All Gardens Great & Snm by York Co. Horticultural Agei Tom Becker i \ MOWING BASICS For millions of Americans, the primary rite of spring is mowing their lawn and then becomes four months of weekend labor. Mowing may be a thankless chore, but it reaps benefits if done correctly, says Peter Landschoot, associate professor of turfgrass science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. “Those who want a nice lawn often are overly concerned with fertilizing and watering,” he says. “But proper mowing also is an im portant step toward obtaining strong, vigorous grass that resists disease and weeds.” Here’s a few basics: • Check your mower blades. You want to cut precise, clean cut If you haven’t had your blade sharpened in a year or two, it F 1997 singling Bros LIMITED ENGAGEMENT! MAY 21 -25 fmH BY PHONE: (717) 534-3911 (717) 693-4100 INFORMATION <S GROUP RATES: (717) 534-3911 Ticket prices starting at $10.50 Come one hour early and experience the magic of The Three-Ring Adventure' 1 ". . • it’s FREE with your paid admission. probably needs it • Many lawn and garden centers sharpen blades or buy an extra blade and put it on while the ori ginal is being sharpened that way you can change the blade halfway through the season. • Make sure your mower is ad justed to the proper height Two to three inches is ideal. You’re not saving yourself time by cutting your grass shorter. Actually a lawn mowed shorter than two inches is more susceptible to heat disease and drought stress. • Use this rule of thumb to plan your mowing height, you shouldn’t take off more than one third of the leaf blade at one time. Otherwise, you may scalp the grass and make it more vulnerable to stress. • A lawn’s growth rate deter- mm www. Ringling. com T/cAcmf^ nmn r outlets mines how often you mow. Dur ing spring it may require mowing more than one time a week. By June, gwolh slows down so you won’t need to mow as often. Dur ing dry, hot conditions, there’s usually no need to mow because the grass is growing extremely slowly. • Sometimes prolonged periods of rain make it impossible to mow. In that case, when the sun comes out, cut the grass with the mower blade at its highest setting. You can mow again a few days later with the blade lowered to the de sired height Should grass clippings be left on the lawn or composted? An es timated 20 percent of what goes into landfills is yard debris such as tree leaves, hedge prunings, and grass clippings. Recycling grass clippings is not only civic minded, but it’s also beneficial to the lawn and saves the work in volved in raking or bagging. Con tact your Extension office for in formation on “recycling” grass clippings and backyard compost ing. If you leave the clippings on the lawn, you can cut down on ferti lizer needs by as much as one third. Clippings break down easi- XT Series ROTARY REARMOUNT FINISH MOWERS WOODS - Dual AIIoWAYJ* WOODS - GANNON WOODS - G! come in for a demonstration R.S. HOLLINGER & NORMAN D. CLARK SON INC. 4 SONS o’. Mam Street, PO , Box 27, Mountville, PA u 717 9BR Honey Grove 17035 717-285-4538 717-734-3682 PIPERSVILLE GARDEN CENTER Pipersville, PA 215-766-0414 LINCOLN SUPPLY & ' EQUIPMENT CO. REIFF FARM SERVICE Somerset, PA Shippensburg, PA 814-443-1691 717-532-8601 Food Allergy Workshop LEESPORT (Berks Co.) Allergies and food intolerance can cause adverse reactions to food and even be life-threatening. A seminar, “Do You Really Have A Food Allergy” will be held at the Penn State Cooperative Extension of Berks County on May 20, 1 p.m. to 2:IS p.m. Registered dietitian Brenda Daelhousen will explain how to Medicinal Usage WESTMINSTER, Md. "Kitchen Pharmacy with Common Wild Herbs” is the program slated at the Carroll County Cooperative Extension in Westminster on June 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 pjn. Pharmacist and herbalist Lynn jrfmmalce will lead a weed (herb) walk and instruct participants on how to prepare infusions, tine- , . . .. 11 . .. natural fibers will be held at Clear ly m tr° g en and other Mills> Duisburg. on Sat nutrients back into the sod. iO t m.tolp.m.Thc Any queshons concermng this will done like the article be to Tom mcthodtypicalof i Bth century Becker at (717) 840-7408. with tradition. WOODS v LOADERS MESSICK'S Elizabethtown, Pa 717-367-1319 Abbottstown, PA 717-259-6617 infl, diagnose allergies and intolerance, how to cope and get adequate nutrition, and other helpful infor mation. Advance registration is required. Send a check for $1.50 made payable to Berks County Cooperative Extension Special Account and mail to Food Allergy Seminar, Berks Co. Ag Center, P.O. Box 520, Leesport, PA 19533. tuies, and medicinal use of safe herbs. Cost is $25. Class size is limited. Registration is required. Call Lisa Spence on Monday or Thursday at the extension office (410) woj/il 1 Indigo Dyeing DHJLSBURG (York Co.) A workshop on indigo dyeing of inn 7 Models to choose from. Whether your tractor has two wheel or four wheel drive and falls within the 11 to 200 HP range Woods has a DUAL loader to fit your needs Fast-D-Tach attaches to your tractor in minutes Available in tractor matching colors WOODS • 48 to 84 inch cutting width •Tip Speeds to 16,162 RPM • Shear pm shock protection standard, optional slip clutch • Choice of Tailwheel (solid core or laminated) WOODS RD 7200 The RD7200 Rear Discharge Finish Mower is the newest addition to the Woods line of 3 point hitch finish mowers. • V-Belt Drive with 3 blades • Industrial Quality Blade Spindles with Tapered Roller Bearings • Floating 3 point hitch • Stagger Mounted Caster Wheels • Available for 20 to 40 HP, 540 BPM Category Tractors • 72 Inch Cutting Width WOCSS ECKROTH BROS. FARM EQUIPMENT New Ringgold, PA 717-943-2131 D.W. OGG EQUIPMENT CO, Frederick, MD 301-473-4250 Westminster, MD 410-848-4585 f, »*ay ». ILL Orefield, PA 610-366-2095
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