Regulars (All)

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 4/14/11

To Improve Your Lawn, First Improve Your soil

Fertilizers alone cannot do it

I was recently asked to prepare recommendations for the maintenance of a large property with lawns and gardens. While I was evaluating the property, I observed one of the maintenance men on a tractor pulling an aerator followed by a steel roller filled with water. I immediately advised the owner to get rid of that apparatus. Aerators of that type — nothing more than a bunch of spikes punching holes in the ground — only add to the problem of soil compaction, and the roller,...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 4/14/11

Torn Between Two Loves

It’s open water vs. sweetwater

This time of year brings conflict for me. The Trophy Rockfish Season beckons with the promise of big fish on big water, a temptation that is almost impossible to resist. Yet there is another of nature’s sirens murmuring in my ear. This one promises even more luscious treats to be had as the sweetwater bite blossoms. Fish Are Biting ... The white perch run continues to please a lot of anglers on Chesapeake tributaries. But most are poised for Saturday, April 16, when the Trophy...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 4/14/11

Colored Lights In the Night

A rainbow of hues shines from the heavens

The waxing moon reaches full phase Sunday. Saturday it shines less than 10 degrees — the span of an average fist held at arm’s length — below Saturn, the only visible evening planet. The next night, the full moon is farther to the east of Saturn, and the star Regulus five degrees above it. Saturn and Regulus appear about equally bright, both near first magnitude, but Saturn’s steady golden glow is a sharp contrast to the twinkling, blue-white star. ...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 4/7/11

Soil Still Wet?

Don’t rototill or cultivate yet

Rototilling, cultivating or even walking on wet soil destroys its structure. Yes spring is here, but frequent rains are keeping our gardens wet. There is a tendency for many beginning gardeners to spade or till when soils are sometimes muddy. But when wet soils are disturbed, the soil’s structure is destroyed, and it then dries with large, hard lumps. You will also destroy the soil’s structure if you work it when it is bone dry. The proper...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 4/7/11

Trophy Rockfish Season

April 16 is the big day

Anglers have been waiting for this event for more than 120 miserable days, ever since the season closed last December 16. These have been cold, snowy, rainy, windy days, days without hope of even a glimpse of Mr. Pajama-sides. But all of that is over on April 16, when Trophy Rockfish Season begins at last.1 Fish Are Biting ... White perch continue to tease anglers in Bay tributaries. The cold spring weather is making the bite difficult to anticipate. Yellow perch are mostly...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 4/7/11

The Buzz in the Heavens

Follow the moon to these star clusters

The moon waxes through afternoon and evening skies this week, passing through the spring constellations of the zodiax and reaching first-quarter phase Monday. Thursday the crescent moon appears high in the west as the sun sets at 7:35. The bright-orange glow of Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the bull, shines less than 10 degrees beneath the moon. Surrounding Aldebaran is a V-shaped group of stars, the Hyades cluster, which makes up the bull’s face. Six degrees above the...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 3/31/11

Between White Perch and Hickory Shad

Chesapeake Bay’s most common and perhaps least common catches

Sending out a chartreuse shad dart tipped with a grass shrimp toward the dark water of the far bank, I let it sink for a brief three-count before tightening up my line. Almost immediately there came a sharp tap, and I set the hook. My rod bowed as I leaned into yet another lively white perch. Fish Are Biting ... The yellow perch run is still happening but only in dribs and drabs as the majority of these fish are spent and have left the headwaters. The white perch run is...

Article - Where We Live by Steve Carr; by Steve Carr - 3/31/11

Who Will Stop the Rain?

As it stands, God is responsible for anything beyond two inches of stormwater runoff

Every time it rains hard around Annapolis, all hell breaks loose. Mud goes streaming into a creek or streams. Citizen watchdogs start barking. They call the mayor’s office and complain that dirt is running off this or that property, usually a development site. State law requires developers to control the first inch of rain that falls on their property during a 24-hour period. Expensive control measures are required so that no sediment leaves the site. ...

Article - Bay Reflections; by Allen Delaney - 3/24/11

Bend Over and Say Zzzzzz

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

As my doctor read through my records during my yearly physical, he exhaled a worrisome Hmmmmmmm. That’s never good when you’re visiting a doctor. “Let’s see,” he said. “According to your chart you turned the big Five-Oh this year.” To me, it sounded more like the big Five-Uh-oh. Rubbing his hands together, he peered like a crazed scientist from a bad 1950s sci-fi movie. “When would you...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 3/24/11

Going, Going, Gone

We have several planets to look for, but they’re disappearing fast

The waning moon reaches last-quarter on Saturday, rising around 2:30am and shining high in the south as the sun rises at 7am. If you’re up before this time, look to the east for blazing Venus. At magnitude –4, Venus is by far the brightest star-like object in our sky. So low in the sky, Venus puts on quite a display, dancing and shimmering above the horizon. While Venus is always bright, no matter its position in the sky. But when it is so close to the horizon,...