Saturday

[ksmith]

Outdoor work today. Planted the rhododendron, finally. I wound up taking the stones leftover from last year's planter construction and using them to trim the area. The stones weigh over 20 pounds each, so the wheelbarrow got a workout. So did my shoulders.

I also planted an hibiscus, a lovely tree-like thing with vermilion blooms. I fear it may not last the winter, but we'll see. I have it in a sheltered place.

Hummingbirds have also been spotted, so I put out some nectar feeders.

Yesterday, I spread the organic lawn fertilizer in the backyard. It's a corn gluten product that is used in some animal feeds, so it's, well, safe to use around the dogs. A strong smell, like Ovaltine. It rained last night, so it's almost all dissolved/absorbed. It will be interesting to see how this stuff works.

Comments

[jodi-davis.livejournal.com]

Oh, we found a hummingbird nest in out non-flowering mulberry - tiniest thing evAR! And we got to peak at the baby once a day.

Do you know the name of the fertilizer you used? I have two wolfhounds which with zero percent body fat they are very sensitive to toxins... so I never use anything like that in their outside are and have to be really careful about that in the house too.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

The stuff is called WOW Plus pre-emergence weed control and fertilizer. I mailordered it from this place in Indiana:

http://www.gardensalive.com

They feature all organic products.

[jodi-davis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

I used their corn gluten product for a couple of years. It's highly dependent on timing and you'll still have the isolated dandelion you'll need to pull. But overall it works well.

There's also a winter ice-melt that's pet/plant safe, and turns into fertilizer. That strengthened the grass over the winter, so it came up very thick and full this spring, choking out the dandelions.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I still get the occasional dandelion with Scott's napalm. More than the occasional dandelion, actually, since of the houses surrounding mine, only one uses any type of lawncare treatment.

I applied the first round of WOW Plus within the prescribed timeframe, which is by sometime in July. I may buy some more and put it on near the end of the month--the fact that I didn't put on any Step 2 meant that the clover well and truly took hold. In some areas of the lawn, it has crowded out the grass.

if you can remember the name of the deicer, I'd appreciate it.

[trolleypup.livejournal.com]

IIRC, the hibiscus will likely winterkill down to the ground, at the end of the season, you might try piling mulch deep around the base and it might come back from the roots next year

Pet / plant safe de-icers

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

The de-icer is called Ice Melt Plus. It's a blend of nitrogen and something else -- potassium? It comes as a mix of black and gray crystals. The gray stuff melts the ice, and the black stuff provides traction, then can be swept into the lawn/garden at the end of the season to fertilize. In heavy storms, you're supposed to shovel away the slush, and reapply, which also distributes it to the lawn.

The other one I use is Safe Paw. That's pet safe, and works at really low temps, so it's what I use when I absolutely don't want anyone slipping (like when it's snowing and I've got dinner guests coming, one of whom is in a highly advanced stage of a difficult pregnancy). But I don't think that's as plant-safe as Ice Melt. Plus, it's wicked expensive.

Re: Pet / plant safe de-icers

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Re: Pet / plant safe de-icers

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

Oops. I double-checked the exact brand name on my de-icer bucket in the garage. Ice Melt is one of the similar products, but the specific one I have is called Anti Skid.

Re: Pet / plant safe de-icers

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks for checking!