Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
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Page 18 - shelby shopper & info - 704/484-1047 www.shelbyinfo.com Thursday, April 20-April 26, 2017 K nowing what type of grass is in your yard, coupled with the scientifi c results of a soil test, can help home- owners know when the best time to fertilize is and what products are most appropriate to use. While fertilizer will be needed, potassium and phosphorous may not be. Warm-season grass- es, such as Bermuda, centipede, St. Augus- tine and Zoysia, grow most actively during late spring to summer and are dormant in the winter months. These grasses can benefi t from fertilizer nitro- gen application during their active growth period. Experts recommend start- ing with a soil test. The soil test will provide lime and fertilizer recommendations. Lime adjusts the pH level, which is critical for optimum nutrient availability. In other words, it will help fertilizer do its best work, if fertilizer is a necessary addition. A soil pH of 6.0 is tar- geted for most grasses ex- cept centipede. For centi- pede, the soil pH should be around 5.5. If your soil pH is too low, lime can be applied to elevate it. Lime can be ap- plied at any time.Once you make any corrections rec- ommended by the soil test results, you do not need to apply lime for another two or three years. Nitrogen-containing fertil- izer is best applied to Ber- muda grass in May, July and September. Applications to St. Augustine are best tar- geted for May and August. When fertilizing Zoysia, Soil testing beneficial for lawns ©Community First Media Community First Media SIX POINTS HARDWARE 1281 NC 120 Mooresboro, NC 28114 Call for directions Mon.-Sat 8am-6pm EASY IN, EASY OUT, LESS WALKING, GREAT SERVICES VS. BIG BOX STORES CALL 828-453-7364 SHOP LOCAL FOR ALL YOUR LAWN & GARDEN NEEDS. SEED, FERTILIZER, PLANTS & MUCH, MUCH MORE! WE HAVE MORE WE HAVE MORE STUFF STUFF THAN YOU THINK! THAN YOU THINK! 704-484-0025 www.billshufordhvac.com Like Us On! 213 Campbell Street, Shelby, NC 28150 MORE COMFORT, MORE WHATEVER YOU WANT Up to $1,100 instant rebate or special financing for 36 months* Special Financing Available. O.A.C. Ask us for details. Offer Ends June 30 Offer Ends June 30 th th , 2017 , 2017 Saturday, May 6 th View the full schedule: View the full schedule: www.rutherfordtown.com www.rutherfordtown.com COME TO THE LARGEST FESTIVAL IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY! COME TO THE LARGEST FESTIVAL IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY! ©Community First Media 8:30am-pm Rutherfordton, NC 8:30am-pm Rutherfordton, NC Presents our Presents our Annual Annual MAYFEST MAYFESTival! ival! Caleb Gilbert Band Band @11:00 @11:00 Wiregrass Wiregrass @3:00 @3:00 Something for everyone! t Media t M t M d edia t Media Fun starts Friday night with FUNC Summer Music Series SATURDAY- FESTIVAL DAY SATURDAY- FESTIVAL DAY: Gears & Gables Charity Bike Ride •Live Music on Courthouse Lawn •Car & Bike show at Gregory's Special Live Performance by Heart Tribute Band HEART BREAKER HEART BREAKER b t G lb il i Gilb t L I V E M U S I C L I V E M U S I C C R A F T & F O O D V E N D O R S C R A F T & F O O D V E N D O R S C A R & B I K E S H O W C A R & B I K E S H O W K I D ' S P L AY L A N D K I D ' S P L AY L A N D 3FREE FREE SHUTTLE SHUTTLE G ardeners in North Carolina know that our Old North State soils are naturally too acidic to grow a vegetable garden without lime. While there is great benefi t in ap- plying lime, too much lime can be harmful, whether ap- plied at one time or over mul- tiple occasions. Dr. David Hardy, Soil Test- ing Section chief with the N.C. Department of Agri- culture and Consumer Ser- vices Agronomic Services Division, offers the following review of lime benefi ts, plant requirements and tips to help home gardeners deter- mine lime application needs. Lime supplies plants with calcium or magnesium nu- trients, depending on the type. Calcitic lime provides only calcium, while dolomitic lime provides magnesium and calcium. Dolomitic lime is preferred in more sandy soils where magnesium may be low without its addition. Lime, regardless of type, when mixed in soil performs similarly to old fashioned Tums in your stomach, neu- tralizing acid when it is too great, Hardy said. Most gar- deners relate acidity to the pH scale of 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral; pH below 7 is acid while that above 7 is re- ferred to as alkaline or basic. Lime is added to soil to raise pH and decrease acidity, he said. A proper pH for a vegetable garden is 6.5, although most vegetable plants, with the exception of tomatoes, grow well at a pH of 6.0. Tomatoes need more calcium than oth- er vegetables, which can be supplied through a higher pH level with a greater addition of lime. By increasing pH, the availability of many nutrients is increased and the detri- mental effects of too much acidity on plant root growth and function is eliminated. Is it time to lime? A proper pH also helps ben- efi cial bacteria and microor- ganisms function. If lime is good, then many people think more must be better, but that is incorrect, Hardy said. If lime is applied every year, or at rates much higher than recommended by a soil test, the benefi ts can be lost. Some nutrients are needed in very minute amounts and are referred to as micronutrients. Two ex- amples are manganese and iron. If pH becomes too high, micronutrient availability can become limited and poor or abnormal growth can result. When availability is severely limited, yellowing of plants, often between the veins in leaves occurs. Once lime has been ap- plied, soil pH should be sta- ble for two to four years de- pending on soil type. Sandy soils with light color become acidic faster than fi ne clay textured soils. To increase pH, sandy soils generally require lower rates of lime, Hardy said. "The best rules of thumb are to not apply lime yearly to a vegetable garden and never apply lime without a current soil test," Hardy said. More detailed information about lime needs for home- owners is available at https:// content.ces.ncsu.edu/soil- acidity-and-liming-basic- information-for-farmers-and- gardeners. May and July applications are optimum. Slow-growing centipede has much lower fertility requirements com- pared to all the other warm- season grasses and should receive only one nitrogen fertilizer application, either at the end of May or early June.Best success with a centipede lawn occurs when over-fertilization with nitro- gen and phosphorus is avoided. Warm-season grass- es fertilized too early in the spring or too late into the fall are more susceptible to cold damage and pest problems. Soil testing is free from April 1 until about mid-November, with expected results back in about seven to 10 working days from spring through early fall. Information on col- lecting and sam- pling for home gardens is available atwww.ncagr. gov/agronomi/pdffiles/Ho- meApr2014.pdf. More information on turf management can be ob- tained at www.turffi les.ncsu. edu/. Contact the Agronom- ic Services Division offi ce at 919-733-2655 for questions regarding soil testing.