Sunday, August 18, 2019 0 comments By: Ask A Master Gardener

How Best to Water Lawns in Summertime


How To Water Lawns in Summer
Tom Ingram: Ask A Master Gardener
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Q: It’s been so hot outside. How do I know how much I should be watering my lawn? JB
A: Keeping our growing things alive in July and August can be a challenge in Oklahoma. However, there are some general guidelines that can help.
If your lawn is primarily Bermuda (or another warm-season grass), it needs about 1 inch of water per week this time of year, while fescue (or other cool-season grasses) need about double that or 2 inches of water per week.
Whenever we tell someone this, the next question is typically something like, “Then how long do I run my sprinkler to get an inch of water?” The answer to that question necessitates you doing what we call a “simple irrigation audit.”
For a simple irrigation audit, you are going to need nine collection cups, a pen, paper and a calculator (most of us will probably need a calculator). Collection cups can typically be purchased from an irrigation supply store or you can use clean metal cans that might previously have contained tuna, cat food or perhaps tomato paste. You will get the best results if all your collection cups are the same.
If you choose cans, you can use a ruler and a fine-tip permanent marker to mark the outside of the cans in ¼-inch increments. Or you can just measure the collected water by sticking a ruler directly into each collection can.
To collect your measurements, place your nine collection cans about 8 feet apart in something close to a 16-by-16-foot grid. For best results, do this in one sprinkler zone at a time.
Next, let your sprinkler run over your collection grid for 20 minutes. After the collection period is over, measure the amount of water in each of your collection cups, add up the total amount collected (now it’s calculator time), and divide the total by nine because you were using nine collection cans. This will give you an average amount of water your collection grid area received in 20 minutes.
So let’s assume your average measured amount was ½ inch. This means for every 20 minutes your sprinkler system runs, your turf will be receiving a ½ inch of water. If you have Bermuda grass, which needs 1 inch of water per week, you are going to need to water twice that amount, or 40 minutes per week. You can split this up into two watering sessions per week of 20 minutes each.
If you have a fescue lawn, which needs 2 inches of water per week, the math says you would need 80 minutes per week, which can be split up into two watering sessions of 40 minutes each. This would not be a total for your yard, just for that zone. As you can imagine, each zone is going to be a little different, so for complete accuracy, you would need to repeat the process for each zone.
Performing this simple irrigation audit will likely end up saving you money, as most of us overestimate the water needs of our turf and end up “pouring money down the drain.”

Garden tips
·        August is a good month to start more crops in your fall vegetable garden. Bush beans, cucumbers and summer squash can be replanted for another crop. Beets, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, lettuce and other cool-season crops can also be planted at this time.
·        Discontinue deadheading roses by mid-August to help initiate winter hardiness.
·        Irrigated warm-season lawns, such as Bermuda and zoysia, can be fertilized once again; apply 1 pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet this month. Do not fertilize these grasses after the end of August. Do not fertilize tall fescue lawns in summer; fertilize in late September after it cools and again in November.
·        Make a note on your calendar that our free Fall Lunch & Learn classes will be starting Sept. 17. You can find more information and topics on our website
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Sunday, August 4, 2019 0 comments By: Ask A Master Gardener

OSU Tulsa MG Training Program Enrollment Is This Month


OSU Tulsa Master Gardener Program
Brian Jervis: Ask A Master Gardener
Sunday, August 4, 2019
A: From time to time, I hear about Tulsa County Master Gardeners. Can you inform me about what they do and how to join that organization? Rhonda B., Tulsa
A: Even though the Tulsa County Master Gardeners have been around since 1983, many in the community are not familiar with our organization, mission and activities. Numbering just more than 400, these Master Gardeners are volunteer educators trained by Oklahoma State University whose mission is to provide OSU Extension research-based horticultural information to local home gardeners and the community.
Education is our primary mission. As such, you will find us around town at various venues, such as the HBA Spring Home & Garden Show, in K-5 classrooms and in senior living centers. As an example of our outreach, in 2018, we were in 87 different schools and 754 classrooms teaching a variety of science-based classes to almost 18,000 elementary school students throughout Tulsa County. Additionally, each year we host an Insect Adventure on the fairgrounds for more than 1,000 elementary school students, helping them gain a respect for the wonderful variety of insects with which we share this planet and the many benefits they provide. On the other end of the age spectrum, we were also in 30 assisted living centers interacting with about 400 seniors to provide a little horticultural therapy, which brightens their day, as well as ours.
Another way we fulfill that mission is by staffing a Horticultural Diagnostic Center at the Tulsa County OSU Extension office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Here, you can find Master Gardeners on hand to answer your questions via phone, email or in person. And while there, located just outside, you will find our beautiful Master Gardener maintained Demonstration Instructional Garden (DIG) containing more than 200 annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.
We also teach a variety of classes in the spring and fall called the “Lunch and Learn” series at the Central Library downtown, as well as yearly Urban Gardener classes at the Extension Office that include topics such as plant biology, soil chemistry, growing fruits and vegetables, lawn care, trees and shrubs, flowers and container gardening.
Other activities include providing educational booths at various festivals around town or, in May, you may have visited one of our homes on the Master Gardener Garden Tour. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, we make sure these new homeowners don’t just get a house but also a beautifully landscaped yard. In an effort to help beautify Tulsa, the Master Gardeners spend hours planting and maintaining beautiful flowers in planters along Brookside and in the Blue Dome district.
So now that you know what a Tulsa Master Gardener does, are you interested in becoming one yourself? At 1 p.m. Aug. 7 and 10 a.m. Aug. 14, you may attend a presentation at the OSU Extension Office (4116 E. 15th St.) where you can learn about the requirements to become a Tulsa Master Gardener and fill out an application. This enrollment only occurs once a year, so if you have an interest, be sure to attend one of these presentations.
Garden tips

• Water all plants deeply and early in the morning. Most plants need approximately 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Rather than watering daily, water less often and more deeply.
• Fertilization of warm-season grasses can continue if water is present for growth. Do not fertilize Bermuda or zoysia lawns after the end of August. Do not fertilize fescue lawns until it cools off in late September.
• Establishment of warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda and Zoysia, by sodding or sprigging should be completed by the end of July to ensure the least risk of winter kill.
 Mowing heights for cool-season turf grasses should be at 3 inches during hot, dry summer months. Gradually raise mowing height of Bermuda grass lawns from 1½ to 2 inches.
 Cucumbers may be bitter this time of year and vines quit producing. This is due to the heat. If you are able to get the vines through the summer, they will be fertile again after it cools, and the taste of the cucumbers will improve.