WATER,
WATER, WATER…the theme for the Summer!
We
are experiencing a drought that doesn’t appear to be ending for some time. We
caught in a pattern that supposed to hold for 8-10 weeks. The low humidity and
relatively cool night time temperatures are the only things weather wise that
have helped cool season lawns. If we had been getting 80% humidity at night
along with 80 degree temperatures, we would be having Brown Patch disease like
crazy. We still do have some disease pressure, but nothing like what we could
be having. If are not feeling like all you are doing is watering…you probably
are not watering enough. If you are not complaining about your water bill…you
are not watering enough. Between the wind, day time temperatures and lack of
rain, we are in a drought. Two inch rains that fall in 45 minutes, barely help
at all. Keep watering religiously until we get a 6 to 8 hour rain fall that
delivers about a 1” of water!
Follow
these steps for the next couple of weeks:
Cool Season Lawns:
*Continue
to mow at 3 ½ inches MINIMUM! You should only be mowing about every 8-12 days
by now? Sharpen the blade after 8-10 hours of mowing too!
*Fertilize
with 100% organic fertilizers or don’t fertilize at all (10#/1000 ft. sq of
Milorganite ® is what I suggest).
*Spot
spray weeds very early in the morning to avoid burning the good grass. READ THE
LABEL!
*Apply
fungicides as the label recommends. Usually every 25-28 days. Remember, they
are like antibiotics…they control from inside of the plant, not in the ground!
*Apply
Merit for grubs right now. Be sure to water in any granule application
*Water
at lest 4-5 days a week. I’m watering my athletic fields right now 3 days in a
row, one day off to mow and watering 3 days in a row again. I still have cracks
in the ground in some places,b ut it ahsn’t gone totally dormant yet. And that
is all I can ask for under these conditions. I’ll back off on days in a row
once we get a slow, penetrating rain.
Warm Season Lawn:
*Totally
different then our cool season lawns! TOTALLY!
*Mow
at 2” MAXIMUM! For best results
*Fertilize
with High Nitrogen fertilizers or Organics now and again in 30 days for best
results
*Apply
both quick killing and long last insecticides. Most zoysia problems are
misdiagnosed as fungus, when they are actually insect problems. http://turfpath.missouri.edu/reports/update06_05_12.htm
Click
on the above link for the best information possible related zoysia and the
insect problems we are having here!
*Continue
watering 3-4 days a week for 20-30 minutes
I
feel like a broken record sometimes with this advice, but like any good
message…we need to hear it even though we think already know it. Happy belated
Fathers Day to those Fathers out there. My definition of success has changed
over the years, but it currently is: Success is living long enough to see that
my children are contributing members of society. That they respect people, have
God in their hearts and can sit have dinner with me without texting!
Good
luck to all those parents and budding lawn gurus out there! Stay cool!
