streetlights

If you notice a streetlight out, contact Duke Energy at 421.9500 or on-line. You will need to provide the closest address and the tag number on the street side of the pole.

nutsedge time

The kind folks at Scotts just sent me this Nutsedge alert! Their products are great ... gotta stay ahead of nutsedge.

This Grassy weed Is Not Technically a Grass; It's a Sedge and Is Very Difficult to Control

Nutsedge, also known as nutgrass, seeks out the moist, poorly drained sections of your yard or garden. Its leaves are grasslike and yellow-green, while the spiky head is purple or yellow. It's a tough weed to control because it grows from tiny tubers, or nutlets, that form on roots. Pull out the roots and some tubers will stay behind to grow.

Prevention and Maintenance

Mow High to Help Control Nutsedge

Depending on your turf type and latitude, you can help control nutsedge or nutgrass by changing the way you mow. Mowing your lawn at about 3 inches lets the grass crowd out nutsedge and other weeds. Mowing short stimulates nutsedge.

Kill Nutsedge in Landscaped Areas

If you have a few plants, you may be lucky and succeed in pulling them out, especially if they're young. If not, Ortho® Nutsedge Killer For Lawns is effective in killing listed weeds in established landscape plantings. You can also control nutsedge in your mulched areas by applying Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Ready-To-Use Plus. Make sure you don't spray the plants you like. Do NOT use this product to spot-treat in your lawn. Always read the label before you apply.

Kill Nutsedge in Your Lawn

You can control nutsedge in your lawn by spraying with Ortho® Nutsedge Killer for Lawns. It's effective against newly emerged and established sedges. This ready-to-use product kills purple and yellow nutsedge, kiilynga, and 60 other tough weeds. The weed is yellowed in 1-2 days, and complete kill occurs in 1-2 weeks. It can be used on Northern and Southern turf grasses and is rainproof in 2 hours.

Nutsedge Defined

Nutsedge is a grassy weed that grows from tubers on roots and can grow up to 3 feet tall if left uncut. Its leaves are grassy and yellow-green. Purple-spiked nutsedge is found mainly in California and the southeast, while the yellow-spiked nutsedge is commonly found in lawns during warm, damp conditions.

tall grass

If you haven't cut your grass yet you are wrong. If you have a neighbor that needs theirs cut, please remind them.

meeting and dues

Don't forget we have a Home Owner Association meeting 6 December at 19:30 and you should receive another letter about 2011 dues (payable through January) for $630.

bike hoists

Are you running out of space in your garage? These hoists are great for hanging bicycles from the ceiling to free up some floor and/or wall space.

no more raking

Philip Dwyer says, "No" to raking. See his fall tip for dealing with leaves on your yard.

it's fall - so what

This is the time to divide and transplant hostas, daylilies and other perennials.

Plant winter-hardy bulbs before the ground freezes in late November. This is also the time to fertilize bulbs.

After the first hard frost, cut back perennials and promptly remove leaves, weeds and other landscape debris from planting areas to avoid giving plant disease a place to start.

Lightly rake over mulch in landscape beds to allow water to better penetrate, and top dress your perennial beds with mulched leaves.

It's important that trees and shrubs get adequate moisture in fall to get a good start next spring. Monitor soil moisture levels through December, and keep watering trees and shrubs as needed.