“Thymely Advice”…Prevent Crabgrass Now!

“Thymely Advice”…Prevent Crabgrass Now!

If you have had crabgrass in your yard and understand what a pain it can be, then let me remind you that right now is the time to choose your plan of attack for avoiding having to deal with crabgrass at all this year! We know you work hard to keep your lawn looking nice, and we want to help you keep it that way. Sure there are sprays that we offer that help kill it after it matures, but wouldn’t it be great to prevent it all together? 

We recommend one of two plans of attack.

 The first is All Seasons Crabgrass Preventer with Fertilizer by Fertilome. This product has a pre-emergent that controls crabgrass before it germinates. It provides season long coverage with only one application, and it covers your Spring fertilization all in one! This is definitely for lawns that are established and not going to be seeded in the Spring.

The second option is for anyone that did dormant seeding or plans to put down some grass seed this Spring. Hi-Yield Turf & Ornamental is another great option for a pre-emergent to nip crabgrass in the bud before germination. While this product contains no fertilizer, it can be applied 2 weeks after signs of your grass germinating! You don’t need to wait until you’ve mowed your lawn 2 or 3 times like you would with a typical weed killer or fertilizer, because there is no fertilizer. If you are seeding this Spring, this is your option!

Good Gardens Start with Good Prep

Good Gardens Start with Good Prep

How many of you take care of your soil like it takes care of you? Do you know that our soil needs to be fed just like we do? Whether you grow all of your own food or simply love your ornamentals, here is a list of things you can add to improve and maintain your soil’s health:

• Compost: Start your own pile with food scraps and yard waste, or buy bagged cotton burr compost and composted manure. Use every time you plant!
• Earthworm Castings: Start your own worm farm, or pick up a bag of Kansas Kirk’s pure worm castings already bagged. This will introduce beneficial microbes and bacteria to your soil with a neutral ph.
• Soil Conditioner: Happy Frog produces a blend of earthworm castings, bat guano and mycorrhizae that stimulate and feed the microbes in your soil and give your soil some umph! 
• Trace Minerals: Improve the nutrient content of your fruits and vegetables by replacing the minerals that the veggies absorb. Soil Mender Minerals Plus will do the trick!
• Cover Crops: Cover crops are typically planted in between food crops. They improve the overall fertility of the soil and release nutrients to the microbes in the soil. Many varieties of cover crops exist from nitrogen fixing legumes, alfalfa, rye, buckwheat, and red clover. 
• We understand that your garden and flower beds are an investment of time and money. Yearly maintenance of your soil will prove beneficial for your plants and for you!  

Onion Sets

As we push through the ups and downs of this cold late winter, I am reminded about a question that we seem to get every year….do I need to plant onion sets or onion transplants?  Onion sets are typically what we plant when we want green onions (scallions) early, or larger onions with more of a traditional onion flavor later on. Onion transplants, sometimes just called plants or starts, are typically sweeter tasting onions that are sold in bundles identified by their names. Popular varieties include Red Candy, Yellow Candy, Texas 1015, Yellow Granex (the Vidalia Onion) and Bermuda.   Typically sets can be planted in mid-March and plants in early April. Of course, this all depends on the curveballs that Mother Nature throws us! Onions have shallow root systems, and need regular watering and fertilizing in order to get the best results. Managing weeds is also crucial for a decent bulb size!  Our sets are in! We have red, yellow, and white sets, as well as my personal favorite Cippolini onions. We should start getting plants in well before St Patty’s Day, and as always, the most popular varieties tend to go fast!  If you have any questions about onions or what you might need to be successful, stop by the Garden Center. We’re always glad to help! -Mike Ray

Earthworm Castings

What’s New?...Worm Poop! Kansas Kirk’s Gardenworks is some of the finest quality worm castings you can find anywhere!  We are thrilled to carry this new local product! Produced only about 50 miles from Skinner’s, Kirk Junod is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and is super passionate about organic gardening…and WORMS!  Kirk feeds his cultured night crawlers, organic peat moss and local grains and their poop, aka…worm castings…is a natural fertilizer that provides your plants nutrients to help them grow. Each bag is packed full of worm castings and does not contain leftover peat moss or fillers like other worm castings products. This is great for vegetables, annuals, lawns, seed flats, trees and shrubs, and more…even worm casting tea!