Indy Home Marketing Group Newsletter

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July 2007 Newsletter

Volume 1, Number 2

	Summer Lawn Care Essentials... In summer, lawns get hammered. There's extra wear and tear from weekend play, stress from summer heat, and corresponding pressure
	from utilities in some areas to cutback on watering. But if you start a sensible lawn-care program now, you can strengthen your turf going into summer, help it stay greener, and give it a better chance against the ravages of insects and disease. MORE

SAVE ENERGY & HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
BY SWITCHING TO CFL BULBS

If every American home replaced just one in-
candescent light bulb with a compact florescent
light (CFL), we'd save enough energy to light
2.5 million homes for a year and prevent
greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions
of nearly 800,000 cars. CFLs not only provide
high-quality and high-efficiency lighting, they
last about 4 to 10 times longer!

Recipe of the Month
Watermelon Salad with Mint

If you're planning a holiday cookout,
here's a quick and easy salad that
goes perfectly with almost any main
dish. Courtesy: Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

•	1 (5-pound) watermelon	•	Salt and pepper
•	1/4 cup red wine vinegar	•	6 whole mint sprigs
•	1 Vidalia or other sweet onion	•	4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
•	1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil	•	2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

DIRECTIONS: Cut the flesh from the melon and cut into bite size
pieces, removing and discarding the seeds, and set aside. Peel
and slice the onion into rings.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk
until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, a few drops
at a time. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.

In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the
dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything
is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs. To serve,
divide salad among individual plates and garnish with mint leaves.

SUMMER LAWN CARE ESSENTIALS (continued)

Fertilize. If you haven't fertilized yet this year – or if you're
growing heavy feeders such as perennial ryegrass, tall fescue,
Kentucky bluegrass, hybrid Bermuda, or St. Augustine – apply
2 pounds actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. If you've ferti-
lized during the past four months and aren't growing a heavy
feeder, give the grass 1 pound actual nitrogen per 1,000 square
feet. (The first number in a fertilizer bag's large, three-number
label gives the percentage of nitrogen in the bag. A 100-pound
bag of 29-3-4 fertilizer, for example, contains 29 percent actual
nitrogen, or 29 pounds.)

Mow. Cut often, so you never have to shorten the grass by more
than a third at one mowing. Use a mulching mower with a sharp
blade. Since grass clippings contain 3 to 5 percent nitrogen, they
feed the lawn if you let them drop (don't bag them). This allows
you to reduce your annual lawn-feeding program by half. Mow
your grass from 1-1/2 to 2 inches in height.

Dethatch. Most grasses develop thatch, a sponge-like layer of
roots, runners, and grass blades just above the soil surface.
Thatch interferes with the downward flow of fertilizer and water,
depriving plant roots; thin it now, if you haven't already done
so (use a dethatcher from a rental yard). The lawn will recover
quickly and will perform better through summer. Grasses like
Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescue should be dethatched in fall.

Water. Most lawns need about 1 inch of water per week. Apply
it deeply and infrequently rather than often and shallowly – and
early in the morning or late evening when there's less wind and
evaporation than during the heat of the day.

Control pests and diseases. To keep the lawn looking its best,
watch for signs of critter damage or disease, and deal with either
immediately.

- Dogs. If a dog urinates on your lawn, flood the area with hose
water. Don't try to repair doggy spots (dead spots among healthy
green grass) by fertilizing; the excess nitrogen in dog urine kills
the grass, so adding more nitrogen won't help. Remove dead
patches along with 3 to 4 inches of soil underneath; fill the hole
with a fresh piece of sod, or overseed.

- Insects. Insect problems vary regionally and seasonally. Your
area nursery can recommend what's the best product to protect
your lawn from most common insects, such as grubs.

- Diseases. Highly maintained lawns (mowed low, heavily ferti-
lized, and liberally watered) are the most subject to disease. Fight
disease by backing off on the fertilizer and water, and by raising
the mowing height by 25 percent.

- Weeds. On most lawns, weeds really take hold when the grass
starts to go dormant in July. Hand-weed small infestations as soon
as they appear. For larger infestations, try a pre-emergence herbi-
cide made from corn gluten meal (available at nurseries).

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