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Understanding Common Turf Disease
Common Cool-Season Grass Diseases:
- Red Thread: This fungal disease is notorious for its reddish-pink threads that give infected grass blades a distinctive appearance. It thrives in cool, moist conditions, often making an appearance in early spring or late fall.
- Dollar Spot: Characterized by small, circular patches of bleached or tan-colored grass, Dollar Spot is another common cool-season disease. It tends to emerge during periods of high humidity and inadequate nitrogen levels.
- Snow Mold: As the name suggests, Snow Mold typically occurs in areas where snow cover persists for an extended period. It presents as circular patches of matted, straw-colored grass, often with a white or pinkish fungal growth.
How to Protect your lawn:
Cultural Practices: Maintain proper lawn care practices, including regular mowing, adequate watering, and appropriate fertilization. Healthy turf is more resilient to diseases.
Rotate Fungicides: If necessary, utilize fungicides to control the spread of diseases. Rotate between different types of fungicides to prevent the development of resistance.
Improve Air Circulation: Promote air circulation by pruning trees and shrubs, as well as avoiding excessive thatch buildup. This helps reduce humidity and create an environment less favorable to fungal diseases. Aeration in our area typically does the trick as our cool season grasses do not create as much thatch as warm season grasses.
Monitor Moisture Levels: Be mindful of watering practices, ensuring that your lawn receives enough moisture without becoming waterlogged. Proper drainage is essential to prevent the onset of diseases like Red Thread and Dollar Spot.
Early Detection: Keep a close eye on your lawn for any signs of disease, such as discolored patches or unusual growth. Early detection allows for prompt action and better control of the situation.
By implementing these strategies, you can safeguard your cool-season grass from the threat of diseases and maintain a lush, healthy lawn year-round. Remember, proactive management is key to keeping your turf in tip-top shape!
Winter Turf Care
Taking care of your lawn in winter, especially in cooler climates, is essential for maintaining its health. Here are some tips specifically tailored for our cool-season turf:
- Keep the Lawn Clean: Ensure the lawn is free of heavy snow for extended periods. Prolonged snow cover can invite diseases like snow mold.
- Limit Foot Traffic: Try to avoid walking on frozen grass as it can damage the blades. It’s more susceptible to breaking when frozen.
- Watering: Your lawn might still need watering in winter, especially if there’s a dry spell. Water during the warmest part of the day to avoid freezing.
- Snow Removal: If snow does accumulate, gently remove it from the lawn to prevent compacting the grass.
- Monitor for Diseases: Keep an eye out for snow mold and other diseases that might develop during winter. Proper lawn care practices can help prevent these issues.
Importance of Fall Lawn Care
- Prepare for Winter Resilience: Fall fertilization provides your lawn with the essential nutrients it needs to build strong, healthy roots before winter sets in. By strengthening the root system now, your lawn will be better equipped to withstand harsh winter conditions, including freezing temperatures and potential stressors like snow mold and ice damage.
- Promote Spring Green-Up: Properly fertilizing your lawn in the fall sets the stage for a vibrant and lush spring green-up. As temperatures rise and the growing season begins anew, your lawn will already have the necessary nutrients stored in the roots, ensuring a faster and more vigorous growth come springtime.
- Weed Suppression: Fall is the ideal time to tackle those persistent weeds. As temperatures drop, weed growth slows down, making them more susceptible to weed control treatments. Applying weed control measures in the fall not only helps eliminate existing weeds but also prevents new weeds from taking hold in the following seasons.
- Reduce Spring Workload: By focusing on fertilization and weed control in the fall, you effectively reduce the workload and stress on your lawn during the busiest time of the year – spring. With a healthy lawn already established, you’ll spend less time combating weeds and nurturing struggling grass, freeing you up to enjoy your outdoor spaces.
- Enhance Overall Lawn Health: A well-fertilized and weed-free lawn is a healthy lawn. Fall provides the perfect conditions for grass to absorb and utilize nutrients effectively. This not only ensures better growth and color but also strengthens the lawn’s resistance against diseases, pests, and environmental stressors.
- Maximize Fertilizer Effectiveness: During the fall, cool-season grasses experience a surge in growth and absorption of nutrients. Applying fertilizer at this time maximizes its effectiveness, as the grass actively takes up the nutrients and stores them for winter. Additionally, nutrients applied in the fall remain in the soil and become available to the grass in the following spring.
- Environmental Benefits: By implementing fall fertilization and weed control practices, you’re promoting a healthier ecosystem overall. A dense and robust lawn helps prevent soil erosion, filters pollutants, and absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, contributing positively to the environment.
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Spring is Here!!
Time to open up those windows and get some fresh air!! It’s also time to get that yard cleaned up and ready for BBQ season!
Your lawn needs a few things to be successful this season. Sunlight, airflow and water.
It’s important to clean your yard of large debris to allow that sunlight and water to get into the roots.
Now is also a great time to clear your mulch beds, do some weeding and prune those hedges. While we don’t do this type of work, we work closely with a number of landscapers in the area that do. We’d be happy to share their information with you.
Another important aspect to look at is standing water. Clean out those gutters and dump any standing water you have in the yard. This will help tremendously with insect control.
Why are some of my grasses different colors?
The simple answer is, we live in a transition zone and that allows for multiple different types of grasses to survive and thrive during different times of the growing season. For instance, fescues, bluegrasses and rye-grasses prefer cool nights and warm days, which is aligned with our northeast climate. Now…with that being said, we do live in a “transition” zone. Sometimes, southern grasses can survive and thrive in our climate. Some examples of these grasses are zoysia, bent and Bermuda. Fortunately, not having a monoculture is a good thing. You want different types of grasses in your lawn at all times. This will prevent a total loss if something effects one type of grass.
To Bee or not to Bee
To Bee or not to Bee, that is the question. With April showers past us, it’s time for those beautiful May flowers. With those flowers comes the all important Bee. These guys and gals are busy pollinating away and making that delicious honey. Bees can be a nuisance but they are way more beneficial than bad. Here is a quick list to help identify these all important insects.
SHOULD WE WATER IN THE SPRING?
Not in most cases. But, (there’s always a but) it really does depend on the weather. In any typical year during April and May, Mother Nature will provide adequate rainfall for your turf. In some years, she may even provide too much moisture. In those cases, we would recommend our Fungicide Program to correct any issues that may arise.
In the extremely rare case of a dry May, we would recommend weekly watering, but of course, we will send you a note proactively to remind you. Check back in late May for updates on our Summer time watering advice.
Mowing
Why is mowing so important? It can be the most important determining factor in a successful lawn. Here are some tips we recommend:
1. MOW HIGH. We recommend 3.5” to 4” (this typically are the top 2 settings on your mower) The longer the grass , the deeper the roots grow, giving them better access to water and nutrients.
2. Don’t mow yet!! Give you grass a change to come fully out of its dormancy phase. Let it get a little shaggy, maybe your neighbors will look at you a little funny, but trust us. Give it an extra week or two and then mow on one of your highest settings.
3. Train your grass. Once you have the lawn at 3.5” or 4” keep it there! When the hot summer months start, switch you mowing to every other week (usually late June, July and August)
4. Sharp mower blades! Our recommendations is to buy an extra set and keep one set sharp at all times. Switch them out 2 times a year, spring and late summer. Sharp blades con reduce water loss and reduce the likelihood of disease by up to 25%.
