Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Location: Blue Hill Public Library, 5 Parker Point Rd, Blue Hill, Maine

For more information: 207-374-5515; bhpl.net

Reverend Gary Brinn, pastor at the First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, will present a talk, From Horeb to Blue Hill, at the Blue Hill Public Library on Thursday, September 7th at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be a whirlwind look at the Judeo-Christian trajectory from the ancient Hebrew faith to Jonathan Fishers Congregationalism and on to the United Church of Christ, the modern denomination that includes the Congregational tradition.

Part history, and part constructive theology, according to Reverend Brinn, it will be sure to rattle some cages. He says that this talk will help locate this very New England tradition of Congregationalism, as well as the modern United Church of Christ in a landscape of Judaism and Christianity.

A second career minister, Rev. Brinn double-majored in Medieval to Renaissance British Literature and Studio Art before completing his Master of Divinity degree at Harvard. The presentation is free and open to everyone. For more information contact the library at 374-5515.

This post was contributed by a community member. Submit your news

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From Horeb to Blue Hill: A History of Congregationalism and United Church of Christ - Bangor Daily News

People who havent traveled through Macon on Interstates 75 or 16 lately may be in for quite a shock.

The landscape is continually changing as contractors for the Georgia Department of Transportation are clear-cutting acres of trees through Pleasant Hill and along the Ocmulgee River.

The project kicked off in June and is progressing at a rapid pace, said Kimberly Larson, a GDOT spokesperson.

Lanes have closed on I-75 North from Hardeman Avenue to the I-16 East split, and only one I-75 North lane is open for motorists headed toward Pierce Avenue.

Drivers headed south on I-75 will also find narrowing lanes to I-16 and toward Hardeman Avenue as workers rebuild the highway without having to shut it down.

The carefully orchestrated changes typically happen in the overnight hours with Bibb County sheriffs deputies providing assistance in slowing down travelers through the work zone.

Lower speed limits are posted through the site lined with orange barrels, concrete barriers and freshly painted lanes to mark the traffic shifts.

Those driving along Walnut Street on the James Brown Bridge over the interstate also are shifting lanes.

They are taking that bridge out, Larson said Friday. They started removing handrails (Thursday) night and fencing. Were starting with pieces.

By Saturday, the formerly wide, two-lane road through Pleasant Hill was down to one corridor shared by vehicles headed in both directions.

Heavy equipment tore up chunks of concrete and piled up the rubble in the old westbound lanes, which are blocked by concrete barriers.

Demolition of the bridge will continue overnight Sunday through Thursday with an I-75 South lane closure from mile marker 163.5 to 164.5.

Monday through Friday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. exits, daytime workers will be paving temporary sections of the ramps and work on other temporary pavement sections for I-16 east and west.

Also during the day, crews will be placing storm drain pipes and working on a large culvert near the Walnut Street Bridge and along the Hardeman Avenue on-ramp to I-75 North.

A new $500 million interchange is being built to widen the highway and create safer access and exit ramps from Hardeman to Pierce avenues and I-16 to Walnut Creek.

The project includes designated exit and access lanes to alleviate the current mess of merging traffic lanes that are often the scene of collisions near the Ocmulgee River.

A construction bridge will be built on the western side of the river and will later become a pedestrian crossing to increase access on the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail all the way to the Amerson Water Park.

A Georgia Department of Transportation rendering shows a new Otis Redding Bridge during an unspecified future project.

Special to The Telegraph breaking@macon.com

The Otis Redding Bridge on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. will also be upgraded and widened, according to an image posted on http://www.dot.ga.gov, but it was not immediately clear when that will occur.

The first four phases of construction are expected to be complete by 2021, including a new Jefferson Long Park in Pleasant Hill being built by the summer of 2018.

A tunnel also will be built for Norfolk Southern Railroad during the last of seven phases of construction, which wont go out for bids until 2023, and which will also finish the I-75 corridor north of the Ocmulgee River.

Read more from the original source:
Walnut Street bridge demolition part of major changes for Macon's I-75/I-16 - The Telegraph

Secretary of the Interior Ryan ZinkeRyan Keith ZinkeLawmakers push Interior to expand offshore drilling What veterans have to lose in Trumps national monument review Trump, don't take our national parks away from veterans MORE is silencing the voices of Westerners by attempting to roll back more than a decade of collaborative work with his recent recommended changes to protecting a native bird called the sage-grouse and its sagebrush habitat, which is vitally important to the West.

Zinkes proposed changes, like forcing states to substitute population targets for conservation targets and prioritizing oil and gas development in areas the conservation plans set aside for sagebrush, undermine the integrity of the plans in place, and their proven success across sagebrush landscape.

Unsurprisingly, Zinkes review of the sage-grouse plans, created confusion and conflict where none existed. More importantly, Zinke conducted his review in a relative vacuum, without public input, leaving Western stakeholders out of the loop. Part of the reason why the original plans were successful is because they were locally driven not handed down to the states by Washington, D.C insiders and beltway bureaucrats.

And the reality is that this review and these changes could have devastating effects on our local economies and outdoor recreation opportunities. Each year outdoor recreation in sagebrush country generate $1 billion in economy output. Not to mention, these changes would deplete healthy sagebrush habitat, a landscape that provides both protection and sustenance for the vulnerable sage-grouse, and would threaten to land the bird on the Endangered Species List something that the pervious conservation plans had prevented.

At the core of any successful public land management is collaboration amongst stakeholders on the ground, rarely has an effort entailed as much collaboration and cooperation as the process to create the sage-grouse plans. But Zinke has turned his back on collaboration, sound science and the experiences of those who live, work and recreate near and on the sagebrush landscape, instead choosing to be guided by Washington lobbyists. His decision is reckless, counterproductive and is bound to set back true multiple use-management of our public lands for generations to come.

Zinkes decision compromises the well-being of Western communities, wildlife, landscapes and families at the behest of corporate polluters. Zinke might fashion himself a Roosevelt Republican, but his decision to shut out Western voices and listen only to corporate special interests says otherwise.

Zinke needs to wake up to the fact that our communities, landscapes, wildlife and economies are healthier and more successful when local stakeholders have a seat at the table not when Washington lobbyists and special interests get to call the shots.

In his review of the sage-grouse plans, Zinke missed a key opportunity to build upon decades of collaboration. Going forward he must make a concerted effort to include stakeholders from across the West in decisions made about sage-grouse conservation if he does not, the alternative looks bleak for the sage-grouse and Western communities.

Chris Saeger is the director of Western Values Project, a national conversation organization focused on public lands conservation and energy development policy. Saeger previously worked as communications director of the Montana Democratic Party and the Service Employees International Union in Arizona and Colorado.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

Continue reading here:
Interior Secretary Zinke has turned his back on the American West - The Hill (blog)

After long last and much planning, I finally embarked on a trip to LehLadakh earlier this year. The Duronto Express took me to New Delhi, from where a one and half hour flight brought one to the paradise that is Leh.

The La Tso Hotel in the city was to be my address for the next few days the courteous staff welcomed one with a cup of steaming hot Kashmiri kawah (local green tea with saffron, cardamom and elaichi) and the room offered a luxuriant view of the vistas around.

That done, I took a leisurely walk around the city in the evening it is highly recommended, especially after sundown. The next morning, I decided to take in the local sites. First up, was the Hemis Monastery the largest in Ladakh and stunningly beautiful! As luck would have it, the Dalai Lama was there during the time but a glimpse of His Holiness wasnt to come by. Thereafter, one moved on to the Thiksey Monastery and the view from the top was simply beyond words.

How could one go to Ladakh and miss the Druk White Lotus School? It got national attention thanks to Aamir Khans 3 Idiots and is now called Ranchos School after the name of Khans character in the film! Shey Palace was my next stop the Hall of Fame there depicts memories of Indias brave soldiers. The morning after, one started for the Nubra Valley via Khardung La the highest motorable road in the world (18,380ft).

My stint outside the car to click some pictures was short-lived as the chill was bone-rattling! After a little diversion to the Siachen base camp, I arrived at Nubra Valley.

Hotel Sten-del it was but the sand dunes of Hunder was calling me. Picking up my camera, I made a beeline for the place and was richly rewarded. How can I not mention the ride on a two-humped Bactrian camel there? One word to describe the experience would be unique!

The road was rough but after braving it for a couple of hours, I reached Chang La the second highest mountain pass at 17,688 feet from Leh. A cup of coffee was all I had time for, there, as the Pangong Lake was waiting for my sore eyes. On the way, I crossed various infantry and artillery camps and spotted a local fauna wild marmots, which is a type of rodent found in the Ladakh Hills.

Finally, I was at Pangong Lake and the sight was absolutely magical. It is 134 km long 40 per cent is in India and rest in China.

The knee-deep water was freezing but I waded in nonetheless, not intending to miss the thrill! Another must-see site is the Tso Moriri Lake, which is a salt water lake offering breathtaking views of the Sindhu River. The famed Magnetic Hill and confluence of the Sindhu and Zanskar rivers is on the way to Kargil.

En route, I also stopped at the Lamayuru Monastery, which is an old monastery and partly in ruins due to earthquakes. It stands in a massive theatre of rocky cliffs in front of some peculiar-looking hills no wonder local people call it Moon land! I reached Kargil in the evening and visited the War Memorial there.

One learnt a great deal about the Kargil War of 1999 and I couldnt help but express the utmost respects to the soldiers who had laid down their lives to protect our nation. On the way, one could see the mountains changing their appearance from dusty and rocky cliff faces to the rolling greenery of the Kashmir Valley.

It was the trip of a lifetime the harsh but undeniable beauty of the landscape in Ladakh will stay with me for many years to come.

More here:
In a rocky otherworldly landscape - The Statesman

Concrete barricades have been put along the T-intersection of Linden and Preston Avenues, not far from Lords Park in Elgin, as the city takes steps to permanently repair damage at that location which was caused by torrential July rains.

"We've made the intersection a hard closure," Interim Water Director Eric Weiss said.

The intersection is along the top of a hill. Heavy rains July 11 led to a landslide that exposed a 20-inch water transmission main and deposited a large amount of debris in yards below it. Work will involve reinforcing the hill, repairing the storm sewer, supporting the road and transmission main and removing debris.

At the Wednesday City Council meeting, the Council unanimously moved along an $122,392 agreement with Elgin-based Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc. for engineering services related to the repair project. The measure will be up for final approval Sept. 13.

According to a memo for the Wednesday meeting, staff estimates that construction costs will be between $200,000 and $400,000. Staff also is investigating if there is any available Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to assist with the project.

Weiss that that there had been smaller barricades set out to block the intersection from traffic. At least one person contacted staff and City Council members, though, with concerns about drivers being able to move those barricades to drive through the potentially dangerous area, Weiss said.

At the meeting, Council member Terry Gavin mentioned hearing concerns and praised Weiss for acting promptly to work to get the concrete barricades, called Jersey walls, put in place the next day.

Mike Danahey/Courier-News

Elgin crews Thursday put concrete barriers at the T-intersection of Preston and Linden avenues to keep traffic from driving on a road where the hill and infrastructure beneath it washed out during heavy rains in July.

Elgin crews Thursday put concrete barriers at the T-intersection of Preston and Linden avenues to keep traffic from driving on a road where the hill and infrastructure beneath it washed out during heavy rains in July. (Mike Danahey/Courier-News)

Weiss said that two methods are being considered to support the hill. One method would involve installing a sheet pile wall, while the other would use reinforced geogrid fabric to create structural stability. A dry well to contain the overflow from Linden Avenue and to release it at a controlled rate into the ground also is being considered.

Weiss said temporary and permanent easements also would need to be obtained from some residents who live off Chicago Street in order for city workers to access the site and for installation and maintenance of any permanent structures.

This agreement moved along Wednesday is for engineering design of the repairs to the hill, storm sewer, road and transmission main, design of a dry well, assistance during bidding and construction, assistance in land acquisition and landscape design.

"We'll work to have the best solution for permanent stabilization," Weiss said. "The goal is to have this done by the end of the year."

mdanahey@tribpub.com

Here is the original post:
Concrete barricades close Elgin intersection damaged by recent storms - Chicago Tribune

BISMARCK, N.D. - For the next five or six weeks its the very best time to seed a new lawn, or repair an old lawn that might be thin.

And when you think about it grasses and nature are seeding themselves now.

What you want to do first is loosen up the seed bed.Whether you scrap it up with a rack or use a roto tiller and go very thin.

Then we want you to put the grass seed on in two different directions so you get good coverage and maybe take a third trip on over and put fertilizer on at the half a dose rate. Now we got you losing it up putting the grass seed on.Putting the fertilizer on then we want you to roll it. Roll it with one of these rollers, and it will help firm it up so it wont blow away and the birds wont get the grass very much.

If you have a lot of steep slopes some people use this netting with this straw or burlap blanket with the spun wood or they might use burlap to fix hard to grow patches.

Theres lots of kinds of grass seed but some are good for sun some are good.

For the shade and some are good are what we call low maintenance rural grasses.

If you might have to spray to kill some weeds first like with Round Up. But if you do, you can seed the very next day. So go to our website if you want all of this in writing. Cashman.nursey.com or stop out we have a great hand out so until next week Good gardening.

See more here:
Dan's Garden: Seeding your lawn - KFYR-TV

Aug 25, 2017 5:41 PM

In keeping with the theme started last weekthat fall is for plantingI was going to continue this week with some more tips on several perennials that you can divide now and enjoy next summer. But, while looking around the property during the week, I realized it might be a good idea to review some lawn care this week and get back to other planting work next week. So, this week, a few ideas on renovating or patching your lawn.

For one reason or another, you may be noticing spots or patches on your lawn where the turf is thin to nonexistent. Yes, its been a remarkable growing season for most of our lawns, and it is the first time in about 20 years I can remember our lawns not taking a break. We can usually depend on the warm and dry months of July and August resulting in the grass growing more slowly, and cutting it once a week, or even stretching it out to 10 days now and then, has been the norm. But not this summer. This year, the lawn has stayed green and lush right from the first spring flush of green. In fact, the lawn has actually been getting ahead of us, and I found I had to cut twice in one week in August.

And yet there are those spots where I screwed up. I spilled something in one spot, a local dog left a spot in another spot, we pruned some large trees that left an area where no grass would grow to an area now in full sun and it has to be seeded.

The store shelves are filled with all kinds of lawn patch products and bags of pre-mixed seed blends, so whats a homeowner to do, and what will you use?

Im a little old-fashioned here, and I like to keep it simpleno gimmicks, just a little science, seed, soil and moisture. If youre looking for a more complicated explanation or a good introduction to lawns and how to take care of yours, there are some great links at the end.

So, this time, Im only going to speak about renovating small areas of your lawn. In other years, weve gone over over-seeding, full renovations and soddingbut this year lets concentrate on the small areas that need to be filled in with grass plants before the weeds settle in and take over.

The first task is to get these areas ready for seeding so that in the next two to three weeks they are all prepped and seeded and well on their way to being established and ready for winter.

But, before you begin to rake out these spots, make sure you have all your tools, seed, fertilizer and mulch. Tools can be as simple as a fan rake or short-toothed tine rake. Youll use these to scratch out the dead grass and weeds and also to rough up the soil below to a depth of a half inch to an inch.

Remove any stones and debris, and if theres actually a depression, you will want to fill it in with some good screened topsoil thats loose and friable. If it comes out of a bag or dumped from a truck, you might want to screen it so its consistently granular as opposed to clodded.

Mix in a very small amount of starter fertilizer. Its very important that you only use starter fertilizer and use it sparingly, as too much can damage the young grass plants.

Spread the soil over the area to be seeded, and let a little blend into the surrounding grass, feathering it as you move to the edges. You can use your rake and ever so gently pull it over the soil to create very shallow furrows.

Now, youre ready for the seed.

Instead of pre-packaged seed, go to a local garden center and ask if they have custom seed mixes. The better garden centers will have several that they have made just for our area, and they will be different blends of grasses for shade, sun or both. These mixes will contain some combination of Kentucky bluegrass, fescues and ryegrasses, and we usually use all three in varying percentages, as each has attributes that the others may be missing.

A good garden center salesperson can be very helpful hereand you wont find this kind of help at the big-box stores. And this is the one place where you dont want to skimp. You can buy what is called a builders mix, which is cheap and fills in really fast, but it will have you reseeding again next year.

Know how many square feet youll be needing to cover, buy a good blend, and ask how much you should use for new seeding for 100 square feet then do the math to know how much you need for your 5-, 10- or 20-square-foot spots.

Seeding is done by hand by filling your palm with a few ounces of seed and gently spreading it over the prepared area like you were putting sprinkles on a cake, keeping the application even and uniform. When done, there should be 10 to 15 seeds per square inch.

Now, turn your rake overtines pointed up, not down, for a fan rakegently pull the rake over the seeded area. For a stiff, steel-tined rake, use the rake like a tamper and gently push the flat side of the rake against the soil. The object is to bring the grass seeds into contact with the soil. Only a small portion of the seed needs to contact the soil, and the seed should never be entirely buried.

The next step is to water. Gently spray the area with water so the soil absorbs it. Dont sprinkle, sprayor youll create puddles and the seed will get washed into the puddles and ruin your great seeding job.

Theres more to watering, but we need one more step first, and thats the mulch. Now that the seedbed is moist, you want to add a mulch that will keep the sun off the seed bed but still allow it to warm during the day and cool at night without totally drying out.

You can use a special mulching material thats sold in bags and is lightly spread over the seedbed then watered. These materials, such as Penn Mulch, contain a form of cellulose that will absorb the water, expand and, if applied correctly, be a perfect light cover. You also can use salt hay, or specially cut hay, or straw that is seedless or headless. Dont just use any hay or strawit must be seedless, or youll contaminate your seedbed with seed from the parent hay or straw plants.

Once the mulch is down, you can now sprinkle the seedbed with water. Keep it moist for several weeks by watering lightly once or twice a day, unless theres rainfall or a series of cloudy days.

Moisture, at the right amount, will result in great germination and a perfect patch. Depending on the seed mix you used, you should have germination of some seeds in a week, and all of the seeds within three weeks.

When the grass plants are filled in and about 3 inches tall, the first mowing can be done.

For those of you who want more detailed information on grass seed, here: http://bit.ly/2xu8btz. And on lawns in general, they have great information here: http://bit.ly/1HidWKO. There are dozens of links to other lawn grass topics.

So if you can, read up, but time is of the essence. Get those brown spots and lawn renovations done in the next few weeks, and youll see the results this fall.

Keep growing!

See more here:
Lawns: How To Patch And Repair - 27east.com

I get a lot of questions on plant pests in late summer. The signs of insect feeding and symptoms of diseases are often not very visible until late summer so they go unnoticed as the pests develop. Gardeners are usually seeking a remedy and oftentimes apply pesticides that have no effect on the pest because they are just treating the symptoms and not the developing pest.

Most plant pests in our region start their development in early spring and complete their life cycle by the fall. These pests are also most vulnerable to treatment early in their development prior to when they have done significant damage to plants. In fact, control practices for most diseases and some insects need to be applied prior to when they start their life cycle.

Despite it being too late to control many problems, this is a good time to of year to identify pests and to determine their severity. Most pests will reoccur to varying degrees every year as long as their host plant is present. Identifying the common problems in your landscape will allow you to plan preventative measures for next season, if appropriate. Most plant pests only cause aesthetic damage and do not require control; however, some can be more serious.

There are a few pests for which fall treatment is appropriate. I will touch on a few lawn tips here and cover other timely pests as fall progresses.

Now is a great time to focus on lawn weeds or other problem areas in your grass. Most perennial weeds are best controlled in early fall. This is also a time when your lawn grass is producing new plants that will displace weeds that are controlled. It is also a good time of year to plant new grass seed in thin areas. Problem crabgrass areas can be lightly tilled to dislodge crabgrass and new grass seed can be put down to displace it.

Fertilizing your lawn in early fall will promote vigorous vegetative propagation without excessive leaf growth that is experienced with spring fertilizer. This allows your grass to fill in thin areas and to store up carbohydrate reserves for next spring's new growth.

Fall is also a good time to aerate lawns. Aerating is most important on high-fertility lawns that have thatch built up. Aerating brings soil to the surface, allowing it to filter back into the thatch. This helps decompose excess thatch and transforms it into new topsoil. Aerating is also useful when over-seeding thin areas to loosen soil and create a good seedbed.

Fall is also a good time to dethatch. Lawns that have excessive thatch will feel spongy if you walk on them when they are wet. The moisture that is held by a thick thatch layer creates good conditions for lawns disease, so addressing thatch problems in fall can reduce disease pressure the next year.

Dethatching is only a benefit under conditions of excessive thatch. Otherwise it just removes valuable organic matter.

Late August through September is a great time to focus energy on lawns. Effort now will really impact the quality of your grass for next season.

Doug Courneya is owner of Courneya Horticulture Services. Doug has bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture and is a certified arborist with more than 25 years of experience. Send plant and garden questions to life@postbulletin.com or email Doug directly at dcourneya@charter.net.

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Let it Grow: Now is a good time to prep your lawn for next spring - Post-Bulletin

Believe it or not, late summer and early fall are the best time of year to give your lawn a little TLC.

Personally, caring for turf grass is not my favorite gardening activity by far. I'd much rather work on my flower or vegetable gardens. But we have some problem areas this year that are beginning to bother even me. So that says a lot.

The grasses typically seen in yards in our area are cool season grasses, like Kentucky bluegrasses, perennial ryegrasses, and fescues. These grasses prefer cool spring and fall temperatures, and turn brown and go dormant during the heat of the summer if not watered.

Sometimes you see lawns planted in warm season grasses, like Zoysia. These grasses do their best growing in the heat of the summer and are brown and dormant in the spring and fall.

When a friend moved to St. Louis a few years ago, she frantically texted me pictures of her lawn that spring, worried something was wrong since it was brown and looked dead as a door nail. It was just Zoysia grass, sitting dormant in the cool spring weather as it was supposed to do. Once the summer heat set in, her Zoysia grass came back to life.

Most lawns in Central Illinois are planted in cool season grasses. Late summer and early fall are the best times to start a new lawn in our area because not only do the cooler fall temperatures encourage grass growth; the soil is thoroughly warmed up.

While we all look forward to the green blades of grass that signal spring is here, the spring air warms a lot quicker than the soil. Even if the temperature outside is perfect for grass seed to germinate, grass seed planted in the cold soil will just sit there. The longer that seed lies in the cold, and often wet, soil, it is more likely to rot than germinate. But in fall, soil and air temperatures are perfect for seed germination.

Whether you are starting a new lawn or over-seeding an existing lawn to fill in some thin or bare spots, it is critical that the grass seed has good soil contact. A common misconception is that you just need to scatter seed and call it good. If youre scattering your seed on top of existing lawn, its highly likely that the seed will just sit on top of the grass or thatch without touching the actual soil. Without soil contact, the seed will not germinate. At least use a garden rake to scratch the seed into the soil to about a -inch depth after broadcasting seed.

Besides soil contact, grass seed needs consistent moisture to germinate. You may need to water a seeded area multiple times a day depending on the weather. Keep the top two inches of soil moist but not muddy after seeding to encourage rapid germination.

Consider renting a slit seeder, especially if you are planting grass seed over a large area, whether a new or overseeded lawn. This machine makes little cuts in the soil and drops grass seed directly into these slits. After several failed attempts to broadcast seed to establish part of our lawn, my husband finally rented a slit seeder. It was a night and day difference. We finally had grass growing in that part of the yard! Good soil contact makes all the difference.

Something we do every fall is lawn aeration. Aerating, or circulating air through your lawn loosens up compacted soil, and is an effective way to break down thatch. Compaction is one of those lawn problems that creeps upit tends to get worse slowly over time. If the high-traffic areas of your lawn tend to grow nothing but flat, ground-hugging weeds like spurge, you may have issues with compaction. We have a high-traffic area in our yard that is compacted and wearing thin. We need to aerate and reseed it before weeds move in worse than they have already.

Please ignore the aerating devices out there that are just spikes that stick into the ground. They don't help and may make compaction a little worse since they are compacting the soil around each spike as they penetrate the soil.

The best way to aerate your lawn is by using the specialized machine that removes plugs of turf and soil from the lawn and deposits them on the surface. Actual removal of a plug is crucial for breaking down thatch.

Thatch includes all the dead stems, roots and nodes of turf grass that do not break down readily. Bringing some soil to the surface by way of aeration plugs exposes the thatch to microbes in the soil that help decompose the thatch.

A common homeowner myth is that leaving grass clippings on your lawn will cause thatch. This is simply not true. Clippings are 75 to 85 percent water and decompose readily.

You dont need to declare war on all thatch though. Its beneficial to have a small layer of thatch less than -inch thick. A thin layer of mulch protects your lawn from rapid changes in temperature and moisture. It also gives your lawn a bit of cushion and springiness for sports and other recreation.

The major cause of excessive thatch in most cases is over-fertilizing. Encouraging too much top growth of turf creates a situation where the plant cannot support all that green growth, and it dies. Then the homeowner puts on more fertilizer because they think the lawn is not as plush and green as it should be, and the cycle begins again. The dead plant parts create thatch.

Thatch can be a serious problem because it may get thick enough to keep the lawns roots from reaching the soil. If your lawns roots arent in good contact with soil, your lawn will tend to dry out very quickly since it cannot access deeper soil moisture and will be very weak as a result.

Applying a fall fertilizer formula as one of the last lawn projects of the year in November or so is one of the best things you can do for your lawn. It helps the turf recover from a stressful summer, and a stress-free plant is less likely to succumb to disease and winter weather. Fall fertilization encourages turf root growth; turf with a well-developed root system will be well-equipped to survive the summer heat and drought in the next growing season.

Jennifer Schultz Nelson shares practical ideas and information to bring out the gardener in everyone in her blog at http://www.groundedandgrowing.co.

See the original post here:
Jennifer Schultz Nelson: Lawns need TLC in early fall - Herald & Review

Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. Email Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.

I have decided to replant my back lawn. Is this a good time to plant? Would you recommend sod or seed?

This is actually the very best time of year to plant a lawn. It fits the natural cycle of grass growth. Where grass is not mowed it matures seed about this time of year. The seed falls on the ground and sprouts.

Whether seeded or sodded, the cooling temperatures are ideal for grass growth as it multiplies quickly and forms a strong root system. The soil is still warm so seed sprouts quickly and develops rapidly.

This time of year you can have a full thick lawn in 6 weeks from seeding. If you can water frequently and keep the kids and dogs off of it for that long. The cost is considerably cheaper than sodding often a third or less.

If you need quicker results, then sodding is immediate. Even a sodded lawn should be babied for a couple of weeks until the grass is well rooted.

If you have a heavy clay soil which has not been amended with organic matter, I would recommend tilling in several inches of organic matter such as bark dust or peat moss. This will insure better long term performance of your lawn.

If you kill the existing grass and weeds, you can rototill in the dead grass with a large rototiller. It will take several passes to get the grass chopped up finely.

The grass itself is a good organic amendment but I would still add some bark dust.

I have had good success using a short cut method. Spray the existing lawn and weeds to kill them. Then scalp mow the remaining top growth to a 1/2 inch height. About one week later apply a top dressing of soil mix from a nursery or bulk soil and bark supplier. It takes about 1 1/2 yards per 1000 square feet of lawn area. This can be raked to smooth any bumps or dips in the lawn.

Fertilize and lay sod or broadcast seed directly on this soil mix. The old grass will gradually decompose. Roots grow well into it. Seed should be raked so that about ?/3 of the seed is covered.

A newly sodded lawn requires daily irrigation or rainfall to keep the top inch moist for about 2 weeks. A newly seeded lawn requires irrigation at least 3 times a day to keep the top of the soil constantly moist for about 3 weeks. Then irrigation can be reduced to once a day.

If you have the time and energy, you can plant your own lawn using one of these methods. If you would like more information on lawn planting send me an email.

Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. Email Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.

Read more here:
Now is right time to replant, sod lawn - The Columbian