ROBINSON TWP AGWAY 502 GLASS RD. PITTSBURGH, PA, 15205 412-787-1115 ask for chicken grit ---baby

I'm thinking with two more cool-season growth periods before next summer the lawn will probably spread into the bare spots. It will, so you don't need to worry about them. Just make sure weeds don't grow in there and you'll be fine. I always adjust my irrigation timer to account for prevailing conditions. This puts you ahead of 99% of lawn owners and is exactly perfect! I think I'm one notch below the highest level right now. If that's what pleases you, it's fine. Bluegrasses like to be around 3" tall, but the ones you used are tolerant of being far shorter than that. 90% of the battle was won when you chose good grasses. Regular topdressing sounds like a great idea to counter settling and moderate the ph. Shouldn't be a problem since the area is relatively small. Peat moss has a nice, low pH (call it 3.5 or so), but rots very slowly and doesn't generally overrun your soil's organic buffer. I topdressed last weekend on solid clay soil (my pH runs 6.8 from organics, but the normal pH in this area is in the 5.0 range). 7,000 square feet took me several days and 24 large bales of peat moss. 750 square feet should be simpler, and you should need about 3-5 bales, and perhaps three hours. On established lawn, you want around 1/4" to 1/2". Mine, a seed topdress, was 1/4". Peat also helps the soil hold some water, so that would help during the next dry season. Where do you find the time? I guess when it's a labor of love you make the time. That and it's a hobby, so the time spent here is what I would spend puttering around somewhere else anyway. It's far more enjoyable for me than most other activities!

We use a combination of Nickel Plus and K-Phite. It's working great. We spray with both, using a sticker-spreader we got at Tractor Supply. We also add their blue dye now, because it helps us see where we have missed a spot. It isn't very easy to see through goggles, with sweat pouring down in your eyes. Just avoid spraying any blossoms, unless you are really desperate for a blue daylily. We were advised to spray once a week for 3 weeks, then wait 3 weeks before spraying again. I've only sprayed once this fall, since it has been raining off and on ever since. Occasionally, I will have a plant that shows sign of rust, but nothing like it was before I started using the nickel. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, let me take that back. I am going to try some Actinovate on just a few isolated and unimportant plants to see how it works. The only thing I don't like is having to don all that protective gear, but I wouldn't have it otherwise. I'm very cautious. We use goggles, a special pesticide mask we bought at Lowes, chemical gloves (also at Lowe's), rubber boots and a yellow rain slicker. My hubby and our yardman refuse to put on a garbage bag drawstring skirt, but if I'm doing the spraying, I wear that, too. I'll have to get my hubby to take a picture of me in that fancy outfit so everyone can get a good laugh. When the weather is warm, we get very sweaty in all that garb! We start very early in the morning while it is still cool. We have a big tank sprayer on wheels we pull behind our riding lawn mower. It runs on the lawn mower battery. We got an extra length of hose so we can cover more territory. One of us drives the lawn mower while the other sprays. I could do it by myself, but it takes longer to have to keep stopping to move the mower ahead. We wash the tank out thoroughly after spraying and run clear water through the wand when we have finished. Aren't you cold climate people lucky??? Nancy

More mouthwatering meals here! All the kale lately! Neely, I’ve never eaten barramundi, but any fish with crispy skin works for me! Your lamb curry looks fantastic – the whole plate looks delicious (I’m very envious of your lamb!) I think you'll be happy with a colorful maple, they are such nice trees. Then there’s Annie’s salmon with her salsa I so want to try, and salmon cakes – those look tasty. It’s your smoked chops and apples I really want… : ) Annie, I think 8 gallons of cider is too much for your family to try to drink… my address is… : ) Gosh I love homemade cider! I made it one year and we left a pitcher out – 6 hours later we were pretty happy! Had no idea it could go hard that fast! But cider syrup? That’s new to me. I’ll take some of that too please! Happy belated Birthday to Princess : ) Lucky young lady to have that orea cheesecake! I think I can almost taste it… Sooz, kale and lobster? That’s too decadent… no, wait, not too. Just right! What is it about lobster and avocado that just seems luxurious?! Yum! Cookebook, Great looking jambalaya! DH once said he couldn’t stand shrimp… until I made jambalaya : ) Good friend is from “Lawziana” and taught me jumbo, but I dumb it down to reduce the throat burn : ) Your penne and sausage looks so, so good too – must be cold where you are? Fantastic cold weather dishes! Thanks all for letting me continue to post here, though I don’t contribute. We did have the bean soup – with thick cut bacon and some tomato based stock, that I poofed. Also some raw carrots, broccoli, and celery. Store bought Texas toast, and I found some Colby/Jack cheese that I’d cold-smoked earlier, in the fridge! Not a bad night’s meal : ) But that’s been a while ago, and it’s been fast food salads mostly. If someone makes a veggie soup you might find DH and I on your doorstep : ) If you make it with any kind of beef, we’ll be spending the night : )