Search found 17557 matches

by MorpheusPA
March 26th, 2024, 8:59 am
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: 2023 Soil Test Interpretation Queue
Replies: 20
Views: 10074

Re: 2023 Soil Test Interpretation Queue

I think we're all up to speed, or at least I don't see anything left pending; I just took care of Hoosier.
by MorpheusPA
March 26th, 2024, 8:58 am
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: HoosierDaddy 2024 Soil Test
Replies: 2
Views: 47

Re: HoosierDaddy 2024 Soil Test

Carbon copy 2023. You're actually in excellent shape for 2024, although I think the one small recommendation I might make is to use a balanced fertilizer in May and September. Your potassium levels are maybe just a wee bit low for a very high pH, and phosphorus isn't particularly available at that p...
by MorpheusPA
March 26th, 2024, 8:52 am
Forum: Flowers & Annuals
Topic: Rose question
Replies: 6
Views: 97

Re: Rose question

The footprint's remained approximately the same on one, grown slightly on the other. I just moved the one that stayed the same because it was staying the same due to heavy competition from a Thuja. I'm hoping it does a lot better this year.
by MorpheusPA
March 26th, 2024, 8:50 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Too much rain for PreM?
Replies: 2
Views: 57

Re: Too much rain for PreM?

PreM is strongly binding, so it should be OK as long as the first quarter inch or so isn't a torrent. If you suspect it even might be, hold off. About the only thing to worry about is runoff initially or erosion of soil.
by MorpheusPA
March 24th, 2024, 2:28 pm
Forum: Flowers & Annuals
Topic: Rose question
Replies: 6
Views: 97

Re: Rose question

If it's a sales point, I have two Knockouts; red and yellow. They're coming up on 20, or about the maximum age, but I still don't see signs of senescence. I don't do much to them except cane out the dead stuff and occasionally cut them back in spring. And feed, of course. You gotta feed a rose in sp...
by MorpheusPA
March 24th, 2024, 2:25 pm
Forum: Water cooler
Topic: Weeping willow question
Replies: 8
Views: 189

Re: Weeping willow question

Old farmers and people in general say a lot of things. Staking a tree for overlong will make it not invest a lot of energy in root mass (why bother if the stake is there?) but you can always recover that by slowly releasing the stake over the course of several years. It's also not an extreme issue i...
by MorpheusPA
March 24th, 2024, 12:37 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: 2024: What Did You Do On Your Lawn Today (Cool Season)
Replies: 13
Views: 1446

Re: 2024: What Did You Do On Your Lawn Today (Cool Season)

I had 1.2 bags of calcitic lime and that covered 60% of the lawn before our rainstorm (my soil pH came back at 5.7, mostly calcium short, with my soil balancing around 6.2). So I picked up six more bags tonight (2 bags fast, 4 bags very slow calcitic to maintain it over the next two years).
by MorpheusPA
March 23rd, 2024, 5:07 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Three Lawn Care Teams
Replies: 4
Views: 659

Re: Three Lawn Care Teams

It does depend on where you ask the question. As you asked it here--yes, most of us will answer that your own care will surpass any company. Because ours does; we get our soil tests, inspect our lawns, spray our weeds, and so on. I'm down to fiddling in parts per billion on manganese and selenium. I...
by MorpheusPA
March 23rd, 2024, 5:04 pm
Forum: Flowers & Annuals
Topic: Rose question
Replies: 6
Views: 97

Re: Rose question

I am sorry to hear that! It's a good idea. Roses can be a bit touchy; the most simple ones are the Knockout variety (which do not climb and are of the bush variety). They're practically indestructible. I don't know much about climbing roses myself, so did a bit of spot research. Most agree that "Lad...
by MorpheusPA
March 23rd, 2024, 5:00 pm
Forum: Water cooler
Topic: Weeping willow question
Replies: 8
Views: 189

Re: Weeping willow question

Just when planting, and really, a gentle feeding even at that point isn't a mistake. Overfeeding at any time when young is a problem as you'll end up with weak wood.
by MorpheusPA
March 21st, 2024, 10:19 am
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: 71GTO 2024 soil test
Replies: 5
Views: 173

Re: 71GTO 2024 soil test

OM of 6% is in the Excellent range. I'd try to keep it there, but that doesn't mean synthetics are off the table. I'd strongly suggest organics, but that doesn't mean you have to do that.
by MorpheusPA
March 21st, 2024, 10:14 am
Forum: Water cooler
Topic: Weeping willow question
Replies: 8
Views: 189

Re: Weeping willow question

It does look better! I'm still tempted to tell you to pull off that last little lower branch that just doesn't look right....
by MorpheusPA
March 18th, 2024, 2:15 pm
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: Spacklerstyle 2024 Soil Test
Replies: 4
Views: 88

Re: Spacklerstyle 2024 Soil Test

I have no strong opinion. Two weeks apart would be great, but if you want to drop them the same day, it's not really going to matter much. If you're using the Milo at that time, you can also slack back with the feeding to about half to two-thirds rate for that point (the Milo contains a lot of phosp...
by MorpheusPA
March 17th, 2024, 8:10 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: 2024: What Did You Do On Your Lawn Today (Cool Season)
Replies: 13
Views: 1446

Re: 2024: What Did You Do On Your Lawn Today (Cool Season)

Sprayed Tenacity and Round Up on lawn and garden weeds. I may have accidentally slipped up to eight feet over the line but...I'll never tell. Still waiting for my own soil tests, the soil arrived last Wednesday. :-)
by MorpheusPA
March 16th, 2024, 8:39 pm
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: Chris's 2024 Soil Test
Replies: 3
Views: 187

Re: Chris's 2024 Soil Test

Always skip April and don't force the grass. If you fed well last fall, it doesn't need it and it just forces growth you don't want or need to be forcing, particularly on Zoysia. You'll just end up with more thatch to deal with. If you'd rather use Milo, I'm fine with that, just add in an additional...
by MorpheusPA
March 16th, 2024, 8:35 pm
Forum: Water cooler
Topic: Weeping willow question
Replies: 8
Views: 189

Re: Weeping willow question

You do want to establish a strong central leader for a willow, yes. So sure, go cut those off. You can prune a willow in late winter, so do that now. I'd also be inclined to cut the one at 1 PM (on the lowest photo) off as well, to establish the central branch as, unquestionably, the leader. But I m...
by MorpheusPA
March 16th, 2024, 8:30 pm
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: 71GTO 2024 soil test
Replies: 5
Views: 173

Re: 71GTO 2024 soil test

If that were literally the last "organic" on the planet, I might be fine with it. It isn't, so I'm not. Those are slow release synthetics with some organics added. I'm not going to say "avoid, avoid, avoid" because they have their place, it's just not as an organic.
by MorpheusPA
March 16th, 2024, 1:37 pm
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: Spacklerstyle 2024 Soil Test
Replies: 4
Views: 88

Re: Spacklerstyle 2024 Soil Test

Hello, calcium soil. From last year, your OM is doing exactly what I expect--not that much. It takes a while for the stuff to work down, so continue onward with applying OM. And yes, there's a distinct front/back difference, which is fairly normal for a slope. We can fix that. Try to apply things wh...
by MorpheusPA
March 15th, 2024, 8:01 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Early treatment for Winter weeds
Replies: 4
Views: 133

Re: Early treatment for Winter weeds

"Before they seed" might be "next week" at this rate. My lawn is already greening up and starting to grow, which is a record.
by MorpheusPA
March 15th, 2024, 8:00 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: New cool season turfgrass species: "TTRF"
Replies: 6
Views: 163

Re: New cool season turfgrass species: "TTRF"

I skipped it, mostly because my supervisor left and I kind of got dumped with half the workload. And I took a portraiture class. Then I got promoted. It turned out to be a busy fall and winter. There are entire subsections of the lawn that are not doing as well as I might hope, but I'm still torn be...