Sizzling Summer 2013
Enjoy edible flowers & plants at your next BBQ
Lawn Care
Doing a quarterly water audit is healthy for your garden and being a good steward to our environment . Most lawn problems are caused by improper watering either too much or too little . The new Turf Type Fescues usually only need water two times per week ! Below you will find the easy steps to make sure you are putting down the appropriate and even amounts of water for your lawn .
You will need a 4-6 coffee cups ( same size ), a ruler and a
watch / timer to complete your audit .
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Take 4-6 coffee cups ( make sure they are the same shape ). Grass Farm also has water audit cups available .
Put the cups in random areas in your yard , right next to the sprinkler heads in between them , next to the borders , etc .
Turn on your system and time how long it takes to get ¼ ” in the cups . Write down the amount of time .
Also check to make sure all cups have approximately the same amount of water . If they are dramatically different , you may have to replace heads or clean them . You can tell which ones have problems if they have a lot less water in them . Through the usage of sprinkler heads , they may get sediment in them . Some can be cleaned but they may also be broken and need to be replaced .
With the information you have gathered you can go to cimis . water . ca . gov / cimis / infoIrrSchedule . jsp to find out how to use the CIMIS data to figure out how much time to water each day . This method uses the evapotranspiration or ET rates for our area ( Zone 8 ) and how much rain we receive on an average monthly basis . You can find a PDF on Grassfarm . com to walk you through using the CIMIS and your water audit results to figure out how much water is needed in your yard . And remember watering between 4 am - 6 am is the best time for your lawn .
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11155 Lena Avenue • Gilroy • 408.846.4555 garden-accents . net
Summer is here and our favorite pastime is to spend time in the backyard and BBQ with the family . Why not plant one of your favorite containers with colorful tasty edible flowers & plants ? Five star restaurants put them on their pizza and in their salads , why not you ? Add some Nasturtium or Pansy to your salad ( it ’ s fun and tasty ) or plant basil and use it in your pesto on your next pizza or fresh with some summer tomatoes and mozzarella . A few favorite edibles you can find at your local garden centers this time of year are Nasturtium , Pansy ( Johnny Jump ups ), Rose , Calendula , Lavender and , of course , you can add some Sage , Mint , Rosemary , Basil and Thyme .
Did you know Calendula can be a substitute for saffron ? Just make sure you don ’ t add any flowers that may be poisonous to your container .
Putting these edibles in a container that you use only organic ( safe ) practices on will ensure you can pick what you need right out of the container in your back yard to enjoy at your next summer BBQ , of course washing them first . Beauty and functionality at its best . Just ask your garden professional for the best soil and fertilizer to use in your edible container .
IT ’ S TIME TO
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Fertilize your lawn every 90 days with Turf Royal ( do not fertilizer when temps are over 90 °)
Remove spent blooms from your roses and other flowering plants
Fertilize your garden with a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote Plus – lasts up to 6 months
Keep the algae out of your fountains and ponds with Algaefix or just make sure to clean with a wet / dry vac and a sponge on a regular basis
Mulch with bark or fir mulch to help retain moisture in your garden
Perform water audit on your sprinkler system
o Leave grass clipping on your lawn to recycle the nutrients . Just make sure to mow when your lawn get to be 3 ” tall ( recommended height for summer is 2.5-3 ”).
S U M M E R 2 0 1 3 M O R G A N H I L L T O D A Y
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