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.

NOVEMBER CLEAN UP

Sorry I missed you last month! I could tell you what’s going on, but it would sound like whining and don’t like to do that. I have more to be thankful for than I deserve and I’ll leave it at that. My son is having about as much fun as a 25 year old can be having right now. He is working for the Kansas City Royals and the Chiefs at the same time. He is working very hard, but knows the value of his hard work and is making a name for himself in the KC turf market. We couldn’t be any more proud of him.

Finally got some much needed rain. Seed needs two things to germinate…Soil temperatures and water! If you don’t water every day for two weeks, you won’t get seed to germinate. It’s really that simple. It’s been brutally dry. Don’t stop watering your evergreens too. There will be a bunch of dead ones next spring as they will go into dormancy without the right amount of water in the root system!

Lack of water and too many leaves are now our problems. Speaking of leaves…we have some business to address on our cool season lawns:

*Keep the leaves either mowed up or blown to the curb to prevent smothering the grass. Those “pockets” of leaves can cause dead spots next spring!

*Apply your last fertilizer and spot spray with “ester” formula herbicides (if it’s not too windy).

*Leave Zoysia at 3”, but mow cool season grass down to 2 ½”. The one time of year you want fescue grass shorter than zoysia.

*Winterize your lawn mower in about 2-4 weeks.

*Keep watering until Mid-November if possible!

Short and sweet this month. I will hope you and yours have a safe Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I will look forward to enlightening you all again next year! God bless and I’ll ask for prayers for my mom (Mary Ellen), my brother Steve and nephew Jake. Strokes and old age can be very challenging. Remember folks…it’s only grass!

September = Renovation Time

What a strange last couple of weeks. Summer finally arrived in full force after being mostly absent in early/mid August. The deep, soaking rains have kept lawns looking healthy for the most part. Insects and Nutsedge have had a revival…very strange in deed.

The next couple of weeks are the ideal time to renovate your cool season lawns!

Things to do this month:

WARM SEASON LAWNS:

*NO MORE FERTILIZERS ON ZOYSIA!!! Let them go to sleep naturally.

*Stop watering with irrigation in the next couple of weeks.

*Let it grow up to 2-3 inches in preparation for winter.

*Spot spray weeds as needed.

*Apply preventative fungicides September AND October 15^th. Headway is the best product and should also be used April 15^th.

*Remove leaves if they accumulate over 1-2 inches

COOL SEASON LAWNS:

*Follow the detailed Fall Cool Season Renovation instructions. Or attend my class at the Gardens on September 17^th from 6-8pm.

*If you are renting equipment, call early in the week to make a reservation.

*It’s a great time to sod too!

*Sharpen you blade while you are waiting for the seed to grow!

Fall fertilizer applications, after care and weed controls will be on deck.

Remember folks, its just grass! God bless you.

Glenn Kraemer 

Preparing (in more ways then one) your lawn for Fall Renovation and Beyond.

August is the best time to prepare for renovating your cool season lawns. Don’t wait till September 1^st to call your favorite landscaper to schedule and aeration and over seeding. If your landscaper/lawn care operator isn’t booked solid by September 1^st…it’s like calling a tax preparer on April 14^th and hearing…”no problem, come in’! Something isn’t right! Rental places can easily get booked by then also, so don’t hesitate to put a deposit down on a power rake and or “core aerator” for the first weekend in September. You have work to do before that:

Cool Season Lawns Only!

*Selectively spot spray weeds as needed!

*Read the label and be sure you understand waiting periods on herbicides!

*Make any insecticide or fungicide applications as needed. None of these interfere with seeding. In fact, sometimes they help doing them all at the same time.

*Keep mowing at 3.5 inches

*Irrigate as needed. You will switch

*Make sure you know your square footage if you are buying products (length x width folks)

*Over seed rate for tall fescues is 5-6 pounds per 1000 and new lawns need 8-10 pounds per 1000 ft. sq.

*A good “starter” like 11-23-0, 18-24-12 or “organic” fertilizer is recommended.

*Top dressing with compost (1 inch maximum) if you are lacking organic matter is a plus. Not easy to spread, but a great addition if needed!

*Call or email if you are not sure what to do! September blog will have “Step-by-Step” instructions on the renovation process! You’ll have to come back!

Warm Season Lawns Only:

*Keep mowing and spraying weeds as needed.

*Don’t put any more fertilizer on it unless is 100% organic (5#/1000) or 100% urea (3#/1000).

*Try not to aerate it, but if it’s part of a Heinz 57 yard, go ahead.

*Scout for insects and make applications if needed of Dylox or quick to kill insecticide. Read the label as Dylox likes to be watered BEFORE AND AFTER applying!

July was a difficult month for me. My 55 year old brother, Steve, had a stroke. It left me numb with accepting Gods will and thinking about my own mortality. I have to keep praying and keep up my own health in order to better serve my family. I weighed 216 at my doctors’ visit on August 1^st and he told me I didn’t need any medicine! Now, I just have to keep going. Thank you for your prayers!

Remember folks…it’s just grass.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

What a month of rain June brought us. We might never see a June like that in our life time. Needless to say, our cool season lawns took a brown turn around June 15^th. The environment was perfect for fungal spores to incubate and effect our cool season lawns. Those of you who mowed high, used organic fertilizers and wasn’t using your irrigation systems were effected less.

As I have preached in the past, it’s never any ONE thing we do to have a healthy turf, but it’s always 4-5 cultural practices done correctly that keep our lawns looking the way we want them to.

Here are some July suggestions for healthy turf:

Cool season lawns:

*Keep the irrigation off until it hasn’t rained for a week!

*Mow at 3.5-4 inches all summer! Trust me!

*Spot spray weeds as needed. The “nutsedge” onslaught is right around the corner!

*Apply Merit grub control if grubs have been a problem or if you don’t want them to be!

*Moles are moving so set your traps or apply the baits that work.

*Apply organic based fertilizers if you haven’t. All this rain has washed a lot of nutrients from the soil!

*Apply fungicides if you know the cost, pay out and have correct expectations!

*It’s not early to contact landscapers for aeration and over seeding quotes. The early bird gets on the schedule first!

Warm season lawns:

*Fertilize with high nitrogen or organic based fertilizers! This is their time to shine and they need help!

*Mow at 2 inches.

*Seeding time will end soon, but you can lay sod for another 30-45 days!

*Apply surface feeding insecticides if birds are hunting the lawn on a regular bases.

*Don’t irrigate! We are saturated as of July 3^rd!

Been a long month of June for me. I have lost a total of 45 pounds, but also had a 54 year old brother have a stroke. Scary stuff. I will ask for prayers for him and his family. He is doing better and his condition is not life threatening, just life changing. I’m grateful he is still around and hope he is an inspiration to someone that it’s never too late to improve our physical and mental well being!

Everyone have a safe 4^th of July. God bless you.

Remember..it’s just grass!

SUMMER PROBLEMS…

No, I’m not talking about which swimming suit to wear to the beach, but more like: weeds, insect and fungus activity. The most misunderstood concept in lawn care is thinking that chemicals are the answer to these common lawn problems. The fact is, it is our cultural practices that can control most of these problems. Mowing height (3.5 inches on cool season lawns minimum), proper watering, correct fertility and soil nutrients are the keys. When you are doing or have done these 4 cultural practices correctly, you will use very little herbicides, insecticides or fungicides. Here is how it is supposed to work:

Mowing properly: Mowing cool season lawns under 3.5 inches is almost a guarantee that weeds, fungus and insects will have a very negative effect on your lawn. There is a direct correlation to mowing height and depth of roots (higher the mowing the deeper the roots). There is a further correlation to root depth and drought, insect and disease resistance (the deeper the roots the hardier the plants that withstand drought, insect and disease pressures). Mowing short will only bring unwanted weeds and unhealthy plants. I can’t stress enough how important mowing height on cool season lawns is. If you mow short…expect problems!

Watering cool season lawns: Infrequent, deep watering is best all summer. I like to suggest you water for 20-45 minutes two days in a row and then take two days off and only repeat as needed. That length of time is only a suggestion and should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Sprinkler systems water pressure, age of heads, slope of lawns etc. all play a part in how much one can water without causing puddles or losing water to the gutter. Trial and error are in order to find the right mix of time and days needed to keep the lawn healthy. I water to prevent death, not dormancy. My cool season lawn looks its worse in July and August (nothing “cool” about the weather in the summer), but it bounces right back in September once the “cool weather” returns…hence the name…”cool season grass”. Makes sense doesn’t it?

Summer fertilization plan: use as many 100% organic products as you can! These products (regardless of their source, human, chicken or plant products) are usually 100% Slow Release. That makes “burning” the lawn darn near impossible. When you use organic based fertilizers you are helping the soil. When you help the soil, you but can’t help but to have a healthier lawn. When the base is right…it’s going to be right (unless you scalp it!). Spread rate should be around 10# per 1000 ft. sq. and if you have a dog…it will look at you funny after you apply. It’s the SAFEST application you’ll make all year! Do it 6 weeks apart asap and you’ll be very happy with the results!

Soil nutrients role: Testing your soil is the one of the easiest and cheapest ways to insure that your fertilizers are working properly! Test cost around $30.00 and can be brought to us here or mailed from your home? We all spend hundreds and maybe thousands on our lawns and landscapes, but we won’t spend $30.00 on a soil test? Doesn’t make sense to me. New homes, problem lawns or just plain old reassurance…do a soil test today and know what you are doing is working for you!

I want to wish you all a safe summer. We are going to a wedding in Peoria in August and Atlanta in October, so that’s our plans this year. My weight loss is currently at 42 pounds and counting. I want to lose 12-15 more by August AND keep it off. Give it try folks…it feels really good! God bless you and your families and remember folks…it’s just grass.

MAY IS GOING TO BE ONE HECK OF A MONTH

MAY IS GOING TO BE ONE HECK OF A MONTH

I don’t know about you, but May is always about the busiest month of the year for me and my family. Both my kids will graduate and live in Kansas City (we’ll get to know Highway 70), I turn 53 on the 18^th, Mother’s Day, friend’s graduations parties, golf tournaments, Kentucky Derby, BBQ’s galore. It will be fun and hectic. On a personal note, I have been working out with my wife for the past two months and have gone from 265 pounds to 228 in a little over two months. If I can do it, anyone can! Thanks for the support Liz, I couldn’t have done it without you!

The month of May also signals the need to start addressing our zoysia lawns. They are about 75% awake in the Shrewsbury area so here go with:

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 is insect related, not fungus related.

*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 up to 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, but don’t try telling that to my south sider friends. One yard at a time!

*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. My mom is at Bethesda Dilworth on the newly renovated 3^rd floor and is settling in very well. As I have expressed in the past, caring giving for the elderly is as hard a job as I have ever experienced. I’m just glad she is here and I get to tell her l love her every time I see her. My prayers are with those who can only pray to their loved ones. Miss you Eunice!

Remember folks…it’s only grass.

PS. Betting the 5-10-15 exacta box today at the Kentucky Derby, wish me luck!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Happy Spring Everyone. The blooms are out and the pollen is right along with it. Thank God for Zyrtec. The older I get the more I need allergy medicines it seems.

I have to brag on my daughter Claire in this edition. She graduates from Rockhurst School of Nursing this May and got hired by Rockhurst Research Hospital to work in the Intensive Care Burn Unit. She has the boards to take in early June, but she is very confident and has been working very hard and can’t wait to get on with the next chapter in her life. I pretty sure my wife and I are equally (if not more) as excited as she is!

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! We are getting plenty as of today…

I hope you all had a good Easter weekend. The weather was great to me and my family this past Sunday and we all (30 of us) had great day together. I do want to pass my condolences on to the John Cotta family. John passed away too early in life and he will be missed. Rest well my friend.

Life style and attitude changes has left me walking daily and I’m down about 25 pounds from February. I start an exercise program May 1^st and can’t wait to shed another 20-25. If I can do it, you can too.

Remember folks…it’s just grass!

SPRING 2015 IS COMING…I THINK

As of March 4^th another dusting of snow, 20 degrees and windy. I have to believe we are through with too many more days like today? It’s supposed to be warm this weekend and we can all get on with the best season of all! (My opinion anyway)

I’m sure we’ll get a late frost and have to cover tulips or something, but I’ll bet we’ll be mowing cool season grass in 2 weeks or so. This rain and freeze/thaw cycle will keep the ground wet so don’t jump the gun and start doing too much until it dries out. We can actually do more harm than good by working or walking on soil when it is saturated. Be patient…good things are coming.

I have to give shout out to my son Ben. He was recently hired by the Kansas City Royals to work on their field. He’ll graduate early and start his career in early May. Ben has worked very hard these past two years at Virginia Tech to get his Masters Degree in Turf Science and is ready to join the professional world. We are very proud of his accomplishments both on and off the field.

My suggestions this month will have some very specific suggestions as far as products go. I have always wanted this blog to NOT be a sales tool, but for it be an information site only. When I make product suggestions, please take them with a grain of salt and know you can use something close or ask me about alternatives. Like so many things in life…there are bunch of ways to doing things and still ending up with the same results.

Now that you have gotten the lawn mower checked out, do this in March:

*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.

Don’t forget to “spring” your clocks ahead Saturday night before you go to bed! I hope you all have safe and sunny spring! Remember folks…it’s just grass.

FEBRUARY PLANING MAKES FOR A BETTER LAWN THIS SUMMER…USUALLY!

Planning is always something I talk with my children about and practice as much as possible. Through planning and hard work I just celebrated 15 years in business the other day. Time flies when you are having fun! 

I would love to say it was all fun, but anyone self-employed knows you are the first to arrive and last leave most days. I owe a special thanks to my wife and children for putting up with crabby attitude some days. The worse days are behind me I believe and I look forward to the future of this business and my life in general.

A wise man once said…”Want to hear God laugh, just tell him your plans!” I try not project too much, but I do look forward to traveling and grandchildren. My friend, George Kippenberger, is living about the most rewarding life I can imagine and I would like to think I will live a life like his someday?

Oh well…on to the lawn items:

*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 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 blade and have it sharpened and ready to go. It’s so 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!

Now, if anyone has good weight loose program I can use…let me know! Keep up the good work and your lawn will look better and better each year. Remember folks…it’s just grass!