Expert landscaping Tips for September

September is finally here! September is the time to start your Fall planting and stop pruning.

WARNING: DO NOT PRUNE ANYTHING FOR THE NEXT 60 DAYS!  THE NEW GROWTH ON YOUR PLANTS WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO HARDEN BEFORE THE FIRST FROST AND THE PLANT COULD BE DAMAGED OR DIE!!

September is usually when the temperature in Georgia begins to drop.   This is the time when the fall flowers are beginning to bloom, which means that the cooler seasoned yards are going  to need just a little help.

Here are just a few more tips from the expert landscapers here at Bailey Construction & Landscaping Group for the month of September:

• SOIL PREP FOR FALL: Georgia clay requires a gardener's touch to add quality topsoil with a high organic content. We recommend some sand and even perhaps granite sand to assist in the drainage. Clay soil holds water rather than allowing it to be released. Clay has a high content of nutrients, but if they are all balled up in the clay, it does no good to the plants. The sand and the organic material mixed into the clay helps release the nutrients. If you need help with soil delivery or bed construction, we would be happy to help. The Georgia Extension Service can also provide a soil test for you. The cost is reasonable and it can be submitted to the local extension office.
• TURF REQUIREMENTS:
• WARM SEASON TURF/SOD: Warm season grasses are Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, and St. Augustine. Now is the time to fertilize, but don't use a fertilizer for with a middle number for Centipede and St. Augustine. Lime is also great to use during the fall season.
• COOL SEASON TURF/SOD: Fescue is a cool season sod. Fescue should be aerated, fertilized (starter fertilizer only), then overseed. Lime will always help the soil condition at a rate of 50 pounds per 1000 square feet. The rain we have had will also loosen the soil a little so the aeration will be easier. The aerator should provide 7 holes per square foot.
• FALL FLOWERS: A good garden design should have blooming flowers all year long. This not only provides you, the homeowner, with visual stimulation, but it gives you something to look forward to as the seasons progress. Some of the perennials you might use are Sasanqua Camellias, Roses, Fragrant Tea Olives, Encore Azaleas, Swamp Sunflowers, or Tartarian Asters(Aster tataricus). There are also first of the month ANNUALS for the winter such as Pansies, Snapdragons, Kale, and Cabbage.
• TREES: Now is the time to begin selection and location for tree installation. Tree installation should be from October to March. Here are a few recommendations for flowering specimen trees:

1.  Japanese Maples: There are many varieties that include Crimson Queen, Red Dragon, Bloodgood, and Coral Bark. These are available in Georgia. Remember site location is critical for these flowering trees.
2. Grancie Gray Beard: These are small Georgia native trees. Their flowers bloom white in the Spring. They are very slow growing, but provide beautiful yellow coloring in the Fall.
3. Oak Scarlett: This oak provides a great red color in the Fall.
4. Cryptomeria: this is a wonderful evergreen that provides privacy/tree screen in any place of your yard. Cryptomerias need plenty of space to grow for they can get very large. can be an alternate to Leyland Cypress.

Bailey Construction & Landscape Group has an expert arborist on staff to assist you in your next tree choice, location, and installation. If you have any questions about what do do in the fall for landscaping, just give us a call at 770-466-8766 or visit our website at www.bclgroupinc.com. Remember, we are located in Snellville, Ga and Loganville, Ga.

Why We Don't Use Railroad Ties

Railroad ties have been used the past few decades as a cheap solution for retaining walls in residential homes and commercial properties. What homeowners don't realize, is that these cross ties are not only harmful to the environment, but they pose a huge health threat!

Lets start with the facts:

•Railroad ties are treated with a chemical called Creosote

•Creosote is a chemical that is created when coal is heated to produce coke (a cleaner burning form of coal) or natural gas. This process produces coal tar creosote, coal tar, and coal tar pitch, which are all mixtures of similar compounds and are referred to here simply as creosote.

•Due to the heat in the South, this tar like chemical melts and can get into your plants, soil, and ground water

• Creosote has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable carcinogen. Studies have shown increased risk of cancer and respiratory problems in plant workers repeatedly exposed to creosote. Exposure to creosote on the skin has been shown to cause rash and irritation and in an extreme case, cancer

•EPA did push tougher legislation in 1986 to stop the use of creosote, BUT timbers are still out there that were used before this time period, and they still do treat timbers with this chemical.

Here are the precautions that should be used when handling railroad ties:

•Handling: When handling creosote treated wood, wear gloves and long sleeves and try to minimize time spent working with ties. Work in well ventilated areas and avoid working in hot conditions when vapors are most potent.

•Children: If children play on or around the ties they may get creosote on their skin and clothing and could subsequently ingest small amounts. Exposure to skin can cause irritation and rashes. Ingestion in small amounts while not life threatening, is a health concern.

•Gardens: Plants have shown only limited potential to take up creosote but some compounds have been shown to attach to roots, which could lead to elevated creosote levels on tuber vegetables. For this reason, it is advisable not to landscape with railroad ties directly in contact with vegetable gardens.

•Water Table: Some components of creosote are very sticky and not water soluble and will stay on the ties; however, other chemicals are water soluble and will dissolve and move with water. In areas where moisture levels are moderate, these chemicals may wash into surrounding soil with rain, but will likely decompose with time. However, in areas where the water table is very shallow or where a lot of surface water is present, there is more potential for transport of the chemicals into groundwater. For this reason, it is advisable to avoid using railroad ties for landscaping in very wet or shallow ground water areas.

•Disposal and Fire: Creosote treated wood should not be burned, since burning volatilizes hazardous chemicals in the smoke. One currently suggested disposal method for treated wood is in sanitary landfills. However, check with your landfill first to inquire about local policies. Another currently suggested method for disposal is burial. However, if this option is chosen it is critical to consider surface and ground water movement in your location to minimize the possibility of creosote getting into water supplies. A landscaping contractor should be called to dispose of ties and it will be a little expensive because of the chemicals involved. If you get a cheap price, beware because they may not be disposing properly and you both will be prosecuted if caught!

You can get timbers untreated but they have a shorter lifespan as any wood that is untreated. The best way to go is with untreated railroad ties, pressure treated landscaping timbers, block, brick, or stone. For more information on this, go to http://waterquality.montana.edu/docs/wqfaqarchives/wq_faq_3.shtml.