Don’t Force Your Summer Lawn In and Out of Dormancy

During the growing season there is a period of time when many species of grass have depleted their reserves of food and energy in the effort to grow tall and produce seed. This time usually occurs just prior to the hottest days of Summer. These grasses, whether out in the wild or growing in a homeowner’s lawn, will go “dormant” during the hottest part of Summer unless they receive adequate amounts of water (be it from rain or the garden hose).

After the extreme heat of summer has passed and before the freezing temperatures of winter set in, most grasses will be spending their resources on producing food to be stored in their roots until the following Spring. At that time, the grass in your lawn will have enough reserves in storage to begin to grow again and start to make seed. During this process, most of these reserves will get used up, and the roots that were holding these reserves will become shorter, growing more shallow in the soil. So just when the hottest part of Summer begins, grass is naturally low on vigor and strength. The natural response to the heat (and possible drought situations) of summer is for grass to go into a “dormant” stage. During this stage the grass will slow or even stop growing - unless it is being artificially watered and fed.

Now given the information in the above paragraph, you must realize that, although your lawn may not look its best if you allow your lawn to go dormant, dormancy does not mean that your grass is dying. It is merely protecting itself until better conditions return. All too often a homeowner that does not water on a regular basis will look out onto their lawn after several days of extreme heat and say to themselves, “Oh my God! My lawn is dying in this heat!” Then they will proceed to drag out the garden hose and start watering their lawn. If a couple of days go by and their lawn looks only somewhat improved, they may decide, “I’ll water it some more!” What this homeowner is doing is sending a signal to their lawn that dormancy is not needed. Unfortunately, because the grass is now no longer dormant and is looking healthier, the homeowner may not water again until their lawn has again retreated into dormancy. I have seen homeowners do this - time and time again, all summer long.

The bottom line here is, do either one of two things. Number One: If you don’t like the look of your lawn when it is in a dormant stage (it does not look lush and green and healthy), then you must see to it that your lawn consistently receives approximately one inch of water a week all through the heat of summer. Or Number Two: If you do not want to water (or if you are unable to water) on a regular basis and your lawn goes into dormancy, then you should not force it in and out of dormancy all through the hot summer by arbitrary watering. It takes a lot of energy (which is in short supply) for your lawn to come out of dormancy. It is less stressful for your lawn if it has gone into dormancy to remain that way until more favorable temperatures return. If while a lawn is dormant it receives occasional rainfall or watering, it may remain dormant. Understand that when a lawn is dormant, the roots below the surface and the crown (or growing point of the grass plant) is still alive and it will come back.

NEXT TIME: How To Tell If Your Lawn Is Suffering From Lack of Water

Two Shrubs You Should Never Prune Until Just After They Have Flowered

[NOTE: Today’s subject - although a bit off topic - is information that I felt was appropriate for this time of year.]

Several shrubs (and some trees) produce flowers only on the branches formed during the previous year’s growth. That is to say, no flowers will be produced on branches that are two or more years old. Yet many a homeowner - caught up in Spring fever - starts pruning their landscape shrubs very early in the Spring, snipping off most of last year’s growth.

They may unknowingly be removing the branches and buds that would have become the only showy flowers of their shrubs to appear that year. Many of the shrubs and ornamental trees that bloom in Springtime start with buds that were developed the prior Summer and Fall. This is one of the reasons why these plants can bloom so early in the new season. The buds are already formed and are just waiting for warmer temperatures.

One of the earliest blooming shrubs is Forsythia. It doesn’t take much warmth for Forsythia to bloom. One year in Michigan, during a freak warm spell, I actually saw Forsythia flowers popping in January. Another well known early Spring flowering shrub is Lilac. Like Forsythia, Lilac buds were formed the previous year and are only waiting for sufficient warmth to bloom. If in the early Springtime, a homeowner prunes away the previous year’s growth on either of these two shrubs, they will be denying themselves what would have been a dazzling display.

Actually, there are more than two shrubs or trees that you want to avoid pruning until just after they have flowered. I have listed some of the most common plants below.

SHRUBS:
Forsythia
Lilac
Flowering Quince
Bridal Wreath (Spirea)
Mock Orange
Flowering Almond
Weigela
Honeysuckle
Viburnum
Camellias
Azaleas
Rhododendrons

TREES:
Cherry
Crabapple
Dogwood


It is important to note here that once these shrubs and trees have flowered they will begin producing - albeit slowly - the buds for next year’s flowers. So, the bottom line here is, if you want to prune these plants do so as soon after they have flowered as possible. Do not wait until later (during the Summer or Fall) as by that time the buds will have already started forming.

The only exception to the above would be lightly pruning a few budded branches in the very early Spring, so that they can be taken indoors and forced to bloom. This, however, is outside of my area of expertise so I would recommend that if you are interested in this technique you search “forcing buds indoors” in your favorite search engine.

NEXT TIME: Don’t Force Your Summer Lawn In and Out of Dormancy

Choosing A Lawn Maintenance Contractor

For a variety of reasons, many homeowners prefer to hire out some or all of their lawn care and landscape maintenance chores. If you are looking to hire a contractor for your mowing and trimming, or fertilizing and pest control, or even to care for your trees and shrubs, there are steps you can take to find and hire a contractor who will be best suited for your needs.

An easy way to find a maintenance service is to keep your eyes open as you come and go through your neighborhood. If you have a neighbor who is using the type of service that you are looking for and it looks as though the contractors are doing a good job, you can always approach this neighbor and - after complimenting them for how nice their lawn looks - ask them if they would recommend the service. If you find several contractors that you believe might be suitable, you can request an estimate from each of them. Of course, you may also find suitable landscape maintenance services in the yellow pages, in the newspaper classifieds under Business Services, or from solicitations you receive in the mail.

When you find candidates for the maintenance you need, you should always ask for an estimate - preferably in writing. You should also check to make sure that they have any required licenses and permits, especially if they may be applying pesticides on your property. They should also have liability insurance should anything ever go wrong. You should also ask potential contractors how long they have been in business. How much expertise and education do they have for the work they may be performing? Will they supply you with references?

It is important to know exactly the type of service you are going to expect and convey that to any potential contractor. If you are going to be asked to sign a contract, be sure you read and understand all parts of the contract before you sign. It’s much better now to have too many questions than to later have regrets for not having made sure that the contract you signed would meet your needs.

For many homeowners, hiring out their landscape maintenance is not an option but a necessity. Many homeowners simply don’t have the time. If you are one of these people, do yourself a favor and take the time necessary to find a contractor you will be happy with.

NEXT TIME: Two Shrubs You Should Never Prune Until Just After They Have Flowered

Many Different Types Of Grass Seed Are Now Available

Many of the old standard lawn grass varieties have been greatly improved over the last couple of decades. Many of these varieties now require less maintenance, are more drought resistant and heat tolerant, and require less fertilizer and pesticide applications to look their best.

Kentucky Bluegrass - a long time favorite in northern regions - is now commonly available in varieties that are not only more heat and drought tolerant but also exhibit greater insect and disease resistance. New varieties of turf-type perennial rye grasses - often mixed with Kentucky Bluegrass - have now been bred to germinate more quickly and to tolerate foot traffic much better. Creeping Red Fescue and Chewings Fescue have long been mixed with Kentucky Bluegrass for use in lawns with shade and are even more shade and drought tolerant than they used to be. More recently developed for northern lawns, Turf-type Tall Fescues have undergone extensive development and are now commonly used for their very good heat and drought tolerances.

When a homeowner purchases grass seed for their lawn, premium seed with its higher price is worth that extra cost. But it is critical to read the label (and every part of that label) on a bag of grass seed before you make your purchase.

There are some key points to keep in mind when examining the label on a box or bag of grass seed. First of all, if it is your intent to create a permanent lawn with your seed, do not purchase the very large but inexpensive bag labeled as annual rye grass. This annual type of grass is intended to last one season - and only one season. In fact, avoid any seed mix that indicates that greater than five percent is annual rye grass. Grass seed labels will also show the weed content and other crop grasses on the label. Neither of these two should be more than half of one percent. The label will also indicate the amount of inert matter (the fill) and it should not be more than five percent. Additionally, if the container of seed contains any noxious weed seed, it will be stated on the label. My advice to you is that if any noxious weeds are listed on the label, do not use that grass seed. And finally, avoid any grass seed mix that includes bent grass or poa trivialis. These two can cause maintenance problems later.

If you are looking to establish a northern lawn and you are armed with the information in the above paragraph while making your selection, you will be purchasing a better grade of grass seed.

You will note that I have not mentioned southern grass varieties. All of my experience is with northern grass types. If you need information on southern grass varieties or on bermuda grass, I would recommend visiting http://www.bermudagrass.com/ or searching under “southern turf varieties” in your favorite search engine.

NEXT TIME: Choosing A Lawn Maintenance Contractor

Sod vs. Seed

When deciding on sod or seed for a new lawn (or a section of a lawn), a homeowner needs to take into account several considerations. Both methods have their pros and cons.

SOD: Pros
You get fast - almost instant - results.
The initial result is of very high quality.
Your lawn will start out weed free.
Sod is better suited for slopes, as erosion will be less of a factor.
Sod can be installed at any time during the growing season.

SOD: Cons
Laying sod is more expensive than seeding.
There are fewer choices in the varieties of turf available.
Sod should be unrolled and installed within 24 hours.

SEED: Pros
There is a wide variety of grass species to select from.
Seeding is less expensive.
Seeding is better suited for re-working small, irregular areas of a lawn.

SEED: Cons
With seeding it takes longer to establish your lawn.
Seeding requires more planning, site preparation and watering.
Seeding large areas are jobs best left to late Summer or early Fall.

With the above pros and cons of sod vs. seeding, you should be able to determine which method (or combination of methods) is best suited for your situation.

NEXT TIME: Many Different Types Of Grass Seed Are Now Available

If You Want Your Lawn To Look Like A Golf Course - It’s Gonna Cost Ya

Many homeowners believe that a properly cared for lawn should resemble a golf course.

The grounds on a golf course represent some of the most intensely managed areas of turf around. It is common that a large percentage of the operating budget for a golf course is spent just maintaining the landscape. It is also common for golf courses to utilize irrigation systems and frequent applications of fertilizer and herbicides to maintain the high standards expected. And it takes armies of grounds maintenance personnel routinely using expensive machinery - like core aeration machines to counteract compaction problems and precision cut reel mowers on the greens. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that if you had people and golf carts on your lawn all day, your lawn would also require a lot more special attention in order to look that great.

Since you probably do not have the kind of traffic on your lawn that a golf course has, it should not be necessary for you to expend the kind of resources that a golf course must in order to achieve a very attractive lawn. For example, the type of turf used on most golfing greens is bentgrass, which requires very short mowing to look its best. Although it is rare - at least in the Midwest - to find bentgrass as the turf of choice for the homeowner, it is not uncommon to find a homeowner trying to achieve a similar look by mowing their lawn entirely too short for the type of grass they’re growing.

If a homeowner maintains the height of their lawn between 3 and 4 inches, they are apt to find that watering once a week is all that their lawn needs. This weekly watering might even be supplied by rain. Another benefit to mowing your lawn high is a reduction in the amount of broadleaf weeds that can get a start in your lawn. Broadleaf weeds that start out in the shadow of taller blades of grass will often die from inadequate sunlight. It is also important to realize that turf mowed higher will have a lot more green leaves and thus be able to make a lot more of its own food through photosynthesis.

If you mow your lawn at a height of 3 to 4 inches it will require less water, less fertilizer, and less weed killers. It will better tolerate foot traffic. Simply put, your lawn will not only look better but it will be healthier.

NEXT TIME: Sod vs. Seed

Protecting Your Lawn From Grub Damage

If you are finding that every year you lose sections of your lawn to grubs eating at the grass roots, there is a product called “milky spore disease” that you should be aware of. Unlike other chemical insecticides that may harm much more than their targeted organisms, milky spore disease only targets grubs, and particularly the grubs of Japanese beetles. It should be noted here that most lawns have grubs scattered about in the root zone, and most of the time this small population of grubs does not cause any problem.

If you have a section of lawn that appears dead or to be dying, there is a simple procedure to find out if the cause is a grub infestation. Take a knife and cut an L-shaped pattern (approximately 18 inches per leg) in the affected area. Gently peel back the sod from the apex of the incision. If you find more than just a couple of grubs then you’re pretty safe in assuming that the damage to that part of your lawn is being caused by grubs. Also, if this particular area of your lawn is being harmed by grubs, you will notice when you peel back the sod that it peels back much easier than anticipated. The reason for this is that the grubs are chewing on the roots of your turf, thus making it very easy to peel pack the sod.

If you have determined that you do, in fact, have a grub problem then I highly recommend that you consider milky spore disease as a safe, effective, and very long-term means of grub control. Milky spore disease is a dry powder consisting of bacterial microbes that will only harm grubs. When applied to your lawn as directed by the label’s instructions, milky spore disease will get consumed by the grubs under your turf and they will die. After they have died, the milky spore disease microbes inside the dead grubs will continue consuming the grubs. At each point in your soil where a grub has died there will be a concentrated population of milky spore disease. These concentrated pockets can last 15 or more years. And the next time a new grub is feeding in the vicinity of one of these concentrated pockets, it too will die and become another pocket of milky spore disease.

It should also be noted that milky spore disease has not been shown to be harmful to earthworms, birds or any other organisms besides the white grubs. And due to the nature of milky spore disease - and how it works - once it has been applied to your lawn it becomes unnecessary to reapply more milky spore disease every year. If you are interested in finding more information on “milky spore disease”, you will find plenty available on the internet via your favorite search engine.

NEXT TIME: If You Want Your Lawn To Look Like A Golf Course, It’s Gonna Cost Ya