Why I Oughta...

This is always one of the toughest times in the garden for me:  things are done for the year and we're facing Fall decline.  But, that doesn't stop the weeds from showing up.  And, I've usually been not-so-good about keeping on top of them.  That's part of why I put "Be a gardener who weeds" at the #8 slot on my 2025 to-do list .  Last year, I let clover go too much.   This year, I've been better.  Between using my push-pull hoe and just yanking out clumps of weeds (and lots of clover), I've tried to stay on top of the weeds and get to them before they can flower.  In early August, I posted a photo of a big handful of clover I yanked out one evening .   This week, I did the same thing:  walked and pulled.   Clover, yes.  But, also some other stuff that was in flower.  Just-in-the-nick-of-time, I think. Here's to being a better weeder this year.

Last growing season, I fell behind on weeding the garden.  Between the pizza oven build, my own health and the lack of mulch on top of our soil, we had some weed problems.  Sure, I tried to use my push/pull hoe to chop them off.  But, I fell behind. That's why I put #8 on my 2025 to-do list : 8. Be a weeder. Just use the push-pull hoe. It is a good way to get out in the evenings to observe what is working in the garden. In the list item, I say that I should just use the hoe.  But, I (now) know that isn't enough.  Especially...when things are getting ahead of me in terms of weeds with flowers.  And...going to seed. This year, we have a clover infestation.  Clover in the beds.  Clover in the lawn.  Clover with little yellow flowers.  The past few weeks, I've been pulling as much clover and other weeds as I can.  See below...here's one evening's work: The weeds that are producing flowers are the key ones that I've been pulling and toss...

This past season, I finally figured out that our backyard was infested with a warm-season grass/weed called Nimblewill and came up with a plan to treat it in place while not doing a full cool-season grass renovation.  That started with using a post-emergent spray called Tenacity  - which caused the Nimblewill to white-out and die .   Once that ran its course, I then began a project using a pre-germination seed technique followed by a project to overseed the lawn with a mix of Kentucky Blue Grass and Tall Fescue .  Which...after some watering... resulted in a bunch of new germination . And, while I was happy with the result in the Fall with new, green grass filling in plenty of bare spots, I knew the real, important results, would be visible once the lawn went totally dormant.  That's because, the Nimblewill is a warm-season grass and totally dies back once the temperature drops.  Which, historically have left us with a bunch of bare spots in the law...

Earlier this month, I was able to (finally and properly) identify that I have a creeping bentgrass problem in my backyard that includes a spreading (and concerning) amount of Nimblewill .  I decided to apply Tenacity as a post-emergent in an attempt to begin to control the grassy weed ahead of overseeding this Fall.  I mixed up a couple of gallons and applied it with a pump sprayer.   What does it look like after a week?  I'm seeing what I hoped to see:  some white emerging from the bentgrass.  See below for some photos showing the white tips.  Turns out, I have A TON Of creeping bentgrass back there that needs to go.  Look at all this white showing up: Everything I've read tells me that Nimblewill control isn't a one-shot deal.  It will take a few applications the first season and a multi-year treatment plan with herbicide control (Tenacity as a selective post-emergent).   But, so far...I'm happy.  And seeing signs of p...

Last week, I shared here on my lawn diary a little breakthrough.  For the past 18-or-so months, I've been watching a grassy weed creep along and begin to migrate from my far backyard to closer to our patio.  And, after reading about various grassy weeds, I came to the (initial) conclusion that I was dealing with Poa Annua - or an annual Bluegrass.  It was showing some of the signs like being lime green.  But, after observing the lawn this Spring, I noticed that the parts affected green'd up later and seemed to handle the Summer better than the balance of my Bluegrass.   I was planning on doing a complete renovation in the back by killing EVERYTHING off and starting from scratch with a new layer of seed this Fall.  As I prepared for that, I went in to see if I could learn more about what was back there and how much I *really* needed to kill off vs. just overseed. When I went in and pulled a mature stalk of grass, I discovered it had this sort of horizon...