Espoma | Organic Lawns

6 Ways to Winterize your Lawn and Brave the Cold

October 14, 2022/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables - None, Lawn

Winter is coming, and while we’re bundling up in our cozy sweaters, lawns need to winterize too! As the temperature drops and the leaves fall, there are plenty of ways to protect and prepare your lawn for future growth. Not sure how to get started? Check out these six tips to help your lawn brave the cold weather! Your spring-gardening-self is sure to thank you for it.

1) Say Bye to Weeds

If you don’t take care of weeds before the winter, they’ll be competing for nutrients with your precious plants in the spring! Now is the time get them out using a spot spray, pulling them, or applying a preemergent. Espoma Organic Weed Preventer is a long-lasting solution for established lawns, but do not apply a preemergent if you plan on overseeding or have recently seeded.

2) Rake it Up

Breaking up thatch material is a great way to show your lawn some TLC, especially if you plan to overseed. Thatch—that organic layer of dead roots, shoots, and stems—can block water movement and create unhealthy grass discoloration. Dethatching your lawn with a dethatching rake allows for better oxygen circulation, deeper root growth, and insect prevention.

3) Pull out the Plugs

Speaking of foot traffic, if your lawn has dealt with a LOT this summer, it might benefit from core aeration. Core aeration machines evenly remove plugs or “cores” of soil from your lawn to relieve compaction, promote root growth, and improve the flow of water and oxygen. There are some manual alternatives to core aeration, but the machines are the most effective. After a busy summer, core aeration is a great way to bring fluffy and healthy green grass back to your lawn.

4) The Gift of Nutrients

Lawns get a lot of traffic in the summer, so it’s important to help your lawn recover and prepare for winter by feeding it nutrients! Make the most of the fallen leaves by mulching your leaf debris and use Espoma Organic’s Fall Winterizer fertilizer for easy, natural replenishment. Packed with potassium and slow-releasing nitrogen, our winterizer is formulated to promote spring greening and provide the long-lasting nutrition your lawn needs.

5) Get the Lime-ing Right

After the stress of summer, your soil pH may need some specific attention. Our Espoma Organic Lightning Lime is an ultra-fast, strong solution that allows your lawn to better intake water and nutrients. As long as the ground isn’t frozen, Lightning Lime is your lawn’s best friend and a great addition to your winterizing checklist.

6) Grass Goals

To overseed or not to overseed, that is the question! While your decision should depend on your lawn’s goals and state of being, overseeding can improve turf quality, help repair weak spots, and control weeds. It’s a great way to make the most of the last of these warm temperatures and get some growth started before winter settles in!

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Make this coming spring season easier and greener by winterizing your landscape! Have a winterizing tip of your own to share?

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Seven Steps for a Fantastic Fall Garden

September 20, 2022/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables - None

Fall: it’s the season of transition. The weather is cooling down, the leaves are changing colors, and the air is getting crisp and breezy. While you might be thinking it’s time to pack up the gardening supplies until Spring, there’s no reason the growing has to stop yet! With this seasonal shift comes perfect weather for establishing new plants, great deals at garden stores, and a decrease in pests. In fact, this special season offers plenty of opportunities for preserving, planting, and preparing. Make the most of this time with these seven tips, and get back in the garden!

1. Don’t Forget Your Veggies

Don’t let the cooler weather fool you, there’s still time for growth. Broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and kale… fall is the season to plant these beloved vegetables. If your vegetable garden needs a boost, use our famous Organic Garden-tone or Grow!

2. Success with Succession

Maximize your harvest all throughout fall with succession planting. Harvest one crop, then replant one with a shorter maturity date, plant companion crops, stagger your seeding so harvest arrives in intervals, or plant a crop with varying maturity dates (broccoli, for example). Try out one of these methods and keep growing with our Garden-tone!

3. Bring in the Big Guys

Looking for a bigger way to upgrade your garden this fall? Plant trees and shrubs while the soil is still warm, use our Organic Tree-tone to nurture their development, and give them a chance to lay roots before winter settles in. Just be sure to keep them well-watered and protect those roots with mulch!

4. Free Fertilizer

Have you tried using those fall leaves to your advantage? Thick piles of leaves can be a lot for your lawn to tolerate, but mowing over what’s fallen creates smaller pieces that break down in the soil easier. Time to tackle that leaf pile and get your lawn some natural nutrients!

5. Allium On the Way

Patience is a virtue… and so is planting ahead! Give your garlic, onions, and shallots a jump-start by planting them after the fall equinox. With full sun, rich soil, and crisp fall weather, your allium vegetables have plenty of time to get rooted before weathering the frost. Check out this article here for more tips on allium planting!

6. Take Cover

Mustard, peas, and clover are great cover crops to plant in the fall. Not only do cover crops prevent erosion, they can create better, richer soil for gardening. Let them grow throughout the fall and winter, then turn into the soil in the spring to enjoy the nutritious benefits of your labor.

7. Winterize, Winterize, Winterize

Think of it as a gift to your future self. Keep up with weeding, winterize your watering system, and give your lawn a much-needed refresh with our Organic Fall Winterizer. These little chores make all the difference when getting your garden through upcoming winter frosts.

There’s so much in store this season, and with these tips, you can fall in love with fall gardening. Have your own must-do or want to share a photo of autumn in action?

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Don’t Fall Short. Time to Feed Your Lawn!

July 12, 2021/in Gardening Projects

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Mow High, Sweet Chariot. You’ve achieved harmony by mowing at 3″ to 3-1/2″ and we see no reason to stop now. Continue until the grass stops growing. When you get to that final mowing of the year, go just a bit shorter – say, 2-1/2″.

Key Lime—Lime is Key, That Is. Mid fall is usually a good time to add pelletized lime to “sweeten” the soil.

Don’t Leave the Leaves. Or, if you prefer, shred to get ahead. While not illegal, allowing fallen leaves to build up and smother your lawn this winter would certainly be a crime. Instead, use a mulching mower to shred those babies up into a nourishing, soon-to-be compost. It’s best to add lawn food when shredding these leaves to help them decompose faster.

Remove Thatch. Ha, fooled you! Truth is, you shouldn’t have any. Not with an organic lawn. That impenetrable dead grass build-up that won’t decay is the result of over fertilizing, NOT leaving the clippings. If you still have residual thatch from before you went chemical-free, rake it out with a strong rake.

Lay Off the Fast Food. Early to mid fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn. Use a high-quality, slow-feeding, organic lawn food specially formulated for this time of year, such as Espoma Fall Winterizer. This Winterizer contains extra potash to help your grass survive the winter. It also provides nutrients that collect below the soil surface, strengthens roots to help the grass become hardier and fortifies the lawn for the next season, allowing for quick green-up.

Don’t Go Bare For the Winter. Look for bare spots and reseed them. Otherwise, you may end up with weed patches next spring. Plus, fall temperatures (soil and air) are much more conducive to growing grass seed – period. Another advantage to fall seeding is that there is less competition with weeds at this time of year. Be sure to allow enough time for the seed to establish before winter arrives.

Pull Out All the Stops. And hand pull those pesky weeds.

Hold Your Water. At least some of it. Irrigate as needed while the grass is still growing, but unless it’s an unusually dry fall, you’ll need less water. It simply won’t evaporate as quickly and lawn growth will be slowing down as it’s cooling down.

Congratulations! Give yourself a big pat on the back, because once you’ve finished, you’ve made it through the year with a completely chemical-free lawn!

Five Things To Do Now For a Great Yard

October 25, 2016/in Fall Gardening

Fall is truly one of the best times to get outside and to accomplish yard work. Summer’s heat has come and gone and your landscape is ready to be worked. Get your lawn in tip-top shape with this simple checklist.

Cross off these tasks from Hick’s Nurseries before winter to ensure your lawn and garden jump back into shape come spring.

Prep Your Lawn for Winter

Start with a soil test.

Test soil now for pH and nutrient levels so you have time to amend before spring. Grab a stainless steel trowel and dig 4” deep. Use either use a DIY soil test or send your soil sample to the county extension office.

Compost

Rake or collect leaves in a mower with bagging attachment from the lawn and add to compost. Leaves add great nutrients to compost.

Dethatch Lawns

Thatch is the layer of dead grass, roots and debris that accumulates between the soil surface and the grass. Over time, a thick mat forms that hinders water and air from reaching the soil. It can encourage pests and diseases. Use a thatching rake to break up small areas. For larger lawns, use a power dethatcher.

Reseed Bare Spots.

Fall is the best time to reseed tired and stressed lawns. With a broadcast spreader, apply a seed that best suits your region and weather.

Prepare with Care.

Get your lawn ready for the cooler weather ahead by fortifying it with nutrients. An organic winterizer promotes growth, helps lawns recover from drought and increases winter hardiness. Follow instructions here.

Your lawn is ready for winter and will surely bounce back in spring. Now it’s time to start planning your garden for next year.

About Hicks Nurseries

Hicks Nurseries is Long Island’s largest and oldest garden center. Family owned and operated since 1853, the nursery offers an exceptional selection of indoor and outdoor plants, casual furniture, garden accents, silk flower arrangements, pond and birding supplies as well as complete landscape design services. The Long Island, NY garden center is located at 100 Jericho Turnpike in Westbury; 516-334-0066. Visit our web site at www.HicksNurseries.com.

Test And Amend

October 18, 2016/in Fall Gardening

A soil test measures how acidic or alkaline your soil might be. If your soil has too much of either, plants won’t absorb the nutrients they need. Most plants grow best when the soil pH is in near-neutral, between 6.0 and 7.0, but there are exceptions. Blueberries and potatoes, for example, love acidic soil, so a pH above 7.0 will not make them happy.

With a soil test, the guess work is gone. You’ll know just what your soil needs. So, you’ll add the right amount of lime or sulfur, and you’ll select the best plant food, too.

While fall is for planting, it’s also about for prepping for next season.

Test And Amend Soil’s pH:

1. To solve your soil mystery, grab a trowel and get diggin’! Dig 6-8” deep if sampling garden soil, or 4” if testing your lawn’s soil.

2. Either DIY it with an easy to use, at-home soil test from your local garden center, or call in the professionals and send your soil sample to the County Extension Office.

3. Fix soil’s acidity and alkalinity in a way that’s good for the planet and your home. Go organic! Espoma soil amendments are 100% natural, safe to use around pets and children, and contain no fillers whatsoever.

4. Apply Espoma Organic Garden Lime to raise the pH of very acidic soil. Poke holes in the soil’s surface and scatter on the lime. Rake lightly into the top inch of soil.

5. Apply Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier to lower the pH of extremely alkaline soil.

6. Compost also helps push the pH of any soil neutral.

7. Wait until spring to test your soil for positive changes.

Want to turn pink hydrangeas blue? Learn how to amend your soil and work magic in the garden.

Guide to Growing Hydrangeas Here

Grab Your Books for a Lesson in Gardening 101

September 6, 2016/in Fall Gardening

Going back to school is equal parts nervous jitters and genuine excitement for what could be. Remember what it was like to have a new backpack, a fresh outfit that makes just the right statement and your stack of empty notebooks waiting to be filled?

It feels like anything is possible at this time of year!

Molbak’s Garden + Home is here to help teach you gardening basics. Already an experienced gardener? Now is the time brush up on your lessons.

Espoma’s Gardening School 101

1. Build a Foundation for Success. For a garden to be great, superior soil is a must! Perform a quick soil test, study the results and your garden will be A+ in no time!

2. Back to School Shopping. Examine your garden equipment to see what should stay — and what needs to go. Look for cracked handles, rust and missing or loose parts. Then, go shopping for replacements.

3. Get a Whole New Look. A new school year means it’s time to reveal your new look. Do you want to be refined? Edgy? Colorful and bold? Sweet and simple? Define your garden look and do your homework — then start pinning!

4. Make a Plan for Success. The only way to improve this year’s performance is to analyze the successes and failures of last year’s garden. Your assignment: create a new garden plan.

5. Meet the Teacher. Hi! It’s a pleasure to see you! At Espoma, we’ve been teaching organic gardening practices since 1929. Comment with questions below, post them to Facebook or tweet us. We’re here to make you the best gardener you can be.

6. Sharpen Pencils. Clean and sharpen your garden tools to get them ready for the new season! You can DIY or take them to your local garden center.

7. Find New Friends. Follow us on Facebook and check out our posts to find gardeners who are just as passionate about organic growing as you are.

Patio Party photo by Proven Winners

Throw your cap (or gardening gloves) up in the air! You passed the Back to Gardening School Class! Your garden will thank you for it later!

A Little Lightning Lime Does a Lawn Fine

March 24, 2016/in Lawn

Refreshing, invigorating and energizing — your lawn loves limes as much as you do!

Lawns also benefit from limestone if their soil pH is too low. Organic Lightning Lime restores patchy areas and helps your lawn get its green glow back.

Lightning Lime works by correcting soil acidity and adding calcium and magnesium to your soil to help preserve that luscious green color and protect grass from stress caused by heat, drought or traffic. Calcium helps regulate nutrients such as zinc, copper and phosphorus.

Find out if your lawn needs Lightning Lime.

Lawns Like Lightning Lime: How and Why to Apply Lightning Lime in the Lawn

A dash of Lightning Lime can do wonders. It’s one of those organic lawn care tips you’ll wish you always knew!

The Lawn Stress Test. Perform a soil test to see if your lawn’s soil pH is too low. A low soil pH leads to patchy, yellow spots.

Lime It or Leave It. Only add Lightning Lime if your soil pH is low. Lawns thrive in soil with a pH between 6 and 7. And if your soil pH is below 5.5, your lawn will suffer since it can’t absorb nutrients properly.

Cool Like a Lime. Only use a pelletized, organic Lightning Lime for a Safe Paws lawn. Espoma’s Lightning Lime contains no hydrated lime, so it’s safe to use around pets and children. And that’s a big deal! Other lawn limes contain hydrated lime, which can be harmful.

Time to Lime! Apply organic Lightning Lime in early spring or fall. See how much Lightning Lime to use here. Then water. Never apply Lightning Lime if the ground is frozen or the grass is wilted.

Wait It Out. This organic lawn care trick takes time to kick in! You’ll see a lusher, greener lawn in a season or two.

You went right to the root of the problem — and solved it! Your lawn thanks you for that revitalizing Lightning Lime. It’ll repay you with lush, green color soon!

The Grass is Always Greener with Lawn Starter

March 10, 2016/in Lawn

The big reveal. The snow melts, and your grass emerges. But wait a second… are those bare spots?

If you need to repair your lawn this season with seed, early spring is best! Later on, lawn seed won’t survive the summer heat – and you won’t survive that water bill! If you can, wait until fall to seed. That’s when the soil, temperature and sunlight are just right for lawn seed.

Update old grass and worn-out lawns by reseeding and then encourage strong root systems by feeding it. It’s an easy and quick way to give your lawn the update it needs without starting from scratch.

Can’t bear to stare at those patchy brown spots any longer? Here’s how to reseed successfully in spring.

Hit the Lawn Seed Sweet Spot: Start Seeds with Organic Lawn Starter

Order Organic. Help lawn seed take root by applying an organic fertilizer made specifically for lawn seed and sod. This used to be impossible to find, but you asked, and we delivered! We made the first and only organic lawn starter. Now you and your pets are free to roam, play and enjoy your Safe Paws lawn. Together, we can keep pets safe with organic lawn care from start to finish.

Know How to Mow. If overseeding an established lawn, mow grass to at least 3”. This helps grass to develop strong roots.

Smart Seed Start. After you’ve spread lawn seed or sod, apply organic lawn starter. This helps your lawn seed establish faster and grow stronger roots. The secret is in our Organic Lawn Starter’s powerful Bio-tone microbes. Yes, the same Bio-tone you use to strengthen new plants!

The New Rule. Lightly water new grass seed or sod frequently until you’ve mowed it twice. After that, give your lawn 1” of water a week.

Patchy spots be gone. Go on, green lawn it’s your time to shine! And we’ll be here to share more lawn care tips for your new, fabulous organic lawn.

Paw-lease Petscape the Yard this Spring

March 8, 2016/in Safe Paws

“Paw-lease, let us go outside!” your pets seem to be pleading as they flash you their saddest puppy dog eyes.

After spending most of their winter indoors, pets are springing to life – and pawing at the door.

Before you let your pets frolic outside this spring, petscape and create a safe and pet-friendly outdoor landscape.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Pass on Pesticides. The most important way to keep pets safe outside is to use organic lawn care products. It’s scary to hear, but dogs whose owners applied chemical herbicides were 4.4 times more likely to develop bladder cancer, according to research. Remind your friends and families to grow a Safe Paws lawn. Always.

No-No Cocoa. Skip the cocoa mulch when petscaping. While this mulch is a true beauty, dogs can’t resist its chocolatey smell. As you may have guessed, cocoa mulch is dangerous and toxic to dogs when eaten.

Flower Power. Curious dogs and cats often want to see what those fragrant, colorful flowers taste like. While some plants are fine for pets to sample, others are poisonous. Before adding another plant or shrub to your garden, check if it’s safe for your pets.

Compost Ghost. While composting is great for the planet, it’s not as great for your pets. As food and garden waste breaks down, mold may grow. So if your pets nibble your compost, they can become sick. Symptoms range from excessive drooling or panting to vomiting and seizures. Keep compost bins closed or out of pets’ reach.

Your pups and kittens will want to play fur-ever in their Safe Paws lawn. So, go what’s the harm of one more game of fetch? You did use organic lawn care products after all!

Step-by-Step: Prep the Garden for Winter

November 4, 2015/in Fall Gardening

Did you feel that? Jack Frost has flown in for the season. We’ve already felt the first nip of cold weather, which means your garden has, too.

For many, the first frost date arrives in late October or early November.

Help your garden weather the cold this season. Prepare the lawn and garden beds now for an easy, fruitful spring.

Gardening for winter consists mostly of outdoor cleanup, followed by an indoor revival. Cleanup first, though!

Clip, Drip and Equip the Garden before Winter

Discard the Deceased. Compost spent annuals and vegetable plants.
Protect Perennials. Water perennials (rose bushes included!) once more. Then, after the ground freezes, cut perennials back to 3”, and remove any dead or diseased cane on roses. Finally, mulch.
Create a Clean Slate.Remove weeds from garden beds and then create superb soil. Take the soil test and add organic amendments as needed. After a hard freeze, mulch beds.

So Long to the Lawn

No More Mow. Stop mowing the lawn once the grass stops growing, usually in late October or early November.
Seal the Seed. Reseed bare, thin spots in the lawn.
Winterize to Win. Apply Espoma’s organic lawn winterizer to cool-season grasses. This is hands down the year’s most important lawn fertilization!

Ta-Ta for Now Trees

Leave the Leaves. Turn those golden leaves into garden gold by composting them!
Bolster the Bark. Feed trees with an organic tree fertilizer, such as Espoma’s Tree-tone for winter sustenance.
Stare at the Bare. After the leaves have fallen, examine your tree for weak spots and problems to prevent damage from fallen tree limbs during snow storms.

Your garden’s been put to bed for the winter and will surely sleep soundly. Now, let’s focus on those incredible indoor plants to keep you gardening all winter long.

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Congratulations! Give yourself a big pat on the back, because once you’ve finished, you’ve made it through the year with a completely chemical-free lawn!