MAY IS SUCH A GREAT MONTH!

Before I get started, I have a new website and a blog option with it, so thank you MaryAnn Fink for the managing my blog Truth N Turf all this time till I got my techy legs going, I've got it now I think! (you are very welcomed Glenn, you'll always be my Turfman-ma)




Visit my new website at
http://www.grrobinsonseed.com


Except for my allergies, May is just about my favorite month of the year. I have a birthday, there are graduations and Mother’s Day takes place. My mom always was angst that secretary’s had “Secretary’s Week”, but she only got a day! It was my fathers fault of course…

The month of May also signals the need to start addressing our zoysia lawns. They are about 90% awake in the Shrewsbury area so here we go:

Mays Best Practices for both Lawn Types!

Warm Season Lawns

*Mow at 2”. Try to avoid leaving heavy clippings.

*Consider aerating and or power raking if thatch is a problem. Thatch over 1” is a problem folks.

*Be sure to apply a pre-emergent after either practice because you will wake up weed seeds!

*Apply a long lasting insecticide like Acelepryn if Chinch bugs or Bill Bugs have been a problem. 99% of all zoysia problems I have seen are insect related, not fungus related. Allectus (both quick and long lasting insectides) is also a good insecticide to apply right now.

*Spot treat herbicides in the next 2 weeks or wait until the lawn is fully out of dormancy!

*Consider using Ammonium Sulfate as your nitrogen source as this source gives a green that this second only to Ironite.

*Wait another 30 days to sod, but it’s OK to seed if you need to.

Cool Season Lawns

*Mowers need to be set at 3.5 inches or above if you have the nerve! Mowing heights (too short) causes most weeds and burned up lawns. We have to get past the “shorter is better” mentality! Shorter mowing does NOT equal fewer mowing’s!

*Spray weeds as needed. The violet, dandelions and clover are really aggressive right now. READ THE LABEL!!!!!!!!!!

*Avoid seeding if you can. It’s too late for best results.

*Consider applying organic based fertilizers the rest of the summer. They help the soil as much as the grass today. If the soil is right, plants can’t help but to be right too! (Unless you are mowing too short!)

If your cool season grass isn’t looking good right now, then something is wrong. You should have been able to fall out of bed and have a good looking lawn in this weather. Keep trying, it will get better.

I’ll close with the best of wishes to all the Mother’s out there. This will be my first Mother’s Day without my mom. I’ll use the time to reflect on our good times together and how I can be a better son, father, brother, husband and friend. She would want me to be that for them and myself. I’m going to read a book titled “On Fire” this month. It was suggested to me by two different friends on the same day…no coincidences in God’s plan for me I believe! I’m sure daughter (who works in a burn unit) will be getting it too!

Remember folks…it’s only grass.

It is not uncommon for one to own a World Series ring—at least, of the replica type distributed to fans on special game days. Very few, however, don the authentic hardware, including one Jr. Billiken who recently joined this elite ring-owners club.

SPRING RINGS ARE IN THE AIR

Here is a story about my son on the St. Louis University High School web site:

Ring Worthy

A member of the grounds crew for the Kansas City Royals, Ben Kraemer ’09 recently received a World Series ring during a special ceremony for the team and other members of the organization.

“It feels great to have the ring,” says Kraemer. “Growing up it was always a dream of mine to have a championship ring, and while those dreams didn't necessarily involve me receiving one as a groundskeeper, I certainly will take it! I am blessed to be working for an organization that is generous enough to award grounds crew members rings.” 

Talk about being in the right place at the right time…Ben graduated from Mizzou and then got his Masters from Virginia Tech in turf grass science and went to work for the Royals in May of 2015. The rest is history. He sure has been a hard worker who hasn’t forgotten the work ethic that has gotten him this far. We are proud if you son. Keep up the good work!

Now, grass stuff to do in April:

*Be patient with the warm season grasses. You can mow them down to 2-2.5 inches, but don’t fertilize or spray weeds for a couple of weeks. And don’t power rake or aerate till Mid-May.

*You should be putting down Dimension crab grass control asap if you haven’t already. You can’t spot seed with Dimension, so cover the bare areas with towel before applying and shake off the fertilizer into the rest of the yard.

*Mow at 3.5 inches as long as you have mowed 1-2 times.

*Spot spray weeds as needed. Remember to read the label to make sure we all use less herbicides.

*Violets are active as heck, so get the Turflon Ester going! Spray 2 times about 10 days apart for best results.

*Don’t turn the irrigation for another month!

I hope you all had a good Easter weekend.

It would have been my mom’s 82nd birthday on the Saturday before Easter, so it was kind of sad day for me. Those first year special days after a loved one is gone can be difficult. I was reading a book titled, “Three Moments of the Day” by Christopher Collins, S.J. I suggest this to anyone who needs some time management suggestions! Quick read and very good!

Remember folks…it’s just grass!

SPRING RINGS ARE IN THE AIR

Here is a story about my son on the St. Louis University High School web site:

Ring Worthy

It is not uncommon for one to own a World Series ring—at least, of the replica type distributed to fans on special game days. Very few, however, don the authentic hardware, including one Jr. Billiken who recently joined this elite ring-owners club.

A member of the grounds crew for the Kansas City Royals, Ben Kraemer ’09 recently received a World Series ring during a special ceremony for the team and other members of the organization.

“It feels great to have the ring,” says Kraemer. “Growing up it was always a dream of mine to have a championship ring, and while those dreams didn't necessarily involve me receiving one as a groundskeeper, I certainly will take it! I am blessed to be working for an organization that is generous enough to award grounds crew members rings.” 

Talk about being in the right place at the right time…Ben graduated from Mizzou and then got his Masters from Virginia Tech in turf grass science and went to work for the Royals in May of 2015. The rest is history. He sure has been a hard worker who hasn’t forgotten the work ethic that has gotten him this far. We are proud if you son. Keep up the good work!

Now, grass stuff to do in April:

*Be patient with the warm season grasses. You can mow them down to 2-2.5 inches, but don’t fertilize or spray weeds for a couple of weeks. And don’t power rake or aerate till Mid-May.

*You should be putting down Dimension crab grass control asap if you haven’t already. You can’t spot seed with Dimension, so cover the bare areas with towel before applying and shake off the fertilizer into the rest of the yard.

*Mow at 3.5 inches as long as you have mowed 1-2 times.

*Spot spray weeds as needed. Remember to read the label to make sure we all use less herbicides.

*Violets are active as heck, so get the Turflon Ester going! Spray 2 times about 10 days apart for best results.

*Don’t turn the irrigation for another month!

I hope you all had a good Easter weekend.

It would have been my mom’s 82nd birthday on the Saturday before Easter, so it was kind of sad day for me. Those first year special days after a loved one is gone can be difficult. I was reading a book titled, “Three Moments of the Day” by Christopher Collins, S.J. I suggest this to anyone who needs some time management suggestions! Quick read and very good!

Remember folks…it’s just grass!

MAKE A MILLION GROWING GRASS!

Anything that sounds too good to be true…IS! Just wanted to get your attention.

What a strange trip it’s been with the weather this spring. Soil temperatures are about 3 weeks ahead of normal, cherry trees are budding out in Shrewsbury as are Dandelions and Bermuda grass has not gone 100% dormant all winter. Never have seen anything like this is my life time.

I went to Costa Rica with my family a couple of weeks ago. We flew into San Jose, but stayed in Turrialba for week at my friend’s house. If you ever get the chance to go, it really is a beautiful country with friendly people living at a pace I have rarely seen. I envy them in some ways and glad I was only a visitor in a lot of ways. Great time with my 25 and 23 year old adult children and my wife.

When I got back it was right to work at a not so Costa Rican pace. The sun was shining, it was 60 degrees and folks had enough of winter and are ready to do lawn work. Here is what we’ll tell anyone walking in the door this month:

*Get out your action plan for lawn care out and be ready to do something around March 25-30^th. We suggest a low nitrogen, high potash fertilizer with a season long application of pre-emergent. (7-0-22 w/.15 Dimension)

*Always try to mow that cool season lawn @ 2.5“ two times before making the first application of ANY fertilizer. This cleans up the clutter collected by winter and will help insure a quick green up.

*DO NOT mow or do anything to Zoysia lawns this month. They are a “warm season” grass. Be patient!

*Spot spray early weeds with Turflon or some form or an Ester based herbicide. These work better in cooler temperatures.

*DO NOT spray weeds in Zoysia lawns. You will hurt the Zoysia!

*Rake up Sweet Gum balls and anything else that might get smashed into ground during mowing.

*Avoid making applications if the ground is saturated

*Spot seed thin areas, but be sure you don’t get pre-emergent on those areas. Cover them with a blanket before or after applying the Round 1 material with crab grass control!

I’ll invite you looking at the University of Missouri’s website that Dr. Lee Miller works on. His newsletter is free and should be subscribed by any lawn enthusiast. http://turfpath.missouri.edu/reports/2016/update03_01_16.cfm

Dr. Miller will educate so you don’t make mistakes when it comes to making applications to your lawn. It’s the best source of free information on the web! Trust me!

Happy Spring and remember folks…it’s just grass!

Spring is coming…are you ready?

I’ve been telling folks that we will be mowing on a Monday and shoveling snow on Friday this spring. I have weeds germination like crazy (henbit and chick weed mostly) in my flower beds and along the edges of my lawn, my daffodils are up about 4 inches and we are supposed to get snow this weekend. Crazy weather out there this winter…

You should probably consider doing the following:

*Soil testing should be done soon if it was not done last fall. Having the proper pH makes sure all your fertilizers are working to their maximum and you are not wasting their potential. The pH should between 6.3 and 7.0. Email or call me if you have further questions or want to bring in a soil sample?

*Keep the leaves either mowed up, blown or raked to the curb to prevent smothering the grass. These “pockets” of leaves can still cause dead spots!

*Pick a lawn fertilizer company or make a plan to do it yourself, but make a plan either way and stick to it. All too often I see folks who make or buy one or two applications and quit making them or cancel the service. Lawn programs take 2-3 years to turn around a lawn and must include aerating and over seeding for best results.

*Get your lawnmower tuned up if you own one. Spring looks like it’s coming early this year!

*Buy an extra lawn mower blade and have it sharpened and ready to go. It’s much easier to keep a sharp blade on the mower when you own an extra one. Early stick drop and Sweet Gum balls dull a blade quickly in the spring!

I heard an excellent prayer the other day and have asked for its guidance every day since…”God, please treat me today the way I treated people yesterday”. Pausing before reacting, taking a deep breath or just plain counting to 10 before speaking has not been one of my strong suits in the past. Been doing a lot of work lately and it’s paying off with my relationships. I’ll encourage you all to do the same. Try it…you’ll like it?

Make a plan and the plan will work out. Not making a plan is a plan to fail! Remember folks…it’s just grass.

2016 Reflections and Plans for 2016

2016 Reflections and Plans

Last year was one that I’m mostly glad is past. My brother had a stroke at 55 years old, my nephew has a stroke and heart valve replacement surgery at 40 and my mom died. 

It hasn’t all been bad, as my children both graduated from college and got great jobs in Kansas City so they are close, I celebrated 9 years of sobriety, lost about 50 pounds (put a few back on) and celebrated at the marriage of my niece Allison. My mom wouldn’t want me whining, so I’m going back to the glass being half FULL!

Recent rains/floods shouldn’t any effect on our lawns (unless you are in the flood areas of course). The warm weather and lack of snow gives us the opportunity to do the following:

*Take a soil test (1” cubes about 4-5” deep from 15-20 spots in the lawn). Mix together and bring it to me or the Botanical Gardens or mail off to the Extension Service at University of Missouri. Fixing the pH or nutrient needs is best done over the winter months.

*Blow or rake up leaves to prevent “pockets” of dead grass where weeds are sure to grow soon.

*If it’s above 45 degrees you can spray Turflon Ester on any weeds you see. Chick weed, Henbit and dandelions are out in my neighborhood.

*Make sure your lawn mower is “winterized” so it’s ready to go in couple of months (or weeks)?

*You can still apply fall fertilizer if you haven’t done so.

Staying positive, working with others and staying physically fit are my main goals in 2016. I’ll hope this finds you in a positive state of mind and gives you some ideas to share with your loved ones. I say a quote the other day in a newspaper that went like this…”choose words that make you smart”. I liked that and will work on that as well!

Remember folks, it’s just grass…

DECEMBER 2015 Don’t put away those lawn mowers!

Just when you thought it was safe to winterize and store that lawn mower…60 degree weather is predicted again this week. 
I saw big dandelions, healthy spurge and nutsedge (Ladue Schnucks in a parking lot island) last week. Yesterday, I saw a blooming rhododendron in Affton! Plants don’t know calendars, just soil and air temperatures. Crazy last couple of months for sure.

Try to do the following if possible;

*Keep mowing your cool season grass at 2 ½ inches.

*Make sure all leaves are chopped up or raked up

*Spot spray all weeds with either Turflon Ester or any 3 way herbicide in this weather.

*Apply your winter fertilizer to cool season lawns! It’s not too late!!! Winter is not here yet!

*Do a soil test if you need one. It’s a great time to correct pH or missing nutrients.

*Mulch around trees and shrubs.

*Consider putting “anti-dessicants” on newly planted evergreens.

The snow and ice are coming, so be prepared. Enjoy the nice weather while it’s here! Which brings me to my mother. She passed away on the 19^th last month and even though it wasn’t a surprise it’s still a shock. So, if you have your mother around still…give her an extra hug and kiss, because you never know when she’ll be gone. Dad can get one too.

Remember folks, it’s just grass. I love you mom.