& Natural Resources

Henrico County Office PO Box 90775 Henrico 8600 Dixon Powers Drive Human Services Bldg., 2nd Floor Henrico, VA 23273-0775 Fall/Early Winter 2018 Edition (804) 501-5160 Fax: (804) 501-5169 https://henrico.us/extension/

Edward R. Olsen, Henrico County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources, Horticulture

In This Issue:

Fall Leaves ...... 2

Natural Lawn Care – Organic Fertilization ...... 3

Gardening Things To Do ...... 4

New Instructional Videos ...... 4

Winterize Your Yard ...... 5

Programs from the Henrico VCE Office ...... 6

Pollinator Festival ...... 7

Time to Apply to be a Henrico Master ...... 8

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Fall Leaves Adapted from VCE Publications #430-521 – “Leave” Them Alone: Fall Leaf Management and #426-703 – Making From Yard Waste

While we enjoy the beautiful colors associated with fall foliage, we also realize that most of those leaves will soon be on the ground. Treatment and/or disposal of leaves can be time consuming and costly.

Are there reasonable alternatives in leaf management? The answer is yes. Of course one method is to collect the leaves and compost them. Many homeowners are committed to this environmentally friendly process. Compost is one of the most valuable resources for beautifying your landscape, and it is virtually free. Finished compost is dark and has a pleasant smell. It is produced when organic matter — such as , lawn, and kitchen waste — is broken down by bacteria and fungi.

Use compost throughout your landscape: dig it into and flower beds, add it to the soil when renovating your lawn, or put it through a sieve and use it in potting soil. Compost improves the structure of soil. With the addition of compost, sandy soils hold water better and clay soils drain faster. Compost also reduces soil erosion and water runoff. Consult Making Compost from Yard Waste, Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 426-703 accessed at: http://bit.ly/2wxpbQI .

Another technique that can be less labor intensive (especially if you have a riding mower), and many of you have used it for years – mulching the leaves directly into the turf. Numerous university research reports have detailed how leaf mulching affects turf performance. In almost every instance, the results show that chopping up deciduous leaves as part of a regular mowing schedule is an effective means of managing these leaves without harming the turf.

While mulching mowers are preferred because they have special deck and/or blade designs to mulch clippings, almost any rotary mower unit can suffice. Mulching moist leaves minimizes dust concerns, but if leaves are too wet, it increases the strain on your mower’s engine and does not chop the leaves into small pieces that easily decompose in the soil. And lastly, use some common sense regarding how many leaves can be effectively mulched in a single mowing event.

Be sure you can see at least 80-90% grass after mulching leaves. This will ensure that the leaves aren’t smothering the grass. To practically mulch all of your tree leaves, you may need to be out with a mower more often than your grass needs to be cut. If too many leaves fall, you may not be able to mulch them into the lawn or do multiple passes with your mower to thoroughly chop leaves.

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Natural Lawn Care – Organic Fertilization

Increasing numbers of homeowners are inquiring about using natural or environmentally friendly products to maintain their lawns.

Weed, disease and insect problems and poor turfgrass performance are often symptoms of an incomplete or deficient soil system. The underlying problem may be related to either biological or abiotic (nonliving, such as compaction) components of that soil, or a combination of both. Turf is healthiest in a biologically balanced soil — one in which bacteria account for slightly more than half of the biomass. Bacteria thrive in soils that contain residues high in carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches.

In urban soils, where top soils have been stripped away, the top of the soil profile is possibly 1-2” of topsoil over subsoil and often contains little organic matter. You can add organic matter by topdressing with compost. Also, organic fertilizers often contain the carbohydrates necessary to sustain a bacteria-dominated soil. Applying carbohydrates and proteins, ingredients usually not included in many synthetic fertilizers, is part of a “feed the soil” philosophy.

The amount of fertilizer applied to a lawn depends on the soil type and characteristics, such as pH, organic matter content and cation exchange capacity. Before applying Fertilizer Recommendations: Apply a 1-1-1, 1-2-2 or 2-1-1 ratio fertilizer fertilizer, you have to identify deficiencies in Apply a 1-2-1 ratio fertilizer your soil. A routine soil test is Apply a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio fertilizer or, if you are unable to find recommended so that you are only applying this type of fertilizer, apply a 2-0-1 or 3-0-1 ratio fertilizer. Use any complete "turf-type" fertilizer (A “turf-type” fertilizer is the nutrients that your lawn needs. Soil typically high in nitrogen, and has little or no phosphorus and sampling boxes and instructions can be potassium) obtained from any Henrico County Library Apply a nitrogen-only fertilizer or the Extension Office. When you have your soil tested by Virginia Tech, the turf recommendations that come back are 1 of 5 broad types of recommendations. The table to the right shows these five possible recommendations.

Fortunately, finding an organic match to one of the above categories is not impossible. There are, however, fewer organic products available and the products are not always available in convenient sizes for use on the lawn.

The biggest drawback to using organic fertilizer on a lawn is related to nitrogen content. Fertilizer application rates are based on the amount of nitrogen applied to a given area. Synthetic fertilizers can be as high as 46% nitrogen (in urea) while organic sources max out at 15% nitrogen (in blood meal). This means it would take a little over 3 times more blood meal (by weight) to apply the same amount of nitrogen provided by urea. This makes the cost of using organic instead of synthetic fertilizers a major factor in decision making, especially with a larger lawn. Hopefully as the demand for organic fertilizer increases, the prices will fall.

You can offset some of the cost of using organic fertilizers by recycling your grass clippings back into the lawn. Mow no more than one third of your turf height at a time and leave your clippings on the lawn. This will return approximately ½lb N over the course of the year.

So will organic fertilizers work for you? Possibly. If you can get past the cost, you should be able to choose an organic fertilizer that matches your soil test recommendation ratios.

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Gardening Things To Do

September October November-December • Although is generally not • Stop treating roses for blackspot • House growth slows as the recommend for the fall, you can still at the beginning of the month. days get shorter and light maintain plant health by pruning out • Christmas cacti need special care intensity is reduced. This means dead, dying or diseased wood at any now to produce flowers in that they will need less frequent time. December. Buds will form when watering and fertilizing until • Start taking cuttings of your annual temperatures are between 50 next spring. plants to bring indoors and carry and 60F, or if the plant is • Now is a perfect time to take through the winter. Geranium, exposed to at least 13 hours of inventory of what else needs to coleus and other plants do best un-interrupted darkness each be done. Are all your garden when stem cuttings are rooted and night. and lawn tools inside? Are they kept in pots indoors through the • Fall is the best time to plant cleaned, and lightly oiled to winter. most trees and shrubs. prevent rust? Do they need • Although spring flower bulbs may be • Frost is coming, but you still sharpening? Are all the water available to purchase now, it’s still have green tomatoes on the hoses disconnected, drained and too early. Store them at around 60- vine? Ripen green tomatoes neatly coiled? 65 degrees F in a dry area until night indoors on the windowsill. Check • And don’t forget about servicing temperatures are consistently below often and discard rotting fruit. your lawn mower. You can tackle 60 degrees F. • Want to be a Henrico Master the task yourself or take to your Gardener? Applications are due local repair shop. They are not by the last Friday of the month! as busy in the winter so servicing it now will beat the spring rush!

New Instructional Videos

The Henrico Extension office in cooperation with the Henrico County Department of Public Relations & Media Services has created a series of videos to help you with your gardening. The first 4 videos in the Henrico Horticulture Series have been posted on the Henrico County Government YouTube Channel.

To access the videos you can find them under the videos tab at the Henrico County Government home page found at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8cfZL0QP88G97gLcNt8pTw/videos .

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Winterize Your Yard Adapted from VCE Publication # 426-500 – Managing Winter Injury to Trees and Shrubs

It is often necessary to give your plants a little extra attention in the fall to help them make it through the winter and start spring in peak condition.

Landscape with Winter in Mind Begin by selecting hardy plants. Native plants are your best bet because they are uniquely adapted to a region’s climate. Also be sure to plant trees and shrubs in an appropriate site. Avoid poorly drained soil, low spots that create frost pockets and sites that experience rapid fluctuations in temperature. Avoid planting exotic species north of their plant hardiness zones unless unique microclimates in the landscape are such so as to guarantee winter survival. And, consider the wintertime patterns of sun and shade in your yard.

Prune at the Right Time Proper pruning throughout the year reduces damage by ice and snow. Trim branches so that limbs are not weighted down by ice and snow. Avoid late summer pruning, however, as it stimulates new growth, exhausting the nutrients a plant needs to survive winter.

Water Properly Be sure your plants have enough water. If autumn rains have been insufficient, give plants a deep soaking that will supply water to Tip: the entire root system before the ground freezes. This practice is especially Remove snow important for evergreens. Watering when there are warm days during from branches January, February, and March is also important. with a broom. Always sweep Also, mulching is an important control for erosion and loss of water. A 2-inch upward with layer of mulch will reduce water loss and help maintain uniform soil moisture the broom to around roots. lift snow off. When Avoiding Winter Kill New growth stimulated in early fall by late summer branches are fertilization or pruning may not have had time to harden off sufficiently to frozen and survive sudden drops to below freezing. Ice crystals rupture cell walls; this brittle avoid damage will show up as dead branch tips and branches. Avoid late summer disturbing or early fall fertilization while plants are still active, as this stimulates them. Wait for growth. a warmer day.

Rodent Damage Mice may cause serious damage to trees or shrubs. They chew off the bark at ground level or below and can completely girdle a tree, causing it to die. Most of this damage takes place during winter. Keep mulch pulled away from the base of the trees and shrubs, this takes away their cover so they are less likely to chew on the tree or shrub.

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Educational Opportunities from the Henrico Extension Office

Master Gardener in the Garden Henrico Master Gardener Garden, Short Pump Park, 3329 Pump Rd, Henrico, VA 23233, Sunday, September 9; 2 – 3:30 PM. Our Master will be on hand at the Pollinator Garden to answer your gardening or pollinator questions and to give tours of the Pollinator Garden

Plants for Henrico Master Gardener Pollinator Garden, Short Pump Park, 3329 Pump Rd, Henrico, VA 23233, Saturday, September 22; 2 -4 PM. Learn about the plants that you can plant that will attract our native pollinators. At 2:00 Beth Farmer, owner of GardenGate Landscape and Design will give a presentation on “Plants for Pollinators”. Cost: Free, but registration required. To register call 501-5160.

Master Gardener Clinics Ask a Master Gardener your Gardening Questions at the following local events!

Stranges Florist & Garden Center Lowes 12111 W Broad St. Other Local Events 8001 Brook Rd. Richmond, VA 23233 Richmond, VA 23227 Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm Lewis Ginter Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm September 1 PlantFest – September 13-15 October 6 September 8 October 13 September 15 Crump Park: October 20 September 22 Glen Allen Day – September 15 October 27 September 29 Henrico Harvest Festival – Oct.20

Horticulture Hotline

When plant, insect, and wildlife problems happen in the lawn or garden, who do you call?

A team of trained Master Gardeners are available to help answer gardening and pest questions, and solve problems using current research-based information.

By calling the helpline, you’ll find yourself in contact with someone who will help identify the cause of your problem, or give an answer to your question using Virginia Tech and Virginia State University’s experience and research knowledge. If the issue is addressed in one of our many factsheets, it will be sent to you for your reference.

You can reach the Horticulture Helpline by calling: (804) 501-5160.

You can also submit questions online at http://bit.ly/Hernricoaskanexpert . Make sure to select Henrico County in the appropriate drop down box.

Disclaimer – Commercial products are named in this publication for informational purposes only. Virginia Cooperative Extension does not endorse these products and does not intend discrimination against other products which also may be suitable.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please call the Henrico Office at (804-501-5160/TDD*) during business hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120. 2 – 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22 Short Pump Park Learn about the birds and bees … … and moths and butterflies, too! Find out why pollinators are important to all of us and how you can attract them to your own garden by planting the plants they need to survive. “Plants for Pollinators” 2 p.m. presentation by Beth Farmer, owner of GardenGate Landscape & Design Plant Sale Buy perennials that are perfect for fall planting Treasures from the Garden Shed Gently used garden equipment, garden-themed items, gardening gloves and the Henrico Master Gardeners’ popular Month-by-Month Gardening Guide will be for sale Garden Tours Henrico County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your questions and give tours of the Pollinator Garden they maintain at the park

For more information and to register for the presentation, call the Henrico County Extension office at (804) 501-5160. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, contact the Henrico Extension Office at (804) 501-5160 or TDD (800) 828- 1120 during business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. Become a Henrico Master Gardener Volunteer

Program Highlights:

● Join other gardening enthusiasts ● Share experiences and interests Come and Join Us ● Learn about lawns, gardens, trees, vegetables, fruits, flowers Henrico County ● Enjoy educational hands on seminars, garden tours Master Gardener ● Learn to work with the environment, sustainable landscapes and pest Volunteers

management ● Propagate new plants from cuttings, roots, bulbs and seeds 2019 Training ● Learn to prune fruit trees, meet an arborist, Classes Open for and enjoy hands-on-experience Registration

Become A Henrico County Over 100 Active Master Gardener Member Volunteers

● Applications due October 26, 2018

● Training 2 mornings weekly (~50 hours), January—March 2019

● Participate in 50 volunteer service hours

● Share information through help desks, exhibit booths, at garden centers & special SPACE IS LIMITED events REGISTER SOON ● 20—24 training slots available Application available for ● 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Henrico VA 23228 download after July 20 (804)-501-5160 henrico.us/services/hmg

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact the Henrico Extension Office at (804) 501-5160/TDD*) to discuss accommodations prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.