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Submitted Photo LCMSW students are excited about signing up for clubs during Club Rush Week. Students can choose from over twenty clubs. Club Rush week is held September 6 -9 for both middle schools. The University of Georgia • Cooperative Extension Service FI Do You Need to Apply a Fall Fertilizer Application to Your Lawn? Doug Collins, Lee County Extension Coordinator P utting j^nowledce to Work I ^ Warm season grasses such as centipedegrass do not need a fertilizer application in the fall. Do You Need to Apply a Fall Fertilizer Application to Your Lawn? This time of year, there are advertisements on the radio and television urging homeowners to make a fall fertilizer ap plication to their lawns. Is this necessary? The short answer is “no”. Most of the grass spe cies we grow in South west Georgia are warm season species. These include centipedegrass, Bermudagrass, St. Au gustine grass, and zoysia. The proper times to fer tilize these grasses are in the spring and summer. They go dormant in the winter, and therefore don’t utilize much fertil izer in the fall as they are about to go dormant, and basically none dur ing the winter dormancy period. Any fertilizer elements that are pres ent during the winter are subject to being taken up by weeds or lost from the root zone of the grass through leaching. There are some situ ations in which a fall application of fertilizer is appropriate. Persons growing tall fescue, a cool season grass, in North Georgia, may properly make a fall fertilizer application to their lawns. Homeown ers who overseed their lawns with a cool season grass such as rye or rye grass may properly make a fall or winter fertilizer application. If you apply fertilizer to a dormant or about to go dormant warm season grass, you are just feed ing weeds or putting fer tilizer where it can leach out of reach of the roots of your grass before the grass starts growing again in the spring. If you test your soil and the analysis results indicate that the soil needs lime, it’s perfectly alright to apply lime in the fall. In fact, applying the lime in the fall will give it time to change the soil pH before the grass begins growing in the spring. Don’t apply lime unless the results of a soil test call for it. For more information, call the Lee County Extension Office at 759-6025 or email me at collinsd@uga.edu The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, September 7, 2016, Page 11A Copper Worth Every Penny In the Summer Landscape Photo by Norman Winter ‘Java White’ looks as though it has been kissed by snow, creating a daring look on a porch patio or in a landscape. ‘Java White’ looks as though it has been kissed by snow, creating a daring look on a porch patio or in a landscape. Special to the Ledger By Norman Winter UGA Extension This morning in Savannah, Georgia, the heat and humidity were simply stagger ing. But, as I drove into the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm, there they were, two acalypha plants, the tropical troopers of the landscape. I was looking at ‘Java White’ and the bright red, cattail-like blooms of the chenille plant. When it comes to August temperatures, we gardeners need some tough tropicals to help the landscape dazzle un til cool-season planting time arrives. When you think of the dog days of summer, the copper plant is one that comes to mind. Calling ‘Java White’ “copper” is certainly a misnomer. It’s funny that it’s in the same genus and species, which is Acalypha wilkesiana, where you find plants with foliage that is truly copper, many as showy as a new penny. But, the foliage of ‘Java White’ appears as though it has been kissed by snow. It features various pat terns and variegations of green, white and cream, with leaves that are like snowflakes in that no two are alike. Like the others, it too maintains a shrub-like habit in sun to partial sun, and certainly offers an exotic appeal all its own. The copper plant, or copperleaf, has its origins in the Pacific islands. It is in the Eu phorbia family, making it related to the poinset- tia, croton and chenille plant, the latter of which is known botanically as Acalypha hispida. In the South Pacific, copper plants may reach 10 to 15 feet in height, a stun ning sight. In addition to the ‘Java White,’ keep your eyes open for ‘Beyond Para dise.’ The name is well suited as this plant thrills with its brilliantly var iegated leaves in shades of copper and rose. That is its full-sun color. In the shade it is not quite so bright, but is equally stunning as the leaves feature various blends of copper, green, cream and rose red variegation. ‘Be yond Paradise’ reaches 36 inches in height and will be a beacon in the garden, mesmerizing all who pass by it. It also makes a visually stimu lating companion in mixed containers. A fairly new intro duction called ‘Jungle Cloak’ has a unique camouflage pattern featuring green, cream, red and copper. It too reaches about 36 inches in height and spreads to 24 inches. But I also mentioned the chenille plant, which, by the way, is officially red hot cat’s tail. This pendulous, blooming jewel is from Malaysia and New Guinea. There and in similar tropi cal climates it grows to be a 6-foot-tall shrub adorned with 18-inch long, drooping, tail-like structures of deep red. In the Savannah sun, it seems to glisten. At the garden, we grow ours in a planter box-like setting that allows the flowers to cascade over the edge. Whether you choose a variety of copperleaf or the chenille plant, well- drained soil will be your friend. If the soil’s drain age is the least bit sus pect, incorporate several inches of organic matter while preparing the bed. These plants grow quite large, so space them adequately. At 18 inches, they will quickly form a hedge-like look. Depend ing on the variety, you will want to space them 24 to 36 inches apart. They are incredible in mixed containers with both flowers and foli age. The copper partners well with blue flowers, whether salvias or my favorite, the light blue plumbago. Create thrill ing partnerships with soft orange and apricot. Copper plants were sold generic ally for years, but that is now passe thanks to variet ies like ‘Beyond Para dise,’ ‘Bourbon Street,’ ‘Ceylon,’ ‘Tricolor’ and ‘Jungle Cloak.’ The che nille plant, on the other hand, is still pretty much generic, but wonderful nonetheless. Unless you live in zone 9 or warmer, these plants will be grown as an an nual, but are worth every penny. Certain gardeners take them inside for the winter to bring a touch of the tropics indoors. Because of their rugged nature, many garden centers bring them in for a late summer landscape pickup. You could hardly do better. Follow me on Twitter @CGBGgardenguru. For more information about the University of Geor gia Coastal Botanical Gardens, go to coastal- georgiabg.org. (Director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm, Savan nah GA, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension) J&J Enterprises, LLC 2815 B Palmyra Rd • Albany, GA 31707 Plumbing • Electrical Septic Tank Service | (229)-436-5177 \ niseis© Visa® rat will pay for i of 1/1/2014 li ictions. Special financing offers < is apply to qualifying purchases iod. For newly opened accounts charge will be $1.00. The regL ince. but not less than $10.00.1 harged with approved credit at participatir the regular APR is 27.99%. The APR will r APR will apply to certain fees such as Is onthly payment if shown based on $xx pi ‘'COMFORT' 1 SPECIALIST payments o oINTEREST? 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