Soil
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Q: How do I know how much fertilizer to use when looking at the bar graph on my soil test report? A: Read the information below the bar graph under the heading “Recommendations”. Fertilizer and lime recommendations are customized for your soil sample based on the lab results reported in the bar graph. Keep in…
Posted in: Soil -
Whether planting a new lawn from seed or sod, it seems that many local landscapers and home builders have forgotten that soil preparation is the most important step for successful establishment. In the rush to build new homes throughout Bartow County, our office has been getting numerous calls from frustrated homeowners that end up with…
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Number of subsamples or cores A composite soil sample is made up of a number of individual subsamples taken at random over a given area. The purpose of this is to minimize the variability that exists. This variation may have been caused by previous lime and fertilizer applications or slight soil variations. If an insufficient…
Posted in: Soil -
March is a great time to plant Irish potatoes in North Georgia. There are literally hundreds of cultivars of potatoes that come in every shape, color, and size imaginable. Potatoes can be white, red, purple, blue, and yellow. The Irish potato gets its name from the history of the Irish potato famine. The popular term…
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I can never tell if my clients are serious or just pulling my leg when it comes to old wives’ tales and folklore related to farming, gardening, and predicting the weather. I’m a big fan of the classic movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. This movie underscores the absurdity of the whole Groundhog Day tradition. …
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Construction and major landscape renovations can have a negative impact on existing trees, but the damage is often not immediately visible. We commonly see trees, in close proximity to the construction zone, die within five to seven years of building a new home. In many cases, trees should be removed prior to a home being…
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Recently, we had a client contact the Extension office asking about watering newly planted landscape shrubs. The client asked, “I have gotten such mixed messages on how I should have been watering — gardeners are telling me [water] every day; arborists and the nursery are saying [water] once a week, which I did. That didn’t…
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There are many options for controlling weeds in home lawns. Many of the turfgrass herbicides on the market today are highly selective and control specific weeds without damaging the grass. However, it’s important to note that these herbicides are not completely harmless to lawns and the ability of a lawn to “tolerate” an herbicide depends…
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It’s that time of the year when our Extension office gets inundated with calls about vegetable garden problems. It seems like problems are starting earlier this year. In fact, it’s so early in the season that there really shouldn’t be many insects and diseases affecting vegetables—yet. Most insects and diseases take time to build up…
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The value of compost to a garden is probably not what most people think. Compost is not a substitute for fertilizer if you’re trying to grow crops that have a high nutrient demand. The real value of adding composted amendments to your garden is to loosen the soil and minimize compaction, improve the drainage and…