Browse Lawn and Garden Stories - Page 6

990 results found for Lawn and Garden
You would need about 70 pounds of compost to add the same amount of nutrients as 10 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer (containing 10% each nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). CAES News
Compost and Fertilizer
The value of compost to a garden is probably not what most people think. Compost is not a substitute for fertilizer if you’re trying to grow crops that have a high nutrient demand. The real value of adding composted amendments to your garden is to loosen the soil and minimize compaction, improve the drainage and aeration of clay soils, and increase the nutrient-holding capacity of your soil.
4-H'ers listen to planting instructions from a Master Gardener at the new GROWL Fulton County Demonstration and Teaching Garden located at the Camp Fulton-Truitt office in College Park, Georgia. CAES News
Prepare Your Garden
You may still be scraping frost off your windshield in the early morning this time of the year, but it is not too early to begin planning your spring vegetable garden. Completing a few essential steps will ensure that you will have success in your garden when warmer spring temperatures arrive.
Businesses are encouraged to participate in the 2022 Great Georgia Pollinator Census, set for Aug. 19-20. In 2021, Master Gardeners held a counting event at Slow Pour Brewery in Gwinnett County. CAES News
Fourth Great Georgia Pollinator Census
Partnerships with schools, businesses and educational institutions have been crucial components in the growth of the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, which was established by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in 2019.
A spring-planted dwarf Hinoki falsecypress shows transplant shock four months after planting. CAES News
Transplant Shock
Georgia gardeners will find the most success transplanting trees in the cooler seasons. But anywhere a tree or shrub dies within the first year of planting, there is usually a root issue involved. Spring-planted trees and shrubs are generally more stressed from summer heat because their roots are still underdeveloped during the first year. This results in excessive wilting, which causes well-intentioned gardeners to literally water their plants to death. 
Red poinsettias with white poinsettias in the background. CAES News
Holiday Gift Plants
As vibrant holiday plants begin to adorn the shelves of hardware stores, grocery stores and garden centers, consumers are attracted to the pinks, reds and whites atop deep green foliage, which add festive pops of color in winter homes. The appearance of plants like poinsettias and Christmas cacti usher in the holiday season and we love to fill our halls and entryways with their holiday cheer. But what about after the holidays?
In the spring, crape myrtles add color with flowers. In the fall, they add color with brightly colored leaves. CAES News
Crape Myrtle Care
Southern gardeners love crape myrtles, but many don’t know how to care for them to realize the full, gorgeous blooms they expect in the summer.
leafcutter bee on mountain mint (1) CAES News
Pollinator Prep
Pollinator conservation does not stop when the weather turns cool. There are a few items you can add to your pollinator to-do list for the fall and early winter to help pollinators next spring.
John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org CAES News
Tree Sex
Female flowers and female trees produce fruit and seeds. Male flowers and trees produce pollen. Making the correct choice of tree gender can be important. Anyone who has ever smelled putrid ginkgo fruit, washed mulberries off their car or sneezed at tree pollen should understand.
The fruit husks contain the highest concentration of juglone on the tree. (Photo by Franklin Bonner, USFS, ret., Bugwood.org) CAES News
Killer Tree
When you look into your garden or backyard, be careful not to ignore your black walnut (Juglans nigra) tree. Lurking inside its leaves, fruits and roots is a pesticide made to control competition.
On average, Bradford pear trees live around 10 to 15 years, 20 with luck, and will literally begin to self-destruct with any storm winds that blow through. CAES News
Short-Lived Trees
Some trees naturally live longer than others but, ironically, many of the most popular landscape trees tend to be relatively short-lived. Although their flowers are quite attractive, Bradford or Callery pears are generally considered short-lived trees, and they are also highly invasive.