by John C. Fech and Roch E. Gaussoin; Sports Filed Management Magazine Apr/May 2011

Those of us here in the office who deal with customer service are always looking for information on how to describe a disease that may have shown up in your lawn. This article by these gentlemen has created a general overview that was helpful to us here at SodLawn. Though this article is aimed at the turf care professionals, almost all of us can glean some information to apply to our residential and commercial turf.

Highlights:

• Summer Patch
• Necrotic Ring
• Spring Dead Spot
• Leaf Spot
• Pythium Blight
• Nematodes

—>>> Click here to download the PDF of Damaging Root Diseases <<<—

As I was browsing through a green industry magazine, I stumbled on this article from IRRIGATION & GREEN INDUSTRY, with no author credited. This article appealed to my sense of frugality when it comes applying nitrogen based fertilizers on our precious loam that produces food for our state and nation.
To make a long story short, the theory behind this application produces healthier plants, (namely your lawn) with less fertilizer. And also increases carbon in the soil to fight global warming. Sounds like a win-win for everyone! A better planet through better chemistry, gee these guys are smart.
Give the article a read, and be on the lookout for up and coming trend in fertilizers.
Biostimulants: A New Wave for Fertilizers

I love the boys and girls that are in the UC system! (University of California)  I found this wonderful article by Ali Harvivandi and Victor A. Gibeault about “Mowing Your Lawn and Grasscycling”.  It is very informative and full of useful tidbits for you.  Follow the link to the PDF publication.

Mowing your Lawn and “Grasscycling”
http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8006.pdf

This article covers

• How High to Mow
• When to Mow
• What to Do with the Clippings
• and more

Give it a read through!

Article by Patrick White

I love it when I don’t have to recreate an article, and this one is full of information:

Well worth your time to read, though it is aimed to the lawn care professional.

turfmagazine.com

Highlights of the article: Get Rid of Grubs

The first key is to distinguish between preventive and curative treatments, the latter being what needed during the late fall or early spring for active grubs. For active grubs, trichlorforn or carbaryl as active ingredients in your products.

Eggs are laid in midsummer and develop into full-sized grubs in the fall. “You can see them after Labor Day, they’re very obvious at that point,” says Davis. At that point, the grubs will be within the top 2.5 to 3 inches in the rootzone.

Weeds always seem to get an early jump on you in the spring. Before you know it, they’re competing with your lawn, robbing them of light, water and nutrients. The time you invest in spraying for and pulling weeds right now is time well spent. As summer approaches, you won’t have to be out in the heat doing the weed control. If you are like me, a fair weather gardener, this is great news.

Find selective herbicides to help you with the weed control. Many chemical companies provide excellent products to help you. Select one and give it a whirl. I choose a liquid concentrate put on with a hose end sprayer; you may choose a powder that is dropped with a spreader.

Contrary to popular belief, pre-emergent weed killers don’t destroy weeds and their seeds. They simply stop them from growing. Some seeds are known to last 10 – 20 years, so if the herbicide isn’t applied each year, the weed will grow.

The question for pre-emergent weed killers is when to apply them.
Pre-emergent herbicides only work if they are applied to your lawn before the weed’s growth period. But if applied too early, weather will dilute the herbicide and the weed will grow unencumbered.

Now is the time for pre-emergent application for summer weeds, because usually now is when average soil temperatures reach above 60 degrees. Major summer weeds like crabgrass or clover will only emerge once the soil is consistently over this temperature.

Those of us that have a lawn that is a bit more mature are getting ready for the use of post-emergent weed control. This should control weeds while allowing your grass to grow. (In theory) I was at my local warehouse store and noticed the arrival of these products. Make sure that you check the bag for temperature controls, because February is still too cold and early to apply them. As a rule of thumb the ground temperature needs to be at least 65 degrees. Don’t jump the gun on this one, and waste your funds.

We love our installation crew. However this time of year we want to be especially thoughtful to protect our soil from too much moisture prior to installation by placing plastic sheets over the soil while it rains. As much as we wish our strong boys were all mud dogs on command, it isn’t going to happen. So be kind and be thoughtful of the muddy soil the boys may have to work in.