Manicure

The Bermuda grass is fighting it out with the crab grass. The crab grass was very strong and the Bermuda seemed a little shy until this round of rain the last couple of days. Now the Bermuda shows some strength and the crab grass is a little brown and wilted. The Scotts Miracle Grow web site advises to allow the Bermuda to grow long. It is far enough along in the summer that the Bermuda is finally showing signs of getting thick and getting above the crab grass. We are doing a cook out day after tomorrow and I will wait to cut the lawn until the morning of that day. I want the lawn to dry out some from all the rain. When I cut the lawn I will set my mower to just cut the top off enough to get a good flat top. That will probably amount to about 1/3rd of the total height.

I edged about 25' of the border of the grass around the stack of bricks to the first gate. Using a garden spade, I cut a line along the edge of grass. I dug a band 4" deep the width of the spade along the line. I removed and fine- screened the dirt to produce a clean, even fill dirt. I replaced the fill dirt and raked the band and the lawn edge to contour. I processed about 25 gallons of soil. Aside from screening out large rocks and other debris, the fine screen separated gravel, a little larger than a pea, which I piled for future use. I completely cultivated around and under the lemon tree.

Lemon Tree update
The lemon tree still has three lemons coming along. I think we lost a bunch of them due to my jostling and re potting the tree in the spring. There were several lemons developing but after I re potted the tree and set it here many of the lemon buds just fell off. Prior to the last rain a hundred fragrant blossoms suddenly popped out. The tree seems to put out blossoms whenever it feels like it. I hope that means it is happy where it stands. We kept it on the porch last year. It produced a dozen lemons, but it was spindly due to the shade. We like it out in the back of the yard in the full sun where you can admire it.