possible without scalping the lawn. If your mower has a bagger attachment, pick up the clippings and toss them on the compost pile.

• Rake it. After your mow, the entire yard needs to be gone over with a metal rake. This step is labor intensive, but don't skip it. Raking will rough up any exposed soil (creating more surface area for seed contact) while removing thatch, grass clippings, and any remaining debris.

• Choose the right seed. Find out what type of mix is optimal for your yard. Look for mixes that are 100% weed free (even though it's unlikely they really will be). If you're presented with a choice between hulled or unhulled seed, you will get more hulled seeds for the money because you're not paying for the weight of the hulls. Both types germinate equally well.

• Spread the seed. This can be done with a hand-held broadcaster or a walk behind drop spreader. Hand-held models work great for smaller lawns and are available at most hardware stores and big box garden centers for $20-$40. Use the broadcast rate recommended for new lawns. This will help make up for seed that is washed away, fails to germinate, or is eaten by birds. Using approximately 1/2 the seed, make the first pass in strips across the lawn. Then using the remaining seed, take a second pass across the lawn at a slight angle. This will help ensure you get full and consistent coverage.

• Rake in loosely. After you spread the seed, go over the yard lightly with a metal rake to knock any seeds stuck in the grass down to the soil.

• Top off with 1/4 inch of compost. Covering the grass seed with a little bit of topsoil does three things: it adds organic nutrients to the old soil, it helps keep the seed moist after watering, and it hides the seed from hungry birds.

• Water in well and keep moist. Once moistened from the first watering, the seed should never be allowed to dry out until it fully germinates. This can take up to two weeks and may mean watering twice a day. Germination rates can drop by as much as 30% if you miss even one day so stay on top of it. Once the old grass reaches 3 inches tall you can mow again (medium height). This will give any late germinating seeds more light. After 4-6 weeks, the new grass should be well established.

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Fox Urine Rodent Repellent

To get rid of mice. I purchased bobcat and fox urine at home depot. Sprinkle this stuff in corner of basements and around outside foundation. Worked for me. Keeps animals out of gardens too. A fox is the only animal that will go after a skunk. Have not had skunk problems in about 5 years.

by Gene from Chicago, IL

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Planting Spider Plant Babies

When you want to propagate those baby spiders, you may wonder what to use if you use the method of cutting it off and growing the roots in water. I am doing this all the time with my big spider plant; I give them to my kids, and place them by the bed for my asthmatic husband.

Here's how I do it: I know many of us drink a lot of 20 oz bottles of soda or water, right? Take one of those, and some ordinary scissors, and cut the bottom off at the bottom of the label. To start I pinch the side of the bottle. Or you can use a knife to start it but be careful! Anyway use that bottom to put two or three babies in and fill it with water.

Then I put it on my window sill (North, if it matters I'm not sure) and check to make sure it doesn't run out of water. In a matter of a couple weeks there will be roots. Then you can put it in rich moist soil, and give it a little extra attention until the roots take hold.

Don't worry about how long you keep them in water to grow the roots, the longer you keep it in water the longer the roots get. I haven't had one die in water.

Source: My first plant was a spider plant, my mom had them since as long as I can remember, and 30 years later she still has the same one!

By Pmorse from Georgetown, DE

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What is This Plant?

I am trying to find out what type of plant this is. I started it from a leaf that fell off my sister's plant. Her long stems are about 8' tall that was started 5 years ago.
Here is a picture, not sure if I got the full effect of the leaves that are thick and other leaves grow off of them. Also the stems get very long then a group of leaves start again.

Hardiness Zone: 5a

By KC-n-IL from Peoria, Illinois

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Growing a Cardinal Climber Vine

I would like information about the cardinal climber flower. It has a red, trumpet-shaped flower on a vine. It is attractive to hummingbirds. Thank you.

Hardiness Zone: 5a

By Makelti from Wichita, KS

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Keeping Wildlife From Defecating on Patio

How do I get rid of a possum that comes on my patio to do his business (fecal). Is there something I can spray? It uses the same spot everytime. I am assuming it is a possum. The scat is rather large. Thanks.

Donna

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Fruit Trees Not Producing Fruit

The fruit either falls off the trees or won't set after blossom has finished. The trees are four years old.

Hardiness Zone: 1

By Patricia from Tasmania

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Propagating White Trumpet Bush

I received some white trumpet bush stalks about three years ago. They had been overwintered in a bucket stored in a garage. When do I cut the bush back in order to have more stalks to plant next spring?

Hardiness Zone: 8a

By Bob from Montevallo, AL

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Getting Rid of Raccoons

We just put moth balls in our attic to ward away raccoons, but the smell is so strong. Will this go away or do I need to go back and get them out of there?

By Hope from MI

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Using Bleach as a Weed Killer

Can I use bleach as a weedkiller?

Hardiness Zone: 1

By Steve from Manchester, UK

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Something is Eating My Swiss Chard

My young chard plants have holes in the leaves, about 1/4 inch in diameter. Could it be cutworms? Ho do I prevent them?

Hardiness Zone: 8a

By Patty from Seattle, WA

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

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More Information:
Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml