GardenLine Tips by Randy Lemmon
740 KTRH
Could El Niño bring on brownpatch in February?! If weather forecasters are right, we may have one of the wettest Februarys in some time, thanks to El Niño! And that has me concerned about a possible blow-up of the fungal disease brownpatch, if highnitrogen fertilizers are used next month for the "early green-up" per my fertilization schedule. So it may be a good idea to use a true organic fertilizer instead of the typical 15-5-10 types. My gut tells me, though, that anyone who hasn't really had a brownpatch problem in the past should go ahead and use 15-5-10s. I'm mostly warning against using the national brand fertilizers found at big-box stores and mass merchandisers — those that have ratios like 27-3-4 or 29-2-5. Applying that much nitrogen to a lawn that has a propensity for brownpatch would be like adding gasoline to a fire. Rarely, in all the years I've been hosting GardenLine, have I talked about brownpatch control in early spring. But because of our warmer-than-normal winter, and a potentially wetter-than-normal February, I darn sure think it's worth being on the lookout for the problem and well worth avoiding anything that could exacerbate it. I know some people are scared to even apply a 15-5-10, as I have suggested for years on GardenLine. I respect that opinion, although I assure you that such a ratio does not make a high-nitrogen fertilizer. It think it would still be a great idea to put down some kind of green-up fertilizer, so why not go with something organic? I endorse many different organic fertilizers, and I can assure you that they all fit the bill for an early February application. But if you change from the standard Nitro-Phos Imperial 15-5-10 to anything organic, why not keep it in the Nitro-Phos family with a switch to their Sweet Green? It's an 11-0-4, and I love it because its the first organic fertilizer to ever meet my criteria: 1. It must not smell bad. 2. Has to be cost effective. 3. Application must be possible with a typical broadcast spreader. So that leads me to reprint below a portion of a tip sheet from four years ago, when Nitro-Phos Sweet Green 11-0-4 was first introduced. These days, there are plenty of organic fertilizers you can use for early green-up — even our friends at Medina have an 11-0-4 organic turf fertilizer. But give the "Introduction of Sweet Green" below a quick glance — it is all still applicable today. Click here to read more on this topic!
Dr. Cindy N. Berthelot, M.D. is a board certified dermatologist treating patients in the greater Houston community. She distinguishes her practice by keeping up to date with the latest dermatological and cosmetic trends. Through her clinical practice, Dr. Berthelot provides scientifically proven treatments in the field of skin health in a highly personal environment. Dr. Berthelot is passionate about cancer research, therapy, and prevention.
Cindy Berthelot, MD
Houston Institute of Dermatology 2565 Bay Area Blvd • Houston, TX 77058 Phone 281.480.7272 Fax 281.480.7273
www.houstonskindr.com
24/7 EMERGENCY REPAIR Est. 1952 ~ Celebrating 60 Years!
THE PHENOMENAL PLUMBERS
Residential & Commercial Master Plumber Richard M. Ingram R.M.P. #17467 • Insured and Bonded 15502 Hwy. 3, Ste. 305 • Webster,Texas 77598
832-473-0996 281-461-8117 Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm Saturday by Appt. Only Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Card or Financing Available
www.IngramPlumbing.com Bay Forest News ~ Celebrating 30 Years! ~ February 2016
13