AUGUST LESSONS ON LIFE AND TURF

I thought I was going to tell you all how wonderful my vacation to

The Northeast. (Crater Lake is something you should see given the chance). But, I have to tell you about Earl. I meet Earl around 7:30 am at a McDonalds along highway 70 on a trip to Columbia, Mo. He is 90 years young. I ended up speaking with him for 45

minutes and walked away with a great feeling from him. His

business card says it all. I hope when I’m 90, I can drive myself to

breakfast, eat biscuits and gravy, drink coffee and talk about old times with pride. Earl has become a person I want to be like.

Grass stuff...

We just finished out 5th coolest summer on record, which was

good for cool season grasses but not so good for Bermuda and Zoysia

lawns. Early August has been cool and finally wet as of yesterday,

August 7^th.

 I need to encourage you to start planning for fall aeration,

seeding and fertilizing of cool season lawns and to help you with

plans to put your Zoysia to sleep this year.

WARM SEASON LAWNS:

*Apply your last fertilizer ASAP. Do not fertilize after the 15th!

*Keep applying insecticides and weed controls as needed.

*Keep the watered through August, but let it go dormant in

September.

*If fungicides are necessary, Apply September and October 15 with

the intention of apply again April 15th

Don’t skip any of the 3 applications! . They work together, so don’t skip any of the 3 applications!

*Consider getting soil test done to be sure the pH is right!

COOL SEASON LAWNS:

*Schedule a contractor for aeration or put a deposit down for

aeration rental. Good contractors get booked early and good rental

equipment gets thin in 3 weeks!

*Know your square footage to be sure you are buying the right

amount of product.

*Buy only what you need from a reputable nursery or garden

center store. Not a big box store...please!

*Spray weeds as needed this week and apply your last fungicide

treatment if it is needed

Step-By-Step renovation instructions are as follows:

Step-By-Step Cool Season Renovation Practices

September is the ideal month to do this. Your next chance will be March or early April.

Decide if herbicides are needed. Read the label and apply 2 weeks prior to seeding.

Remove debris in the yard and use top soil to level rough areas.

Mow the grass at 2”, but reset the wheel immediately back to 3.5 inches. You want to mow it all into the winter until the last cut.

Flag the irrigation heads and utilities so they are not damaged by the machines.

Spread organic matter (compost, peat moss or top soil mix) if necessary.

“Core” aerate or power rake the lawn. You can’t aerate too much! If you power rake, you have rake up and remove the thatch.

Spread your seed and fertilizer.

Power rake or hand rake areas to increase seed to soil contact! This insures the seed won’t wash away and birds won’t eat it. Don’t apply straw!

Top dress areas that may need additional compost, peat moss or top soil. Bare areas should be covered with Penn Mulch ®.

Water EVERY day for 2-3 week. Keep the top ½” moist, but puddle free. You may have to water in the evening as well depending on the soil and the weather.

Mow (with a bag) after 2-3 weeks and then you can water 3-4 days a week after you have even germination.

After 3-4 mowings, go ahead spot spray weeds as needed. Fall is a great time to control certain weeds!

Keep leaves removed all fall! Smothering leaves will kill all your new grass plants if left on the ground. Chop them up or remove them every 3-5 days!

These steps have proven to be very effective, but if you have your own spin on how to get things, then by all means do it your way. Over seed rate for most lawn seeds is 35- pounds per 1000 ft sq or 8-10 pounds when starting over! Next month I’ll give you tips on “winterizing” the lawn and late fall weed control applications!

Remember folks, it's just grass

July 2014, Record keeping is so important...

A lesson I have learned the hard way too many times. My

good commercial customers are constantly writing down

what they have done, with what and WHEN. They also

record the weather conditions which is very important. I’m

writing this on Saturday, June 14^th and Friday the 13th.  It is 64

degrees and dang near chilly. The forecast is for rain and

hot weather next week. I mention this because we forget.

Every year won’t be the same, but for some reason we

think lawn care should be the same every year? These early

cool, rainy days of June are NOT normal.  Zoysia grass is not reacting like it should, some weeds and

insects are hanging on, but some are slower to develop.

Cool season lawns are still growing very well and we don’t

need our irrigation much...all this will have changed by

the time this blog post hits! I’ll predict by early July, it

will be hotter then heck, zoysia grass and Nutsedge will

be growing like crazy and cool season lawns will NOT be

looking as good as they once did. Julie Smith will know

what I’m talking about!

July tips for our lawns:

*Please don’t listen to the guy on the radio Saturday

mornings. He really skirts answers for some reason. Call

me or someone else you can trust with turf advice!

COOL SEASON LAWNS:

 (survived the full moon

 eeek!) this morning it was about 64

*Keep mowing at 3.5/4 inches

*Apply fungicides as directed

*Spot spray weeds as needed

*Apply grub control (Merit) and or Milorganite as needed

*Increase irrigation days or minutes as needed

*It’s not too early to start planning September aeration and

over seeding. Early bird gets the early aeration.

WARM SEASON LAWNS:

*Aerate and or power rake if needed. Apply preemergent

afterwards so you don’t get a bunch of crabgrass.

*Seeding should be done by the 15th

can continue for the next 4-5 weeks

*Apply a pound of nitrogen this month

*Apply insecticides for the Hunting Bill bug if you haven’t

already. I’m seeing great success with two treatments 6-8

weeks apart for this critter. Most zoysia problems are insect

related...not fungus related. Running about 9 out of 10 so

far this year.

Today is about a nice a day as you can ask for in July in St.

Louis. It’s 72 degrees, low humidity...just beautiful. I’m

heading to Seattle and Crater Lake in Oregon next week

and I’m guessing I’ll be in the same weather? Mentally I’m

already there.

I hope you all have a safe 4th

  of July and remember...its just grass!

June is bringing insects, weeds and diseases!

We shouldn’t be surprised…the weather in June always brings the right weather conditions that incubates spores, grows a bunch of weeds and allows insects to finish their life cycles. I’m pretty sure it will happen again next year! Here a few things we can do to help keep our cool season lawns looking good:

Cool season tips:

*Keep mowing high. 3 ½ to 4 inches if you can stand it. Trust me when I tell you this. It is the most important cultural practice we can do to help grow a deep root system. When we have a deep root system we naturally have a more drought and disease resistant yard. We also choke out more weeds with tall grass too!

*Don’t worry about the seedlings growing in your yard (turf or beds). Keep mowing or sting trimming them and they will eventually tucker out and die.

*Start your fungicide program and continue on 25-30 day cycles. You are looking at 4 applications this year probably?! “Headway” is by far the best product to start with if you can.

*Spray weeds as needed (read the label!). Spray early in the AM, don’t mow for 2-3 days before or after and read the label. (sorry, can’t say that enough).

*Apply organic based fertilizers at this time. Good old Milorganite at 10#/1000 ft. sq is my suggestion.

*Apply “Acelepryn” for grubs now or consider “Merit” in 30 days as a “preventative” application.

*Don’t seed any more this summer. Sod should be used where grass is needed.

*Irrigate deeply if your soil allows. I’m watering 2 days in a row, taking 2 days off and then soaking again right now. That schedule will change monthly!!! Start early and finish by 8 am!

*Sharpen your lawnmower blade every 8-10 hours of mowing if you can.

Warm season grasses (zoysia and Bermuda) are coming into their own. One radio guy is telling you NOT to aerate or power rake your zoysia…he could not be more wrong! This is exactly when you should be doing those processes! You have to apply a weak amount of preemergent after you aerate and or power rake because you’ll be waking up weed seeds, but please go ahead with any aeration or power rake/dethatching plans you may have this month. It is the correct time to do so…trust me.

Warm season tips:

*Apply a high nitrogen fertilizer or Milorganite now and again in 30-45 days to help your zoysia.

*Apply Acelepryn and or Merit as needed for the “Hunting Bill Bug”. Most folks are doing two applications this year. One now and one in 45 days.

*Don’t apply fungicides any more this summer. September will be the next time you apply these.

*Spot spray weeds as needed (yep, read the label!).

*Mow at 2 inches if possible.

*Water maybe 1-2 days a week. It doesn’t matter when as long as you don’t overspray on your desirable plants.

I forgot to wish all our Mothers a Happy Mothers Day as well as wishes for a good Memorial Day. I will tell all our fathers a Happy Fathers Day. My family will be having brunch at The Road House in Webster this year. I love that place. Try it some time if you haven’t already.

A favorite prayer of mine is: “I pray I may welcome difficulties. I pray that they may test my strength and build my character”.  Maybe you can use this in a time of need?

Have a safe summer and remember folks…it’s just grass!

MAY WEEDS AND MORE

Where did spring go? We darn near went straight from winter into summer. The cool season grasses are growing like crazy (along with weeds) and warm season grasses are right behind them. People are mulching, mowing, planting flowers and bushes…I love this time of year!

Lots to cover on the lawns so read carefully:

Warm season lawns:

*Mow down to 2 inches if you haven’t already

*DO NOT spray weeds for another 2 weeks or so. Read the label!

*Plan to aerate or power rake in the next couple of weeks

*Plan to seed or sod in the next couple of weeks

*If you aerate or power rake, be sure apply a preemergent after.

*Apply at least ¾# of nitrogen

*Apply a dose of insect control if needed (recommend  2 this year)

*Apply Headway fungicide if needed or if you applied last fall

*Irrigate once a week or so. Work with Mother Nature.

Cool season lawns:

*Mow at 3.5-4 inches the rest of the summer!!!!

*Consider a Milorganite/Ironite application

*Spray broadleaf weeds as needed. Violets need multiple applications!

*Seeding should be done with very lower expectations. Too late!

*Sod should be the choice for spot fixes or new installs

*Irrigate as needed. Again, work with Mother Nature.

*Make 1st fungicide application in a week or so. Repeat in 25 days and be prepared to make 3-5 applications

*Read labels of any applications! Very important!

*When maples/elms germinate, just string trim them down

*Nutsedge sprays should start in week or so

I will wish all of your graduates’ congratulations and will hope all of your travels will be safe this summer. I’m going to Atlanta for a graduation and to Seattle for needed vacation this year. God bless you and do something nice for someone in need…they are everywhere. Remember folks…it’s just grass!

April Showers…

How happy are we for Spring?!!! Long, long over due. Buds are breaking, grass is growing, birds are chirping…I love this season except for my allergies. Cool season grasses are just waiting to be mowed regularly, over seeded and fertilized. The soil temperature is around 54 degrees at 2” deep at Page and Warson. It will have to stay there for the next 7-10 days to get much germination of seed or crabgrass. Don’t be in a hurry to put down your crabgrass control with Dimension until you have mowed at least twice! It’s more important that winter clutter has been removed before you apply the Dimension Here are this months main points:

COOL SEASON GRASS TIPS

*Mow down to about 2 ½ inches with a good sharp blade

*Rake or blow the yard first so when you do mow, you chop up or suck up the loose debris

*Apply your low nitrogen fertilizer with Dimension in the next couple of weeks (despite what you might hear on the radio or get from the fuzzy faced dude on TV)

*Spot treat early chick weed, henbit and dandelions as you see them! Read the label and understand what you are applying. The best defense against weeds isn’t chemicals…it’s thick grass!

*Raise your mower up to 3 ½ inches after the first two mowings and leave it the heck alone all summer long! Trust me, you will want to do this.

*Spot seed as needed, but only if you covered these areas with a towel or tarp before applying the crabgrass control. Save big seed jobs for September. Use sod along drives or bare areas in the spring.

*It’s never too late to test your soil, but definitely do so before applying fertilizers! (earthco.com for the best soil test kit in town and beyond)

*Don’t turn on your sprinkler system before May 1^st. Patience people, patience!

WARM SEASON GRASS TIPS

*Start planning, but you should be nothing much for the next couple of weeks

*You can mow down to 2 inches or so, but be careful at that height! Sewer and gas covers are easy to find at that height!

Come back next month for details on zoysia lawns. It just too early to get aggressive with these lawns yet.

I will hope the spring is kind to you all may we all complain about how hot it is soon!

Glenn Kraemer

MARCH LAWN CARE…MAYBE

March is coming in like a lion…let’s hope it goes out soon. Between wind, snow, sleet and colder then normal temperatures, I have had it.

Once spring does arrive, folks are going to be over zealous to apply their preemergent, spray their weed controls and spread grass seed. The bottom line is…NOTHING will happen until the soil temperatures get to where we need them to be. All the wishful thinking, prayers, fertilizer or pixie dust products out of the Parade Magazine won’t make the grass grow properly or consistently until God gives us 45-55 degree soil temperatures for 2 weeks, without a frost.

The message is: PATIENCE. Often spoken about in my home and business…rarely practiced as much as I would like it to be. So, do what I say, not what I do and you and your lawn will be fine. Once the ground warms and you can walk on it without causing foot prints that have water in them or you don’t hear the grass “crunching” underneath your feet, you can start working in the yard safely. Safely working, because you won’t be compacting the soil or causing dead spots in the lawn. That’s what happens when the ground is frozen and or saturated and we walk on it unnecessarily.

Once things warm up, you should do the following on your cool season and warm season lawns:

Cool season lawns:

*Rake or blow all of the leaf clutter that has accumulated over the winter. This helps your preemergent work more effectively!

*Mow at 2-2 ½ inches with a sharp blade. Bag if you can in order to help clean up the yard.

*Mow at least twice before you consider applying crab grass control.

*Mow at least once before putting down grass seed.

*Mow at least 2-3 times before applying Post emergent herbicides to Henbit, Clover etc. (remember to read the label!!!!)

*Second applications of Post emergent herbicides are usually the “One-two” punch stubborn weeds need to be killed!

Warm season lawns:

*Other then step one above…do nothing for another 45 days or so

Remember, zoysia is a “warm” season grass. It might feel warm to us, but until it’s growing…you should do almost nothing to these lawns!! Aprils letter will have details for warm season lawns you can follow. Please let me know if you have any questions or come visit us at our store @10747 Trenton Ave, St. Louis, 63132 (Warson & Page).

SPRING IS ON THE WAY…I PROMISE

Until the snow melts and the ground thaws, there isn’t whole lot we do in our yards or to our lawns. Unlike the last couple of years, there will not be much yard activity in February this year. We have been lucky that last couple of years with early springs, but not so much this time. You can do a lot of damage/compaction to the soil when it is saturated and or half frozen. The rule is to work the soil or walk in yard if you can see water around your foot print when you step in the yard. Sounds simple, but it’s impractical if you have get the dog or the newspaper…the point is, don’t over do it if the ground is saturated.

I’m told “patience is a virtue” and will have to practice what I preach this spring when it comes do doing yard work. I’m going to try to go on more walks with my wife and go hiking in more local parks this spring. TheMissouri Conservationist magazine had some great recommendations last fall for hikes in Missouri and I’m going to check some of those out. I went down to Hawn State Park (St Genevieve area) in December before it got real cold and went on a3 mile hike on the “Whispering Pines” trail and had a great time.

Now is a good time to check and replace your hand tools, get a diary/action plan started of activities in the yard, feed the birds and get ready for spring. About the earliest activity anyone should be doing is spraying dormat oil. This can be done safely once the temperatures are above 40-45 and will stay there for 1-2 hours. You want the spray to ‘dry” on the plant material, not “freeze” on the plant material.

Man, I want spring here in a hurry. I tell my kids all the time…”don’t be in a hurry to grow up”. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Practicing what we preach is not so.

Look for some exact lawn tips when Mother Nature allows!

Stay warm,

Glenn Kraemer

PS Note from MaryAnn- very fond of keeping a diary, and it can be a good winter read.  Along with that it is a good time to update any  changes made to your landscape design plans. 

 I love to create an inventory list of all foundation plant material.  My favorite winter project is to do this and then put it all on an excel file sheet and assign an activity week to assess whatever care is needed for that plant.

 You have to be flexible and know that its a guide only as every year is different but it helps me remember to check on that plant during that window of time.   It doesn't help with my case of spring fever which is building already with each day!