Dave Decock is the prince of pruning, the lord of the lawn, the duke of the daisies and the king of the crops. Dave’s decades of work as a horticulturalist gives him the inside scoop when it comes to soil acidity, best times of day to mow, how to get the biggest onions possible and so much more. No question is too weird for the captain of cutting back!
IN THIS EPISODE:
Dave talks to a listener who is starting a brand new lawn in front of their new construction home. Seeding versus hydro seeding – well it depends on the watering. If you have a great sprinkler system that can water for 10 minutes every 5 hours, you can seed in the traditional manner. For some extra $$$ you can hydro seed and this type of seeding will require less attention. Making sure to mix the seed so you have shady seed for less sunny patches and full sun seed as well.
Transplanting plants such as rhubarb and day lilies gets some attention. Waiting until the ground dries and is no longer muddy. Also, if you transplant rhubarb – can you count on getting a crop the same year?
For listeners who are dealing with snow mold (the gray webbing type material covering your grass) Dave suggests staying on top of it as the snow melts. Taking your leaf rake and fluffing the area as you see it will ensure that your lawn greens up as soon as possible. If you can’t get to it or have a huge piece of property, you can let nature take it’s course and just be patient as the lawn replenishes itself.
How about some advice when staring a vegetable garden? Well, Dave wants to know the size! Something around 10 feet by 20 feet, Dave suggests buying your plants at a nursery – by the time you invest in the equipment to start from seed, you might as well get a quality plant from a nursery and save some money. If you have a massive garden – for example, 60 tomato plants, then you can save some $$$ by starting your own from seeds.
A caller has huge cottonwood trees that are showing black spots on the leaves. They will create plenty of cotton too. Dave advises that this sounds like a leaf disease and there might not be a lot you can do. They are so large that treating the whole tree is nearly impossible. Removing the tree would be the only way to solve the problem for sure.
A little advice for those looking to aerate their lawn. Get all your neighbors together and share the price of a rental – and the “umph” of unloading the equipment from the truck!
Plus, you’ll get some tips on house plants, crab grass and more!
It Takes 2 and KFGO are proud to be the home of Plant Talk with Dave Decock.
Listen to Plant Talk w/ Dave Decock every Thursday, during the growing season, between 1-2pm on KFGO 790 AM & 94.1 FM – and, worldwide, at kfgo.com.
And don’t forget to check out our great Plant Talk Sponsors –
Dave’s West Fargo Tire & Service
,
Shotwell Floral
,
Turf Tamers
and
Sheyenne Gardens
Do you have a question for the Lord of Lilacs? Dave is in the studio every Thursday during the growing season from 1pm to 2pm – you can call 701-237-5948 or text in at 35270.
Additional Episodes of “Plant Talk”
KFGO Podcast –
Plant Talk March 28th, 2019
KFGO Podcast –
Plant Talk March 21st, 201
9
KFGO Podcast –
Plant Talk July 19th, 2018
KFGO Podcast –
Plant Talk July 5th, 2018
KFGO Podcast –
Plant Talk June 14th, 2018
KFGO Podcast –
Plant Talk June 7, 2018
(Amy Iler & JJ Gordon are talk-show hosts at 790 AM KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. “It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ” can be heard weekdays 11am-2pm. Check out the show page on
FACEBOOK.
Follow Amy on Twitter
@AmyKFGO
. Follow JJ on Twitter
@JJGodon701
.)
