Last weekend on the GardenLine radio show, I must have answered a dozen questions about compost top-dressing. Then, in recent days, my email was peppered by folks a little nervous that they missed some things in the lawn fertilization schedule that I suggested might be done a bit early this year. And, a few weeks ago, I remember answering lots of questions about the order in which products should be applied.
This morning, I remembered that about four years ago I typed up an article about “Randy-isms” - answers that could be applied to just about every springtime lawn care question. I prefer to call them GardenLine “tenets” - you can call them whatever you want - but here they are again.
- “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
- “It just doesn’t matter.”
- “Stick to The Schedule for one full year.”
- “Compost top-dressing is the only top-dressing these days”
- “Call me for clarification” (or Come talk to me in person on Saturday.)
Let’s see how many apply to the questions below:
- If it’s been years since a top-dressing, when should I do it this year? (1 & 4)
- And what’s the best top-dressing these days? (4)
- Since we didn’t have any real “winter,” when should we aerate this year? (1 & 2)
- With winter not really being typical, should I do a compost top-dressing now or later? (1, 2 & 4)
- I need to do both the pre-emergent and the early green up. In what order do I put them down? (2)
- My dad used to use bank sand to top dress yards. Where can I get that? (4)
- If I have enriched topsoil, can I use that as a top-dressing? (4 & 5)
- I used to think the early green-up had to be done by March 1, but the lack of winter and a still green-lawn made me forget about it this year. Can I still do it, I even though it’s nearly mid-March? (1 & 3)
- I’m going to try following your schedule this year. Where do I begin? (2, 3 & 5)
- Should I get a product down before heavy rain? If I get a lot of rain, do I need to re-apply? (1, 2 & 3)
- If I’m going to do everything this weekend that I missed in February, in what order should I put things down? (2 & 3)
- When’s the best time for a fertilizer? When’s the best time for a pre-emergent? Did I miss the early part of the schedule? Am I going to miss the first slow-release fertilizer, if I applied the early green-up too late? (1, 2, 3, 4 & 5)
- If I missed everything on your schedule since last summer, what do I do first this year? (1, 3 & 5)
Wild Birds Unlimited Appearance
“Randy-ism” #5 above said to call or see me for clarification. If you live around West Houston, you’ve got a great opportunity to meet me in person 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Wild Birds Unlimited on Memorial near Kirkwood.
While I won’t be able to sell you fertilizers and herbicides there, I can still answer all your gardening questions.
I will have some fertilizers to give away, though … just not lawn fertilizers. In addition to some specific plant foods from Nitro-Phos in their four-pound jugs, Wild Birds Unlimited has provided a feeder and some bird food as prizes. You don’t have to be present at the drawings to win, but you’ve got to come into the store while I’m there to register.
If you have questions about attracting birds to your backyard, or keeping certain wildlife away from your bird food, the folks at WBU can help. Remember … stop buying uber-cheap bird seed at big box stores.
My new book is available at all six WBU stores in the region, and the first 24 people who purchase a copy while I’m there on Saturday will get a nice one-pound sample of Nelson Plant Food’s Color Star.