Your Lawn is Our Business
Locally & Family Owned for Over 17 years.
Current Conditions Lawn Tips
Conditions are favorable for
Rust
Rust: Is a harmless (other than cosmetic appearance) mold that is caused by heavy dew overnight along with slowed growth, normally due to hot & dry conditions. Fungicide applications are not recommended for rust, as the turf will recover on its own with improved weather conditions. Also, fungicide treatments do not cure molds, they just prevent spreading. Keeping the lawn regularly fertilized and watered are the best remedies to help get rust out of your lawn. Also bagging the clippings and washing off your mower after each mowing will help eliminate spreading the mold.
Letting your lawn go dormant
Is it okay? - In most instances your lawn will be okay if it goes dormant for 3-4 weeks. However, you will greatly decrease your chances of problems occurring if you water at least once a week for 1 hour in each area.
The Risks - When letting your lawn go dormant for extended periods, there are 2 major problems that may arise.
First: You may have surface feeding insects eating away at your lawn and have no idea they are there or the damage being done, until things begin greening back up. This would most likely require seeding portions of the lawn for full recovery.
Second: Just like with any house plant or flowers in your landscaping, there is a point of no return for turf. Going extended periods (5-8 weeks) with little to no water, some of your turf can be badly damaged and require seeding to return to its former state.
​
​
Examples of insect damage after lawns begin to green up.
​
Summer Watering
Now that the summer temps have arrived and the rain is unpredictable the lawn should be watered 1-3 times a week depending on rainfall. It’s best to water for longer periods at least 45min - 1hr in each area.
Our fertilizers will not burn your lawn if it is not watered. They have a poly coating, which inhibits it from breaking down or releasing the nutrients until it has been water activated.
So does it have to be watered in? NO
Will it help activate and give you better results if you do? Yes
Other things to watch for
Patch Diseases
What they are - Patch diseases are fungus caused by hot and humid weather, especially hot and muggy nights. When the turf stays moist all night long it creates prime conditions for fungal growth. Also watering after the lawn is already starting to go dormant can also cause these problems. That is why it is important to start watering as soon as the first signs of stress appear.
What to do now - In most cases your normal fertilization treatments along with rain or watering, will help aid in the recovery. The grass plant has to grow through the disease.
Mowing: Keep your mower height at 3" or taller and keep the blades nice and sharp.
Fungicide Application: Can be costly and are not generally effective at curing patch diseases. In some severe cases they can help with the spreading of the disease, but will not cure them.
Watering: You want to water infrequently but yet deeply, 2-3 days a week for 45min - 1 hr. in each area. Avoid watering with less than 2 hrs. of daylight left in the day and do not water at night.
Once the humidity settles down that will greatly decrease the chances of spreading or new infection.
Down the road - Having your lawn aerated every year or two will help reduce your chances of disease and fungus. It reduces soil compaction and your thatch layer, allows better water penetration, and air circulation.
Dollar Spot
Dollar spot: is a common foliar disease that occurs on most types of turf grasses. Dollar spot is most prevalent from late spring to early fall when high humidity and cool nights favor the formation of dew on turf grass for extended periods and the temperature is most conducive for growth of the fungus. In most instances the fertilizer we apply will cure the problem and help the lawn grow through the disease. But in some severe cases a fungicide is needed to insure permanent damage is not done to the turf. If you have a concern that you might have dollar spot give us a call and we will come out and take a look.
