KTRH GardenLine Newsletter
<BR><BR>
Sept. 28, 2011 - Issue #231<BR>
<BR>
Here's Randy's Weekly KTRH GardenLine Tip:
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<center><br>
  <font size="+1"><strong>To Winterize or Not  After The Drought</strong></font>
</center><p><img src="http://www.ktrh.com/pages/gardenline_newsletter/2011/0927-lawn2.jpg" align="left" vspace="10" hspace="10">Despite the rain from two weeks ago, we are not out  of this drought. &nbsp;Should you keep your fall  feeding  (otherwise known as the winterizer) on schedule? If you aren&rsquo;t on  irrigation restrictions, YES!! <br>
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I recommend using a winterizer with the lowest  percentage of nitrogen, and the highest percentage of Potassium.&nbsp; Nitro-Phos Fall Special 8-12-16 is a perfect  example.&nbsp; Nature&rsquo;s Guide 3-0-5 is another  true organic fall fertilizer with no phosphorous, but a good ratio of nitrogen  to potassium.&nbsp; <br>
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Avoid high and controlled-release nitrogen  fertilizers for winter feeding.&nbsp; Anything  with a nitrogen ratio higher than 22 is considered a high-nitrogen fertilizer in  the fall feeding regimen. There are 21s or 22s that are controlled-release  nitrogen. However, you want a lower level of nitrogen to fertilize all at once.  That&rsquo;s why the 8-12-16 is best for synthetic and 3-0-5 is a perfect example of  an organic. Ultimately, you don&rsquo;t want nitrogen continually  released into late October and early November because the temperature spread  could bring us brown patch. <br>
<img src="http://www.ktrh.com/pages/gardenline_newsletter/2011/0927-fert.jpg" align="right" vspace="10" hspace="10" /><br>
In addition to the aforementioned winterizers,  almost any &ldquo;organic&rdquo; fertilizer can substitute as a winterizer this year because  the numbers are so low.&nbsp; You can do an  organic whenever. &nbsp;With this drought, it&rsquo;s  less about ratios. Anything organic is much-needed.&nbsp;<br>
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<u><strong>Stream-of-Consciousness Thoughts </strong></u></p>
<ul>
  <li>Avoid weed-and-feeds, especially those with  atrazine. Tree and shrub roots are desperate for nutrients, and atrazine will  burn roots in no time. </li>
  <li>A cool front is on its way this weekend. Let it  to cool down before jumping head-first into the fall feeding part of the  schedule. </li>
  <li>If you are on watering restrictions, don&rsquo;t use  synthetic fertilizers and try an organic fertilizer. </li>
  <li>If you are limited to watering twice a week, you  can still put out a winterizer. </li>
  <li>If you see a fertilizer for fall feeding with a  number 23 or higher, avoid it.&nbsp;Those are designed for &ldquo;northern&rdquo; grasses  like fescues and ryes. </li>
  <li>Ironically, if you&rsquo;re going to put out &ldquo;winter  rye,&rdquo; use fertilizers with a higher first number in the nitrogen ratio. You  will need that food for the winter rye to stay green.</li>
  <li>Usually, you should have the fertilizer down before  the first serious cold snap to cool the soil cool and activate the  fertilizers.&nbsp;However, if you use an organic blend, it doesn&rsquo;t  matter.&nbsp;While the nitrogen and potassium may not activate fully, remember  you&rsquo;re still adding &ldquo;organic&rdquo; matter to the soil.</li>
  <li>Those on severe watering restrictions, should  not fertilize at all, or at least until they lift the watering  restrictions.&nbsp;If they are voluntary, or limited watering restrictions,  that should not stop you from a fall feeding.</li>
</ul>
<p align="center"><strong><u>GardenLine  Appearance – Saturday</u></strong> <br />
  <strong>Buchanan's  Native Plants </strong> <br />
<strong>611 East  11th St.</strong></p>
<p>We  couldn’t have picked a better time to visit Buchanan's in the Heights.&nbsp; We  will be there this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.&nbsp;and sponsored by <a href="http://www.ladybugbrand.com">Lady  Bug Natural</a>.</p>
<p>In  all my GardenLine appearances, I think our last visit to Buchanan's had to be  the coldest, wettest appearance ever.&nbsp; I've had a windier appearance, but  never a cold AND&nbsp;rainy appearance.&nbsp; </p>
<p>The   weekend’s cool front will drop temperatures, but it can't&nbsp;be as bad  as it was last spring. Even if it rains, we all need it.&nbsp; However, the free  goodies from Lady Bug Natural should make your visit worthwhile.&nbsp; The  first several people to come talk to me can snag the giveaways of their choice, from  Vortex Potting Soil to Expanded Shale. </p>
<p>Can  you say &quot;drought recovery&quot;? Buchanan's will have fresh  replacement&nbsp;perennials, herbs, annuals, shrubs and veggies to start  transplanting.&nbsp;With the cool front, this will be a great time to start repairing your drought-damaged landscape. </p>
<p>Buchanan's also has all the Nitro-Phos products and every imaginable organic on the market you can use to  start winterizing. </p>
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  <font size="2" face="tahoma, arial, helvetica">Randy Lemmon's GardenLine is heard 6-10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays,<br>exclusively on NewsRadio 740 KTRH.
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