June 14, 2011

Here's Randy's Weekly KTRH GardenLine Tip:

Issue #262

The idea for this week's email tip came out of a discussion we had on the air last weekend. I suggested that if you've listened to GardenLine for more than a few weeks, you should definitely have certain tenets down pat. And those tenets have now morphed into 10 GardenLine Commandments ... the top 10 things you KNOW you should always do (or never do) if you're a GardenLine listener each weekend.

Are there only 10? Probably not. So, if you have another GardenLine Commandment you feel should be added to the list, just send me an email. We'll examine listener responses over the next week and see how big the list might get.

1. Thou shall follow my schedule - Whether it's the tried-and-true Fertilization Schedule, or the more recent Organic Fertilization Schedule featuring many of the great new products I endorse, stick to one or the other if you want the greenest lawn on the block.
2. Thou shall stay informed through my weekly email blasts - If you received this newsletter directly from me, you've clearly subscribed. But you can help a neighbor or family member stay informed, too, by forwarding a copy to them or giving them the subscription sign-up link: http://ktrh.clearcontests.com/front/deb.asp?Action=reg&zx=336 . If you want to stay involved with GardenLine on nearly a daily basis, "like" us on Facebook.
3. Thou shall NEVER, EVER use dyed mulch - Especially the black-dyed stuff. For more on dyed mulch, please read what I've written in the past. Just look around your neighborhood and notice how necrotic and pathetic most landscapes look when black-dyed mulch is employed.
4. Thou shall commit to rose soil and compost - All gardening success in the Houston area starts with building the perfect bed. Basic rose soil (there are many different brands) is always a good starting point. Then, add a little or a lot of really good compost. For example, the best basic vegetable bed mix is 2 parts rose soil to 1 part compost. Here's more on the subject.
5. Thou shall commit to compost as top dressing - Years ago, it was sand. In some cases, it was a loamy mix, and in very few instances a good top soil was blended with humas material (a.k.a. enriched top soil). But in the past 10 years, it's been proven over and over again that well-made compost is the best choice for top dressing. Nature's Way Two-Year Old Leaf Mold Compost is a good choice.
6. Thou shall deep-root feed and water those trees - One of the calls last weekend that got us thinking about the Top 10 list was from someone who had a sickly magnolia tree. The caller claimed he listened all the time but never engaged in any type of deep-root watering or feeding of this tree in over 10 years. Really?!?! Here's more info.
7. Thou shall always use a surfactant - When it comes to weed control, just read my latest book, "1001 GardenLine Questions," and see how many times we emphasize the use of surfactants to help make herbicides actually work. (Our hard water in southeast Texas can actually keep them from doing their intended job.) Here's an explanation.
8. Thou shall core aerate - (Thou should also pronounce it correctly ... it's air-ate, not air-e-ate.) If you've never done a core aeration, you need to do it twice the first year, and follow up with some kind of amendment, like gypsum, humates or compost. If you call the show and tell me your yard's soil is really hard and compacted, the first thing I'm going to suggest is core aeration.
9. Thou shall not commit crape murder - After over 15 years of GardenLine, I'm still baffled by how many people take part in the Annual Crape Myrtle Massacre. And I'm stunned by how many "landscapers" still have their crews over-prune every year.
10. Thou shall never use weed-and-feeds - I've saved the worst for last. The most egregious mistake you can make is using any kind of atrazine-based weed-and-feed. They are detrimental to the roots of nearby trees and shrubs, and they are always a threat to groundwater supplies. Plain and simple, if you follow the schedule, water on a timely basis, and mow tall (especially for St. Augustine), you should never have weeds so bad you have to use a weed-and-feed.

GardenLine Appearance Saturday
The Woodlands Ace Hardware From the Good News-Bad News Department, our last "official" GardenLine visit until fall will be 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at The Woodlands Ace Hardware, 10720 Kuykendahl at Woodlands Parkway. It's not totally bad news, though, because I will be at Moody Gardens again next weekend. But that's not really a central location where it's easy for anyone from anywhere to come see us. Especially if you live on the north side of Houston.

So, here's the good news:

• We'll be drawing for a 10-gallon Empire live oak and a couple of three-gallon Myer lemon trees, courtesy of Tree Town USA.
• Great Father's Day gift ideas abound, like Honda mowers that come with a FREE round of golf at High Meadow to boot.
• We will have gobs of free samples from Soil Mender, such as Yum Yum Mix, Tomato & Vegetable Food, and Plant Wash.
• You can stock up on everything called for right now in my fertilization schedule. (Ace is your home for Nitro-Phos products in the schedule).
• We will likely be doling out the last batch of Lemmonhead shirts.

Check the Ace circular online for other great Father's Day gift ideas. (I'm particularly fond of the portable hammock.)

And, until we commence our fall appearance schedule in September, this will be nearly the final summer opportunity for me to get a pair of eyes on that sample of a problem you have.

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Exclusive for GardenLine Listeners and E-mail Tip subscribers:
The new book, 1001 GardenLine Questions with Randy Lemmon
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It covers how to grow and kill things in the garden,
especially those in the Houston area and along the Gulf Coast.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

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