VCE NEWS: Working with nature to beautify your landscape

Have a hankering to make your landscape beautiful with minimal impact to your wallet and the environment?  Working with Mother Nature, not against her, is your best bet.  In a duel between you and her, she will always win.  Or you will spend a lot of time and money trying to create something very different from what she has given to you.  Work with what you have, as much as possible, and consider revising your definition of what constitutes a beautiful landscape. 
Following are some tips to help you on your way.  So, keep on reading and incorporate these techniques into your outdoor living spaces.  Have fun and enjoy!  And call us if you need more information on the whys and hows and whens of anything listed here. 
In general:
• When adding plants to the landscape, select ones that will grow in the conditions (soil pH, sun or shade, water, etc.) of the landscape
• Use compost to improve soil structure and fertility in lawns and gardens
• Maintain healthy plants by meeting their cultural requirements.  A healthy plant is able to recover from damage easier, and is less likely to get sick in the first place. 
• Group plants with similar needs (water, fertilizer, drainage, sun…) for easier maintenance
• Use plants or mulch to conserve water, suppress weeds and prevent soil erosion
• Recycle/Reuse yard waste on site
• Get a soil test!  We have kits here.  It tests pH and nutrient levels and gives recommendations on what and when to amend your soil with to grow the crop you desire (turf to apple trees).
• Fertilize based on the soil test recommendation.  Apply only the needed quantity at the appropriate time of year - otherwise it gets wasted and pollutes waterways.
• Maintain desirable pH for your plantings.  pH affects the ability of the plant to access soil nutrients.  If your pH is off, your plants won’t take up nutrients efficiently.  The soil test will tell you how much lime, if any, you need to apply. 
• Soil testing should be done every 3-5 years. 
• Identify the plant problem and severity of damage before choosing a control
Trees/shrubs:
• Plant trees/shrubs in holes 3-5 times the width of the root ball, and slightly less the height
• In late spring, add about 1 inch of compost around the trees and shrubs. Cover with a mulch of shredded pine needles, straw, bark chips, or leaves 2 to 3 inches deep.  Keep mulch 4-6 inches away from the trunk of the tree/shrub
• Select trees/shrubs whose mature sizes will fit the scale and size of the landscape
• Don’t add any soil amendments when creating a planting hole for your new tree/shrub
Turf:
• Wherever turf is hard to grow - consider putting in a groundcover
• Measure your turf’s square footage for pesticide/fertilizer applications - don’t guess!
• Follow the 1/3 rule -Never mow off more than 1/3 of the leaf blade at one time
• Sharpen mower blades about every 10 hours of use or every 10 to 20 mowings.  Wet grass tends to dull blades.  Mowing with a dull blade also contributes to lawn diseases.
• Avoid mowing under drought conditions or when the leaf blades are wet.
• Return grass clippings back to the lawn—it counts for up to 30% of a lawn’s nitrogen requirements for the year.
• Top-dress existing lawn with ¼“ of compost to improve the soil structure of clay soils.  A simple formula to calculate how much compost is needed is :
• Area to cover (square feet) X depth of compost (inches) X 0.0031= compost needed (cubic yards)
For more information, please contact the Virginia Cooperative Extension - Greene County Office.  Cathryn Kloetzli , 434.985.5236, http://offices.ext.vt.edu/greene/. The office is located at 10013 Spotswood Trail in Stanardsville, in the same building as the Sheriff’s office and Social Services. 
VCE brings unbiased, research-backed knowledge into local communities to promote community development.  The direction of this development is based on the needs that Greene County citizens identify and prioritize.  Assistance ranges from youth leadership development and animal/crop/soil and farm business management to home gardening, entrepreneurship, community planning, food and nutrition, parenting and childcare.  And much more!!