Posts Tagged ‘Fertilizer’

My lawn has white and brown patches this spring

Published by mrgrass on May 13th, 2013 - in Cultural Practices, Lawn Care Companies

 

I bet your lawn does look strange this spring, the result of unusually dry and sunny conditions.  I have seen grass dormant and just not growing because it has not had enough moisture. I have seen snow mold patches just sitting amongst healthy turf.  I have seen stressed out turf with sun scald blended in with drought stress from excessively nice weather.  I have seen rock walls heating up the soil and causing brown dormancy typical of late June or July.  What is going on?  I bet you wish this spring was more “normal” but instead, your usually plush green spring carpet is sitting idle or has patchy oddities mixed in.

When in doubt, go back to the basics of proper watering and mowing, even if it is mid-May.  Even if the weather is cool, sunny dry weather will cause just as much harm and unseen stress to grass as a July day at the beach.  Picture fresh new leaves emerging and they are delicate, like a house plant being brought out onto the porch after winter.  Days of sunny, dry weather and wind cause an excessive drying effect and stress load on the lawn.  Your lawn has just starting coming out of dormancy and is looking for an abundant supply of water, but none is to be found.  The bright sunny days and warming soil stimulate new leaf blades but the water is not in enough supply and any new growth becomes stressed.  This type of problem will manifest itself with slowed growth, light browning, or a fast shock of sun scald where patches of grass appear with white tips or half wilted leaf blades.  I have included a picture taken recently to illustrate what this spring’s weather has done to a normally healthy, vibrant lawn.

Sunny dry weather can cause all kinds of lawn problems

Short mowing, below 2”, places unreasonable and terrible stress on a lawn already setup to turn brown, even in May, yes – even in spring!  You must mow at 3” whenever possible to promote deeper rooting and a better food manufacturing area, otherwise known as grass blades, to enhance long-term density.  Watering in a cool, dry spring is very important – especially on sandy soils. 

Now is the time to wait for rain and hope that the dreams of green come true and the summer of 2012 was just a one-time nightmare.  Stay tuned because no one knows what 2013 will bring; good or bad. 

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NH lawn care includes fertilizer and lime for just $99

Published by mrgrass on April 4th, 2013 - in Fertilizer, Lawn Care Companies, Lime

Spring is officially here so take advantage of our spring lawn care special for a limited time to help your grass recover from snow mold and winter damage.

For just $99 we will give your lawn a generous portion of natural fertilizer and apply premium high calcium lime up to 10,000 square feet!  Save your spring weekend for family fun.

For more information or to just schedule this wonderful spring special, give us a call or e-mail turf@chippersin.com.

NH lawn care special, $99 for fertilizer and lime

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Is your lawn covered with snow?

Published by mrgrass on February 19th, 2013 - in Lawn Care Companies

While your lawn is covered with snow this winter, it may not seem to be a big deal when it comes to thinking about your lawn outside, but inside lots of planning is going on.  I spend most of the winter preparing for spring so that when it arrives, like a fine arts musical performance, the program begins and runs smoothly like a first violin playing in an orchestra.  Reviewing each account is a time consuming but necessary process in order to make personalized program modifications according to past results, weather, and notes added throughout the previous year.  This kind of attention allows me to provide a unique benefit to each client not readily found in the lawn care industry.  After making any necessary turf program adjustments, we mail out contracts in NH and VT in order to allow for either an early bird signup or a prepayment discount.  Since spring is often very hectic and busy, this preparation allows each client to review and select services ahead of time to insure they each get the results and fair pricing deserved.

A cold lawn waits for spring

Winter is also a great time for me to research new and better products and add them into the Essential Turf Care (ETC) program I launched back in 2008.  This kind of research is lots of fun because I can pick and choose not only more environmentally friendly materials, but utilize less known, but high performing materials that you simply will not find with larger lawn care corporations.  This is mainly because their programs are standardized across large regions and bulk purchasing means a more limited selection.  I love adding new and better products for the upcoming year!

If you are interested in a complimentary turf bid this upcoming season, realize that I will personally visit your home or business.  I can hardly wait for spring because then the real excitement begins…watching brown landscapes turn green.  If you have never considered a professional turf care program in the past for your own home or business, this might be the year to explore how I can save you time and money.  My service area ranges from eastern Vermont down to Concord NH and up to Lake Winnipesaukee.  Curbside appeal is a vital part of business these days by capturing those shoppers who still enjoy the brick and mortar stores. Restaurants and other high volume businesses need to attract customers by maintaining healthy but sustainable landscapes, which usually includes turf grass.  The same can be said for selling your home and attracting potential buyers.  Not too many potential buyers will be impressed nor interested in a house with a brown lawn or dead patches with a for sale sign. Even more home owners could enjoy other outdoor activities with family and friends while still reaping the benefits of a professional lawn care service.  This might just be the year.  See you outside!

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Spring lawn checklist for 2013

Published by mrgrass on November 5th, 2012 - in Aeration or Core Aeration, Cultural Practices, Lawn Care Companies, Lawn Pests, Bugs & Insects, Seeding & Overseeding
  • Your spring lawn checklist should include a review of your 2013 turf contract this winter or spring to take advantage of any preseason savings and to insure the work will be scheduled on a timely basis.  Lawn care companies are expecting an unprecedented high volume of work due to the heat, drought, and insect damage of 2012.

2013 spring lawn checklist, review it closely.

 

  • Check for grubs or other past insect damage (treat accordingly).
  • Schedule any renovation work early, as the demand will quickly find quality companies becoming booked with spring work, leaving you with limited choices or having to wait until fall.
  • Schedule your spring core aeration if you skipped it in 2012.
  • Schedule your spring lime and crabgrass inhibitor to get your lawn off to a good start.
  • Watch for ticks in April and May as the adults emerge looking for a meal!
  • Wait until the ground warms sufficiently before attempting any seeding.  April seeding generally does not perform well due to cold soil temperatures, even in southern NH.
  • Remove any debris which may have covered your lawn and cause harm such as branches, piles of leaves, plowed up sod, or gravel along the driveway.
  • Mow your lawn to 1.5 to 2” to help speed up soil warming in the spring. .  If the cut is good, just give your lawn a good raking an early spring weekend.
  • Do not dethatch or “power rake” your lawn unless it has a severe thatch issue.  This process causes more issues than it solves by tearing up healthy plants, dormant leaves and discourages a healthy recovery after winter.  Snow mold or winter damage will be magnified with power dethatching.  Save this process for the fall if you really need to see that huge pile of dethatched grass.
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Give your lawn a banana: potassium (K)

Published by mrgrass on October 9th, 2012 - in Fertilizer, Lawn Care Companies, Misc.

 

Potassium (K) is the last number in the triple letter fertilizer designation you find on the bag; 0-0-62 or N-P-K.  Potassium is a salty fertilizer which is generally applied in the fall to enhance turf performance the following year.  Second only to nitrogen in importance, potassium helps regulate water movement inside the grass plant which is critical during droughts like this past summer.  K also plays a key role in thickening cell walls to improve winter hardiness against the cold.  In terms of the next growing season, potassium improves wear tolerance in your lawn which comes in handy after a big party, BBQ, or soccer practice.  Although research is inconclusive, some disease resistance may be gained with not only a proper amount of potassium in the soil, but a balance with other key nutrients.  While no one nutrient is the “end all”, magic bullet; there are clear benefits to having a pure potassium treatment applied in the late fall before dormancy for improved water regulation, winter hardiness and wear tolerance.

Give your lawn a banana this fall: Potassium

 

I have applied potassium fertilizer to lawns and had the most spectacular, vivid green-up the following spring; the lawn almost seemed to glow!  I can speak from experience that ending the year with a banana for your lawn can help set the stage for a great April and May.  Since potassium is a small granule either white or reddish in tint, the product can easily be applied over a moderate leaf cover without reducing results.  Remember, with an analysis of 0-0-62 or 0-0-60 you have a high amount of potassium but no nitrogen or phosphorus.  With this special type of fertilizer, you only need a small amount of potassium fertilizer to receive great results next spring.

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Countdown until Halloween, a treat for your lawn

Published by mrgrass on October 2nd, 2012 - in Aeration or Core Aeration, Fertilizer, Lawn Care Companies, Lime

 

With the arrival of October, cooler weather and leaves changing color, the outdoors beckons the future arrival of winter.  With a month or two left before the lawn mower is put away, there are fun activities that can be done to prepare you lawn for that quiet slumber known as dormancy.  Warm soil with normal moisture levels can support great autumn growth in turf not just above ground, but below.  Providing enough fertilizer to increase root carbohydrates are a vital part of finishing off your lawn on the right foot.  The key is not to provide too much N (Nitrogen) which would cause excessively lush or succulent growth, thereby promoting winter kill and damage.  Hardening off your lawn starts in October and ends in November not only with decreasing mowing height, but with the right applications should they be warranted.  This would a good year to consider extra measures given the harsh summer we recently experienced

October remains a top month for lawn care in NH & VT

 

October is a great month to apply potassium based fertilizers or a standard fertilizer low in N that does not promote excessive top growth as November draws near.  Autumn provides an ideal opportunity to regain significant root growth, preparing the lawn for the spring of 2013.  Remember, good health in a lawn is not simply judged by the dark green color.  What goes on underground, unseen is even more important.  Energy reserves stored in the root system can help your lawn recover from whatever winter dishes out from ice, cold, and snow mold.  Speaking of snow mold, although treatment is not an endorsed practice in a residential home lawn, some special circumstances can warrant a late season fungicide to just before snow fall if you have problems with this damaging disease.

Hardening off your lawn with potassium based fertilizers and slowly lowering the mowing height from 3” to 1.5” over a 4-6 week period can enhance the hardiness of your own lawn this fall.  October remains a great month to core aerate if you have not had that procedure done in 2012.  Although overseeding in general should be done by late October in most of New England, aeration can be done right into November so long as the soil is moist and not frozen.  With the arrival of more mild winters of late, overseeding and mowing often can stretch a little longer than say 20 years ago.  I would not endorse bluegrass seed in late October simply because it can take up to three weeks just to germinate, that time frame does not allow for a whole lot of growth prior to snow or hard freezes.

Don’t forget, in Vermont it is against the law to apply any fertilizer containing Nitrogen beyond October 15th, unless you have a new lawn, as mandated by the legislature!  No one wants to break the law, do they?  Don’t waste time; make sure your lawn gets a winterizer before you carve the Halloween pumpkin, then you will have a treat for a lawn next year, not a trick.

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The definitive lawn checklist for fall

Published by mrgrass on September 24th, 2012 - in Aeration or Core Aeration, Compost Tea, Lawn Care Companies, Lawn Pests, Bugs & Insects

New Hampshire fall lawn care

The unusually dry weather has extended into September and even with cool weather, suffering turf remains brown while damaged lawns look more like broken boats on a beach after a hurricane.  Where do you begin unraveling such chaos and what appears to be a seemingly dauntless project?  There is still time to prioritize appropriate action, and even if they all cannot be done, setting goals now is critical so next spring you can continue with your lawn improvement plans.

First, is your lawn undergoing insect damage right now from grubs or chinch bugs?  If you cannot find the enemy yourself, have a professional check your lawn and determine if treatment is warranted.  If you miss this crucial step, most lawn pests will overwinter and not go away to Florida.  In fact, the population that damaged your lawn will continue to expand next spring causing even more problems.  Don’t be an ostrich, any repairs made now without addressing an underlying issue will be a waste of time and money.

Address the most important part of your lawn and focus on doing the job right.  Don’t bite off more than you can chew by attempting to renovate a half acre or more by yourself on a few weekends.  Unless you have access to a small army, you simply will not have enough time to remove the dead thatch, add loam/compost, seed, add starter fertilizer, and lime before it’s the end of October in New England.  Do the job right, don’t throw down 20lbs of seed on top of dead thatch and expect a new lawn, this simply won’t work.  For proper results, grass seed must be planted into a seed bed, be it compost, loam or a combination.  Like pepperoni on a pizza, making good soil contact without burying the seed is vital, with watering being the most important factor in a lawn fix.  No water equals no lawn.  You must commit to at least 2-3 weeks of watering in order to establish a turf area under normal conditions.  Even if the weather is cool, moisture is needed during germination and the early days of growth.

October generally brings leaves and debris as fall fades into early winter.  Be sure to keep heavy leaf litter picked up, especially on new grass.  Excessive leaves can mulch the newly planted lawn in mere weeks.  Mowing height can be slowly dropped to around 1.5” at the end of October for a last cut generally occurring in November.  A short cut can help reduce snow mold, winter kill, and other turf issues due to matting and long grass under the snow.  A pure potassium treatment in October can offer some increased hardiness by increasing cell wall thickness.  Don’t let the remaining weeks pass without addressing at least some of the lawn issues you are facing.  Even if some projects have to wait until next spring, get a game plan together now because with such widespread problems, professionals like me will be busy booking work into 2013.  Good luck!

 

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Lawn watering, from green to brown

Published by mrgrass2 on June 8th, 2011 - in Cultural Practices, Lawn Care Companies, Misc.

Watering your lawn is essential if you want to minimize browning

June is typically a transition month from cooler wet weather to warmer and drier weather in NH and VT.  While you may enjoy the warmer weather, your lawn is composed of cool season grasses and disapproves of 80 or 90 degree days.  Your grass is designed to flourish in 60 or 70 degree temperatures, but set the weather to broil and you will have consequences.  For instance, even a healthy green lawn with plenty of water is still susceptible to leaf scorch – a condition similar to taking a vacation in Mexico in January.  The lawn has succulent leaves, full of moisture, and they may not be fully prepared for hot weather.  I have seen lawns turn from a vibrant green to patches of white or tan overnight!  I can hear the phrase “what happened?” echo down the street from front porch to porch.

How can such a thing be prevented?  You can mow regularly with a sharp blade to 3,” not too short as to cause stress.  Don’t over fertilize either because too much of a good thing is never healthy.  A lawn cranked up on the golden juice of high soluble fertilizers is predisposed to stress and what we in the business call the classic “crash.”  This crash is a like watching a nice sports car hit a concrete wall – most unpleasant.  A lawn that is racing in terms of growth can be dangerous, especially if that same lawn runs out of soil moisture and/or hits a period of 90 degree days.  This type of weather can spell all kinds of trouble for what seemed bliss for you as a homeowner. You may see all kinds of white blotching as “hot spots,” as the sunniest areas tend to dry out first and turn a dull purple or off green.

Classic drought stress brought on in June by warm weather and minimal rainfall

Don’t confuse this type of situation with summer diseases which may also be present.  Dollar spot, brown patch, and a hoard of numerous villains await a weak, dry lawn, or one that stays wet overnight due to late watering or humidity.  Drought stress or sun scald can mimic diseases like dollar spot or patch diseases during the summer.  If you are in doubt, have a professional look in order to determine what course of action may be required.

Hot spots in a lawn should receive top priority when it comes to watering

When it comes to watering, anything is better than nothing when it comes to your lawn turning from green, to dull purple, to light tan, to all out brown.  Drought stress, combined with hot weather, can cause a lawn to crash and brown out in mere days if left unattended.  Any irrigation is better than no irrigation in the sense that once your lawn goes brown, it takes weeks to start new growth and push out new green leaves.  Brown grass leaves don’t just rehydrate and turn green for the most part – they are gone and need to be replaced.  Early intervention by watering can either minimize or prevent massive browning if done correctly.  Most turf wants 1” of rainfall per week to continue normal activities.  If you can water in the morning, this is preferred to help minimize disease and evaporation in the day’s heat.  Watering for a soaking is better than a light misting.  In other words, a 1hr soak is better than 15 minutes a day, yet 15 minutes a day is better than no irrigation at all.  Early watering will yield faster results and help the lawn stay green before things turn tan or brown.  Watch for those hazing dull patches, those sections that don’t bounce back after you walk over them so you can still see your footprints.  These are the priority areas that need water versus turf that is still a vibrant green.

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Lawn pests include grubs in NH & VT

Published by mrgrass2 on April 19th, 2011 - in Lawn Care Companies, Lawn Pests, Bugs & Insects

The Japanese beetle will not only eat foliage, the grubs will eat your lawn!

There are about eight major types of grubs in NH and VT that cause turf damage, ranging from the classic Japanese beetle to a masked chafer.  Grubs will cause lawn damage plus the adults will devour ornamental shrubs and trees in your landscape.  The potential loss of your investment makes controlling the young and adult stage of these beetles a sensible decision.  Luckily, there are organic and new products available to help control these villains plus many others!

As always, the best defense is a good offense.  Healthy turf can withstand root pruning and even minor damage without a pesticide being applied – even an organic one.  Proper cultural practices, such as proper irrigation and a high 3” mowing height, also help keep your lawn cooler and less desirable to adult beetles.  Overseeding with resistant turf varieties makes the grass taste less desirable, not necessarily to grubs but to their buddies above ground like chinch bugs, sod webworm and such.

New and old research shows that compost tea actually helps grass develop its own immune response to reduce damage from both insect and disease activity. Although not an easy turf treatment, beneficial nematodes provide 100% organic control in the spring or fall.  Milky spore disease was developed a long time ago to control only Japanese beetle grubs, not the other seven.  Unfortunately, the spores take years to develop due to the cold New England winters.  As a result, Milky spore is not recommended by professionals as it simply does not work in NH or VT.

New organic pesticides that are ORMI certified contain capcaisin, the active ingredient in hot peppers. To obtain good results, and because the organic treatments are short-lived, multiple visits are required in the spring and fall to obtain predictable results.  Even organic pesticides require extensive licensing and certification in both NH and VT.  If you are considering “professional help,” be sure to ask for the company’s NHPC number in NH or license certification in VT before having any treatment done on your property- organic or otherwise!  The potential damage inflicted by an application remains substantial, even if the material used is 100% organic, with improper rates, training, and equipment.  In today’s economy, everyone with a pickup truck claims he is an organic landscaper but doesn’t have the credentials, insurance, or education to back up the temporary lettering.

For those ‘do-it-yourself’ folks, be careful what you purchase and use this spring.  For instance, “Grubex” is another name for Acelypryn, a great new product for controlling grubs and other harmful insects.  Unfortunately, if used at the wrong time, your application will not work due to the size and life stage of the pest you may desire to eliminate.  This factor underscores the importance of proper training and state certification where turf technicians must learn not only insect but local disease pests.

While the bag you buy at your hardware store may be well labeled for grubs, you may not be applying it at the right time or stage of the pest.  Said another way, just because the bag says it controls pests X, Y, and Z does not mean you are going to control them due to the time of year.  This type of activity would be the definition of a waste of money, time, and chemical.  Without the proper information on the life cycle of the pest you seek to destroy or reduce, applying home products is like shooting in the dark.

In summary, there are lots of ways to help your lawn look great, with the best and least environmental impact being the cultural and day to day upkeep of the turf.  Integrating resistant grasses during lawn overseeding/establishment and implementing organic or natural bacterial and friendly fungi are super tools with no harmful side effects.  In my opinion, pesticides should only be used as a last resort or when there may be a history of continual damage on a scale that would outweigh the omission of such products.  In other words, a $400 treatment outweighs a $5,000 renovation!

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Spring Lawn Checklist 2011

Published by mrgrass2 on March 22nd, 2011 - in Aeration or Core Aeration, Crabgrass, Cultural Practices, Fertilizer, Lawn Care Companies, Misc.

Goodbye winter, hello green!

The snow is mostly gone, you may even have a few lingering snow banks that refuse to leave, but for the most part, your lawn is begging for some attention.  Here is a handy spring checklist for your home lawn as you prepare for spring.

1. Plow damage.  It’s been a snowy, rough winter and if you had your driveway plowed, you are likely going to have plow damage.  Chunks of sod and lawn likely got plowed up along the edges and pushed further back onto your lawn.  These pieces of turf chunks may be close to their original location which is now just a scar in the dirt.  If possible, try to put the lawn puzzle back together and place the grass pieces back onto bare soil.  It may well be weeks before anything else can be done and during that time frame, those pieces of grass will start to break dormancy and grow.  Having them at least touching soil is better than mulching your unharmed lawn where they currently reside.  You can always move these grassy sections later and seed as needed into surrounding bare areas.

2. Debris. You may well find gravel, junks of asphalt, branches, leaves, and other debris that simply don’t belong on a grassy surface.  The sooner you can rake and remove this debris, the better.  If the debris is left in its current location, you may not see it during your first mow.  Nothing is more painful than hitting sticks, rocks, and gravel with your mower having been placed onto your lawn by a plow truck.  Leaves left in piles or allowed to matt, especially in shade, will simply mulch any existing grass depending upon its health and density.  The less debris the better.

3. Raking. There are two ways to rake a lawn, one is intentionally damaging- power raking/dethatching, the other is just plain hand raking or using a pull behind tractor implement.  I do not recommend power raking/dethatching unless the lawn has a severe, and by severe I mean a thatch problem- over 1” thick.  Most lawns do not have this kind of depth when it comes to thatch.  As a result, if the average lawn is power raked, it is actually damaged by the process of tearing and cutting.  Since the grass is dormant, and likely stressed by winter ice/snow/cold damage, power raking tears up roots and actually thins a lawn which in most cases is not a desired outcome.  If seeing piles of dead grass blades makes you feel warm inside, you might want to look at a coffee or hot cocoa instead, it certainly will do less damage to your lawn.  I have seen perfectly healthy lawns nearly destroyed by well intended landscapers, only to be called in to repair the damage by overseeding and other processes.  Stick with a hand rake and fluff the lawn up to help it warm and start to grow, or hire someone to do a spring cleanup which includes light raking.  If your lawn has a thatch issue, consider core aeration later in the spring or fall after it has recovered from winter damage.

4. Fertilizer/Crabgrass control. If you are going to use either fertilizer and crabgrass control blended together- don’t put it down too early.  A crabgrass barrier/inhibitor has a limited life span and can easily thin out turf already in a weakened state from winter.  Your best bet is to apply a plain balanced fertilizer to enhance recovery in April, than follow it up with a crabgrass inhibitor in May for maximum results.  This order will accomplish the best of both treatments while not subjecting your lawn to further stress, thinning, or damage.

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