KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – SPRING LAWN AND GARDEN GROWTH OPTIONS
At last, at last, some beautiful weather in the Chicago area this weekend. This is a good time to get out in the yard.
First rake all the old dead grass. This is also a good time to augment the soil. Throw down a couple of bags of top soil mixed with a bag of manure compost. If you have clayey soil, as most of the soil in and around Chicago area, throw in a bag of play sand.
Spread this mixture over the entire lawn. Use the back of your rake to spread the mixture around. If you see the grass peeking through it should be spread enough. This mixture will really give the grass a shot in the arm. It will be growing and greening up before you know it.
Plant grass seed now while it is still relatively cool, getting a good start before the heat of summer. Pennington Seed is fairly new to the market. Advertising claims less watering needed as the grass has longer roots. Proper watering will give you the same deep roots. Water the seed every day till it germinates, usually7-14 days, then thoroughly once a week.
Don't forget to work on your garden's soil too. Manure is a good addition at this time of year. Since gardens can run small in the Chicago area, properly rotating the crops is imperative and need to add nutrients to the soil so our plants can thrive. Manure goes down at a rate of 25 lbs per 100 square feet of soil.
This is also a good time to clean out the mulch around trees and bushes. Leave the old mulch down. Just make sure to clean out any sticks, garbage or other debris. Throw new mulch on top of the old. The old mulch will break down and add nutrients to the soil.
Happy Gardening
KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
