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Archive for the ‘Turf’ Category
Prevent Lawn Despair During Our Dog Days of Summer
Midsummer weather can put even a great looking lawn into a slow dive of despondency without careful attention. As the heat kicks into high gear, soil temperatures reach their smoking point and crabgrass seeds begin germinating in earnest, popping like corn in a microwave. Limey green crabgrass plants appear virtually overnight exposing vulnerable areas along driveways, patios, walkways, mailboxes among others. Where did they come from? How can they grow so fast? Ah, the games have just begun!
If you have not watered and your lawn is cut short, now is when your thin lawn becomes choked out with crabgrass plants the size of small cars. During hot, humid weather, cool season grasses will stop growing, sitting idle while crabgrass seemingly grows an inch an hour, basking in the searing July heat. A weak or thin lawn, or those lacking a pre-emergent crabgrass barrier, are now at high risk for a crabgrass invasion that will only cease when school reopens. While post-emergent sprays do exist, spraying at this stage is like using a garden hose on a house fire: it’s best just to let nature take its course. Measures should be taken in the fall such as aeration, overseeding, lime, and turf thickening fertilizers to help prepare the lawn for the following spring. A healthy lawn resists this invasion, and although areas may see some crabgrass, it will not be to the point where one could harvest the greenery for salads.
A casual glance toward the interior of your lawn may reveal disturbing patches and blotches of varying sizes and colors ranging from brown to white. How can this be? What went wrong? Like a good CSI episode, it is time for the facts to speak and rule out the guessing. These issues generally fall under environmental stress such as heat, sun scald, or some other non-pathogenic source. Ruling out diseases can be very tricky depending upon the weather, timing, and location of injury. This summer has seen a significant upswing in disease-related damage ranging from pits and scars, to unusual patches. Preventative measures can be taken to help clean up your lawn with either traditional or organic treatments. Insects are perhaps the easiest to detect given their predicable nature and timing during the season. Now is a perfect time to treat for grubs, sod webworm, and chinch bugs using either organic or traditional materials.
Doing some simple things properly for your lawn during the next six weeks can reduce unsettling issues arising from disease, insects, and environmental stress. Summer is generally not the best time to spray for difficult to control broadleaf weeds like ground ivy and violets since high heat and low soil moisture content reduce product effectiveness. If you think you have an invasion at your house, get it checked out and maybe there is a solution to either stop the problem or slow the damage. Plan ahead and keep your turf clean and green!
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Lawn watering, from green to brown….
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 inches, 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.
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.
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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Who’s Been Eating My Grass?
As the snow melts (eventually), you may find surface tunnels on your lawn. This can be a disturbing image and is most unpleasant. Voles, also known as field mice, will tunnel under the snow, eating the grass and shallow roots of your lawn. The result of this frozen dinner feast is a maze of tunnels created where the mice traveled. The extent of the damage can be minor such as leaves and thatch being eaten all the way to roots and shoots, a more severe result of mouse lawn damage.
Your best bet is to let the area recover in April and do some seeding in May once the soil warms up enough. Depending upon the extent and depth of the damage, you may not have to do anything, or as in this picture above, the soil is exposed, likely requiring some modest efforts to restore the grass to its original condition.
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Finally, the Growing Degree Days Begin…
Yesterday, April 12, 2011, we finally had degree days! 6.6 per our Chippers weather station, and it was probably over 10 at lower elevations.
Growing degree days are used to predict the hatch/vulnerability of insects – in our case on woody plants. They are calculated by taking the high and low (in Fahrenheit) of each day, taking their average, and deducting 50. Negative numbers are thrown out, as happens all winter.
Insects that make an early appearance are White pine weevil (mostly a problem for spruce) and pear thrip (a problem for Sugar maples).
Today, April 13th, we had a GDD of 7.3 today. Some of what you will see up to GDD 50: Red maple, magnolia, some rhododendron, pieris and forsythia will all bloom. White pine weevil may be seen doing its dirty deeds at 60 degrees and above, and we are treating for these this week.
These insects are all vulnerable to dormant oil spray up until gdd 50: Scales, Aphids, Mealybugs, Psyllids, Aphids + Mites.
For more information on this topic, please visit our website, www.chippersinc.com.
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An Insider’s View: 2011 Lawn Care Trends
The clock is ticking as companies prepare for the snow melt and the onset of the 2011 lawn care season. In this blog post I shall briefly cover compost tea, kelp, fertilizer pricing, Mycorrhizae, and other trends worth exploring.
As petroleum prices rise, so does the cost of manufacturing basic fertilizer components. Lawn care companies can expect to pay more for their fertilizer products in 2011, thus increasing the need to execute an effective and efficient turf program. There has been one price increase already with perhaps another expected midyear. Those companies unable to make sound business decisions may become a thing of the past. Some price increases may inevitably be passed onto the consumer as pressure builds to make a profit in a highly competitive industry.
The bell continues to toll for fundamental changes utilizing basic soil and environmental processes in the lawn care industry to move further away from petroleum dependency. These options include inoculating seed with beneficial fungi called Mycorrhizae. One inoculation allows this fungus to multiply and spread within a lawn area. Long used in the tree industry, Mycorrhizae sets up a friendly relationship on the turf root system, breaking down surrounding nutrients and minerals. The end result generally becomes a lessened demand on the quantity of fertilizer required due to this helpful relationship below ground.
There are still more options available beyond standard fertilizers such as compost tea and kelp both of which utilize actual plant material, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and much more to help improve soil structure and thereby create a healthier lawn. Compost tea usually contains beneficial bacteria, sugars, and kelp, all helping your grass become stronger while simultaneously improving the defensive mechanism to fight off insect and disease pressure. Although there are lots of blends and types of compost tea, the general idea is to strengthen the lawn so it can withstand drought, insect, and disease pressure as it appears during the growing season. Compost tea and kelp both help build the soil which is very often a large limiting factor in improving a lawn. With many lawns containing high amounts of sand or minimal top soil, adding kelp and or compost tea becomes a very sound decision.
Both sea kelp and compost tea are not inexpensive, but they provide key materials not found in some fertilizers and they improve soil infrastructure. Compare the investment in compost tea, kelp, or Mycorrhizae versus renovating your lawn and you are looking at saving thousands of dollars at a minimum. Any lawn treatment that can help reduce fertilizer demand and build the soil is certainly worth exploring and perhaps even using in 2011.
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Seven Weeks Until Spring Is Still Plenty of Time for Winter Tree Work….
Top 10 Benefits to Performing Tree Work In Your Landscape During the Winter Months:
- Improve Your View: Enhancement work during the dormant season is ideal when leaves aren’t blocking the vista potential.
- Your Lawn Will Thank You: Frozen ground allows large equipment to access your site while minimizing damage to lawns, gardens and the forest floor.
- Prevent Distress: Cold weather prevents the spread of tree disease as well as minimizes shock due to leaf loss.
- Timing Is Everything: February and March are preferred times for orchard and fruit tree pruning, and for many other species.
- Peace of Mind: Know your trees and shrubs are prepared for fast re-growth during the coming spring, no matter what Mother Nature brings.
- Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance: Allows you to begin other spring landscaping projects earlier.
- Seeing Is Believing: Identify potential hazards or problems while the entire woody structure of deciduous trees is visible without leaves.
- Walk or Talk: Discuss your 2011 goals and plans for your landscape with your representative, either on site or via email/phone.
- Our Time Is Yours: Take advantage of more flexible scheduling.
- Outstanding Value: Enjoy off-season rates with the same chippers commitment to the highest quality and service.
We take care of everything green outside your door, all winter long.
What can we do for you?
Winter is the time to renew your Turf and Plant Health Care programs.
Long and cold winter days and nights often have me daydreaming of once green lush lawns, gardens and trees. And despite the recent blasts of cold and healthy snowfalls, now is time to think about and prepare for your 2011 Turf and Plant Health Care programs.
Review your Turf and Plant Health Care proposals this winter
The weather plays a large role in the spring, relative to what and when certain treatments can be applied; and success or failure is linked to temperature and moisture levels. High heat speeds up insect, weed, and disease development; and in some cases by days not weeks. While this may not seem of great importance, temperature plays a huge role in advancing or retarding certain pathogens, ultimately affecting your landscape. If you do not have a program “online” or ready to go, this tight window can easily be missed. Cold weather can slow down the ability of your lawn to recover and green up fast. The later the first application of fertilizer, compost tea, or lime is applied; the more your grass would be absent the time needed for improved color and recover from winter damage.
I have seen several years in April and May where the temperature rose into the high 70’s to lower 80’s. This type of rapid spring warm-up can make some types of weed control applications harmful to turf without proper precautions. The same precautions need to be taken when scheduling early plant health care spray applications. If not prepared, you simply miss the window of opportunity for obtaining decent results relative to a variety of insect and disease issues.
Moisture content can also wreak havoc on turf and shrubs in the spring; especially if the spring is cold and rainy. Such weather greatly advances snow molds and leaf spot on turf while creating apple scab on fruit trees. Low moisture can reduce seed germination without proper irrigation. Scheduling of overseeding or aeration during the winter insures completion at the proper time frame in the spring. A great green care company will watch weather trends and activate services during the appropriate time frame. You deserve and should demand this level of service.
Peace of mind is another reason to have your Turf or Plant Healthcare program set-up during the winter months. You can relax and rest assured, knowing that your green care needs will be taken care of. We will insure that all applications are timely and you will see the results.
The last fabulous reason to schedule your green care treatments during the winter includes financial incentives. You may qualify for multiple incentives. For example, if you prepay or return a signed contract before a certain deadline, you may qualify. Look for these kinds of financial incentives; and look to see if you are partnering with an accredited, licensed, high quality and diversified ‘green care’ company.
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Review your 2011 lawn contract before renewing
Did your doctor ever advise you to get a second opinion? Or have you decided to get a second opinion when something just didn’t seem right? Keep that thought in mind while reading this post…
Hundreds of commercial lawn care contracts will be mailed out shortly to residential homes in VT and NH. Even more lawn contracts will be mailed out to commercial customers in the hopes that decision makers like you will just sign, mail, or simply fax it back with no questions asked. I propose that each contract deserves not only a second opinion, but a thorough examination line by line. Let me explain…
Most lawns are not being examined to determine its true treatment needs. Contracts for lawn accounts are being auto-renewed from prior year information like a CD player on repeat. While this automated process may lock you in and generate revenue for national and larger regional lawn care companies, I sincerely doubt you are receiving a turf care program worthy of your hard earned dollars. That is why I recommend that you schedule a complimentary turf & soil evaluation. But, I have more reasons…
Many lawns treated by the competition utilize heavy machines called Perma-greens, Turf-Trackers, or tractors. These machines do an adequate job on large properties or fields but are very heavy and are not ideally suited for your lawn. An operator can inadvertently cause damage while running the machine over frost covered lawns, shaded locations, and the sloped areas of your lawn. Turf can be easily compacted, torn, and ripped up without careful attention from the operator. If these facts don’t cause you to raise an eyebrow, please read on…
Does your treatment price seem great? The low price simply cannot be beat you say! Did you get a free lime treatment? Hmmm…did you really get a free lime treatment? If you get a free or reduced lime, you may receive it combined with a fertilizer treatment with a reduced amount of pelletized lime mixed into one application. The bottom line here is that you get what you pay for. If the price is lower, you are getting less product and/ or time treating your lawn. Are you ready for that free consultation yet? I have more…
Customer Service! Simply put, the large national chains do not provide adequate customer service. It is often outsourced to inexperienced customer service call centers. When you call, does your phone call get forwarded to a call center or does a local person answer your call? Are you able to reach the manager if you have a concern? Do they call you back promptly? Are you supporting your local economy or contributing to a national organization’s bottom line?
Before you sign on the dotted line this year, and before you pre-pay for your entire year upfront…get a second opinion from a local lawn care company. We welcome your questions and the opportunity to make your lawn healthy, green, and beautiful! So, give us a call to schedule a complimentary turf & soil evaluation. You will see and feel the difference…
If you are not in our service area, I have qualified companies I can recommend to you. Just leave a comment and I will get back to you.
Competition vs Chippers (green lawn is treated by Chippers)
Why consider Natural Ice Melt?
We have all seen the devastation that rock salt (or halite) causes to vehicles and roads. And we have also seen the damage rock salt inflicts to turf, trees, shrubs, concrete, brick, patios, steel and so many other materials. While rock salt is the cheapest and most basic of ice melting materials, it has many drawbacks. Rock salt only works at temperatures down to 25 f and will dry out your pets’ paws when used on walkways, patios, decks, and driveways. Rock salt may also cause salt burns to animals and kill turf and shrubs when applied over the course of a winter. How much did you pay for that landscaping job? Or should I say, how much are you willing to pay to replace that section of lawn or even that shrub? Is it worth the small savings for rock salt versus a few dollars more for far safer and superior products? Oh, and I saved the best for last! Rock salt also tracks a white residue into your home leaving your tile, wood floor, or carpets dirty and white.
Calcium chloride is our next contestant and is a heavy weight ice melt. It is a serious product that works at very low temperatures (-25 f) but also has major draw backs such as higher cost, corrosion, adverse health effects, reduced traction, and damage to the environment. These are just the big drawbacks, there are more. Also, unless kept dry, calcium chloride melts into itself (absorbs moisture) and becomes unusable. Calcium chloride will corrode steel. Most calcium chloride pellets are also spheres and therefore roll on inclines or slopes. Unlike crystalline ice melt, calcium chloride does not provide any physical traction. Calcium chloride is not plant or people friendly. In fact, it can burn your hands or the paws of your beloved pet if not handled properly. Calcium chloride is a severe irritant to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Calcium chloride is certainly not very safe to use around your family or home given how harsh it is. Fortunately, there are alternatives….
Why consider Natural Ice Melt? If you take away all of the bad stuff I just wrote about. How does that sound? Natural Ice Melt is effective at temperatures down to 5 f. That’s very effective on an average winter night. Natural Ice Melt is pet, plant, and people safe. There is no need to use gloves or protection to apply Natural Ice Melt. Natural Ice Melt does not dissolve or remove moisture from the air. So, there is no need to keep the bag air locked. We especially love how Natural Ice Melt will not track on carpets and tile, eliminating that dirty white residue. Natural Ice Melt will work on asphalt shingles and will not stain that newly sealed or paved driveway. And with its natural peach color, Natural Ice Melt is visually easier to apply.
With each product we buy, we make a statement. What will you buy this year when it comes to melting ice at your home and/ or business? We hope you will consider the environment, your family, the lawn, and your pets! Natural Ice Melt just makes sense. Once you try Natural Ice Melt and see the benefits, you will not use any other ice melt product. Look for it and buy it. Or better yet, give us a call and we can have it delivered to your home by the bag or pallet!
