Yes we have had some good rain, yes it is welcome but along with the rain comes other spring visitors.

Here they come! Weeds! Unfortunately if you live in a new subdivision, on the outskirts of town or in a rural area you have experienced these spring visitations of WEEDS.

We have two of three of the above conditions and we are starting to see those weeds come up.

Okay, we can get down on our knees and get each and every weed out of the ground but the whole point of downsizing our home was because we can not do as at much as we use to. So there are few things we can do. First thing we did is our spring weed and feed. Now we have a routine in place to weed and feed on a regular basis.  So the occasional rogue we can handle. We can grab a cold beer or with glass of wine in hand I can lasso my tall guy to help out so we can make it more about fun and not a chore.

Mowing is going to be a lot easier. We downsized from an acre yard to about a quarter of an acre so it is going to be so much easier.  Proper mowing is the best thing you can do and the primary maintenance that can be done to keep those weeds at bay and the turf healthy. What is the general tip here?  “Lawn mowing must be frequent enough to encourage dense, rapid growth.”  Mowing short and infrequently is a death trap for your lawn. In our corner of the world setting the mower blade higher is better than shorter.

One of the things that my tall guy and I usually practice is to let the grass clippings stay on the grass. I always wonder whose idea it was to bag the clippings then trot off the local garden store to replace nutrients that the clippings could have given your lawn? Who decided that anyway? Last I heard here in the big State of Texas we do not have thatch problems so viola! An excellent step saved!

The second biggest largest bane of gardening in the spring after weeds is those infamous fire ants. It is warming up and here come those mean little guys. Got my ongoing plan in place. As anyone who lives in the south knows just because you can not see these little critters does not mean they do not exist! Vigilance is crucial.

April brings weeds, fire ants and regular mowing schedules. But in Central Texas it also brings wildflowers. Here are few that are in my neighborhood where I walk.  Enjoy.

Reference: Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac, pp. 171-2

Yes we have had some good rain, yes it is welcome but along with the rain comes other spring visitors.

Here they come! Weeds! Unfortunately if you live in a new subdivision, on the outskirts of town or in a rural area you have experienced these spring visitations of WEEDS.

We have two of three of the above conditions and we are starting to see those weeds come up.

Okay, we can get down on our knees and get each and every weed out of the ground but the whole point of downsizing our home was because we can not do as at much as we use to. So there are few things we can do. First thing we did is our spring weed and feed. Now we have a routine in place to weed and feed on a regular basis.  So the occasional rogue we can handle. We can grab a cold beer or with glass of wine in hand I can lasso my tall guy to help out so we can make it more about fun and not a chore.

Mowing is going to be a lot easier. We downsized from an acre yard to about a quarter of an acre so it is going to be so much easier.  Proper mowing is the best thing you can do and the primary maintenance that can be done to keep those weeds at bay and the turf healthy. What is the general tip here?  “Lawn mowing must be frequent enough to encourage dense, rapid growth.”  Mowing short and infrequently is a death trap for your lawn. In our corner of the world setting the mower blade higher is better than shorter.

One of the things that my tall guy and I usually practice is to let the grass clippings stay on the grass. I always wonder whose idea it was to bag the clippings then trot off the local garden store to replace nutrients that the clippings could have given your lawn? Who decided that anyway? Last I heard here in the big State of Texas we do not have thatch problems so viola! An excellent step saved!

The second largest bane of gardening in the spring after weeds is those infamous fire ants. It is warming up and here come those mean little guys. Got my ongoing plan in place. As anyone who lives in the south knows just because you can not see these little critters does not mean they do not exist! Vigilance is crucial.

April brings weeds, fire ants and regular mowing schedules. But in Central Texas it also brings wildflowers. Here are few that are in my neighborhood where I walk.  Enjoy.

Reference: Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac, pp. 171-2