Dial-a-Garden Message

For the Week of November 2, 2009
Lenore Donovan, Advance Master Gardener
Colorado State University Extension Tri River Area

Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message was recorded on Monday, November 2, 2009.

If you had problems with growing certain plants or had areas where nothing seemed to do well, bring us in a sample of your soil and ask for a salt test. Many of the soils in western Colorado have excess salt which will severely limit what can be grown. We’ll need about a cup of relatively clean, dry soil to run an accurate test. There is no charge for this service; at our Mesa County office we can usually run this test while you wait. If you have a large area, you might wish to bring in more than one sample. Just put each sample in a plastic bag and label where it came from on your property. You can also drop off your soil samples at our Montrose or Delta offices, and we’ll call you back with the results.

If you wish to have your soil checked for nutrients, we’ll be happy to provide the information about sending it off to a soil testing lab. The winter months are a good time to have this done, as you’ll be able to make your plans for amending the soil prior to spring planting. Most of our soils benefit from adding organic matter such as wood chips, compost, or even the ubiquitous leaves.

There is still time to make a late season application of nitrogen fertilizer to your lawn. Nitrogen applied in the fall at rates up to two pounds of actual Nitrogen (N) per thousand square feet, extends the turf’s ability to store carbohydrates. It will remain healthier over the winter and green up earlier in the spring. To calculate how much actual (N) is in the fertilizer product, look at the first of the three numbers. This is the percentage of (N) the product contains. For example, amonium sulfate at 21-0-0 is approximately one-fifth (N). You would need ten pounds of this product per thousand square feet of lawn to get the recommended two pounds of nitrogen. You’ll need to remove the leaves from the lawn before fertilizing, and the fertilizer will need to be watered in. More information may be found on our website at www.westernslopeturf.org, or give us a call at 244-1836.

Leaf spot diseases of aspens and poplars are more common when we have a damp spring. If your trees showed signs of leaf spot, you can help protect them from future outbreaks by raking up and disposing of the leaves this fall. The disease organisms overwinter in the leaf debris, so disposing of them removes the source. Leaf diseases of cherries and plums may be managed the same way. Don’t compost diseased leaf litter unless you are very confident that your composting system is heating up thoroughly.

Compost piles can slow down in colder weather if not attended to regularly. The correct moisture balance is important in keeping the pile active; the material should be moist but not soggy. The pile will need to be turned frequently. Nitrogen sources are more difficult to come by during the winter months; to balance out all those high-carbon leaves, you may want to add a handful of a nitrogen fertilizer such as ammonium sulfate. Horse manure can be used as a non-synthetic nitrogen source.

The poinsettia, Eurphorbia pulcherrima, is one of the most popular and showy of the holiday plants. To keep yours healthy, put them where they get good indirect light. They prefer 60-65 degrees F. at night but can tolerate higher daytime temperatures. The soil should be kept evenly moist so be sure to check daily. Poinsettias will easily lose their leaves if allowed to dry out. More information is available at www.westernslopegardening.org or give us a call at 244-1836 and ask for our fact sheet on Poinsettias.

There is still room in our 2010 Apprentice Master Gardener course; visit the website or give Susan a call at 244-1841. Classes begin January 14, 2009.

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