Time to do lawn repairs
By ROBERT KESSLER Penn State Cooperative Extension Franklin County office

COMING EVENTS

Sept. 29 - 10 a.m., Pavers Workshop - Horticultureal Garden Center, Franklin County Cooperative Extension, Call 263-9226.

Oct. 2 through Nov. 13 - 7 to 9:30 p.m., Principles of Landscape Design Classes, Franklin County Master Gardners, Franklin County Human Services Building, Call 263- 9226 for information.

Oct. 6 - 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., House Plants and Propagation, Franklin County Cooperative Extension, Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg.

Oct. 13 - 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fall Bus Trip, Bartram's Gardens and Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Call 263-9226 for information.

DO LAWN REPAIRS SOON

In our area of the county, we need to get fall lawn repairs seeded by the middle of October. If you are using bluegrass, it should be a little earlier. That time is fast approaching so if you have been putting off patching those dead spots hoping they would be revived from the dead and start growing, forget it. They aren't going to start growing so re-seed those areas soon. We have covered how to reseed and over seed here before. The most important thing to remember is you have to create a seed bed of soil either by vigorous raking or by tilling. Once you have the seed bed, apply a starter fertilizer and work it in, and then apply the seed. Use the back of the rake to cover the seed and then firm the soil so you get good seed to soil contact. For small pie plate areas, you do this with your hand. For larger areas, you need a roller. Then the most critical step is to keep the area moist. You can't do this most of the time while waiting for germination; you need to do it all the time. Miss one day and have the top layer of soil dry out, and you lost your new seeding. Keep the area damp at all times and you should soon see new grass. Mow it when it is three inches tall, then go back to 2.5 inches and mow until it stops growing in November. If you have questions, call our office at (717) 263-9226.

PLANT SPRING BULBS

NOW

Now that we are getting into the cooler weather of fall it is time to plant spring flowering

bulbs like tulips, daffodils and crocus. These bulbs need to develop roots this fall and go through a cold period so

they will

bloom in the spring. Without the chilling period, they would not bloom. Spring bulbs like to be grown in a sunny location with good drainage. If your soil is heavy clay, you can add organic matter like compost or peat moss to the planting site to improve the drainage. You should work up the soil beneath where the bulb will be planted, so if you are planting bigger bulbs like tulips and daffodil, you should till about 12 inches deep. If you are adding organic matter, you should prepare a mix that is one-third organic matter and two-thirds soil. While you are mixing up your soil, you can add a 5-10-5 fertilizer at a rate of three pounds per 100 square feet of planting bed.

Purchase high quality bulbs that are free of any disease or soft spots or damage. To determine how deep to plant your bulbs, the general rule of thumb is to plant a bulb at three times its height. If you have bulbs that are about two inches high as most daffodils and tulips are, then these go into the ground about six inches deep. This isn't an exact science, so you don't need to be measuring each bulb. You should space your bulbs in the planting hole so that smaller bulbs are one-two inches apart and bigger bulbs are three to four inches apart. Most spring bulbs look more attractive planted in clumps rather than spread out widely or in rows.

Once you get your bulbs planted, put a light sprinkling of mulch over them so you know where they are. You can also use plant markers. Water your new beds well and if we have a dry fall, water them till the ground starts to freeze. Then when the ground starts to freeze, add about two to three inches of mulch over the bulbs to prevent freezing and thawing, which can damage your bulbs.

If you have trouble growing bulbs because you have squirrels in your area and they dig up your bulbs as fast as you plant them, you can foil them with some chicken wire. Follow the instructions on preparing the site, but when you have your bulbs in the bed, only add about one-half to two-thirds of the backfill soil and then put chicken wire over the area and then finish back filling. If the squirrels dig for bulbs, they will not be able to reach them because of the chicken wire. The flower from the bulbs will grow through the holes in the chicken wire.

PINE NEEDLES NEEDED

If you have pine trees in your yard and you are going to clean up the needles under the trees, we would like to have them. The Master Gardeners have created a wildlife area and pine needles make a great mulch around our trees. If you need a place to get rid of your bagged pine needles, give us a call at (717) 263-9226 and we will tell you where to drop them off.

GRUBS IN LAWNS

This fall we have not had any calls about grub damage in lawns. It is highly unlikely that we will have much damage to lawns because it was so dry at the critical egg laying time in July and August. The only potential problem lawns are those that were irrigated. These would have been prime targets for both the Japanese beetles and the Northern Masked chafers. Any irrigated lawn that was not protected with Grub X or Mach 2 should be watched for grub damage.

If anyone does have grub activity in their lawn that is causing damage, then you should use trichlorfon (Dylox or Bayer Advanced 24 Hour Grub Control) to control the grubs. This should be done soon.