First frost is on the way...
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agokatob Z6ish, NE Pa thanked nicholsworth Z6 Indianapoliskatob Z6ish, NE Pa
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Oh no! First frost(s) and Mr. Rat moved into my compost bin
Comments (4)I doubt if wood boards will significantly slow a rat if it wants to get in. Rats can gnaw through metal, so wood isn't much of a deterrent. I had some kind of animal get in my compost late fall/early winter last year, so I just emptied the bin onto the garden and decided I was going to call it a lasagna bed....See MoreHow and when to lay grass seed?
Comments (10)The most common grasses in my area are bermuda, bluegrass, fescue, and what is locally called "park mix". St. Augustine is common further south. If you have bermuda or a variant of it, it will choke out weeds if it is fertilized and watered. It puts out runners above and below ground. I had African bermuda at my other house, and it is a very plush, fine-bladed grass that goes dormant at first freeze. If your grass does not put out runners, you probably have a mix of bluegrass and its variants, or St Augustine. There are also some less common grasses available, also. Since one of your grasses turns brown at first freeze, it is probably not bluegrass or fescue. Bluegrass has fine blades and does not do well in heat, over 90F. Fescue is thick-bladed and does much better in heat. Both will stay somewhat green during the winter in my zone, 6b. If you want information right away, you can type the grass names into the search engine on GardenWeb, or try Google. If you cannot identify your varieties by looking at pictures, or providing photos for us to see, it would be best to go to a local reputable nursery with samples. They can identify your grasses and match them with seeds. Best wishes...See MoreLast frost date, first frost date, accuracy?
Comments (1)Looks good for the Pittsburgh area. We're fifty miles south and use the 20th of May for the spring. Carol...See MoreFirst Dahlia flower- after first frost! Can I improve next year?
Comments (3)Engrgirl, there can be a great deal of variation in bloom times from one dahlia to another. I grew 30 different dahlias here in CO this year, and the first bloom on one of them was around the end of July. Another one, treated identically didn't offer the first bloom until mid-September, with the others falling in between. It was a season with a late start because of lots of cold rain in May, so I didn't get them out until late May. I agree with cici that more shade will only make your problem worse. Did you remove the plants from the pots when you planted them? I've had good success in past years by starting the tubers in big 2 gallon pots, drilling lots of holes in them to allow big roots to make their way out, and setting pot and all into the ground at planting time. I would recommend digging some balanced fertilizer into the soil at planting time, especially in new, sandy soil that doesn't already have anything in the way of nutrients. I have well drained soil and have to water my dahlias almost every day. It's also a good idea to put your supports in the ground at the same time as your dahlias. I use five-foot long rebar. If your plants were already flopping over to the ground at two - two and a half feet, it sounds like they were either already stretching to reach more sun or subjected to a lot of wind. If your soil is really sandy, it may not be holding the water and nutrients well enough for the plants to make use of them, in which case some added organic material such as peat moss or shredded leaves worked into the soil might help. I hope you may find some of this helpful....See Morenicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
5 years agolaceyvail 6A, WV
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5 years agojana (z7b, Philadelphia, PA)
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5 years agonicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agokatob Z6ish, NE Pa
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5 years agoPaul MI
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5 years agomxk3 z5b_MI
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5 years agorob333 (zone 7b)
5 years agoPaul MI
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