WEEDS!

This is the time of the year when most people say that their lawns are being invaded by weeds. This is the time when weeds are more visible because the lawn is still dormant. This is the time of the year when seeds spread the most because most people are reluctant to get out and mow their lawns. “One more week, I will mow it next week.”

The reluctance to get out there allows weeds to flower. Flowers, of course, produce seeds. Seeds fall to the ground and of course sooner or latter germinate. Germination, of course, means more weeds. More weeds means: MORE WEEDS!

Before you mow, or hack, or pull your weeds, identify them. This will help you determine the weeds life span, and whether it’s beneficial or hellacious. Yes, in some cases weeds can be beneficial. Some control erosion, some are medicinal, some are edible and some attract beneficial insects while others repel harmful insects. There are sites that have extensive lists detailing the benefits of certain weeds, and great photographs for identifying them. Take some time and check them out. Just enter beneficial weeds on your search engine.

A weed is a weed only if it is growing in an area where YOU do not want it. Of course weeds in the middle of the lawn may be an eyesore and if you are not careful may take over.

There are ways to control weeds. Vinegar on a hot day. A hoe. A weedeater. Applications of molasses over the weed. Pulling the weed. A fatty acid such as Scythe. As mentioned above regular mowings.

Example: Rye grass does not really bother me because it is a winter weed that is the most grass like of all. Mowing it during the winter will actually leave a nice green hue over the otherwise dormant lawn. As the temperatures rise mowing the rye grass down on a regular basis will expose its roots to sunlight which will cause faster die back.

Many commercial properties and residential lawns are overseeded with ryegrass to give the lawn a pleasant appearance during the winter months. The problem with this is that birds scatter the seeds onto properties whose owners do not want it. Also, if left to grow late into the spring or early summer it can kill off the grass below or cause diseases to take over, which if untreated may take over the entire lawn before you notice it.

Clover: Clover does have some benefits. It does like shady moist areas where grass would not grow. It keeps mud off of feet and helps attacts bees when in flower.

Clover can be a pain in the lower back if left unchecked. An easy control is to tire it out. When I was in Cape Town, South Africa in 2007, I stayed in a house that was on an acre property. One day I awoke to the sound of at least one thosand decibals buzzing in the area next to my window. As I looked out I saw four gardeners with weedeaters buzzing away.

These guys were good. They trimmed the grass evenly almost as well as with a lawnmower. Every once in a while they would spend more time in a specific spot.

After they finished I walked out to inspect their work. Not bad. Pretty amazing for what they were doing with weedeaters. Oops!

They scalped the lawn. Again and again. In one area I saw about six spots that were almost shaved.

Me being me, not afraid to be curious, I walked over to one of the men. I explained to him that I did what he did in the US but with lawnmowers.

“We can not afford them.”

After I complemented him and his cohorts I asked what had happened in the bald spot.

“Oh, that is weed control he explained. We select one area each week and trim it really low. This gets rid of all the weeds and makes it weak. If we keep after it, it will die and the good grass will grow in to hide the bare spot.”

I told my maintenace crews about this and now when they see stands of weeds they try knocking them down with the weedeater. It does not take much effort and within a few weeks the weeds are gone and the grass is back.

This works for more then just clover. Just about any weed can be controlled by tiring it out. Try it. This metohd is cheaper and less damaging than most herbicides.

Photoperiodicity

Answers.com states:

Photoperiodicity: The growth, development, or other responses of organisms to the length of night or day or both. Photoperiodism has been observed in plants and animals, but not in bacteria (prokaryotic organisms), other single-celled organisms, or fungi. A true photoperiodism response is a response to the changing day or night. Some species respond to increasing day lengths and decreasing night lengths (for example, by forming flowers or developing larger gonads); this is called a long-day response. Other species may exhibit the same response, or the same species may respond in some different way, to decreasing days and increasing nights; this is a short-day response. Sometimes a response is independent or nearly independent of day length, and is said to be day-neutral. There are many plant responses to photoperiod. These include development of reproductive structures in lower plants (mosses) and in flowering plants; rate of flower and fruit development; stem elongation in many herbaceous species as well as coniferous and deciduous trees (usually a long-day response and possibly the most widespread photoperiodism response in higher plants); autumn leaf drop and formation of winter dormant buds (short days); development of frost hardiness (short days); formation of roots on cuttings; formation of many underground storage organs such as bulbs (onions, long days), tubers (potato, short days), and storage roots (radish, short days); runner development (strawberry, short day); balance of male to female flowers or flower parts (especially in cucumbers); aging of leaves and other plant parts; and even such obscure responses as the formation of foliar plantlets (such as the minute plants formed on edges of Bryophyllum leaves), and the quality and quantity of essential oils (such as those produced by jasmine plants). Note that a single plant, for example, the strawberry, might be a short-day plant for one response and a long-day plant for another response.

My mother was a long day person. In the winter she had less energy than in the summer. Cloudy days affected her as well. I know I feel better during sunny days and actually feel depressed when it rains for long periods. Maybe, just maybe, in my case, it is a financial thing since I cannot make money if it is raining.

Anyway, March is here, the trees are budding, some have even shown their true colors. Flowering shrubs such as quince, forsythia, Carolina jessamine and lady banks roses are beginning to bloom. Almost every night I walk the still unfamiliar streets of my new hood; Armstrong, Highland, Lakeshore, Beverly, and Turtle Creek. As I walk around I enjoy the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in landscape color. I see thousands of tulips, grape hyacinths and daffodils peaking out of the soil, many already in bloom, surrounded by pansies of multiple colors.

If there is enough daylight left I love walking the Katie Trail where I can enjoy the emergence of foliage, the fragrant smells and the changing plumage on birds that flitter through the trees and brush as I walk along the path of the old railroad track.

The smells of rotting leaves and dog poop left on trails by lazy dog owners is being masked by the fragrant aromas produced by the blooming Mexican Plums and winter honeysuckle carried in the breeze. Of the hundreds of people I see on a daily basis as I walk the trail very few seem to realize the natural wonders that surround them. It is not a bad thing to use the walkway for exercise, but we really need to pay attention to the beauty around us.

Pay attention to the beauty around us!

How many times have I said that in the past, verbally or written. I was one who may not have fully practiced what I preach. Even though I know that I am a lot more observant than most, sometimes I do not take time to enjoy the full picture.

Since November I have tried to release my stress levels, my anxiety, by taking long walks. Long, sloooowww walks. Moving into a new neighborhood has helped, specially a neighborhood as beautiful as Highland Park where transformations, structural and landscape, seem to occur on a weekly basis. I have been able to find windmills, bronze statues, and memorial stone markers, gnomes and mermaids that many people ignore or never found.

At home I have taken the dog out to brush leaving the massive clumps of hair for birds to use to build their nest. The day after I brush the dog all the clumps are gone. As I look up into the still bare trees I now see several nests that are whiter than any other color.

Just the other day I was walking past a large window that opened out to a side yard, when a hawk swooped down. It missed its prey, then quickly turned towards the window where I was standing. Right in front of me it attacked its shadow. Lunging its talons against its reflection on the glass, wings open wide, batting to stay afloat as it repeatedly struck at its phantom victim. Finally it fell to the ground. I ran to my room, found my camera, and ran back outside just in time to see it fly away. I ran in the direction it flew.

Once out of the side yard I saw birds scattering in every direction as the hawk scared them into flight, and then the big bird disappeared and all the others returned to their normal activities, whatever that is in a bird’s life.

I felt somewhat guilty for leaving the clumps of hair for the birds to gather. Would the hawk have ventured into my yard if I were not trying to attract birds? The guilt quickly passed as a Cardinal flew near a Yaupon where a Mockingbird had made its home. The chatter that ensued followed by one mad bird chasing off the other brought me pleasure.

I went inside, got the brush and the dog and brushed more hair off of her thick Labrador coat and left it for the birds.

How many times have you enjoyed the wildlife in your back yard? Have you even tried inviting wildlife onto your property? Well now that you are trying to save money you may consider creating some entertainment in your own backyard.

Try walking the Katie Trail or any other naturalized area. Try walking around the neighborhood and smell the fragrances of spring. Open your eyes and look at the colorful plants.

Many years ago, on a trip to Japan, specifically in the city of Osaka it seemed that almost everybody had a camera around their necks. When they saw a cherry blossom, or a bird that happened by you could almost hear the machine gun like sound as hundreds of shutters clicked at the photo opportunity. You can do the same. If you are not familiar with the different varieties of plants that surround you, a photo would be a good way to help identify the plant that caught any of your senses. Take your camera into a nursery and if the photo is clear enough then someone may be able to help identify that plant.

Of course as long as you are careful you can pinch off a twig or a flower that could also help in identifying the plant.

Now is the time to get busy in your yard. So many of us want a house with a lawn but then complain about the yard work. Do something about it! Make your lawn pleasant by making changes that will attract you to the Great Outdoors!