How Season Changes Affect Turfgrass Management

In North Texas our regional climate change is significantly less than other regions, however, our climate does affect how our turf grasses grow. Turf grass management becomes more in depth as the year progresses, leaving some landscapers scratching their heads. Cooler temperatures usually mean slower top growth and more plant root stimulation. Plants begin to store nutrients for the long dormant period to come. In our region turf grasses slowly go into dormancy caused by a slower than normal cooling period. When it comes to dormancy and temperature, pre-emergent application dates become critical, what time period to apply fall pre-emergent is a matter of debate. Pre-emergent typically are applied after Sept 15th, Consequently, temperature and rate of rain fall play a role as to when to apply fall pre-emergent. Some pre-emergent are post activity pre-emergent, which means they have a longer than average residual, with the ability to kill weed seeds after they have germinated, while other pre-emergent such as pendimethalin must develop a weed barrier over time to prevent weeds seeds from ever germinating in the first place. Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb is to apply pre-emergent after Sept. 15th in this region. Controlling spring weeds is first and foremost the job of a fall pre-emergent, however, some do control winter weeds as they germinate in the fall.

Pictures of Common Weeds in our Region

The following are just a few of the most common weeds controlled with broadleaf herbicide this time of year. A good rule of thumb for herbicide application would be broadleafs in the cooler months, grassy in the warm months, however, most broadleafs respond to chemical application no matter the time of year, they are easier to kill, have more leaf blade surface for the chemical to adhere to and less of a fibrous root system.

Henbit



Dandelion



Thistle



Plantain



Common Weeds Not Treated Until Warm Temperatures Rise Consistently, which unfortunately is most if not all grassy weeds, consistent 90-degree temperatures or hotter is best for chemical application performance. Sedge grasses are the most difficult to control because of their narrow blade surface, lateral root system and persistent nature

Dallisgrass



Crabgrass



Nutsedge

Insecticide for Grub Control

White grubs eat organic matter including the roots of plants. Therefore, damage first appears to be drought stress. Heavily infested turf appears off color, gray-green, and wilts rapidly in the hot sun. Continued feeding will cause the turf to die in large irregular patches. The tunneling of the larvae cause the turf to feel spongy under foot and the turf can often be rolled back like a loose carpet. Once the damage is done, its hard to regain any new turf without sodding or seeding. The best alternative to damage is preventative grub insecticide, however, topical insecticide can be applied once grubs have reached mature stages to kill on contact, preventing any further damage from occurring. Often grubs are found in soft soils or healthy lawns near and around street lamps or outdoor lighting. If you would like to find out how you can prevent grubs from ruining your lawn, call Lawntech or visit our website.

Need a Beautiful New Lawn?

For over 10 years Lawntech has offered our customers an affordable alternative to sod, Hydromulch a process by which wood fiber mulch consisting of seed, fertilizer, additives and water are added to a mixer and sprayed on to prepared areas to create a beautiful lawn. Over the last decade, hydromulch has become more reliable with industry created additives to insure higher germination rates and increased overall satisfaction. Lawntech has proven itself in the Hydromulch community by providing quality service, guaranteed results and professionalism. We also offer our customers turn key soil preparation as well, Please call Lawntech if you have any questions about our services @ 972-346-2696

For more information copy/paste the following link:

http://www.answers.com/topic/hydroseeding

Do I water now, or wait till it gets hot?

Believe it or not, watering should be done year round in order to maintain proper health and weed control, although dormant turf grasses need water to survive, annual spring rainfall usually handles watering issues this time of year unless drought conditions exist. Check out the link for water guidelines located on this page.

Early weeds are starting to pop up.

You may have noticed early signs of weeds cropping up in your turf. This is normal as the temperature starts to try and rise. The stark contrast of your grass remaining dormant and the bright green of the weeds may bother you, however, most winter weeds will fizzle out as the temp climbs.
The most prevalent weed in our region this time of year is a weed called Henbit. Henbit is a annual winter germinating weed that flowers early in the spring, a member of the mint family with a square stem and branched near the ground. Tiny tubular bluish pink or white flowers poking above the leaves, this troublesome weed can get out of hand quickly. Mowing early can help control most weeds, yet henbit with it's square stem prevents the weed from falling over and dying, giving the appearance that the weed is still alive even though the weed has been treated properly.
There is good news for weed application this time of year however, Henbit dies very easily with broad leaf herbicide. The weed may stay vertical and appear to be alive, all the while the chemical has effectively killed it. Mowing will help finish off this colorful pest and as the temperature rises henbit will disappear. Mowing early in the season can help rid your yard of winter weeds faster than not mowing, adding another defense to late winter/early spring weed removal.
Most commercial chemicals work best when the temperature is higher, the combination of heat and chemical to the leaf blade causes a dual action process leaving the weed parched and burnt. During the winter months this effect is minimized, leaving the applicator with less chance of effectively killing weeds. Controlling weeds is always a big concern, and as the year progresses we will be able to address weeds more effectively. Our main focus within our early spring treatment is to apply a spring pre-emergent, stopping spring and summer weeds from ever germinating in the first place.

Start the Season Off Sharply

Grass will be coming out of dormancy soon, spring is around the corner, this means you or someone you hire will have to start mowing again. Mowing your yard can be rewarding, the results, a beautiful manicured lawn, however for the expert, mowing can make or break an ornamental lawn. Mowing height, regular mowing and blade maintenance is all part of correct mowing habits. The most crucial is blade maintenance or sharpness. Mowing with poorly maintained blades rips thru the leaf blade making the grass appear dead or dying, causing the lawn to stress. Also, your equipment is not functioning as intended, shortening mower life, causing costly repairs later and can be dangerous. With properly maintained blades your yard is cut uniformly and with precision, resulting in a healthier, disease free leaf blade. Mowing height is critical depending on time of year, for example; Spring mowing should result in a lower cut causing the yard to green up, summer and fall the yard should be left taller to prevent over exposure to heavy sunlight. Mowing height is often debated among landscape professionals and is often left to debate, however, a good rule of thumb is to set mower height 1 to 2 inches cutting depth each time you mow, this usually results in proper mowing height anytime of the year.

For more information on blade maintenance, click on the following link:

">http://www.weekendgardener.net/lawn-mowers/sharpen-lawnmower-blade-70607.htm">

What is an aeration and why is it beneficial?

Many ornamental turf grasses are found in areas of high traffic, in and around houses where children play, golf coarses and public parks. Constant traffic can cause soil to become compacted, leaving little room for the absorbtion of much needed nutrients. Aeration is a process by which a machine is driven over the target area extracting core plugs of soil, depositing them on the lawns surface, in turn the root zone is exposed allowing nutrients, i.e., water, fertilizer and air to rapidly penetrate the root zone, resulting in a healthier lawn.

The most frequently asked questions in regards to aeration are; When is the best time for aeration? and What about my sprinkler heads?

When is the best time for aeration? An aeration can be performed any time of the year with benefits, taking into account how frozen the ground is. Spring and Fall offer the best conditions to reap benefits from aeration, high traffic areas such as golf coarses perform aerations monthly to prevent soil compaction.

What about my sprinkler heads? Marking your sprinkler heads is vital to preventing damage and for that matter, marking anything in your yard that could be damaged by the aerator is crucial. Buying marker flags from your local hardware store is a simple way to mark your yard before aeration.

Please call Lawntech to schedule an aeration on your yard today!!!


For more information click on the link below:

http://www.1800lawncare.com/topics/lawncare101_aeration.htm

LawnTech wishes you a Happy New Year

Lawn Tech wants to wish everyone a Happy New Year, as we face another year of lawncare, our focus needs to be on creating an ornamental lawn our customers can be proud of, with proper, timed chemical applications and proper homeowner maintenance, i.e., proper mowing, watering and weeding, creating a beautiful lawn is a snap! We appreciate your business this year and we look forward to a great 2009.

Lawntech and Christmas Decor'

Don't forget Lawntech/Christmas Decor' is an excellent way to brighten your holiday by letting us hang your christmas lights. Call 972-346-2696 today for a free estimate. Have a happy holiday season.

Lawncare and Fall Weather Conditions

Most homeowners understand that when fall comes, ornamental turf grasses go dormant, this miracle of nature permits your lawn to hybernate over winter, causing a dead or dying top growth, your turf appears to have died, however, your turf is alive and well, only the top growth has turned brown and died, beneath the surface the roots have been storing nutrients for the upcoming winter and are very much alive.
Most homeowners equate dead top growth with a break in lawncare, "end of season maintenance" therefore, they have a tendency to overlook their lawn and neglect its care, causing problems over winter and into spring. The average lawn still needs adaquate water to sustain its health over winter, often inclement weather throughout winter is enough to sustain a lawns health, but, in dry years without wet winter conditions turf grasses suffer, causing most turf grasses to experience spring deadspot, a direct result of dead areas not coming back the next year. Don't neglect your lawn this fall by overlooking the obvious, if it doesnt rain, your yard needs water!

Burning Back Stubborn Grassy Weeds

This time of year when the temprature warms up, grassy weeds are commonly sprayed with a selective herbicide such as MSMA. MSMA standard in the industry for the treatment of stubborn grassy weeds, i.e., Dallas Grass, Crabgrass and Nutsedges, all require some attention with selective herbicides. Grassy weeds not controlled effectively with pre-emergents, can be controlled with applications of a grassy leaf herbicide called MSMA.
MSMA can effectively eliminate grassy weeds, however, not without some side effects. Temporary yellowing is the biggest complaint, dissapearing within a few weeks these yellow patches left behind by the chemical residue will eventually go away and areas treated return to normal. Several applications may be required to finally eliminate troublesome weedy areas. Often times several applications are needed to finally rid your yard of grassy weeds. All weed applications are often time consuming and take several weeks, even months to effectively eliminate a pest such as grassy weeds.

Seedhead Concerns

Seedheads in bermudagrass

The "seedhead" issue is much more a factor of management than anything else such as variety choice. If a Bermuda is throwing blooms out every 5 days, then it is stressed. Under stress conditions, even the vegetative sod Bermudas will throw up a lot of blooms. Stresses include-poor drainage, poor watering (too much and too little), drought, low nitrogen availiablity, soil compaction, temperature, etc. Low imputs of Nitrogen is the most common cause of a Bermuda turf throwing a lot of blooms. By improving these management and cultural practice traits a huge reduction in the amount of bloom will be seen. To find out more about Seedhead Formation Concerns, visit: http://www.bermudagrass.com/maintenance/seedheads.html

My yard is not turning green!

Most warm season grasses i.e., Bermuda, can take it's time coming out of dormancy depending on how mild the temp has been effecting groud temperature, allowing the subsoil to remain cold. Consistant warming patterns can help raise soil temps incouraging grasses to begin to green up. As our temperature rises you will notice the change, mowing early can help speed up the process in most cases.

Why is my lawncare price going up?

The link located on this page "Weed Control Explained" has an item intitled "Fertilizer price going up." Texas A&M goes into detail explaining how the cost of fertilizer has gone up, effecting the lawncare industry.

Why don't all my weeds die?

Weed control often can be a chore. Establishing weed barriers by pre-emergent can take several years. Applying pre-emergent over a period of years can cause a weed barrier to develop, one that stops weed seeds from germinating and this can take time. Stubborn weeds like, crabgrass, dallisgrass, Poa annua (annual wild bluegrass) are best controled when temperatures are above 80 degrees. Mild temperatures can inhibit control and cause weeds to fluorish, however, weeds like henbit, dandilions and clover can be controled relatively easy this time of year depending on rainfall. Overall, effective weed control can be plaqued by many factors outside of the control of your lawncare company, i.e., mowing schedule, rainfall, temperature and time of year. Look for the link on this page for weed control explanation.

Should I mow now and if so, how high?

You should mow your lawn as the season starts, or early spring. From a critical standpoint mowing early is not a deal breaker, however the sooner you mow the sooner your yard greens up. Also, if you have stubborn winter weeds and spring weeds, mowing will help control or eliminate them. Mow relatively short on your first mowing to help get rid of dormant dead top growth and open up the root zone to sunlight.

Do I water now or wait till it gets hot?

Believe it or not, watering should be done year round in order to maintain proper health and weed control, although dormant turf grasses need water to survive. Check out the link for water guidelines located on this page.