According to the Becker County Master Gardeners, May is the time that most flowering annuals are available as sturdy seedlings at garden center and nurseries but many will grow just as well or even better when you seed them directly into the garden.

Zinnias, cosmos, bachelors buttons, California poppies and marigolds are good examples of annuals that grow rapidly from seed. But if you want annuals for containers, buy well developed transplants that will look good the minute you pot them up.

Early May is a good time to plant grass seed, but for good results you need to rough up the soil first. Unfortunately, this exposes crabgrass and other weed seeds that will sprout right along with your new grass.

To stop most weed seeds, apply a specially formulated version of pre-emergence herbicide right after seeding. The label must state clearly that its meant for newly seeded lawns, otherwise it will kill desired grass seeds, too.

Attract butterflies to your yard by planting many good nectar-producing flowers. Include coneflowers, Russian sage, Joe-Pye weed, butterfly weed (Asclepsias), beebalm, catmint, Mexican sunflower, and single or semi-double zinnias.

Though butterfly larvae (caterpillars) may feed on your plants, dont use any insecticides in the garden. And dont put up butterfly houses unless you enjoy them as garden art butterflies will never inhabit them.

Tags: news,environment,plant,updates

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May is good time to plant seedlings, grass

The national government has intensified cloud-seeding operations and allotted P1.3 billion for the construction of small-scale irrigation systems in the face of the dry weather expected to hit the country starting next month, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday.

Authorities recently cautioned the public to brace for the El Nio dry weather phenomenon which may last until the first quarter of 2015. The weather phenomenon, characterized by reduced rainfall, may dry up farmlands, reservoirs, and waterways around the country.

The government is taking concerted action to ensure food security for our citizens and to mitigate the possible effects of the projected onset of the El Nio weather phenomenon in the country, Coloma said.

Coloma said the Department of Agriculture (DA) is coordinating with the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to intensify cloud-seeding operations to induce rain in major watersheds and drought-affected farming communities.

So far, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management has undertaken 15 such operation over the rain-deprived municipalities of Aglipay, Maddela, and Nagtipunan, and the Magat Watershed areas in Isabela, to save some 4,155 hectares of corn farms in the province.

The DA is setting up small water impounding facilities and building and repairing irrigation systems. It is also providing shallow tube wells and drought-tolerant crop varieties to the farmers.

On concerns that food prices may rise during the dry season, Coloma said the Department of Trade and Industry will be monitoring the prices and prevent any market violations.

Meantime, Malacaang reminded the public to conserve not only water but electricity as well. Government agencies should implement energy conservation measures, including limiting the use of aircondition units in offices, Coloma said.

Water saving ideas

Meanwhile, an environmental group, the Ecowaste Coalition, urged the public to heed the governments call to cut down on water consumption to avoid a possible water crisis.

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Govt steps up cloud-seeding, building irrigation systems

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will be among the top seeds at this year's tournament despite having slipped down the ATP world ranking to eighth, organisers announced yesterday.

"We have a surfaced-based seeding system here at Wimbledon," All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chairman Philip Brook told a press conference at the tournament venue in south London.

"So we take the ranking points of each player, and add to that the ranking points they hypothetically received last year on grass, and we add to that 75 percent of the best-performing tournament in the previous year.

"So to put it into context for Andy Murray, as winner of Queen's last year and winner here last year, and a finalist here in 2012, there will be a significant impact on him.

"There will also be quite a significant impact on (Roger) Federer and (Novak) Djokovic. There will be some adjustment."

Murray, who became the first British man to win the men's singles at the grasscourt Grand Slam for 77 years last July when he beat Novak Djokovic in the final, has sunk low in the ATP rankings.

However, Wimbledon's seeding system, which takes into account past performances on the grass surface, means it is unlikely Murray would find himself outside the top four seeds even if his world ranking does not improve.

Seedings at Wimbledon are generally based on ATP rankings but the fact that Murray was unbeaten on grass last year and reached the Wimbledon final in 2012 as well will count in his favour, according to Brook.

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Wimbledon seedings boost for champion Murray

All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chairman Philip Brook said reigning Wimbledon champion Murray's strong two-year grass court record will keep him among the top seeds.

High-calibre grass exponents like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic can also expect to benefit from Wimbledon's seeding system.

Wimbledon bosses also defended hiking prize money for first-round losers by nearly 15 per cent to 27,000.

Total prize money for Wimbledon has risen by 10.8 per cent from last year to 25million, with the winners of the men's singles and women's singles each taking 1.76million, up from last year's 1.6million.

Brook said current champion Murray is likely to remain among the tournament's top seeds, despite battling for form after persistent back trouble.

"We have a surfaced-based seeding system here at Wimbledon," said Brook.

"So we take the ranking points of each player, and add to that the ranking points they hypothetically received last year on grass, and we add to that 75 per cent of the best-performing tournament in the previous year.

"So to put it into context for Andy Murray, as winner of Queen's last year and winner here last year, and a finalist here in 2012, there will be a significant impact on him.

"There will also be quite a significant impact on Federer and Djokovic; there will be some adjustment."

AELTC chief executive Richard Lewis said any Wimbledon qualifier ranks among the sport's world elite and merits increased reward.

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Wimbledon bosses: Murray slipping to eight in world rankings will not dent his seeding at tournament

Wimbledon. Click here to bet.

All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chairman Philip Brook said reigning Wimbledon champion Murray's strong two-year grass court record will keep him among the top seeds.

High-calibre grass exponents like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic can also expect to benefit from Wimbledon's seeding system.

Wimbledon bosses also defended hiking prize money for first-round losers by nearly 15 per cent to 27,000.

Total prize money for Wimbledon has risen by 10.8 per cent from last year to 25million, with the winners of the men's singles and women's singles each taking 1.76million, up from last year's 1.6million.

Brook said current champion Murray is likely to remain among the tournament's top seeds, despite battling for form after persistent back trouble.

"We have a surfaced-based seeding system here at Wimbledon," said Brook.

"So we take the ranking points of each player, and add to that the ranking points they hypothetically received last year on grass, and we add to that 75 per cent of the best-performing tournament in the previous year.

"So to put it into context for Andy Murray, as winner of Queen's last year and winner here last year, and a finalist here in 2012, there will be a significant impact on him.

"There will also be quite a significant impact on Federer and Djokovic; there will be some adjustment."

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Murray assured of lofty seeding

Philip Brook, the chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, has confirmed the reigning Wimbledon champion's strong two-year grass court record will keep him among the top seeds in the competition. Players such as former champions Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic can also expect to benefit from Wimbledon's seeding system.

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Officials also defended an increase in prize money for players defeated in the first round, with the total having been raised by nearly 15% to 27,000. Total prize money for Wimbledon has risen by 10.8% from last year to 25m, with the winners of the men's singles and women's singles each taking 1.76m. Last year's prize was 1.6m. The purse for runners-up and semi-finalists has also risen by 10% and for quarter-finalists by 10.2%.

"We have a surfaced-based seeding system here at Wimbledon," said Brook, when asked about Murray's form. "So we take the ranking points of each player and add to that the ranking points they hypothetically received last year on grass, and we add 75% of the best-performing tournament in the previous year.

"To put it into context for Andy Murray, as winner of Queen's last year and winner here last year, and a finalist here in 2012, there will be a significant impact on him. There will also be quite a significant impact on Federer and Djokovic; there will be some adjustment."

Richard Lewis, the AELTC chief executive, said that any Wimbledon qualifier ranks among the sport's world elite and merits increased reward. He dismissed the notion that players would be content simply to take the increased pay cheques for losing in the first round rather than battling to progress.

"The players have worked hard to get there, either they have have got into the championships through their ranking, so that's 12 months of play before. Or there are some wild cards," he said. "So to portray it as 27,000 for turning up and doing nothing . . . I don't think that's valid."

The finishing touches are being put to the planning application to build a roof on No.1 Court. With the application due to be submitted later this year, the aim is to complete the work in time for the 2019 tournament. The alterations will add 900 extra seats - taking the capacity to 12,400.

Wimbledon will be played on 17 courts this year, with renovations to courts 14 and 15 are completed. A host of players complained of injuries because of slippery courts last year but Lewis was adamant that there is no need to make alterations.

"There was an anecdotal problem over a couple of days. Only one or two players took issue with it. We don't feel there are any issues to address on that," he added.

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Murray to retain place among the top seeds at Wimbledon

The seeds will be planted this spring and fall, but the prairie at Benson Park isnt expected to flourish for two years.

Perhaps sixty types of grass and flowers should grow here after herbicides and fire eliminate the weeds that now dominate the 20-acre site. Once its roots run deep, a prairie can take care of itself, but invasive weeds like Reed canary grass and Canada thistle can cast a deadly shadow over a nascent prairie.

This will be the second attempt at establishing a prairie in Benson Park, which saw its first seeding in 2010. In the years since, the prairie plants lost the tug-of-war that theyve lost so many times before since invasive species appeared here.

By last summer, the invasive perennial Canada thistle had taken over the park.

Its not clear why, though a request from the North Mankato City Council to reduce the use of herbicide on the park may have played a role in the thistles dominance. Chemicals were applied to the weeds in places, but it apparently was not enough.

Whatever the cause, so few prairie plants remained from the original planting that a Department of Natural Resources expert recommends starting over.

In 2010, the city paid a private contractor, Monarch Wildlife Systems, at least $14,336 in local sales tax funding to do the plantings and some of the weed control.

The company is apparently out of business, and its Secretary of State filings expired in 2011. Its former owner or manager, Jeff Henry, didnt return multiple voicemails.

The DNR prairie expert, Randy Schindle, has helped establish more than a thousand acres of prairie around the state. He said the prairies failure doesnt necessarily mean that Monarch made a mistake.

Every prairie is different and even an experienced ecological engineer can watch a fledgling prairie go out of control, Schindle said.

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Benson Park prairie effort went to the weeds

The abundance of underwater grasses throughout the Chesapeake Bay resurged by 24 percent between 2012 and 2013, reversing a three-year decline, the Chesapeake Bay Program said this week.

Scientists credit better water quality for the "modest" recovery of eelgrass in the bay's shallow, salty waters and the "rapid expansion" of widgeongrass in the mid-bay. The health of underwater grasses is considered a barometer for overall bay health.

"These bay grasses are the canary in the cage, and an indication of water quality and of the efforts to improve water quality," Robert Orth of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science said when he helped release the new numbers.

VIMS, in Gloucester Point, has worked for years to restore eelgrass to the bay, seeing great success seeding the tidal bays of the Eastern Shore. The institute is affiliated with the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and with CPB a regional partnership of federal, state and local agencies, academic institutions and environmental and nonprofit groups. The partnership is tasked with protecting and restoring the bay, which deteriorated for decades from pollution and nutrient overload from stormwater runoff.

Every year from late spring to early fall, grass beds in the bay are tracked using aerial surveys. While the data is still gathered the same way, this year the grasses were mapped according to salinity zones rather than geographic zones to better reflect different species and how they respond to environmental stressors, explained Lee Karrh, a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The waters of the bay range from no salinity to sea-water strength salinity.

The latest surveys show an uptick in grass beds from 48,195 acres to 59,927 acres, or about a third of the ultimate goal of 185,000 acres. Orth said most of that increase came from a boom in widgeongrass in the mid-bay

The CBP also updated decades of its past surveys to correlate with the new salinity zone map, Karrh said. Between 1984 and 2013, the data show:

Tidal Fresh Salinity Zone: In the no-salt waters of the bay, grass abundance ranged from a low of 6,900 acres (1995) to a high of 25,481 acres (2008), averaging 12,399 acres. From 2012 to 2013, the zone's grass beds increased by 1,841 acres to 13,990 acres.

Oligohaline Salinity Zone: In the bay's slightly salty waters, abundance ranged from 653 acres (1984) to 13,918 acres (2005), averaging 6,680 acres. Between 2012 and 2013, grasses increased by 78 acres to 5,590 acres.

Mesohaline Salinity Zone: In the bay's moderately salty waters, grass beds ranged from 15,636 acres (1984) to 48,443 acres (2005), averaging 27,851 acres. From 2012 to 2013, they increased 5,598 acres to 25,579 acres.

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Report: Underwater grasses resurge in the Chesapeake Bay

If you want a dog and a lush lawn, you're not out of luck.

Dog urine can damage grass, but highly rated experts in lawn care, landscaping and dog training tell our team that there are several ways your pet and your property can coexist pee-cefully:

The cheapest and easiest way to reduce doggie damage is to hose down and dilute urine right after the dog relieves itself. Then, commit to re-seeding damaged areas of grass as needed.

A top dog trainer says his grass is better able to withstand the effects of multiple dogs when he maintains a 4-inch height and applies organic fertilizer.

Another option, if your dog uses a specific area of the yard, is to cover the grass with pea gravel or artificial turf.

Artificial grass costs about $1.50 to $5 a square foot. Pick a higher density option with a nonporous backing. Choose polypropylene or polyethylene over nylon because poly products won't absorb moisture and will drain better. Using crushed granite as a base material under the turf will also help with drainage. For infill, use silica sand or another product that won't absorb odor.

Many dogs can be trained to urinate and defecate in a designated spot. It may take four to six weeks of effort. Flag off a sizeable portion of lawn to create a large target zone to start. Leash your pet and take it to that area every time it has to go. Always clean up after the dog. Over time, as the pet responds, gradually shrink the flagged-off area to your preferred size. Eventually, you won't need the flags; the dog will know the boundaries.

Get the scoop before hiring

If solid waste in the yard is your concern, consider outsourcing cleanup duty. Besides garnering positive online recommendations, a reliable "pooper scooper" business should be able to provide you with a cost estimate, often based on the size of your yard, the size of your dog(s) and frequency of service.

ANGIE HICKS is the founder of Angie's List, a resource for local consumer reviews on everything from home repair to health care.

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Can a lush lawn and your dog co-exist?

TOMORROW is Anzac Day which marks the traditional start to seeding season 2014/15 right throughout WA.

As of tomorrow, hundreds of tractors with airseeders in tow will take to the paddocks in an attempt to sow early canola before the break of the season.

Despite the lack of rain on the horizon, April 25 is still the day pegged by many to produce optimal crop growing conditions.

And the significant boost of confidence given by last year's good season (for most) meant a number of growers in the Kwinana port zone had even taken the opportunity to get going before that date.

While historically, growers in the Albany Zone were some of the last to take to their tractor seats, it also seemed the record 2013/14 season had given some the confidence to get a bit of a head start this time around as well.

A number of growers, including Scott Winspear at Gnowangerup, took the chance to scratch in some early sheep feed before planning to get stuck into the bulk of their canola and cereal seeding programs within the coming weeks.

In Corrigin, Des Hickey had already witnessed the germination of some of his canola crops thanks to some stormy weather and heavy rains which fell a couple of weeks ago.

But there is still a long way to go before this year's crops would be delivered to CBH sites right throughout the southern half of the State.

Katanning Farmanco agronomist Frank Boetel said the majority of his clients and farmers in his area would wait for Anzac Day to get stuck into their seeding programs.

He said as of tomorrow, they'd jump into the substantially-sized dry-sown canola and lupin rotations despite each program being assessed on an individual basis and risk management profile.

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Gearing up for Anzac Day