Springing Into Green

Plants and grasses have started to grow and bud throughout the county. This is always a great indicator that plants are ready to pampered by the owner. There are some beneficial landscape maintenance chores that can be done to improve the quality of life of our plants.
First of all, turf can now be fertilized to assist in a healthy growing pattern. Nitrogen is the key nutrient that promotes leaf growth. A general recommendation of 1 to 2 pounds of nitrogen per year is used for most lawns. However, a soil test is still recommended to get an idea of the nutrient levels that are stored in the soil. A soil test will give the recommended fertilization for any given part of your landscape (ex. Lawn, Garden, Landscape).
In order to accomplish a 1-2 pounds of nitrogen, it is important to get the square footage of your lawn area and also understand the numbers on a fertilizer bag. The first number on a fertilizer bag is the % Nitrogen in the total weight of the bag. The second number is % Phosphorus, and the third number is % Potassium. This is typically referred to as N-P-K.
Typical recommendations for Nueces County, from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory, indicated that Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0) should be applied. If you need to have your soil tested, you can get the forms and information online at http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/. Also, a good site to help figure out how much of a particular fertilizer needs to be applied can be found at http://aggieturf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/calculators/fertsheet.html. You can also find information to help you calibrate spreader equipment at http://aggieturf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/calibration/calibration.html. In addition, information on how to take soil samples. http://aggieturf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/soilsample/soilsample1.html These are great tools to help you save some money on fertilization and deter over application of fertilizers which negatively impacts our bays and estuaries.
In addition, this a great time to trim dead or damaged foliage and branches from trees and shrubs. The new growth and developing buds can assist with shaping and retraining plants to grow in the form that we choose. There is also a great publication that will assist and inform homeowners of best practices and techniques used for trimming at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/landscape/pruning/pruning.html.

Coastal Bend Landscape Conference

If you need a little help caring for you landscape, you need to come to the 1st Annual Coastal Bend Landscape Conference. The conference will feature Lawn Maintenance, Trees for the Coastal Bend and other excellent topics. This a great opportunity to increase your awareness and knowledge regarding landscape maintenance for our area.

8:00– 8:30 a.m. Registration Fee $30/person (includes lunch and snacks during breaks.)

8:30-9:15 a.m. Drainage for Corpus Christi

9:15-10:00 a.m. Environmental Impacts on Bays Estuaries and the Gulf of Mexico

10:15-10:30 a.m. Break

10:30-11:15 a.m. Trees Please!!!

11:15-12:00 p.m. Turf Management

12:00-1:00 p.m. Catered Lunch

1:00-1:45 p.m. Earthkind

1:45-2:15 p.m. Drift Minimization

2:30-3:30 p.m. Pesticide Laws & Regulations Update

3:30 p.m. Adjourn

Sponsored By:

Nueces County Extension LAB , Nueces Horticulture Advisory Committee

and Texas AgriLife Extension, City of Corpus Christi Storm Water Dept. & Del Mar College

Please call and register today! 361-767-5217

Spring.. or not!

The question that arises during this time of year is "When do we trim landscape plant?" Recent weather predictions in our area say there will be another cold blast head our way in the upcoming weeks. I am by no means a meteorologist. My advise is to wait until plants start to show new growth. We all tend to get the urge to start trimming once temperatures warm up. I like to call this time of year... TEASE season. I remember some years back when a frost occurred around the first of April. A lot of new growth was damaged and plants took longer to recuperate. Unfortunately, the urge to trim our plants comes much earlier than the April 1st date. Mid March tends to be the general recommendation for trimming plants, however, we still have to be aware of potential frosts that might sneak up on us.

Keep in mind that trimming plants after winter is a great time to reshape the way your plants grow. I am referring to plants that may have out grown the landscape or may be growing in the wrong direction. When buds start to form, pruning your plants for future growth is beneficial to the aesthetics of your landscape. Here is a link to a great publication that explains pruning in detail. Happy Gardening.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/landscape/pruning/pruning.html