Lawn Care Maintenance » Lawn Maintenance

Lawn Diseases

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:32:30 +0000

Lawn Diseases

Lawn diseases are a good indication a landscape might be out of balance

Sometimes bad things happen even to the healthiest lawns. Lawn Diseases are one of those things. Many lawn diseases are not easy to identify and to distinguish from other problems such as pests or poor maintenance. Much like human diseases, lawn diseases can be difficult to properly diagnose and even harder to treat correctly. Chances are that some of you reading this will already have a lawn disease problem. Stress makes turf grasses vulnerable to lawn diseases. While it may be caused by cutting grass too short, or failing to fertilize, often it comes from environmental conditions such as unusually wet or dry weather which trigger fungal growth. There is no way to control the weather; however, many disease problems can be curbed with simple preventive cultural practices. In many cases the best tactic is to do nothing; when the weather changes the disease will just go away.

Common lawn diseases

Snowmold

Snowmold is most common to Kentucky Bluegrass and Fescues in regions where snow falls and sits on the lawn for extended periods of time.

The best prevention for Snowmold is to aerate often. Improving water drainage, raking leaves off lawn’s surface, and follow a fertilization schedule to help prevent over-fertilization in the late-fall can also help.

Aerifying your lawn is probably the best preventative measure you can incorporate.

Use Aerify bio-enhanced liquid dethatcher!

Brown Patch

Brown Patch is most common to Bermuda, Kentucky Bluegrass, Centipede Grass, Bent Grass, St. Augustine, and ryegrasses in regions with high humidity and/or shade. Brown patch commonly starts as a small spot and can quickly spread outwards in a circular or horseshoe pattern up to a couple of feet wide. Often times, while expanding outwards, the inside of the circle will recover, leaving the brown areas resembling a smoke-ring.

The best prevention for brown patch is to aerate often, reduce shade to effected areas, and follow a fertilization schedule to help prevent fertilization with excess amounts of nitrogen.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator. Trim overhang limbs to allow more sunlight on the affected area.

Dollar Spot

Dollar spots are most common to Kentucky Bluegrass, Bent Grass, and Bermuda in humid climates. They get their name from their small silver dollar-like shape, but can begin as the size of a small grapefruit. Usually looks brown or straw-colored in appearance. The spots may merge to form large patches several feet wide

Dollar spot is most common during warm, wet weather with heavy dews and in those lawns with low levels of nitrogen.

The best prevention for brown patch is aerate often, water only in the morning hours if additional water is necessary, remove excess thatch, and follow a fertilization schedule to help increase the amount of nitrogen levels in your lawn.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator. Apply a good micronutrient product such as Nature’s Magic along with a good 16-4-8 organic fertilizer.

Fairy Rings

Fairy Rings can grow in most grasses, and are distinguishable by circular rings filled with fast-growing, dark-green grass. Around the perimeter of the ring, the grass will typically turn brown and often times grow mushrooms. Fairy rings typically grow in soils that contain wood debris and/or old decaying tree stumps.

The best prevention for fairy ring is to aerate the diseased area, water well in the morning hours, remove excess thatch, and follow a fertilization schedule to help increase the amount of nitrogen levels in your lawn.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator and a bio-enhanced dethatcher.

Rust

Rust gets its name from the orange, “rusty” appearance it gives leaf blades. Most commonly effecting ryegrasses and Kentucky Bluegrass, rust tends to flourish in conditions of: morning dew, shade, high soil compaction, and low-fertility. The best way to check for rust problems is by taking a white tissue or paper towel and rubbing a few grass blades through it. If an orange color remains, then it’s usually rust.

The best prevention for rust is to aerate your lawn, water well in the morning hours, reduce shade to grass, mow more frequently; follow a fertilization schedule to help increase the amount of nitrogen levels in your lawn.

If Rust has been a problem in the past, mow frequently.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator and a bio-enhanced dethatcher. Trim overhanging branches to allow more sunlight.

Grease Spot

Grease Spot can affect all grasses in humid climates and can be recognized by the slimy-brown patches that often have a white, cotton-like fungus around it. Grease Spot gets its name for the “greasy” appearance it makes while matting together and can appear in streaks across the lawn.

The best prevention for Grease Spot is to aerate often, water in the morning hours only, remove excess thatch, reduce shade on lawn, and cutback on the nitrogen levels during fertilization.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator and a bio-enhanced dethatcher. Trim overhanging branches to allow more sunlight.

Red Thread
(Laestisaria Fuciformis)

Red Thread is most common to Fescues, Ryegrasses, and Kentucky Bluegrasses during times of moist and cool weather. Red Thread gets its name from the pinkish-red threads that form around the leaf blades and bind them together. Eventually, the affected grass will turn brown.

It attacks only leaves and leaf sheaths and is seldom serious enough to kill a lawn.

The red treads will be most visible when wet.

The best prevention for Red Thread is to aerate often. Mowing to proper levels, reduce shade on lawn, follow a regular fertilization schedule. Make sure to include nitrogen and potassium.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator and a bio-enhanced dethatcher. Trim overhanging branches to allow more sunlight.

Powdery Mildew

Grass looks as though it is sprinkled with flour. Kentucky bluegrass and shade areas are the most susceptible. Grass will wither and die.

Water only in the morning; reduce shade by pruning, aerate and check drainage in the area.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator.

Pythium Blight

Irregularly shaded spots of wilted brown grass. Cobweb-like mass of fungus on moist nights or mornings. Patches cluster to form streaks a foot or more wide

Do not over fertilize or over water and don’t mow when grass is wet.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator.

Fusarium Blight (Summer Patch)

Light green patches that spread, turn reddish brown and then die.

Do not over fertilize and maintain a good watering schedule.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator.

Leafspot-Melting Out

Brown to purple lesions (spots on blades. Irregular dying areas of grass lesions on grass in margins of dead area. Caused by excess nitrogen fertility and possibly excess thatch buildup

Do not introduce additional nitrogen when fertilizing, aerate and detach lawn.

Use Aerify liquid bio-enhanced aerator and a bio-enhanced dethatcher. Apply a good micronutrient product such as Nature’s Magic

Slime Mold

Like powdery mildew, slime molds covers grass with a powdery covering that looks almost like crystallized frost. Feeds on decaying organic matter found in the soil. As the powdery covering becomes thicker, it reduces the light reaching the plant cells, and they begin to turn yellow.

No prevention. Usually not harmful.

In some cases, the grass blades can be hosed off with a forceful stream of water.

Visit our Website for organic products, tips, and problem solvers.

Age: 62, There’s a lot of experience in these gray hairs!

Education: Master of Science in Quality Management, Quality Control

Status: Married 38 years, 4 children, 10 grandkids

Company: The Organic lawn Care Store – http://www.theorganiclawncarestore.com/

O’HARA LANDSCAPE & MAINTENANCE INC. WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:08:24 +0000

This is a video of a property tour for O’HARA LANDSCAPE & MAINTENANCE INC. in West Palm Beach, Florida 33407. Our Services SERVICES TO ENHANCE AND OPTIMIZE THE APPEARANCE AND VALUE OF YOUR PROPERTY LAWN MAINTENANCE Litter is removed from the lawns during every mowing operation. Mowing frequency selected by client varies from every week during summer to every two weeks during the dormant season. Mowing height is correct for the turf variety. Mower blades are sharp and level to minimize scalping. High grass is line trimmed (weed eaters) where mowers do not reach to complete every mowing operation. Paved areas and curbs are edged, blown off, and/or vacuumed during every mowing operation. Excess clippings are removed from the lawns. TRIMMING AND PRUNING Completed as necessary to maintain proper shape, healthy growth, and optimum bloom. Clean up of trimming debris is completed daily. Tree limbs and sucker shoots are bottom pruned for improved aesthetics, access, and visibility. Tree limbs are pruned away from buildings. Dead and yellowing fronds are removed from the palm trees. Saplings, springerie, and other invasive vegetation are controlled or removed unless their removal endangers adjacent landscaping. BED MANAGEMENT Plant beds are carefully edged by specialists to maintain proper size and good form. We use blades and do not use herbicides to form bed edges. We use a combination of manual (by hand) and chemical (herbicide) methods to effectively control plant bed and …

Dealing with Lawn Shade

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:39:19 +0000

Dealing with Lawn Shade

Grass seed sold for “shady” areas really needs a minimum of 4 hours of direct sun a day to grow without stress. Not only is it difficult, grass competes with the trees for food and water and the grass wins. You not only have grass in stress, but because of the grass your trees are in stress. I suggest considering a groundcover of some kind to replace as much of the shaded grass as you can aesthetically tolerate. Even a few feet of ground cover around the base of the tree protects it from damage from the lawn mower or string trimmer. A shady lawn is a high maintenance lawn.

Ground Covers Replace Lousy Grass

Groundcovers are plants that are established to totally fill an area just with those plants so they tightly fill in the space. When filled in, the groundcover patch seldom has any weeds. Usually groundcovers stay green all year long and never need water or fertilizer. They will grow from 4 -12 inches tall and stay that way.

Groundcovers look better when they are massed in a softly curved area rather than in a strict military-like rectangle. Use a garden hose to shape the area you plan to use. Each groundcover has its own preference for the distance between plants, which is based on the assumption that the bed will fill in three years from now. Cutting the distance between new seedlings in half will fill the area in in two years.

Many of the groundcover plants are able to thrive in lousy soil conditions. However, if you want to have success, take time to prepare the soil. Whatever plants are already in the space should be removed. The soil should be loosened by hand or with a tiller. You should add compost and/or micronutrients with products such as Nature’s Magic. If the area includes some surface tree roots sticking up in the air, you can add a layer of top soil, but never cover the roots with more than an inch of soil or compost.

In the first year, you will definitely have weeds show up. It is good to go into the critical first winter with the weeds removed. Also, in that first year you need to pay attention to any need for water during dry periods, but thereafter your groundcover should need no watering from you.

If you want to keep happy plants, every four or five years you can take your lawn mower to the whole area and cut at a height of about 3 inches.

This will rejuvenate the bed and keep the plants giving you years of lush, green texture protecting your trees.

Popular Shade-loving Groundcovers:

Pachysandra is a genus of four or five species of evergreen groundcovers or subshrubs, belonging to the Boxwood Family.

Ajuga is one of the most common of perennial ground covers and with good reason. It is fast to grow, easy to grow, is quite hardy, attractive leaves and lovely blue flowers in the spring.

The Lily-of-the-Valley, with its broad leaves and fragrant little, nodding, white, bell-shaped flowers, is familiar to everyone.

The beautiful Sweet Woodruff, Galium odoratum, is a shade gardeners delight. Fast growing, quick to establish, beautiful, white spring flowers and attractive foliage through to snow, this treasure is seldom bothered by pest or disease. Its dried foliage has a sweet scent that has been described as a fresh-cut hay and vanilla fragrance, and it is used frequently in potpourri. It even used to be used as the stuffing for the winter mattress!

Dead nettle – a creeping perennial that spreads on rhizomes; dead nettle has stems reaching up to 2 feet in height. Long-stalked, oval, toothed leaves grow in opposite pairs. White flowers (May-October) grow in whorls in the axils of the leaves; the flowers have two lips, the upper one hooded and hairy on the outside, the lower one having two to three lobes.

Periwinkle – Creeping evergreen ground cover, forming a dense tangled mat of long stems and elliptical leaves, rooting at intervals. Pale blue to purple flowers in spring.

Astilbes are long-blooming plume-like flowers in shades of white, pink and red, held above airy foliage. Astilbes are one of the easiest perennial flowers to grow, but they give a high return. Virtually pest free, they can light up the shade garden.

English ivy will always be a favorite among gardeners and yardeners alike for its versatility. It is easy to grow, forms an excellent dense groundcover in shade where grass struggles and remains green all year, bringing color to the winter yard

Hostas are extremely popular, hardy herbaceous perennials grown primarily for their beautiful foliage. They are easy to grow, shade-tolerant plants. Leaves come in a wide range of shapes, colors, sizes, and textures and may be solid in color or variegated in different combinations of blue, green, white, and gold. The plants are low maintenance and are widely available in nurseries and garden centers. Many catalogs also offer a large selection of hosta plants, with more than 2,500 different cultivars on the market.

Age: 62, There’s a lot of experience in these gray hairs!

Education: Master of Science in Quality Management, Quality Control

Status: Married 38 years, 4 children, 10 grandkids

Company: The Organic lawn Care Store – http://www.theorganiclawncarestore.com/

Sterling Tree Service and Lawn Care Expert Says Deep Root Feeding Can Save Stressed Trees after Long Island’s Soaring …

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:15:46 +0000

Sterling Tree Service and Lawn Care Expert Says Deep Root Feeding Can Save Stressed Trees after Long Island’s Soaring …
Sterling Tree Service and Lawn Care’s Expert Arborist Says Long Island Trees Are Often Under Stress Following a Very Hot Summer and Need Deep Root Feeding to Replenish Lost Nutrients.

Gardening Maintenance: Watering And Organic Mulch

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:51:59 +0000

Your lovely garden when swarmed with weeds becomes an overgrown area. This is where gardening maintenance becomes as valuable, as you would like doing impulse makeovers to your interiors.

Garden maintenance is a tough chore, but it is always your pleasure to make things beautiful around your home. So you dont mind going your way out collecting knowledge about specific gardening tools, general garden practices, seasonal gardening advice, garden watering tips, or ways to keep garden weeds under control. Of course, you know where to get all those handy gardening information.

You need not be a professional gardener to muster all those knowledge. Only a devotion to some kind of duty and fascination to learn some basic good practices on how to care for your lawn and garden – and the daily chore of taking care of your garden comes naturally easier.

And as you go along weeding, watering, sprucing and making all greens nice and lovely and doing hush conversations with your blooms you always have to practice environment awareness. Green advocates encourage organic farming. Organic garden maintenance involves the day-to-day care and attention tom your garden sans chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It is best that you heed the call. It will serve your household a lot of health benefits.

On to the chore, taking into consideration these handy rules of green thumb:

Your lawn needs about one inch of water each week. If rain is absent and the weather is very hot, you should apply an inch of water about every three days. And every time, make sure that you water to a depth of 4-6 inches because it promotes deeper, healthier root development.

One deep watering session is much better than watering several times lightly. It also allows longer periods between watering. Stop watering if you notice water running off the lawn. Although different soil types have different watering needs, all soil types except clay soil, loosen the soil around plants by tilling or spading the soil at the base of the plant so it can quickly absorb water and nutrients. Since clay soil absorbs water very slowly, water only as fast as the soil absorbs the water.

To reduce evaporation and soil erosion, take time to cultivate and mulch. Adding mulch is one of the easiest gardening tasks you can undertake. A heavy layer of mulch inhibits weeds by thoroughly covering the soil and depriving weed seeds of the light they need to germinate.

Use a 1 to 2-inch protective layer of mulch on the soil surface above the root area. Choice mulches which are organic in nature shredded or chipped bark, chopped leaves, straw, grass clippings, cocoa hulls, pine needles or compost including leaf moss.

If you have enough trees around, there should be plenty of leaves to gather. You can chop or shred the leaves by running over them a couple of times with a lawnmower. This type of mulch works well on mixed borders and perennial beds because they break down fairly quickly and provide plenty of nutrition to the soil. They just need to be replenished from time to time.

For more on garden maintenance – whether it be a low maintenance garden or one that requires more time, click here.

Ribbeting avocation

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:25:08 +0000

Ribbeting avocation
If you noticed more toads and frogs hopping about this summer, you’re not alone. Judy Boehmer of Elgin is a volunteer for the Calling Frog Survey, which keeps tabs on the amphibians throughout the metro region. The effort is a part of the broader Habitat Project, which monitors for all sorts of animals, being conducted by the nonprofit environmental group Chicago Wilderness.

design and consulting DSC01719

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:59:49 +0000

Image taken on 2009-06-26 17:20:46 by Gregs Landscaping.

welcoming flowers IMG_0441

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:34:10 +0000

Image taken on 2009-07-31 13:15:19 by Gregs Landscaping.

A Cut Above Lawn Care & Landscaping – Landscaper in Sherwood, AR

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:13:20 +0000

At A Cut Above, our professional landscapers will always ensure that you receive unsurpassed quality lawn maintenance and landscaping in Sherwood, AR. We offer lawn mowing, weed control, and shrub pruning.. You can trust our fast, reliable, and professional landscape company to always provide you with affordable prices and amazing service. Call today! PH: (888) 814-6501 www.elocalprofiles.com

Augusta Lawn & Turf

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:46:53 +0000

Augusta Lawn & Turf, in Martinez, Georgia, provides both commercial and residential landscaping for area residents and businesses. Services include lawn fertilization, mowing, pruning, lawn maintenance, landscape design, moisture maintenance and more. Owner Larry Price has a degree in turf grass management and landscape design, so you can rest assured that he and his staff will professionally handle your lawn…from dusk ’til dawn! Visit us www.yellowpages.com