"Todd Space": Weather, Your Lawn, & Landscape

Welcome to the Lawn and Landscape Weather Blog!

This page is the brainchild of myself and Cliff Drezek, of Green Lawns Plus, Inc. (in Marlboro). Cliff suggested that lawn care might be an important piece to the nature, weather, astronomy, and science oriented "Todd Space" blogs. After reading his recommendations for lawn care at this time of year, who can disagree?

I will also be posting other important information as the season progresses. Please feel free to contact me at toddwx@yahoo.com with any suggestions you may have in the months ahead to make for a great outdoor environment. NOTE: Radar is in the sidebar left. There is also some ads and information in the sidebar that pertains to lawn and landscape care.

Summer Updates...

Early Summer Update

  The next 8 to 10 weeks will bring the highest potential for variety of turf problems due to higher air and soil temperatures and increased relative humidity. We are still seeing the effects of diseases that flared up in June, with more disease outbreaks likely if we get into another extended wet spell. On the other hand, if we go more than 4-5 days without any beneficial rain, the surface moisture will deplete, and this will cause your turf to fade into dormancy from drought and/or heat stress. This dormancy is what causes the lawn to turn brown and is how the grass plants protect themselves during periods when growing conditions are not favorable. It is important to note that dormant turf is not dead, but rather has “fallen asleep”. This same process occurs in November as part of preparing for winter. 

To help prevent the turf from going dormant during hot and/or dry spells, it is important to mow your lawn so that it measures 3 inches when done cutting, and water deeply during early morning hours every 2-3 days between rainfalls. As a general guideline for those of you with underground sprinklers, you should run each zone for 45-50 min. for the spray heads that rotate, while stationary spray heads should run for 20-25 min per zone. Check the soil several hours after watering to make sure the soil is uniformly wet down to 3 or 4 inches. If not, you may need to adjust the timing or better yet have your system checked for leaks, proper overlap, etc.    

It’s a Weed! It’s a Grass! NO - It’s NUTSEDGE

 

Nutsedge starts as one or two     lonely plants that can quickly multiply and spread into other areas of your     lawn

  In addition to crabgrass and various broadleaf weed threats, there is another growth that has become prevalent in lawns during the summer months called yellow nutsedge. It can be seen as early as June, but is generally visible from July into mid September. This perennial grass-like growth has bright lime green leaves which are flat or slightly corrugated, with triangular shaped stems. It grows quickly after lawn is cut, rising several inches above the turf canopy. It produces a yellowish-brown seedhead during August and early September. Nutsedge also has an extensive but fairly delicate root and rhizome system, with small, bulb-like tubers atttached to them. While the plants seemingly pull up out of the ground with ease, most of the roots and tubers remain in the soil and simply re-generate additional plants.

Control of nutsedge is difficult, as conventional weed control products have no effect on it. There are a few specialty products which will offer various levels of control, but are only available to licensed, professional applicators. These products need to be applied at specific times and under certain conditions to realize the best amount of control. If you have a lawn service, they can certainly help you. Most lawn care companies offer nutsedge control as part of their services. For help locating a company in your area, you can contact the Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care Professionals (MALCP) at 781-274-7373.   

Look Out for Turf Disease

Turf diseases has begun to flare up with the May rains and may be having an impact on your lawn. The two primary culprits right now are Red Thread (Laetisaria fuciformis) and Leafspot (Helminthosporium). Red Thread is a foliar disease that affects the topgrowth of your lawn, but will not cause permanent damage. It appears as pale spots or areas which will vary in size and can be rather unsightly. These may have a red or pinkish tint and, upon closer inspection, will show red strands and/or pink cottony growths of mycelium on the tips of the grass.

 

Seedhead Growth Becoming Active

As we move out of May and into June, air and soil temperatures are gradually increasing, along with the amount of daylight. As a result, there will be changes in your turf’s appearance as the grass plants begin their inflorescence, or seedhead production. This will cause the top growth in your lawn to change from deep green leaf tissue to a more stem-like growth habit. The actual seed heads will appear as small tufts on the tips of these stems, and will be most noticeable 2-3 days before mowing. Most of the seed produced is not viable as it is shattered during the mowing process. The color of the turf generally fades during this period, which is part of the natural growth cycle of grass plants and generally lasts for 3-5 weeks. Eventually, the seed heads and stems will grow out and be replaced by more leaf tissue. and the color will improve, as long as turf is not under stress.

Picture courtesy of Colorado State University.

The ABCs of Proper Mowing and Watering

Now that our lawns are actively growing, properly mowing and watering them are essential for maintaining a thick, healthy stand of turf. Poor mowing practices will affect the health of the grass plants, which in turn affects its appearance and makes it prone to other problems, including drought and/or heat stress and diseases. It is recommended that you mow your lawn so the finish cut height measures about 3 inches. If possible, the lawn should be mowed frequently enough so that no more than 1/3 of the total growth is removed at one time. Removing too much growth shocks grass plants, aggravating stresses, diseases and causing weeds. Your mower blades should be sharpened regularly for best results. Dull mower blades will rip the grass rather than cut it, leaving the tips torn and shredded.

Supplemental watering of your lawn will be needed during periods when rainfall amounts become insufficient. Turf that does not receive enough water will gradually fade and turn brown due to grass growth shutting down or going dormant. Dormancy is a natural occurrence and happens when conditions for growth are not favorable (i.e. during the winter). Supplemental watering should begin when the lawn is showing early signs of moisture stress. These signs include foot prints in the turf that are visible hours after someone has walked across the lawn and areas of turf that have a grayish-purple tint to them. If you begin watering at this point, you will likely reduce the likelihood of browning. For best results, you should water during the early morning hours only, from 4 am to 10 am for approximately 45 –50 minutes per area, or until the soil is uniformly wet to a depth of 5 inches. If you water the soil to this depth, you should be able to go at least 2-3 days before having to water again. This is good for your lawn and helps conserve a precious resource. It is also important to pay attention to rainfall amounts and adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Likewise, be sure your watering system, hoses, sprinklers, etc. are all functioning properly. Nothing is more wasteful than irrigation water being sprayed onto a sidewalk or running during a rainstorm.

Crabgrass Control

Crabgrass: TAMING NATURE’S PROBLEM CHILD by Cliff Drezek

Crabgrass is a very persistent, annual weed that germinates in May, goes to seed in August and gradually dies off during the early fall. Each plant can yield tens of thousands of seeds, which can lie dormant for several years before they germinate. Obtaining consistent control of this weed is one of the most important challenges we face in the spring.

Pre-emergent control products can effectively reduce crabgrass, but they will not eliminate it entirely. Properly applied, these products can last up to four months. Some factors limit the effectiveness of pre-emergent materials including weather, soil temperature and moisture content, turf density and the weed seed available.

To increase the effectiveness of the pre-emergent, rainfall or irrigation should occur within 20 days of application. This helps the pre-emergent to adsorb to soil particles that creates the barrier to help prevent crabgrass seeds from germinating. In the spring, natural rainfall is usually plentiful, but supplemental irrigation might be needed if there is an early extended dry period.

Once the product is in place, steps should be taken to minimize anything that might disturb the soil surface. Surface raking, mowing or sweeping the turf is fine, but if you de-thatch your lawn with a machine, you risk effecting the level of control down the road.

During July and August, warm and/or dry soil can contribute to pre-emergent control breaking down prematurely. This is why crabgrass can appear along drives, sidewalks and any thin/ bare areas of your lawn. To help minimize this, keep mowing height at 3-3½ “ and water deeply every 2-3 days between rainfalls. This keeps soil cooler and helps reduce the chance of break through, not to mention it is better for your lawn.

Post-emergent treatments are available to control crabgrass break through, but are only effective on actively growing weeds and cannot be applied to brown (dormant) turf caused by drought and/or heat stress.

Feel free to call us if you have any questions or would like to learn more about crabgrass.

Winter Wear - Getting Your Lawn Back!

WINTER WEAR - Assessing Your Post Winter Turf by Cliff Drezek

After a relatively benign winter with variable temperatures and snow cover, you can expect to see areas of both dessication and snow mold disease as we begin to take stock of our turf.

Dessication is a condition that causes a drying out of your turf (similar to chapped lips) in areas that are exposed to wind or heavy traffic.

Snow mold disease (pink and/or gray) will be evident in most lawn areas early on. This causes areas of turf to become crusty and matted down, with a pink or grayish tint. This disease was more active this winter due to early snowfall on un-frozen ground, which created ideal conditions for development. Both of these conditions should gradually recover, especially once soil temperatures climb above 50-55º F. and stay there.

You may also notice signs of field mice and mole activity, depending on your location. These pests are generally moving away back into wooded areas. Dirt mounds caused by moles can be raked out and the soil spread out. Field mice tracks are primarily surface type damage, but the recovery could take several weeks if crowns of grass plants were injured.

Clean up of the turf can begin once lawn is open, but avoid working if soil is very wet. We strongly recommend against heavy raking and/or mechanical de-thatching to avoid damage to both the turf and your pre-emergent control.

Follow these spring clean up guidelines for the best results:

- “Air out” your turf with light raking or mowing. Don’t try to rake out all of the dormant tissue.

- Sweep or blow off sand along edges rather than raking.

- Turf pieces torn up by plows can be put back and tamped down where they will take root.

- Remember - Power thatching could be detrimental to your crabgrass control