News
This is an example of the weekly Dial-a-Garden message, which is recorded each week at CSU Extension and may be accessed by calling 244-1706, by visiting our website at www.westernslopegardening.org or by e-mail if you prefer. This message was recorded on Tuesday, April 27.
The evapotranspiration rate for the week is a little more than one inch for cool season lawns in the Grand Valley. Higher elevations may need less. It is always a good idea to check your soil with a probe or trowel to determine the moisture needs.
Colorado State University Extension along with the Mesa County Library has been developing a community garden in the vacant lot just north of the main library at Fifth Street and Chipeta Avenue. The 20' X 20' plots have been amended with Mesa Magic compost, and are ready to plant. A few plots are still available to rent at $50 for the entire season; contact Dr. Curtis Swift at 244-1840 if you are interested. The rental cost includes water as well as the amended soil.
A workshop on irrigation audits will be held this Saturday, May 1, at the gazebo on the Mesa County fairgrounds, from 9 a.m. to noon and again from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. There is a $5 charge for this hands-on session which will teach participants how to improve the irrigation coverage of their lawns using irrigation audit techniques. Please call our office at 244-1834 to register. Check our website at www.westernslopegardening.org for a listing of additional gardening and native plant workshops this spring.
Cool season lawns, which include Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and the mixtures of these grasses, will need to be fertilized with nitrogen this spring. If you made a late season application of nitrogen last fall, you will only need to fertilize lightly this spring, applying no more than one half pound of actual nitrogen per thousand square feet of lawn area. If you missed the late season application, you may need a full pound per thousand. The three large numbers on the fertilizer package represent the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, in that order (alphabetical) that are in the product. For example, ammonium sulfate is 21-0-0, or approximately one fifth nitrogen. To apply a half pound of N, you would need 2 1⁄2 pounds of this product. Cool season lawns need three to four pounds of nitrogen annually, and in many cases this is all that they will need. Further information may be found at http://westernslopeturf.org or give the Master Gardeners a call at 244-1836.
The warm season lawns, such as buffalograss or zoysia grass, should not be fertilized until June. These grasses need only one to two pounds of nitrogen annually. If you are interested in seeing samples of these lawn grasses, stop by the Mesa County Arboretum located on the fairgrounds. We have small plots of over thirty lawn grasses and mixtures, including both warm season and cool season types, along the southeast edge of the parking lot.
Watering of the lawn should ideally be done between midnight and 6 a.m. If this is not possible, allow the lawn to dry out in the morning for an hour or so before watering. The times to avoid are 6 to 10, morning and evening, as watering during these hours extends the time period in which the grass is naturally wet. Lawn diseases thrive in this situation of extended wetness. Please see our fact sheet at http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/leafwet.html or give us a call at 244-1836.
Master Gardeners are available in our Mesa, Delta, and Montrose offices to answer your yard and garden questions, identify weeds and other plants, and test your soil for salts. We are in our Mesa County office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; we're located on the fairgrounds and our phone number is 244-1836. In Delta and Montrose, we have more limited hours; give those offices a call to find out when we'll be there. Our Montrose office number is 249-3935, and our Delta office can be reached at 874-2195.
This message will be updated next week; have a great week!
The evapotranspiration rate for the week is a little more than one inch for cool season lawns in the Grand Valley. Higher elevations may need less. It is always a good idea to check your soil with a probe or trowel to determine the moisture needs.
Colorado State University Extension along with the Mesa County Library has been developing a community garden in the vacant lot just north of the main library at Fifth Street and Chipeta Avenue. The 20' X 20' plots have been amended with Mesa Magic compost, and are ready to plant. A few plots are still available to rent at $50 for the entire season; contact Dr. Curtis Swift at 244-1840 if you are interested. The rental cost includes water as well as the amended soil.
A workshop on irrigation audits will be held this Saturday, May 1, at the gazebo on the Mesa County fairgrounds, from 9 a.m. to noon and again from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. There is a $5 charge for this hands-on session which will teach participants how to improve the irrigation coverage of their lawns using irrigation audit techniques. Please call our office at 244-1834 to register. Check our website at www.westernslopegardening.org for a listing of additional gardening and native plant workshops this spring.
Cool season lawns, which include Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and the mixtures of these grasses, will need to be fertilized with nitrogen this spring. If you made a late season application of nitrogen last fall, you will only need to fertilize lightly this spring, applying no more than one half pound of actual nitrogen per thousand square feet of lawn area. If you missed the late season application, you may need a full pound per thousand. The three large numbers on the fertilizer package represent the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, in that order (alphabetical) that are in the product. For example, ammonium sulfate is 21-0-0, or approximately one fifth nitrogen. To apply a half pound of N, you would need 2 1⁄2 pounds of this product. Cool season lawns need three to four pounds of nitrogen annually, and in many cases this is all that they will need. Further information may be found at http://westernslopeturf.org or give the Master Gardeners a call at 244-1836.
The warm season lawns, such as buffalograss or zoysia grass, should not be fertilized until June. These grasses need only one to two pounds of nitrogen annually. If you are interested in seeing samples of these lawn grasses, stop by the Mesa County Arboretum located on the fairgrounds. We have small plots of over thirty lawn grasses and mixtures, including both warm season and cool season types, along the southeast edge of the parking lot.
Watering of the lawn should ideally be done between midnight and 6 a.m. If this is not possible, allow the lawn to dry out in the morning for an hour or so before watering. The times to avoid are 6 to 10, morning and evening, as watering during these hours extends the time period in which the grass is naturally wet. Lawn diseases thrive in this situation of extended wetness. Please see our fact sheet at http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/leafwet.html or give us a call at 244-1836.
Master Gardeners are available in our Mesa, Delta, and Montrose offices to answer your yard and garden questions, identify weeds and other plants, and test your soil for salts. We are in our Mesa County office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; we're located on the fairgrounds and our phone number is 244-1836. In Delta and Montrose, we have more limited hours; give those offices a call to find out when we'll be there. Our Montrose office number is 249-3935, and our Delta office can be reached at 874-2195.
This message will be updated next week; have a great week!
