January landscapes – What we do now sets the tone for the whole growing season!

[Sirhornsalot]

What we do now sets the tone for the whole growing season!

My father was a big gardener. I guess he passed it down to me. His garden was both large and productive. I would see him in the garden in the middle of January, tilling soil and mixing “leaf mole” into the soil. As a kid, I didn’t get it.

“Dad, why are you out here working when it’s not even growing season?” I asked him.

“Son, what we do today and this month will make or break our growing season.” He replied.

And of course, he was right. What we do for our garden, namely our soil, will set the tone for the entire growing season.

During the last two weeks of this month, we will be aerating our lawns and beds and applying cotton burr compost over the top. And in that order.

You see, during the year, our soil goes through a lot. From the baking sun to freezing winter weather, to having chlorinated water cast over it all summer – our soils become depleted of nutrients, become stale and need revitalization.

The aeration and topdressing make soil recovery easy as the microbes in the compost activate the soil and replenishes the nutrients that were lost.

What is Aeration?

Aeration is the creation of thousands of 4-inch holes in the turf. This is most often done with an aeration machine, which has tines that are 4” long, round and hollow. As the aerator makes its way across the lawn, the soil that is punched through by the tines is released on the surface while a hole is left behind. The aeration will enable oxygen to get into the soil, an important step in getting soil back to health again. It also solves the issue of soil compaction, often caused by foot traffic or pet traffic.

Before you begin aeration, take time to mark all of the sprinkler heads in the yard using marker flags, so they can be avoided during the aeration process.

For the beds, I recommend aeration using a manual aerator or pitch fork. Shrubs, ornamental trees and perennial flowers that we typically put in beds all benefit from this, just as your turf does.

Compost Topdressing

The second part of this procedure is the spreading of compost over the top of the lawn, also called “topdressing.” The value in doing this is that once applied, each time water is sent through that compost, a “compost tea” is created and penetrates the soil and into the root zone of your turf. Once that occurs, wonderful things happen with the turf.

What kind of compost should you use? You want the most nutritious compost you can get. My preference is cotton burr compost, which is 100 percent cotton plant waste, composted. One of the traits of the cotton plant is that it is a nutrient-hog. They literally absorb all the nutrients it can get as its growing. Cotton farmers discovered that the piles of cotton plant waste cut after harvest was some of the most productive parts of their fields. The nutrients the plant absorbs during its life is returned to the soil through this compost. Cotton burr compost is the most nutritious compost I know of, containing plentiful microbes and enzymes important to soil development.

Another good option is dairy cow manure compost. Dairy cows are fed a high-nutrition diet to aid in the production of milk. Naturally, their waste, when composted, holds a lot of nutrition. It is a good option to turn to if cotton burr compost is not available.

The coverage you’re wanting will leave the lawn blades showing but with obvious dark compost in all the in-betweens. So it is not a complete covering of your turf.

Pre-emergent

Because we’re doing this during the last half of January/first half of February, this is also the time when we should be applying a pre-emergent to the lawn and beds. So the last step of this project is to apply a granular pre-emergent on top of the topdressing you applied in the previous step.

There are certain periods of time throughout the year when weed seed germination begins and in no time, a new young crop of weeds will emerge. So naturally we want to time our pre-emergent application right before these periods. That includes early February, end of August, and early November. So this product will provide some protection against weeds by sterilizing the soil so that weed seed germination does not happen.

It is ironic that one of the most important times of the year for our landscapes falls in the middle of winter.

 

January is a dry month

Welcome to January. For most folks across Texas, this is the second driest month of the year. The average rainfall amounts for this month are less than all months except July.

The average rainfall amount this month is 2.6 inches for Dallas, 2.2” for Denton, and only 1.2” in Wichita Falls, and 3.5” in Athens in East Texas. We don’t think about it much because the month has almost no evaporation taking place and temperatures are generally much cooler.

So what does this mean? It means we should be mindful of this and keep our plants and trees watered, even in January. They are asleep (dormant) and we should take care of them. Especially if we have a windy month, which creates more evaporation.

The Winter Solstice occurred on December 21. It is the shortest day of the year or has the least amount of daylight time. Each day leading up to this day gets shorter while each day after will be longer. So we are already on our way to longer days with spring on the horizon.

Get Your onions in!

For you vegetable gardeners, prepare your gardens now and have your onions planted by Jan. 15. Turn your beds, replenish your soil with compost and whatever other components you might like.

 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Hey @TFloss32 or @Aaron Carrara, can you swap out the landscape threads for me? Hook'em!

[Sirhornsalot]

If by chance you have drip irrigation in the actual lawn, I recommend that you avoid disaster and not aerate your lawn. FYI.

[Sirhornsalot]

ttt

[Sirhornsalot]

Hey @TFloss32 or @Aaron Carrara, can you swap out the landscape threads for me? Hook'em!

[nstr]

On 1/1/2023 at 11:53 PM, Sirhornsalot said:

What we do now sets the tone for the whole growing season!

My father was a big gardener. I guess he passed it down to me. His garden was both large and productive. I would see him in the garden in the middle of January, tilling soil and mixing “leaf mole” into the soil. As a kid, I didn’t get it.

“Dad, why are you out here working when it’s not even growing season?” I asked him.

“Son, what we do today and this month will make or break our growing season.” He replied.

And of course, he was right. What we do for our garden, namely our soil, will set the tone for the entire growing season.

During the last two weeks of this month, we will be aerating our lawns and beds and applying cotton burr compost over the top. And in that order.

You see, during the year, our soil goes through a lot. From the baking sun to freezing winter weather, to having chlorinated water cast over it all summer – our soils become depleted of nutrients, become stale and need revitalization.

The aeration and topdressing make soil recovery easy as the microbes in the compost activate the soil and replenishes the nutrients that were lost.

What is Aeration?

Aeration is the creation of thousands of 4-inch holes in the turf. This is most often done with an aeration machine, which has tines that are 4” long, round and hollow. As the aerator makes its way across the lawn, the soil that is punched through by the tines is released on the surface while a hole is left behind. The aeration will enable oxygen to get into the soil, an important step in getting soil back to health again. It also solves the issue of soil compaction, often caused by foot traffic or pet traffic.

Before you begin aeration, take time to mark all of the sprinkler heads in the yard using marker flags, so they can be avoided during the aeration process.

For the beds, I recommend aeration using a manual aerator or pitch fork. Shrubs, ornamental trees and perennial flowers that we typically put in beds all benefit from this, just as your turf does.

Compost Topdressing

The second part of this procedure is the spreading of compost over the top of the lawn, also called “topdressing.” The value in doing this is that once applied, each time water is sent through that compost, a “compost tea” is created and penetrates the soil and into the root zone of your turf. Once that occurs, wonderful things happen with the turf.

What kind of compost should you use? You want the most nutritious compost you can get. My preference is cotton burr compost, which is 100 percent cotton plant waste, composted. One of the traits of the cotton plant is that it is a nutrient-hog. They literally absorb all the nutrients it can get as its growing. Cotton farmers discovered that the piles of cotton plant waste cut after harvest was some of the most productive parts of their fields. The nutrients the plant absorbs during its life is returned to the soil through this compost. Cotton burr compost is the most nutritious compost I know of, containing plentiful microbes and enzymes important to soil development.

Another good option is dairy cow manure compost. Dairy cows are fed a high-nutrition diet to aid in the production of milk. Naturally, their waste, when composted, holds a lot of nutrition. It is a good option to turn to if cotton burr compost is not available.

The coverage you’re wanting will leave the lawn blades showing but with obvious dark compost in all the in-betweens. So it is not a complete covering of your turf.

Pre-emergent

Because we’re doing this during the last half of January/first half of February, this is also the time when we should be applying a pre-emergent to the lawn and beds. So the last step of this project is to apply a granular pre-emergent on top of the topdressing you applied in the previous step.

There are certain periods of time throughout the year when weed seed germination begins and in no time, a new young crop of weeds will emerge. So naturally we want to time our pre-emergent application right before these periods. That includes early February, end of August, and early November. So this product will provide some protection against weeds by sterilizing the soil so that weed seed germination does not happen.

It is ironic that one of the most important times of the year for our landscapes falls in the middle of winter.

 

January is a dry month

Welcome to January. For most folks across Texas, this is the second driest month of the year. The average rainfall amounts for this month are less than all months except July.

The average rainfall amount this month is 2.6 inches for Dallas, 2.2” for Denton, and only 1.2” in Wichita Falls, and 3.5” in Athens in East Texas. We don’t think about it much because the month has almost no evaporation taking place and temperatures are generally much cooler.

So what does this mean? It means we should be mindful of this and keep our plants and trees watered, even in January. They are asleep (dormant) and we should take care of them. Especially if we have a windy month, which creates more evaporation.

The Winter Solstice occurred on December 21. It is the shortest day of the year or has the least amount of daylight time. Each day leading up to this day gets shorter while each day after will be longer. So we are already on our way to longer days with spring on the horizon.

Get Your onions in!

For you vegetable gardeners, prepare your gardens now and have your onions planted by Jan. 15. Turn your beds, replenish your soil with compost and whatever other components you might like.

 

How often should I be watering my lawn and for how long?

 

[Sirhornsalot]

7 hours ago, nstr said:

 

Right now you need only water once a week for 5-7 minutes (spray heads). This will continue through end of February unless we stay warm and without rain.

[TB14]

I had a couple of plants die in the front landscape during the freeze. Should I cut them out now? Or hope they come back in a couple of months?

[Sirhornsalot]

1 hour ago, TB14 said:

I had a couple of plants die in the front landscape during the freeze. Should I cut them out now? Or hope they come back in a couple of months?

You can cut them back, cut off the dead and maybe see if they will come back. Just know you'll have to wait a while for them to look right again. I'd replace them and yes, you can do that now.

[Eastexhorn]

Planted 4 bunches of Dixie Belles today, need another bunch to finish row. Cutting back on size of garden, row lenth 50 ft. ienth of soaker hose.

Last year planted 6 bunches still have a few left. Next Kennebecs and Yucon Golds.

[Sirhornsalot]

2 hours ago, Eastexhorn said:

Planted 4 bunches of Dixie Belles today, need another bunch to finish row. Cutting back on size of garden, row lenth 50 ft. ienth of soaker hose.

Last year planted 6 bunches still have a few left. Next Kennebecs and Yucon Golds.

Sunday I put out 50 Yellow Sweet. Thats all I have space for onions. I had a lot of fun trying to get them to stand up. lol

I chose the yellow sweet because I like them and they're easy to grow here where I live. I've tried reds every year for the past 5-6 years and they don't do nearly as well here.

[Eastexhorn]

Try a few Texas Ledegens they grow most every where in Texas. A big white onion.For a red try Red River both are Dixongale products.

[Huskie1]

I'm looking to plant some perennials along a pretty shaded fence line. Any suggestions?

[Sirhornsalot]

5 hours ago, Huskie1 said:

I'm looking to plant some perennials along a pretty shaded fence line. Any suggestions?

Hosta Lilies are great in shade and are perennial. Foxtail Ferns, Oxalis (crimson clover), Leopard Plant, Variegated Ginger – each of those will brighten up a shaded area and are perennial (depending on where you live in Texas).

I like Elephant Ears, but they always want to get beyond their area so I wouldn't consider it.

[Huskie1]

I'm in Kerrville so those should work. Thank you sir

[Sirhornsalot]

17 hours ago, Eastexhorn said:

Try a few Texas Ledegens they grow most every where in Texas. A big white onion.For a red try Red River both are Dixongale products.

I'll give the legends a try. I have a little space left so I might go get some. They had them at the feed store I buy at.

If you're telling me I can grow decent sized reds with Red River, I'll give those a try. I use 100% compost in growing them. 

[Eastexhorn]

17 hours ago, Eastexhorn said:

Try a few Texas Legdens they grow most every where in Texas. A big yellow onion for a red try Red River both are Dixondale products.

 

[Baron]

Any comments on yellow granex? That's what the feed store here sells. I need to check and see what Sutherland's has.

[Eastexhorn]

RedRivers are slightly smaller than Dixie Belles both no bigger than 4 inches. Texas Legends are 6 inches.

For the biggest o ions try Alisa Craigsworld record holder at 18 lbs.

For more infro. go to www.dixondalefarms.com. get afree catalog. or call830 876-2430.

[Sirhornsalot]

1 hour ago, Baron said:

Any comments on yellow granex? That's what the feed store here sells. I need to check and see what Sutherland's has.

That's the Noonday (Texas) Onion, and also known as the Vadalia (GA) Onion. So just give them good soil and go. You've got the best onion out there, IMO.

[Eastexhorn]

Yellow granex is a cross between Texas Legend and the old Bermuda onion.Popular sweet onion 5 inches in size. Dixondale ships them to Georgia to growers. When you buy look at crate for tag on who grew them proablyDixondale or Bonnie.

[Eastexhorn]

Dixondales method of planting. Make a raised beo 4 inches high and atleast twenty inches wide.

Two inches from each side plant onions one inch deep a d four inches apart. I go wider  easier to hoe between.

In the middle of row make a trench four inches deep and four inches wide approx. I use a planters hoe for this.

Then ever three weeks put ammonium sulfate ln trench at rate of one cup each twenty feet of row. you can stop when onions start bulbing. I usually go once more time. Water the A M in after applying.

Forgot apply 10-20-10 about a cup per 20 foot of row.You can sptinkle trefian grandlues on top of soil and rake in prevents weeds and some grasses.

I have had better and bigger onions since I used this method of growing last seven years, before used single row.

Plus more onions in less space.

[Sirhornsalot]

33 minutes ago, Eastexhorn said:

Dixondales method of planting. Make a raised beo 4 inches high and atleast twenty inches wide.

Two inches from each side plant onions one inch deep a d four inches apart. I go wider  easier to hoe between.

In the middle of row make a trench four inches deep and four inches wide approx. I use a planters hoe for this.

Then ever three weeks put ammonium sulfate ln trench at rate of one cup each twenty feet of row. you can stop when onions start bulbing. I usually go once more time. Water the A M in after applying.

Forgot apply 10-20-10 about a cup per 20 foot of row.You can sptinkle trefian grandlues on top of soil and rake in prevents weeds and some grasses.

I have had better and bigger onions since I used this method of growing last seven years, before used single row.

Plus more onions in less space.

You put the granules in the trench? Are you counting on it spreading as it dissolves?

Here's a product I use on my onions that has worked quite well. Like you, I put this down about every three weeks. It's sodium nitrate (or Soda of Nitrate).

I put this all around my onions and water it in immediately after applying. It dissolves very quickly.

 

[gmcc]

13 hours ago, Eastexhorn said:

RedRivers are slightly smaller than Dixie Belles both no bigger than 4 inches. Texas Legends are 6 inches.

For the biggest o ions try Alisa Craigsworld record holder at 18 lbs.

For more infro. go to www.dixondalefarms.com. get afree catalog. or call830 876-2430.

I got one of Dixondale farm's catalogs but have not been able to find an onion called Dixie Belles.  When I google Dixie Belles i get some info. on Paint.  Could the Belles have a slightly different name? I did plant two double rows of the Ledgens and Red river reds.

[Eastexhorn]

Yes it will spread as onions grow uniformally. Hi-Yield are good products , Sheldon brothers feature them . Local seed and feed ( bothA&M grads)

Ammonium Sulfate is 21-0-0 alittle stronger. I use to use 13-13-13 under the onions doubt if changing made a difference. But something did.

After first year of this method bosssaid this is the way we do it.

I sugest you try it could be a 3-4 ft row.