Not All Grassy Weeds Are Crabgrass

It is important for homeowners to understand that crabgrass can be easily confused with other weedy grasses. Knowing certain characteristics of crabgrass will go a long way toward eliminating this confusion.

Most desirable lawn grasses have relatively narrow leaves. These grasses include: Bluegrass, Creeping Red Fescue, Chewing Fescue and others. Native wild grasses, on the other hand - such as quack grass, barnyard grass, goose grass, buffalo grass and even foxtail - tend to have a much wider leaf blade. Crabgrass also has a wide bladed leaf but it has other characteristics that make it easily identified.

First of all, crabgrass is an annual and will not survive any frost. Therefore, you will not find crabgrass in your lawn when temperatures still drop to or below freezing at night. And when crabgrass first starts to sprout it will have several very short and wide blades that are a much lighter green than the rest of the lawn. Crabgrass also has much less fiber content in its leaves than most other grasses. In fact, if you pull off a blade of crabgrass and smash it then roll it between your forefinger and thumb, it will basically become green mush. Crabgrass also tends to hold a lot of water in its leaves. This is why crabgrass is often called “water grass”. Another characteristic is that the growing habit of crabgrass tends to be more prostrate and spreading than upright. Probably the most distinguishing characteristic of crabgrass is its seed producing pattern. This pattern is somewhat reminiscent of an open umbrella with the fabric removed. The seed heads contain several long shafts radiating out in different directions that are covered with very tiny seeds. Another identifying feature of crabgrass is that when the temperature starts to get very cool, but not yet freezing, crabgrass will become almost violet in color.

The bottom line here is that if you’re going to take the time and spend the money on a crabgrass killer, make sure that it is crabgrass and not some other weedy grass that you’re trying to get rid of. I say this because crabgrass killer is selective - it will have an effect on crabgrass but not on most other grasses, even though those other grasses may be weedy. If you feel that you might still have difficulty identifying crabgrass, a quick search on your favorite search engine should supply you with more than enough pictures.

NEXT TIME: Soil vs. Dirt

Some Considerations When Refueling Your Lawnmower

Today I’d like to briefly discuss a property of gasoline that may not be commonly understood. That property involves the changeable volume of gasoline based on changes to its temperature.

Most people are aware that the liquid in a thermometer expands and contracts based on the surrounding temperature. Like the liquid in a thermometer, gasoline will also expand or contract with changes in temperature. I’m sorry to say that I have learned this lesson - and then re-learned this lesson - on several occasions. The circumstances go something like this: I am running gasoline powered equipment. I run out of gasoline. And then, because I am eager to finish the job without having to stop again to refuel, I fill the gas tank of my power equipment too high. I set the fuel can down and reach for the gas tank cap, but before I can actually get the cap on I notice the gasoline continuing to rise and suddenly overflowing the gas tank. My mistake here was not leaving enough room in the tank for the gas to expand. This has also happened to me a couple of times where I had finished securing the gas tank cap and suddenly the gasoline started squirting out the air hole in the center of the cap.

Needless to say, this is a potentially explosive situation. Particularly if the engine you are refueling is very hot. The lessons I learned here are usually spelled out in the Owner’s Manual for any gasoline powered equipment. Most manuals will tell you, “Do not overfill the gas tank when refilling.” They will also mention that refilling an engine that is still hot should be avoided. And most power mower manuals will recommend that you not refuel the mower while it is still on the lawn. (Any gasoline spilled on the lawn will not explode but it will definitely kill the grass.) And, of course, due to the explosive nature of gasoline when ignited, it is a very bad idea to refuel power equipment if there are any nearby sparks, flames or burning cigarettes.

Finally, if you are using any two-cycle engines (be it a mower, weed-whip or blower), I highly recommend: 1) storing your two-cycle gasoline mixture in a clearly identifiable gas can, and 2) that you do your mixing as soon as possible after refilling that gas can. If you do not have a clearly marked two-cycle gas can and you mistakenly refill your two-cycle engine with straight unmixed gas, there is a very good possibility that your two-cycle engine will overheat and be destroyed in short order. And the reason I suggest mixing your gasoline as soon as possible (meaning at the gas station) is that way you are not apt to forget that the gasoline needs to be mixed before it can be used in a two-cycle engine.

In summary, always read, understand and follow all the safety precautions in your power equipment manual. Remember when you are refueling that one gallon of gasoline has the explosive power of several sticks of dynamite.

NEXT TIME: Not All Grassy Weeds Are Crabgrass

Spring Loaded Downspout Extensions

There was a time when rainwater landing on a homeowner’s roof would be diverted from a gutter system to downspouts that were connected directly to a municipality’s storm drain system. Today, the water running through a homeowner’s downspout is usually released at the base of the downspout and directed onto the ground at a spot close to the foundation.

Sometimes homeowners will run an extension from the end of their downspout and out a ways onto their lawn or into their flower bed so as to minimize excess water near the foundation. The problem with most downspout extensions - besides not being very attractive and becoming a tripping or mowing hazard - is that they do not slow down or spread out the flow of water at their ends. And if such an extension ends in a flower or shrubbery bed that is mulched with nuggets or shredded bark, then chances are pretty good that an average rainfall will wash the mulch away from the area at the end of the extension. Furthermore, rainwater exiting a downspout or its extension directly onto a homeowner’s lawn is apt to wash away topsoil and cause a thinning of the grass in these frequently flooded areas.

It is common to find splash guards or splash blocks at the base of many homeowner’s downspouts. But although these help to slow the water down and to spread it out, the excess water is usually still too close to the foundation. Fortunately there are a products on the market that seem to solve many of the problems associated with downspouts and extensions. The mechanism by which this product works is reminiscent of common party favors called blowouts. When the party-goer blows into a blowout, a rolled up paper with a thin metal coil inside shoots out and becomes a long air filled tube. Then when the party-goer stops blowing, releasing the pressure, the tube immediately collapses and returns to its coiled position. The product for downspouts - often referred to as a “rain drain” and made of vinyl - will remain in a coiled position at the base of downspouts. One end of the vinyl is secured around the downspout, the other end is sealed except for a few small holes. When sufficient water pressure from rain causes the coil to unwind and stretch out, the water is allowed to escape in a more gentle manner and about four feet away from the foundation. Then when most of the water has left the vinyl tube, the tube flattens out and coils back up out of the flower bed or off the lawn and out of the way.

So the next time you’re looking for an alternative downspout extension, consider this self-expanding and self-retracting product. It will help to get more water away from your foundation and yet will be gentler on the bed or your lawn where it is used.

P.S. If you are interested in more info on this product just visit the URL below:
http://www.rainguardusa.com/
downspout-gutter-extension-4-foot-white-p-32.html



NEXT TIME: Some Considerations When Refueling Your Lawnmower

Keep That Mulch Off Your Lawn

Regardless of what you use as a mulch in a flower or shrubbery bed, it is important to make sure that material stays in the bed and out of the nearby lawn.

First off, if the mulch material is shredded bark or bark nuggets it can easily become hidden in 3 to 4” tall grass. When it comes time to mow, this type of material can definitely take the edge off your mower blade. There is also the danger that pieces of this mulch will get thrown out at high velocity from the underside of the mower deck. This same hazard exists if you use a weed whip to trim along the turf at the bed’s edge.

A third reason to keep pieces of mulch out of the lawn at the bed’s edge is because it may build up and start to smother the edge of the turf. This is particularly true if small pieces of hidden mulch get repeatedly stepped on or rolled over with the mower’s wheels.

One of the best ways to keep mulching materials in bounds is by using edging material positioned so that the top of the edging is higher than the surface of the mulch. It would also help to discourage pets from disturbing your mulched beds.

If you find it very difficult to keep your mulching material where it belongs - and out of the grass - you may want to consider planting a ground cover in the bed instead of using mulch. Common ground covers used this way are myrtle, pachysandra, and a variety of sedums. I have also seen prostrate or “rug” juniper used effectively as a ground cover.

Photo below illustrates the proper use of edging between a lawn and a mulched bed.

NEXT TIME: Spring Loaded Downspout Extensions

My Favorite Ground Cover In Areas Close To My Lawn

Years ago I was not much of a fan of ground covers. They always seemed too invasive and too hard to maintain. Then I discovered pachysandra, sometimes referred to as pachysandra terminalis or Japanese Spurge.

Pachysandra is a broadleaf evergreen that stands about a foot tall. It has a small off-white flower in the Spring that is not particularly showy. The foliage of pachysandra in the spring is green tinged with purple, in the summer it is bright green, and in the winter (or when planted in sunnier locations) it is a more yellow green. Pachysandra is a very shade tolerant plant and will do well in full to partial shade. It prefers a moist to wet, well-drained, loam or sandy soil that is rich in organic matter.

There are several reasons why I prefer pachysandra as a good multi-purpose ground cover. First, because - unlike so many other plants - it does well in dense shade. And because it will tolerate a pH range from 3.5 to 6.0, it will also grow under evergreens when many other plants will not. Additionally, pachysandra is extremely easy to grow and maintain in Climate Zones from 3 to 8.

One of the downsides of using pachysandra as a ground cover is its high cost when purchased at a garden center. It can easily cost $25 or more per flat. Another downside is that it is meant to initially be planted in a sparse one-foot grid pattern. So the first year you put in pachysandra it will not look its best; in fact, it will look its worst. The following year it will begin to fill in and start looking more like the ground cover it is. By the third year, it will be dense and standing proud.

Some of the reasons I am particularly fond of pachysandra include the following. If it creeps into the lawn it is easily removed or controlled. If your lawn starts to creep into the pachysandra it’s very easy to remove the grass without harming the pachysandra. One of my all-time favorite benefits of pachysandra is that in the Autumn when tree leaves fall onto pachysandra they do not need to be removed. All that is necessary is to take a soft broom or the back side of a lawn rake and gently sweep the top of the pachysandra. When you do this the dry leaves will fall down into the ground cover and out of sight. As those hidden leaves decay they will produce nutrients for the pachysandra. Lastly, although pachysandra is expensive when purchased, once established it is easy to transplant and start new sections of the ground cover in other areas of your landscape. If you have a friend or neighbor who has had pachysandra growing in their yard for three or more years, they might even be willing to let you have some clippings so that you can start cultivating your own.

So the next time you’re looking for a tough and versatile ground cover that will look good next to your lawn all year round, consider pachysandra. It’s my favorite. See photo below.

NEXT TIME: Keep That Mulch Off Your Lawn

Dealing With Grass When It Becomes A Weed

Sometimes the grass in a homeowner’s lawn will find its way into areas in which it does not belong. Some of these areas may include flower beds, vegetable gardens, shrubbery and beds that are mulched (meant to be plant free).

Some grasses - including Kentucky Bluegrass - can reproduce themselves by way of underground rhizomes. These adventurous rhizomes will grow and spread out below the surface of the soil. They then produce new grass plants, sometimes a foot or more away from the original grass plant that sent out the rhizome. Now mind you, when this happens within the confines of the area you designate as your lawn, this is an ideal situation. Basically, it means that your lawn is self-repairing. However, your lawn will also send out exploratory rhizomes that will find their way into places outside your lawn where you do not want grass to grow.

One of the easiest ways of preventing the grass in your lawn from finding its way into areas not considered your lawn is to use edging. Basically, edging acts as a barrier to adventurous grass roots and rhizomes. Black plastic edging is commonly available in most lawn and garden shops. The use of this type of edging will go a long way toward keeping grass in bounds.

Sometimes, despite a homeowner’s best efforts, grass will find its way into places it doesn’t belong. Sometimes this grass can be eliminated simply by pulling and removing all of the grass and its roots. However, sometimes this is more easily said than done. It can be very difficult to remove grass growing through certain groundcovers, under shrubbery and in dense flowerbeds. Trying to remove grass in these areas by hand may destroy the look of the groundcover or flowerbed. Although I believe that lawn care pesticides should only be used when absolutely necessary, a product on the market called Grass-B-Gon is very well-suited for situations where the removal of grass by hand is impractical. This product will kill only grass plants so it is safe to use around groundcovers, shrubbery and flowers.

Keep in mind that the best defense in these matters is prevention, with the use of edging and hand-pulling before the situation gets out of control.

NEXT TIME: My Favorite Ground Cover In Areas Close To My Lawn

Defining A Weed

One day over 20 years ago when I was studying horticulture, the professor announced he would be defining the term “weed” that day. His definition was very simple and I have never forgotten it. He said, “A weed is any plant out of place.”

There are some interesting implications with this definition. Most people consider dandelions weeds and yet there are many people who cultivate dandelions intentionally to be used as food or in medical preparations. The people who do this would never consider their crop “weeds”. Another example is clover. Many homeowners go to great lengths in order to rid their lawn of any trace of clover. On the other hand, there are a growing number of homeowners who intentionally scatter clover seed into their lawns. So one homeowner considers clover a weed and another considers clover to be a great way of naturally increasing the nitrogen content in their lawn’s soil.

There is another way to consider the above definition of a weed. Many gardeners commonly plant violets in their flower beds. It’s a very attractive plant with a very showy flower. Unfortunately, violets are very invasive and once they start growing in a lawn they can be very difficult to get rid of. So the question is, are violets a flower or a weed? I believe the answer is written in the first paragraph. It is only a weed if it is growing where it is unwanted, if it is out of place.

There are many plants that, depending on where they are growing, could be considered a desirable plant or they could be considered a weed. There are far too many plants to mention here that could easily fit into either of these two categories, but a few that you may be familiar with include: Wild Garlic, Queen Anne’s Lace and Ferns.

The bottom line here is that any plant growing in your lawn that you don’t want to see growing in your lawn is a weed. By the same token, if Kentucky Bluegrass has crept into your flower garden then even Kentucky Bluegrass has become a weed.

NEXT TIME: Dealing With Grass When It Becomes A Weed