Adopt six or seven cats. Seriously, though, cover the seed with one quarter inch of topsoil, pat down or roll gently. The faster it sprouts, the more you keep and the less the birds eat. You can also slit an old tennis ball and force it over the end of a six- to seven-foot piece of old garden hose. Draw two mean eyes and a nasty mouth, and place yellow strips of tape like Xs down the hose. Let this lie on the seeded area until the seed sprouts. Why? The birds think it’s a snake.

To establish a lawn in western Washington, choose a combination of turftype tall fescue grasses and turftype perennial rye grasses. A mix that adds up to about 90% of these two grass seed types will grow well in either sun or light shade in western Washington. Turftype perennial ryegrass takes full sun and stands up to traffic. Turftype tall fescues are adapted to shadier locations. In combination, the mix works for a lawn in average light conditions.

In this area the best time to put grass seed down is in the spring during the months of April and May and in the fall during the month of September.

In St. Louis, we are in the transition zone between ideals for northern and southern grasses. Tall Fescues are best adapted for our area where there are extremes of cold winters and hot summers.

Start with top-quality grass seed. Work the soil up a little with a rake. If you are overseeding consider using a slicing machine. Evenly sowing larger areas by hand is difficult, so use a spreader. Cover the seeds by raking a little soil over them. Fertilize and mulch only if it's on a hillside. Use very little mulch. Water, water, water.

Why not? Remember, just before a snow, top dress with a light sprinkle of soil so the birds don’t think you’re a horticultural philanthropist.

Again, most songbirds prefer black-oil sunflower, either in the shell, or already hulled, (chips). Please see the Bird Seed info page for more details.

It is recommended that you email siteops@etree.org and inform the other site operators that you have a new show that needs mirroring, and give them a special "mirror login" to your site. Once the site operators have had a chance to mirror, then you can inform the announce list. This is especially important for the high demand shows.

We recommend removing exotic birds from the newly carpeted areas until the smell is gone. Ventilating the carpet for approximately 48 to 72 hours.

Fall is the best time to sow because there is a more developed root system by the time summer drought stress occurs. Spring is the second best time because the temperature and moisture is good for germination.

A blend of fine fescue, bluegrass and certain varieties of perennial rye can tolerate a fairly shady area. However, dense shade may require ground covers or shade type perennial plants. More important is cultural practices such as irrigation and more frequent light applications of fertilizer to make up this loss taken by trees.

None, really. That’s not exactly true, but then they haven’t developed an Astroturf seed yet. There is no true shade grass; all grasses like some sun. However, the best of the bunch that can get along with less sun than the rest is Poa trivialis. Kentucky 31 tall fescue, Zoysia, Japonica, Zoysia matrella, Astoria bent, Highland and Penncross bents, as well as creeping red, Illahee, and Chew-lugs fescue, all will tolerate light shade.

Most any type of grass seed can be used in Hydroseeding, factors such as climate conditions will be the determining factor as to which grass type is recommended. A Pro Turf Care professional will help you make the right decision for your lawn.

Black-oil sunflower seed is the most universally eaten seed at bird feeders. But there are many other seeds and foods to offer to birds. What is most popular with your birds depends on where you live and what birds are present. For more bird feeding tips, check out our backyard booklet Enjoying Bird Feeding More.