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.

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.