Dial-a-Garden Message

for the Week of Monday, October 5, 2009

Susan Rose, Horticulture Education Specialist
Colorado State University Extension Tri River Area

Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message was recorded on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

The evapotranspiration rate for the last week for our cool-season lawns is one inch. Precipitation has varied across the area so please make your adjustments accordingly. One good soaking this week should be sufficient.

This is the week of the Tree Auction and Plant Sale. The sale begins this Saturday at 9:00 a.m., and you can also preview the trees at that time. Master Gardeners will be present if you have any questions. The auction itself begins at 10:00. The sale will end at 2:00 p.m. or when the plants are gone, whichever comes first. Come early for best selection! Any Master Gardeners who still need some hours this year are encouraged to come help out.

Before the irrigation water goes off for the year, fertilize the cool-season lawn with a late-season nitrogen application. Nitrogen applied in the fall increases the carbohydrate production and storage in the grass plants, allowing them to stay greener longer, develop more roots, and to green up earlier in the spring. You can apply up to two pounds of actual N per thousand square feet of lawn. For more information on the late-season fertilization program and other aspects of turf care, visit our website at www.westernslopeturf.org or give the Master Gardeners a call at 244-1836.

Irrigation systems need to be winterized soon. Compressed air is blown through the system, to remove all the water from the pipes, valves, and sprinkler heads. If the water is left in the system, it will freeze and expand, causing breaks over the winter and leaks when the system is turned back on in the spring. An article by Mike Higgins of Grand Junction Pipe and Supply is available on our web site at www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/blowout.html with more details and some excellent tips on winterizing your irrigation system. Hoses should also be drained and disconnected. A hose that has been drained will be much easier to use when we need it over the winter for that critical winter watering.

If your apples are not quite ready to harvest and a frost is expected, some Extension research in Canada (where this is a common problem) indicates that they can usually survive as long as the temperature doesn’t drop to 28 degrees F. (-2 C.) or lower for four hours or longer. They should not be touched until they have a chance to thaw. Apples are ready to harvest when they taste ripe.

Fall is a good time to get a compost system going, or to start a new pile. Composting yard waste significantly reduces the volume we send to the landfill, and creates a wonderfully useful product as well. If you have been working on an existing pile this summer, allow it to finish off and begin a new batch with fall leaves and garden trimmings. A pile started in the fall can be ready to use by spring, if you turn it regularly and water it occasionally over the winter. Coarse materials break down more slowly them finer ones; coarse leaves such as those from sycamores can be run over with the lawn mower to shred them up a bit and speed up the compost process. Kitchen waste (plant material only) and lawn clippings added to the leaves will help to activate the pile, or you can toss in a handful of nitrogen to help speed things up. For information on what to use and how to start a compost works, contact the Extension office at 244-1836.

Master Gardeners are still available in the Mesa County office, but are not here at all times the way they are during the busy season. You may leave a message at 244-1836, and we’ll get back to you. If your question is urgent, please call our main office number at 244-1834.

Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message will be updated next week; have a great week!