Its fall; so like many you’re probably getting ready to start liming. But do you know why?
Liming provides three potential benefits important to growing healthy turf; improves soil chemistry, encourages beneficial soil biology, and improves soil structure.
It is important to acknowledge where we are in the growing season. It is also important when choosing grass seed at this time of the year to recognize the germination time required for our cool-season grasses and to choose accordingly.
Much of the following is a repost of an earlier post – But useful this time of year.
Now is probably a good time to start scouting for white grubs. Certainly the weather we’ve received this season has made it difficult to guess the appropriate time to begin scouting. However, if you’re likely to see grub damage this season they are going to have to start feeding soon. Read the rest of this entry »
Much of the Northeast has seen below normal rainfall since April 2010 as well as unusually warm temperatures, especially during July. This has led to drought concerns throughout the region. However, the recent rains of the last week should be enough to bring the lawns out of dormancy. New green growth over 60% or more of the lawn area is a good sign that the lawn can recover. So what can you do to aid our lawns or athletic fields in the recovery process? Read the rest of this entry »
Billbug and chinchbug activity is continuing in some areas, although the bluegrass billbugs appear to be nearing the end of their larval activity. So the worst should be over for this year. Chinchbugs are well into their second generation this year. Remember that billbug and chinchbug damage resembles drought stress, but the affected turf does not recover in September when the temperatures moderate.
While perhaps I shouldn’t be, I am often surprised to hear from folks that if the EPA allows a pesticide to be registered it’s ok to use it. As I look at it just because a product is registered by the EPA it doesn’t mean that it’s safe. There are a number of examples of products that have been in use and then later the EPA has identified potential human health effects that result in a product being banned or “phased out”.
I’m not referring to a hair restoration process, but rather a lawn restoration procedure. Mid-August is an excellent time to start aerating and over-seeding to thicken up your lawns and athletic fields.
While we are still having some hot temperatures during the day, our night time temperatures are going down into the very pleasant range. Our cool-season grasses like these temperatures and should begin bouncing back from the heat stress they experienced in July. The morning dew will also aid the new seed in its germination. Read the rest of this entry »
We recently received a call from a customer wondering what to do about knotweed that had appeared on his athletic fields. In an All Natural Organic Turf Care program it is important to grasp the fact that weeds our indicators of underlying soil conditions. Years of chemical usage to control weeds have just served to mask poor underlying soil conditions.
Triclosan is used in hundreds of consumer products such as soaps, hand sanitizers, cosmetics, toys, plastics and textiles, is an antibacterial pesticide linked to numerous human health risks and environmental contamination. Studies have found triclosan in urine, breast milk and umbilical cord blood. It is detected in large concentrations in surface waters and wastewater treatment sludge, as well as in fish and earthworms. Triclosan is also an endocrine disruptor, interfering with thyroid hormones, estrogen and androgen receptors. It is also implicated in the rise of bacterial resistance, which can threaten the integrity of antibacterial and antibiotics in medical settings. For more information visit Beyond Pesticides. Source: AcresUSA, August 2010.
The Governor’s Office has declared August – Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month. Increased awareness is called for with the latest find of Asian Longhorned Beetle in Jamaica Plain, MA. The following is from the UMass Extension Landscape Message #19 of July 23, 2010.