The Dirt Gardener's Column for July 17

Q. Recently, I fertilized my lawn by hand. I now have green spots with a lot of brown areas. What can I do to help get it back to normal?

A. The brown areas are the result of fertilizer burn. Lawn fertilizers burn grass in varying degrees. Sulfate of Ammonia is notorious for burning lawns. You have to be especially careful when applying it; otherwise, problems develop. It’s best applied during the early spring. Scott's turf products and other brands are more forgiving. You can be heavy handed and still not burn the grass. Watering before you fertilize prevents fertilizer burn. This is critical during the non-rainy season and it applies to all plants during the summer months. With turf, you need to water the day before or at least four hours before fertilizing and then water immediately afterwards. Before turning on the sprinklers, I like to wash or drive the fertilizer pellets off the blades of grass and down to the soil surface. The exception to this is ‘Weed and Feed’ fertilizers as the opposite applies. Water is withheld for twenty-four to forty-eight hours after an application. This allows the herbicide to be absorbed by the weeds. You need to follow the instructions found on the bag. This makes the watering before hand more critical. I'd avoid fertilizing when the temperatures are around ninety degrees or higher. The brown spots may recover or they may not. The grass that is straw color will not turn green again. It does take time so you have to be patient. In three to four weeks, you should be seeing new blades of grass in the damaged areas unless you have fried the base or crown of the plant. I'd rake the area to remove the dry, brown blades of grass and other debris. In six to eight weeks, you’ll have a good idea what has survived. It may be necessary to reseed these are to speed up the recovery process. In the future, you might wish to use a fertilizer spreader, as they are more efficient. I prefer a drop type spreader rather than a hand held type.

 Q. Our blackberries have been terrible this year. They are small, very hard, and some are partly ripe. Is there something I can do or is this weather related problem?

A. This problem is not caused by the weather. It’s the result of a small sucking insect called ‘Berry Mite’. This critter attacks the developing fruit causing it to be undersized and ripen unevenly. It is too late for any controls this year. Starting in late November, make three applications of the dormant spray Lime Sulphur, a month apart to control Berry Mite. Now that the vines have finished, producing you should remove all producing canes. These canes will never be productive again. The old-canes should be removed keep the plants from over growing the area.  The new shoots at the base of the plants will yield next year crop of berries.

by Buzz Bertolero, CCNP