Winona Nursery

About Winona Nursery

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Winona Nursery has created 53 blog entries.

Sodding Maintenance

Upon completion of this project, here are instructions on how to maintain your new sod.

MOWING: After sod has rooted into the ground, the turf should be mowed. For the initial 2-3 mowings, the mower should be run perpendicular to the direction the sod was laid, not parallel. Also, the mower deck height should be set to 3”. After this, if a shorter mowing height is desired or required, reduce lawn mower
height by ½” each mowing until desired height is reached.

FERTILIZING: In the coming years, we recommend using a fertilizer with a 12-10-12 analysis; it should be applied at a rate of 500 lbs per acre, three times a year: the end of April, July 1, and September 1.

WATERING: Monitor sod moisture and water accordingly. For the first two weeks, sod needs to be watered heavily once a day. What do we mean by “heavily?” This means the sod should be so saturated that it positively squishes beneath your feet, and you have a hard time walking on it because it’s so wet. If you ever see us switching sprinklers for new sod, we look really silly slip-sliding around, but it’s what’s necessary to get the grass off to a good start. After those first two weeks, you can cut back quite a bit, but do keep an eye on it. Please remember that water needs fluctuate throughout the season, according to daylight hours, temperatures, and natural precipitation received.

AERATION: After a year, sufficient time will have passed for the sod to be properly established. At this point, an aeration should be done. If possible, this should be done once a year.

Download the PDF

Read More

Seeding Maintenance

Upon completion of this project, here are instructions on how to take care of your new seed.

WATERING: For the first three weeks, new seed needs to be kept moist– but not wet–in order to get it to germinate. Seed should be thoroughly sprinkled each day, but not soaked. After those initial three weeks, you can cut back on the watering quite a bit, but it should be watched closely. Brand-new grass is very tender and really needs the moisture to get established after the first flush. You may have to supplement the water for a couple months if Mother Nature is not cooperative. Please remember that water needs fluctuate
throughout the season, according to daylight hours, temperatures, and natural precipitation received.

EROSION REPAIR: New seeding will be susceptible to erosion during a hard rain or if excess rain is received over a short period of time. When erosion occurs, the ruts must be filled in with topsoil and re-seeded; this
may be required on occasion as the lawn gets established.

INITIAL MOWING AND FERTILIZING: After about 20-30 days, the first mowing will be necessary. Have the mower deck set to a medium height—do not mow extremely short the first few times. At this time, a light application of fertilizer will also be necessary. One-half (1/2) pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet is all that should be applied. At this time, it will also most likely be time to do some overseeding in the barer spots.

TURF ESTABLISHMENT FERTILIZING: Every 30 days throughout the first growing season, as turf gets established, a light fertilization will be needed, amounting to ½ pound of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet. (We can recommend the necessary fertilizer.)

AFTER TURF IS ESTABLISHED: After the seed is established, it is advisable to set up a fertilizing program as such: fertilizing three times a year—the end of April, July 1, and September 1.

Download the PDF

Read More

Landscape Maintenance

PRUNING: A minimal amount of pruning is required for all plant material during the first year of establishment. Pruning the first year, in most cases, can be limited to removing dead or damaged branches. Periodic inspection and immediate removal of injured branches can prevent future insect and disease

problems. Pruning tools must be clean and sharp to ensure smooth cuts. After the first year, the following guidelines should be observed for pruning.

  • Deciduous Trees: Light pruning of deciduous trees without showy flowers (Maples, Ash, Yellowwood, Quaking Aspen, Ginkgo, Lindens, Elm, etc) can be done throughout the growing season. Heavy pruning should be done when the tree is dormant, the best time being late fall or winter. Only prune oaks in late winter; oaks are very susceptible to oak wilt if trimmed at others times. Likewise, Honeylocust trees should only be trimmed late winter as well, as they are less susceptible to canker then. Flowering trees (Hawthorns, Flowering Crabapples, Magnolias, Flowering Plums, Flowering Cherries, Serviceberry, etc) should be trimmed immediately after flowering.
  • Evergreen Trees and Shrubs: Prune evergreens only in June and July, after the new spring growth has hardened off. Pruning too late in the season may cause damage to the plant.
  • Deciduous Shrubs: In general, these shrubs can be trimmed late fall through early spring before leafing out, and/ or right after flowering, such as dogwoods, barberry, spirea, shrub roses, sumac, viburnum, hydrangeas, burning bush, etc. Some shrubs, however, bloom on old wood, meaning you have a short window in which to prune them—otherwise you are cutting off the flowers for next year. Included in this group are lilacs, mockorange, weigela, chokeberry, forsythia, “old-fashioned” spireas (the large white ones that only bloom in spring), rhododendrons, and azaleas–trim these plants immediately after they bloom.
  • Perennials & Ornamental Grasses: In general, perennials and ornamental grasses should be cut back to the ground in early spring (March – early April). Many perennials also benefit from a couple “deadhead” prunings throughout the season. This encourages the perennials to flower more, so if you have the time, you’ll be rewarded with renewed blooming. Plants in this group include hardy geranium (cranesbill), coreopsis, achillea (yarrow), asters, mums, gaillardia, daylilies, nepeta (catmint), phlox, etc.

FERTILIZING: Fertilizing once a year whether the plants seem to need it or not will be beneficial and should be considered. Follow manufacturer’s instructions as to frequency and amount for your fertilizer of choice.

WATERING: In the first years of establishment, if there has been no substantial precipitation (meaning two weeks without an inch or more of rainfall), trees, shrubs, and perennials may need to be watered. Monitoring of this is crucial.

WEEDING: Even though trees and shrubs are usually mulched with shredded hardwood or rock, the beds and tree rings will need to be monitored for competitive weed growth. Re-mulching 1-2 times per year will reduce the weeding considerably; all that would need to be done would be spot-weeding.

MULCHING: Trees and shrubs should be monitored for loss of mulch. Re-mulch as needed; generally shredded hardwood needs to be refreshed once a year.

Download the PDF

Read More

Deer-resistant Plants

DEER-RESISTANT PLANTS

(well, generally…)

Well, unfortunately there’s no such thing as a deer-proof plant. Even “deer-resistant” can be too strong of a word–we have encountered deer grazing on prickly rose bushes?! As developments encroach on wildlife habitat, deer find people’s landscapes to be fair game (pun intended). But below is a list of plants that we have personally noticed deer leave alone under normal circumstances.

Trees

  • Larch
  • Hawthorns, thorny varieties such as Winter King
  • Ginkgo
  • Birch
  • Ash

Evergreens

  • Canaan Fir
  • Serbian Spruce
  • Red Pine
  • Black Hills Spruce
  • Hemlock
  • Junipers

Shrubs

  • Barberry
  • Spirea
  • Potentilla
  • Forsythia
  • Bayberry
  • Holly (Ilex)
  • Gro-Low Sumac
  • Rugosa Roses

Perennials

  • Achillea (Yarrow)
  • Solidago
  • Nepeta (Catmint)
  • Cinnamon Fern
  • Monarda
  • Russian Sage
  • Chelone (Turtlehead)
  • Physostegia (Obedient Plant)
  • Aconitum (Monkshood)
  • Bergenia
  • Echinacea (Coneflowers)
  • Hardy Geraniums (Cranesbill)
  • Ornamental Grasses, most varieties
  • Poppies
  • Stachys-both Lamb’s Ears and Hummelo Betony
  • Veronica
  • Lamium

Bulbs

(other varmints, such as moles, leave these alone too)

  • Daffodils
  • Crocus
  • Alliums

Download the PDF

Read More