2016 Lawn Additons

I just came in from winterizing the lawn. Although temperatures are nearly seventy out there, we're forecast for a thirty degree drop this evening with snow and sleet.  Tonight seems to mark the end of the growing season, and if not, I can always cheat and nudge a little extra nitrogen onto the lawn in December if I have to.  I used urea to winterize as I found a very inexpensive source ($15 for 50 pounds).

This year's heavy hitter was soybean meal, as usual, with some corn early in the season.  We're in the midst of a moderate drought and have been for months, so fungal and disease issues weren't a problem at all this season.

I did spray ferrous sulfate yesterday, which has noticeably enhanced the color on the lawn.  Given the long period it was dormant this summer, I'd like to keep as much of the lawn active as far into the winter as possible.

Date	N	P	K	Iron	Organics	Other Notes
5/16/2016	1.21	0.60	0.19	0.00	25.0	Soybean Meal, Cracked Corn
8/1/2016	1.05	0.30	0.15	0.00	15.0	Soybean Meal
9/1/2016	0.88	0.26	0.13	0.00	12.5	Soybean Meal
10/1/2016	1.34	0.26	0.13	0.00	12.5	Soybean Meal, Urea
11/19/2016	1.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0	Urea
Total per K ft:	5.48	1.18	0.60	0.00	65.0	650.0 active organic total

Liming and Fertilizing

Another Dear Reader question:  "Can you lime and fertilize at the same time?"

The short answer is no.  The lime will tend to deactivate most commercial fertilizers and render them inactive much faster than they otherwise would be.

The longer answer is, it depends.  Fertilizing organically, there's no problem and you can mix the two.  Even synthetically, immediately watering in the mix with at least a quarter inch of irrigation (or timing it just before rainfall) will tend to limit the problems.  Or, if you choose a fertilizer that doesn't use urea or ammonium-based products, you don't even have to water it in immediately.

Some fertilizers can even function as lime, such as calcium nitrate.  They do tend to be expensive, but it's another example of an exception to the no fertilizer and lime rule.

Mid-November Photos

Rainfall is still scant, but with temperatures dropping that matters a bit less.  The remaining plants are able to work with it.  Although temperatures aren't dropping nearly as much as they normally would, with highs still in the sixties today.  There are a few tolerant flowers still blooming in the gardens, and the lawn is acting as though it were mid October.

The unusual weather is setting off some spectacular sunsets, as pictured below.  I caught the roof of the house behind us in the photo.


A few minutes later, the image was no less spectacular, but a bit dimmer.


Earlier that day, the lawn was doing very well.  There's no comparison between ours and the neighbors' lawns, which are paling out rapidly.


This is the remaining garden, with only a few blue salvia ("Rhea") remaining in bloom at this point.  The orange fruit is from an Easter Egg plant, which I tend to throw into the gardens for the animals.  And the animals are Casey (the larger) and Riley (the smaller), who are very interested in the lilac where a rabbit had been sitting some time before.