Cultural Practices
Have a question related to weed control and fertilization you would like us to address? Send an email to operations@easybuttonlawnservice.com and you may see that topic in a future post.
Our fall preemergent window is approaching
By late August, we will begin applying our fall pre-emergent applications. We use a split application, meaning we put a portion of the label rate down over two applications. We use specticle flo to ensure we have the best poa annua control available on the market. It is vitally important that these treatments be watered in to ensure the pre-emergents get in to the soil profile.
To save money, many of our competitors still use legacy pre-emergents in the fall, like prodiamine and simazine, which are not as effective as specticle flo at preventing poa annua. This means you get much more break through of poa annua making your lawn look unsightly by late winter, early spring once the poa annua begins to grow.
Summer has Arrived!
Summer is here and we have started our weed management program for those that use that service and will begin raising the cut height on all biweekly maintenance clients. Our goal is to either maintain your weed free lawn, or for new clients, get your lawn generally weed free by the end of the summer.
Whether we cut your lawn or you do, a higher cut is beneficial in the summer for multiple reasons, here are a few:
1) A higher cut provides a canopy over the soil, reducing the chances of seed germination as pre-emergent effectiveness begins to wane later in the summer, prior to application of fall pre-emergent.
2) It also ensures we can adhere to the 1/3 rule as much as possible. Cutting more than 1/3 of a grass blade increases the chance for disease, as the plant has a harder time recovering.
3) Cutting higher prevents, for the most part, the green being cut away from your lawn. For those that pay for lawn treatments, you want your lawn to be green all summer, not just short periods of time between cuts.
What do we mean by higher cut? Well, it depends, but as a general rule we mean anywhere between 3 and 4 inches.
Dethatching, Fertilization and Aeration, On the Way!
As the grass greens up, it means it's time to get ready for the growing season here in the south. First, determine if you have a heavy thatch layer and if so, dethatch your lawn. It helps prevent disease, encourages proper decomposition, allows helps nutrients enter the soil profile.
Next, throw down some fertilizer according to your turf type's needs. Turf like centipede need less fertilization than a bermuda turf like TIFWAY 419.
Finally, once your lawn is vigorous with growth, aerate. It loosens the compaction of the soil and provides for better nutrient, water and oxygen uptake by the roots of the plant.
Give us a call with any questions, we'd love to help!
Watering to Limit Heat Stress
To prevent or limit heat stress on your lawn during periods of drought, water your lawn two times per week at a rate of one half inch per zone. The goal is to provide 1.5 inches of water per week to your lawn so if there is no rain for a week or two, you can increase the watering time to get closer to 1.5 inches.
This encourages deep root growth of your lawn helping reduce the effects of heat stress on your lawn while also discouraging the growth of sedges.
If you have clay soil as many of us do, a great approach is to split your watering into cycles. For example, for a three zone system, water zone 1,2 and 3 at a quarter inch of water each, then repeat the zones a second time for the remaining quarter inch By splitting your watering, it gives the soil time to absorb the water, reducing the amount of runoff.
January is Preemergent Time
It's coming up on prime time to apply preemergent. If you want to prevent nasty invasive weeds like crabgrass ensure you get it down in January or early February dependent on weather.
For DIYer's we recommend Spectracide products as they have the best combination of chemicals in our opinion.
If you prefer professionals take care of your lawn treatment needs, give a call @ 706-941-6600. We would love the opportunity to keep your lawn looking beautiful and the envy of the neighborhood!
Yellow Nutsedge
Yellow nutsedge is perennial weed that plagues many lawns here in the CSRA. Unfortunately because it is a perennial, this sedge can not be controlled with preemergent herbicides. It seems to do well in poorly drained areas and compact soil in which desired grass may struggle.
Best cultural practices are to cut your lawn high and water your lawn deeply but less frequently, making the area less desirable to the sedge. Read our blog article on watering practices to learn why deep watering is a better choice for your lawn.
You can accompany these cultural practices with fertilization which helps your grass out compete the sedge, and chemical controls which help kill the plant over time.
Fall Preemergent
If you want a pristine lawn we are very close to our fall preemergent window here in the CSRA. If you've lived here for a year or more, you've likely heard of and seen poa annua, also known as annual bluegrass. Your fall preemergent application will ensure little to no poa annua germinate and develop in to the adult plant, which can detract from the curb appeal of your lawn.
There are several products on the market but if you want the best, Specticle Flo is the only way to go. This is the industry go to for those companies willing to spend a little extra for a premium product. If you want to apply this product yourself, ensure you do so before your soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees.
Feel free to contact us with any questions. We'd love to help in any way we can!
Winter Dormancy
Unless you plant a winter rye or some other cool season grass, lawns will begin going dormant over the next couple of months. Although weather determines when warm season grass goes dormant, we typically see this change no later than mid November.
A few best practices would be to cut your lawn low for the winter, typically 1.5 to 2 inches in height. This reduces the chance for fungal problems over the winter. Once your lawn goes dormant, you can stop watering as well. This saves money and also helps in prevention of fungal growth.
If you have any weed problems that show up during or continue through dormancy, this is a great time to address them because you can use glyphosate for those hard to kill weeds like dallisgrass without harming your bermuda lawn.
We hope this information is useful and if you have any questions feel free to contact us at 706-941-6600.
Poa Annua
Although we love to be able to provide methods in which to control weeds without chemicals, poa is one that you really need to apply a fall preemergent to control. Because it can become such an eyesore we felt it was important enough to discuss in our cultural controls section.
There are many products on the market available to homeowners such as Prodiamine but the most effective preemergent for poa annua control is Specticle Flo. It is rather expensive, selling for around $300 for their smallest bottle, but is also a prime example of the saying, you get what you pay for.
If you prefer to have a professional treat your lawn, you're in luck, we use Specticle Flo and are currently running a signup discount for those who start service before October 1st 2021.
Give us a call so we can get this preemergent applied before soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees.