It’s not too late to rake or blow away the leaves from below trees that were affected by leaf fungus problems this past summer. Apple scab and other common diseases get a head start in the spring by leaving infected leaves on the ground. If you did not have your ornamental tree and shrubs treated for disease issues, be sure to collect and dispose of those leaves. These leaves are usually infected with spores and should be removed, possibly into the mulch pile or your neighbor’s yard (just kidding). If you aren’t trying to grow a nice lawn beneath your healthy, unaffected maples or oaks than leave them behind to decay and give them back captured carbon. If in doubt, remove the leaves or just give us a call and we can provide you with more information!
Archive for October, 2009
Has My Tree Gone to Sleep Yet?
It’s all about soil temperature. Deciduous trees become dormant in winter (along with their evergreen brethren) as the temperatures drop with the leaves. Below grade however, it is a whole different story. Roots will function in a soil temperate environment above freezing even if it’s brutally cold outside. How is this possible? Snow is a good insulator and years with deep cold and no snow can challenge a tree’s ability to survive – especially urbanized trees absent of the soft duff layer found in the forest (a reason to mulch).
No Leaves, No Problem . . .
Appreciating the winter landscape is one of the ways to stay happy in winter (a trip to the tropics helps too). Leafless trees and their understory, each species with its own silhouette, is a good way to learn tree ID. Look for the haunting lines of the Black locust, the structurally solid appearance of a Sugar maple’s crown, the lateral oak and butternut with their long leaders, and tall thin ash or hickories. Find a November bloom of witchhazel, golden pink hydrangea bloom, and fading copper colored beech leaves hanging on sometimes into April! Can you guess how cold it is with the degree of droop on your rhododendron’s winter leaves?
The “Final Cut”… Not Just the Last Album from Pink Floyd
The last mowing of the year is more important then you may think.
I was recently reviewing some lawns and came across a client who has left their summer home for the season. Although things look great, the lawn has not been mown in weeks. Not only was this a real potential problem for the normal growing season, it is especially problematic given it is now the end of October.
As a general rule, most turf in our growing area should not be any longer than 2” maximum, with an ideal cut at around 1-1.5” in November. Why so short? Grass actually continues to grow slowly under the snow over the winter. In addition, if the grass is left long, 3” or more- your chances increase exponentially for incurring winter damage, ice damage, and snow mold in the spring.
Long grass will fall over, matt down, and lower the oxygen level at the ground level, an ideal environment for snow mold to take hold and to cause injury or death to the crown (living point) of your grass plant. A small ounce of prevention can reduce, minimize, or sometimes prevent what would otherwise be dead turf come April.
Insurance for Tree Care Providers: Look Carefully!
Give Your Lawn a Banana – Potassium
I don’t literally mean give your lawn a banana, but in the sense of what potassium provides, the analogy could not be more accurate. What is potassium? Why put it on your lawn? These are very good questions. Potassium is a mineral which helps grass, second only to Nitrogren in quantity and importance. Most people know of N-P-K, well the last letter stands for Potassium. Potassium has a special roll in stress tolerance, heat tolerance, disease resistance, and root development. Most soils in NH and VT are low in potassium, in part because it is so soluble and does not hang around very long. Applying a rich potassium application in the fall will allow the turf to store up the energy necessary to become hardy for winter. Although most balanced fertilizers will contain potassium during the year, that level is only a fraction of what is put down in the fall in a full scale, 100% potassium application. Do yourself a favor, give your lawn a banana before winter so it can prosper not only next spring, but survive the winter cold.
Your Lawn, Your Mower, Your Choice
I am often fascinated at how many home owners mistreat their lawn in terms of mowing. This not only covers the obvious cutting height, but the size of the mower used to complete the project such as a tractor. More often than not, the mower may very well be too heavy for the site and the blade too low. The result is soil compaction, permanent tire marks, and injured turf resulting in a shallow root system.
University studies clearly show that mowing cool season turf grass between 2.5 and 3 inches is optimum for promoting more roots, deeper roots, and a healthier lawn over time. Most turf grasses in NH and VT are a combination of grasses such as bluegrass, tall fescue, bentgrass, fine fescue, and rye grass. Within these types, there are a huge amount of hybrid or improved strains that will hold a deeper green color or have greater drought tolerance. Regardless of type, the standard for mowing holds true as seen in the picture below depicting what mowing short does to your lawn.
What reason do you have for mowing short?
1. I won’t have to cut it as often.
2. I like the short, military look.
3. It will brown it out and then I know I don’t have to mow my lawn. (summer)
4. I did not know it caused long term damage.
5. I don’t know how to adjust my mower deck.
In my next article, I will discuss “mulching thy clippings” and why it is so important. Give me your feedback. Remember, I love grass- it should be enjoyable to look at, use, and care for during the growing season.
