Three Ways to Save 30% or More on Your Water Usage This Year

Okay, so we are experiencing a drought. We should be doing all that we can to conserve water.   I want to propose that we can easily save 30 to 50% on our water usage and still have a green healthy lawn and landscape.  I know some of you have made up your mind that you are just going to let the lawn go dry which is a big mistake for countless reasons - cost to replace, loss of the benefits of turf such as cooling, filtering, noise abatement, home value, aesthetics.  It should not be all or nothing.  There are a few great solutions I'd like to share.

First I would start with the sprinklers.  Today there are much more efficient heads that will in themselves save 20-30% by providing more uniform coverage and a slower precipitation rate greatly reducing runoff.  Toro and Hunter offer some really good upgrades to your old and inefficient heads.  Along with this we always recommend regularly checking your system for leaks, coverage, plugged nozzles and the like which offers additional water savings.

Secondly, I would replace or enhance the traditional sprinkler control box to make it a “smarter” clock.  There are smart clocks with a weather station or with satellite input that can self-adjust to the weather outside and adjust daily to the needs of the landscape.  A cheaper alternative is adding a device that feeds a normal controller historical data and adjusts daily and seasonally so you are not watering the same day after day throughout the spring, summer, and fall regardless of the demand.  These steps can easily save 30% or more too.

Finally I would strongly consider the use of quality long-term soil surfactants in the landscape.  They will increase the water use efficiency 30% or more by improving water movement into the soil and distribution in the profile.  Runoff will be greatly reduced and the soil’s ability to hold more water will significantly increase as well.  Assuming there is adequate coverage, localized dry spots will disappear and the plants will find more water throughout the root zone.  One treatment can enhance water management up to 4 months.  Some claim the addition of polymers and hydrogels into the soil profile will result in 50% water saving over several years.  Imagine saving 20-50% on your water bill and doing your part in water conservation and still having a great lawn and healthy plants!

Water is indeed very precious and so is your outdoor landscape.  Taking on one, two, or all three of these steps will save water and your investment.  If you have any questions about conserving water please call Weed Man at 266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.  Aqua Man Irrigation Solutions can upgrade your sprinklers and controllers. Call them at 475-7777.  

If you want to abandon your lawn and want to explore if artificial turf is right for you, then Grass Creations with 14 years of experience and a proud installer of TigerTurf would be a great place to call at 475-7700.  

Green is always prettier than brown.

Is Having a Green Lawn a Bad Thing?

We hear that if your lawn is brown you are doing things right.  Some people had that down years ago way before it was politically correct.  I called it neglect.  Unsolicited here is where I stand on the water use issue.

If I can find ways to have a green lawn and still save 30-50% on my water usage I should be congratulated not condemned or shunned. 

If the cities want us to not water lawns then they should just say so and we will all enjoy the uglier, warmer, and dustier environment throughout the valley.  We have not been told to cut water usage by 60% from anything that I have read.  If it’s a choice between having drinking water and watering the landscape I’m all for the drinking water.

I maintain that a healthy lawn benefits the community in terms of appearance, home value, significant cooling, erosion control, dust control, air quality, and providing lots of oxygen for us to breathe.  2,500 square feet of turf not only removes large amounts of carbon dioxide, but also provides enough oxygen for a family of four.  Irrigated turf grass is 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 20 degrees cooler than bare ground.  If we have enough water to wisely irrigate then we should try to keep the lawns.

There are numerous ways to reduce the water required to keep our lawns alive.  There are soil surfactants that increase the soil’s ability to absorb water and keep it available for the grass roots to take up.  I maintain that 95% or more of our current sprinkler systems have both inefficient spray nozzles and archaic time clocks.  Upgrading these can easily save 30 to 50% over traditional irrigation approaches.  Trees and shrubs irrigation could be changed from spray to drip irrigation and easily reduce water usage by 50% and reduce water runoff into streets. 

The idea of watering lawns twice a week at levels 50% below past years to keep the grass on live support is questionable.  Many lawns in our area are tall fescue lawns that will not just bounce back with rains this fall.  They will be clumpy with bare spots that will need overseeding.  Bermuda lawns may take months or years to eventually fill back in depending on the amount of die back.  We may be seeing the loss of many trees in our community as well as we are already seeing the loss of thousands of redwoods prior to mandatory water cut backs.

If you wish to talk about real workable solutions to your lawn and landscape irrigation feel free to call Weed Man at 266-1624 or Aqua Man Irrigation Solutions at 475-7777.  If you want to discuss whether or not synthetic lawns are right for you call Craig at Grass Creations at 475-7700, where we offer creative design as well. We want to conserve our community while being also being great stewards of our precious water resources.

10 Most Common Lawn Problems in the Central Valley

Okay, so here is my top 10 list of common lawn problems. Some of them are damaging pests and some of them are the result of poor cultural practices. I won’t get into solutions today, but obviously you need to properly identify the enemy and know what to look for to take the right actions. Known problem now results in no problem later.

Crabgrass has to top my list.  It is an annual grass that germinates from mid February to Mid September.  Prevention right now is absolutely key.

Spurge is an annual broadleaf weed that pops up in both lawns and flowerbeds in roughly the same time frame as crabgrass.  It too is a heavy seed producer and needs timely applications of pre emergent to prevent its germination.

Sedges are perennial weeds that invade lawns and flowerbeds in the warm summer months.  Proper identification and selection of the right control agent will determine the level of suppression.

Broadleaf weeds like oxalis, dandelions, clovers, and thistles are extremely common to lawns throughout the valley.  Not all broadleaf weed control products are equal and proper identification will help one select the best product.

Diseases can damage lawns throughout the year.  Things like brown patch, snow mold, rust, spring dead spot, and southern blight.  Symptoms are usually circular in shape and the turf becomes discolored and often yellow.

Annual bluegrass or Poa annua is an abundant seed producer that invades dormant Bermuda lawns and flower beds.  This too is preventable with the proper treatments.

Bermuda is fine in a Bermuda lawn, but not so great in a tall fescue lawn as it goes dormant in the winter and leaves patches of brown in an otherwise green lawn.  Suppression is available only at this time.

Dry spots are usually the result of poor sprinkler coverage.  No water means no green grass.  This could be due to the spacing, water pressure, bad nozzles, or lack of proper adjustments.  Let’s fix sprinkler problems as water in a limited resource.  Overwatering is also a very bad and commonly observed practice.

Shade provides a great place to hang out in the summertime, but too much shade results in very thin lawns.  Shade management becomes more important as the landscape matures over time.

Mowing too short or too infrequently will put a stress on your lawn.  Weekly mowing at the proper height will make for a happier lawn. 

Well that’s my list and it is certainly not complete.  For your lawn questions and free lawn evaluation call Weed Man at 559-266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.

Landscape Watering 101

California is in its fourth year of drought.  New rulings from Sacramento focus on reducing wasteful runoff and over watering in hope of reducing water usage 20%. Fines could be as high as $500 a day for failure to implement the required conservation steps and the City of Fresno has just gone from 3 days a week to two days a week in summer months. We have all seen the river of water going down the street and this is not good.  Nobody has asked us to let lawns go brown or reduce water by one-third either.  We must be very wise on how we apply the water to strive for peak efficiency as we have limited resources.

Brown is NOT the new green. 

It appears to me that the regulatory focus is on reduced water usage and stopping wasteful over watering and runoff.  I maintain that we can adopt the new guidelines, reduce our water consumption, and still have a green landscape.  It will take some effort, time, and likely some money. Let’s talk about lawns for example. 1) Only water on your watering days otherwise you may be fined.  2) Make sure that your sprinklers are adjusted to only apply water on the lawn and not the driveway, walks, or street as this may result in a fine.  3) Avoid watering midday as significant water will be lost to evaporation.  I would also try to avoid the 7 PM to midnight watering to reduce disease levels on tall fescue and ryegrass lawns.  4) Water application rates should not exceed the soil’s ability to absorb it.  If water starts to puddle it will be prone to runoff and this too could result in a fine.  You have two choices to reduce runoff.  You can upgrade to nozzles that put out less water and run them longer or you could run multiple short cycles spaced an hour or two apart to allow the shorter cycles to soak in before running off.

There are a few other options available to consider that result in using less water. Invest in a “smart” clock that will regularly adjust the water requirements based on the temperature, soil type, plant type, terrain slope, etc.  If not this then at least get a clock that will allow multiple daily watering to avoid water runoff and deeper watering.  The use of a good soil surfactant will help the soil more easily accept more water instead of repelling which will decrease dry spots and enhance the soil water reservoir.  Sub irrigation (underground drip) is another approach that will get more notice in the future as significantly less water is used and runoff is nearly eliminated.  In flowerbeds, drip irrigation products like Netafim offer significant water savings over traditional sprinklers.

For more information on water usage compliance and conservation while preserving your landscape call Aqua Man at 559-475-7777 or Weed Man at 559-266-1624.  We would be very happy to talk to you! The City of Fresno at 621-5480 is also willing to help answer questions for those homes in their city limits.

Water Friendly Solutions

The folks at Weed Man lawn care love the beauty of a well kept lawn. Jeff Kollenkark has been in the lawn care business providing healthy green lawns since 1984. Weed Man serves over 3,500 residential and commercial customers by applying timely fertilization, weed, insect, and disease control for lawns and flower beds.  Another essential part of this service is educating the customer on the proper watering and mowing to ensure optimum results.

Knowing that water is a limited and precious resource Jeff launched Aqua Man in 2012 and added James Neufeld who brought nearly 30 years experience in irrigation and water management along.  The emphasis initially was to work with existing Weed Man customers to help them overcome poor sprinkler coverage and reduce water usage.  The focus included system evaluation and needed repairs and secondly to suggest relevant upgrades in heads or controllers to significantly reduce water usage and water plants no more or no less than needed for optimum growth.  James thinks a saving of 30-50% or more is easily achieved with the average homeowner.  It will become increasingly important as water supplies tighten up, the number of watering days decrease, and the cost of water increase.

The drought situation is getting increasingly more worrisome.  Weed Man has seen 1-2 customers a week decide to install artificial grass as they are concerned about the water restrictions and the inability to water enough. Many of them could keep their lawn with help from Weed Man and Aqua Man addressing alternative watering and irrigation upgrades, but their mind is made up to eliminate the lawn.  In an effort to provide the valley with viable solutions the addition of a third company was added in January.  Grass Creations offers the most realistic looking artificial turf available from lawns to putting greens. Concrete bed curbing is offered as well to show off the turf and flowerbed boarders.  Craig Bettencourt was brought on to oversee the 13 year old business with 5 experienced installers.  Craig has been in landscape construction for over 15 years and loves to create beautiful landscapes.  He is happy to talk about landscape lighting and proper plant selection as well.

Weed Man, Aqua Man, and Grass Creations are excited to be able to create raving fans while at the same time support roughly 27 full time employees and numerous part time personnel.  We love to provide great results.  We love our employees and our customers.  Together the companies can offer reasonable solutions to individual homeowners to meet their desires.  The common thread to all three is to provide a great product the customer wants while reducing the need for water.

Jeff Kollenkark and his family have lived in Clovis since 1984.  His family includes Melissa, his wife of 40 years this summer, 5 children and soon to be 16 grandchildren. Jeff also loves to regularly volunteer up at Hume Lake Christian Camps and work in a few rounds of golf as time allows.

Are Green Lawns a Thing of the Past with the New Rules?

Governor Brown has asked for an across the board mandatory 25% reduction in water use.  Talk on the street includes “brown is the new green” and people say days of having a nice green lawn are over with.  Until someone says we can’t water our lawns at all, I maintain that it is still possible to have a nice lawn and save 35% or more over what we have used in the past.

The average lawn has water waste issues more than water use issues.  There are leaky valves and heads, poor water coverage; primitive spray nozzles that apply water faster than the soil can absorb it, and old school time clocks that never adjust to the ups and downs in the weather thus over watering much of the year to meet the demands of the hottest months. 

Irrigation should all start with great uniform coverage with 100% overlap of spray patterns. We all know if we have a dry spot where the coverage is weak that you can hide it by just increasing the watering time to eventually get the area moist enough.  This is “watering to the drier area”.  This is water wastage.

I would like to explore the beauty of using high efficiency spray nozzles like the MP Rotator. The MP Rotator is the standard for uniformity with varying distance streams of water. A typical spray nozzle is 50-60% efficient whereas the MP's are 80-90% efficient on coverage.  The other advantage is their low precipitation rate that allows the soil absorption to keep up with the water application and eliminating runoff.  This is especially beneficial for clay or compacted soils that are slower to take water and more likely to have runoff issues.  If you apply water faster than the soil can absorb it you will have runoff or at the very least some puddling.   Even though run times are significantly longer the water savings is up to 30% and with little or no runoff.

MP Rotators are a rotary nozzle which means they deliver multiple, individually distinct fingers of water as it revolves around a central axis. Most have adjustable radii and arcs to adjust to the shape of the area being irrigated.  Plus, they look cool. They can easily replace the traditional spray nozzle in the same sprinkler body, but new longer cycle times must be set to be sure they provide enough water.  Do not mix these heads with other types on the same station as the precipitation rates will not match and you will end up having wet and dry spots. 

Next time we will talk about the benefits of the new Smart Clocks and how they too can save a ton of water and meet or surpass the governor’s mandates.

For more information on water management with today’s technologies contact Aqua Man at 559-475-5555 or email at aquamanfresno@gmail.com.

Weed Control 101

Weeds come in all shapes and sizes and they are here to stay. They detract from your lawn and landscape areas and some weeds like crabgrass and bermuda even have the potential to take over. Knowing that weeds are found everywhere and move by wind, birds and mowers plus your next door neighbors’ lawn is a disaster is there really any hope of keeping the weeds at bay? The simple answer is yes. The reality is that one must approach weed control from numerous angles.

First of all, I like to evaluate the current condition of the landscape that I am trying to keep looking nice. Are the desirable grasses and plants healthy and are they receiving appropriate water and fertilizer? Do they receive the right amount of sunlight and are the soils suitable for growing healthy plants? Are lawns mowed at the proper height with sharp blades and trees and shrubs pruned properly? Poor cultural practices can foil good intentions. Secondly, I inventory the existing weeds and properly identify them. Proper identification is crucial as well as knowing their life cycle. Not all weeds are created equal and unfortunately there is not one weed control product that controls all weeds in all situations.

Once I know my site and potential threats I develop a plan. Culturally, I want to be sure the lawn is being mowed regularly at the proper height. Low mowing heights favor weeds as more light can penetrate the canopy favoring weed germination. Sprinklers and timersshould be checked for coverage and adequate timing. Fertilization should be done regularly to supply good nutrition. Good sanitation means that new soils or plants brought in should be from a reputable source and free of visible weeds. You could easily add new weed problems unintentionally. Finally, weeds should not be allowed to go to seed as one plant can reproduce rapidly left unchecked.

Prevention is the preferred approach to weed control as compared to eradication. I would include a pre emergent herbicide program to prevent weed invasion of annual weeds such as crabgrass and spurge. Proper rates and timing are critical to the success when using a pre emergent. They do not stop seeds from germinating, but do keep seeds from becoming a new plant through root or shoot inhibition. They do not control existing weeds so timing must be prior to the seeds germinating. Other weeds may already be established or are perennials. Proper identification of the unwanted weed will be essential and help determine which selective post emergent herbicide to choose. Generally speaking there are broadleaf weed, grassy weed, and sedge control products. The products vary in their effectiveness on specific weeds within each grouping. Like weeds, not all herbicides are equal.

Landscapes using good cultural methods plus an effective herbicide program can really keep lawn and flowerbed weeds reasonably in check. If you have more questions about managing weeds check out our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com or call 559-266-1624 or check us on Facebook.

Three Ways to Save 30% or More on Your Water Usage This Year

Okay, so we are experiencing a drought. Our rainy season is not over so there is still some hope, but either way we should be doing all that we can to conserve water. It is precious. I want to propose that we can easily save 30 to 50% on our water usage and still have a green healthy lawn and landscape. I know some of you have made up your mind that you are just going to let the lawn go dry which is a big mistake for countless reasons. (Cost to replace, loss of benefits of turf such as cooling, filtering, noise abatement, home value, aesthetics). It should not be all or nothing. There are great solutions below.

Damaged riser

First I would start with the sprinklers. Today there are much more efficient heads that will in themselves save 20-30% by providing more uniform coverage and a slower precipitation rate greatly reducing runoff. Toro and Hunter offer some really good upgrades to your old and inefficient heads. Along with this we always recommend regularly checking your system for leaks, coverage, plugged nozzles and the like which offers additional water savings.

Secondly I would replace or enhance the traditional sprinkler control box to make it a “smarter” clock. There are smart clocks with a weather station or with satellite input that can self-adjust to the weather outside and adjust daily to the needs of the landscape. A cheaper alternative is adding a device that feeds a normal controller historical data and adjusts daily and seasonally so you are not watering the same day after day throughout the spring, summer, and fall regardless of the demand. These steps can easily save 30% or more, too.

Irritrol Climate Logic

Finally I would strongly consider the use of quality long-term soil surfactants in the landscape. They will increase the water use efficiency 30% or more by improving water movement into the soil and distribution in the profile. Runoff will be greatly reduced and the soil’s ability to hold more water will significantly increase as well. Assuming there is adequate coverage, localized dry spots will disappear and the plants will find more water throughout the root zone. One treatment can enhance water management up to 4 months. Imagine saving 20-50% on your water bill and doing your part in water conservation and still having a great lawn and healthy plants!

Water is indeed very precious and so is your outdoor landscape. Taking on one, two, or all three of these steps will save water and your investment. 

If you have any questions about conserving water please call Weed Man at 559-266-1624, Aqua Man Irrigation Solutions at 559-475-7777, visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com or visit us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FresnoWeedMan.

A Few Thoughts on Water Conservation

Kris Horvath

Let’s all pray for rain in the valley and abundant snow in the Sierras in the upcoming weeks. Water is a precious commodity that we can’t afford to waste and can’t live without. I don’t claim to be fount of all knowledge on irrigation, but I can recommend a few things one can do to be more efficient in the use of their irrigation water in the landscape. I love lawns and so I am not inclined to always jump at the idea of removing turf from the family landscape. Actually, I would be looking for ways to keep my lawn and landscape healthy with the properamount of water at the proper interval to encourage deep irrigation and deep healthy roots.

Three areas come to mind and one of them is planting the correct plant material for the right soil, exposure, climate, etc. Beyond that, I think one is crazy not to look into smart clocks (irrigation controllers) and more precision delivery from the newer emitters. You can make your controllers “smarter” with these clocks that take into account the soil texture, zip code, daily temperature, rainfall, slope, plant material and so on. The addition of a local mini weather station or internet-based weather input will allow the amount of time needed to run each valve to be adjusted up or down each cycle. This will go a long way to increasing efficiency (possibly 30-40%) over the common method of turning the clock on in March and turning it off in late October with no regard as to the actual needs of the plants.

Evergreensprinkling.net

Finally, there is the choice of irrigation emitters themselves. There are nozzles like the MP Rotators and Precision Series Nozzles that are much more efficient in both their uniformity of coverage and the rate of delivery. With a larger droplet size and slower rate of delivery one can greatly increase the uniformity and significantly reduce the chance of runoff.  

Check with your local irrigation supply house and see what advances have been made in the past few years or call Aqua Man Irrigation Solutions at 559-475-7777. Upgrades will pay for themselves in your water bill, your plant’s health, and conserve water. It’s the smart thing to do.

You are always welcome to call our Weed Man office at 559-266-1624 or check out our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com if you have further lawn questions.

Crabgrass Prevention Now!

I really r..e..a..l..y don’t like crabgrass. Crabgrass is a pesky annual grassy weed that loves irrigated lawns here in the Central Valley. It gets really large and very apparent in lawns by mid-summer, but by then it is much more difficult to control. Left unchecked, crabgrass can rapidly take over a nice lawn in a matter of a few years.

Here’s the problem. You will not find an effective product for controlling existing crabgrass or dallisgrass on your store or nursery shelf. MSMA, found in Weed Hoe and Trimec Plus, is no longer available to homeowners and was the only product that actually worked on the removal of unwanted crabgrass unlike the products offered now. There are several products now on the market for homeowners for post-control of crabgrass and all contain quinclorac. I have not had good success at all in the Central Valley of California getting any significant control using these. Maybe you will be lucky and make one of them work, but my guess is that they won’t and you will be out both the time and expense you have invested.

Prevention is the key to crabgrass management especially without a reliable product for managing actively growing crabgrass plants. Ideally, a pre emergent herbicide should be applied at the proper rate prior to Valentine’s Day. There are a number of products out there (some better), but unless they are applied before seed germination at the right rate and uniformly the results could be less than desirable. Weed Man actually applies three applications to ensure better results.

What is the future for crabgrass control? There are some products in development for professional use only. As of today, there are very limited options even for the professional. New products are not as user-friendly as they are specific for warm or cool season grasses and not both. A sharp knife works well, too unless you have hundreds or thousands of plants.

Why risk your lawn to crabgrass invasion when the cheapest and most effective solution is prevention with pre emergent herbicides. A pre emergent must be applied before seeds start to germinate. Correct timing and rates of a quality pre emergent ensure great results. Have your lawn treated either by yourself or a professional before Valentine’s Day. 

For more information about crabgrass or a free lawn analysis and quote call Weed Man at 559-266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com. Ask us about our referral program!

Please Turn Down the Water

We are settling in to our cool, damp days of winter here in the Central Valley. This means that plants will not require much if any supplemental watering from our irrigation system. Our demand for water is in the 5-10% range of what is needed to hydrate our lawns and other plantings in the peak summer months. With a normal rain shower here and there the sprinklers could even be turned off until February or March. The exceptions may be the newly planted annuals, and even they won’t need much water in winter months.

Water is precious and we certainly don’t need to waste it. Too much water can increase disease incidence on the lawn and accelerate root rots in trees and shrubs. Saturated lawns also get rutted up with heavy mowers crossing it. Weeds, of course, will love the abundance of water. A bermudagrass lawn will certainly do fine with no irrigation until you water in your preemergent crabgrass control products in February.

Here is the bottom line. Only water as needed. If you are willing to turn off your water, do so and then watch for dry spots following long periods of no rain and above normal temperatures.  If you don’t do that, then please reduce your water to one day a week and cut that to 50% or less than normal.

Let’s pray for a wet winter and tons of snow in the mountains. 

For more information about watering or lawns, contact Weed Man at 266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.

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To Seed, or Not to Overseed, That is the Question

It’s hard to believe, but cold weather and dormant bermuda lawns are right around the corner. The lawn will lose its color and turn a light tan color as the frost kicks in. Is that good or bad?

The real question is whether or not to overseed the lawn to mask this brown look. Obviously if you hate the look of a dormant lawn you would lean towards overseeding to have a green lawn year-round, but here are a few reasons not to overseed. It’s nice to have a few months off from mowing. Secondly, bermuda will not have to compete next spring and early summer with an aggressive ryegrass lawn for space. Bermuda will green up faster and fill in quicker without ryegrass. The use of pre-emergents will help reduce invasion of winter annual weeds to help keep a uniformly clean, brown lawn and need to go down September-October.

Overseeding your lawn in early October can give you a beautiful, green lawn this winter. It is especially a smart option when facing a mixed stand lawn or patch stand of grasses. This will help hide and even the uniformity of the lawn. As the trees grow larger and produce more shade, the bermuda lawns start thinning out and the ryegrass can provide some much needed cover in those areas. On the negative side, overseeding results in mowing the lawn for 3-4 months a year that could have been avoided had you not seeded. Once you start the overseeding process it is difficult to stop in future years as portions of the ryegrass will remain from the previous season through seed or just persistence. The non-overseeded year will often be a mostly brown lawn with numerous clumps of rye. Also, as stated above, the bermuda stand itself may be thinned somewhat due to the persistent and aggressive nature of ryegrass.

If the scales tip in favor of overseeding your lawn, you must then choose the right seed. Without going into all the various improved varieties and their features I will sum it all up by saying DO NOT OVERSEED WITH ANNUAL RYEGRASS. It is a low quality grass used in erosion control and pastures. It grows quickly, its coarse textured, yellow-green in color, and prone to winter diseases. Perennial ryegrass vastly excels annual rye in all categories. Be sure to buy a clean, high quality seed without weedy grass contaminants. Please check the seed bag tags. 

As for me, I overseed my common bermuda front lawn for the neighbors, but I also love that clean, dormant hybrid bermuda in the back that gives me a break for 4 months.

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30 Days to a Better Lawn in 2014

Step outside and take a good look at your lawn. Do you see bare spots or patches of undesirable looking grasses and weeds? Maybe your kids’ activities, your dog’s constant pacing in the same path day after day, or your parking the car on the front lawn has caused the lawn to thin out due to wear and compaction. It’s true that the 19 straight days of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees certainly did not help our cool-season lawns either. The lawns are beat and just looking for some tender care.

Cooler temperatures are just around the corner. What is left of the lawn will perk up and appreciate the cool nights and shorter, milder days. Crabgrass will stop germinating by mid to late September. Thirty days from now life will be great!

What needs to be done in the next 30 days to have a better lawn for next year? Get ready because this is where you come into the mix. Check for unwanted grasses. Patches of Bermuda or dallisgrass are hard to kill and should be sprayed 2-3 times in the starting early September. Dense sections of crabgrass or bentgrass are fairly easy to kill and could wait until the middle of September to spray. If you think the lawn looks bad now just wait to see what it looks like in a few weeks!

Here’s the good news. Oct 1-10 is a great time to reseed all those problem areas. I would strongly recommend scalping down the areas to be reseeded prior to seeding followed by a fall lawn aeration to loosen the soil and encourage better root development. Areas could then be raked or dethatched mechanically to make a proper seed bed. Select a quality grass to match your existing lawn and follow suggested seeding directions. Generally tall fescue and ryegrass go down around 7-10 lbs/1000 sq ft. Next apply a ¼ inch of clean humus or compost to cover the seed to keep in the warmth and moisture to insure good germination. Apply a starter fertilizer like 10-20-10 at 10 lbs/1000. Water 2-3 times a day lightly to keep the mulch and seed moist for the first 7-14 days.

Here is what you don’t want to do. 1). Nothing. Your lawn will be no better next year and likely worse. 2). Sprinkle some seed over the bare spots and hope for the best. This is not much better than option 1. 3). Buy the cheapest seed you can find like annual ryegrass. This will result in the ugliest lawn on your block. Annual rye never really greens up, it grows very fast and often clumpy, and it does not match any grasses in your lawn. and it often gets riddled with disease in the winter months.

The window of opportunity is here. Now get outside and take the actions needed for a better lawn in 2014!

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Three Steps to a Better Fescue Lawn

You have had a chance to watch your lawn evolve over the years to where it is today. It may have bare spots or unwanted grassy or broadleaf weeds that detract from its appearance. Unless you take some action I can pretty well guarantee that the lawn will not evolve back to the lush green uniform lawn that you once had at the start (assuming it was nice at one time).

First you want to identify the short comings and the causal agents. Bare spots could be the result of pets, poor sprinkler coverage, fertilizer burn, excessive shade, annual weed pressure, poor soils, etc.  As the landscape matures and trees cast a more shade the lawn may thin or nearly disappear. Weeds are easier to control when you have properly identified them and know their life cycle. Crabgrass and bermuda grass are not the same by any stretch.

Secondly, you will want to correct the things that you are able to.  I would definitely address the sprinklers as they are a key element in having a thick, healthy lawn. Sprinklers should be checked regularly throughout the season and adjusted as needed for time and coverage. Poor soils could be amended or replaced. Tough perennial weeds like dallisgrass and bermuda should be sprayed out a few times in August and September to help eliminate them. There are no guarantees on totally killing bermuda, but one can definitely hurt it badly.

The third step is to get the lawn thickened up with the desirable grasses, but only after one has worked on the sprinklers and perennial weeds. Preparation of the site is very important. Aeration and dethatching assure that the seed will make good soil contact and increase your chances of good germination. The area should be smooth and open up enough to allow the seed to drop down to the soil below. In thin spots or areas where one is essentially reestablishing a lawn, the use of a ¼ inch of humus to cover the seed will help hold onto moisture and heat to establish the new seedlings. Finally, the addition of a starter fertilizer high in phosphorus (the middle number on the bag) will assist the seedlings to grow faster and with a healthier root system going into the winter months.

That’s basically it. It is not rocket science, but it is important not to cut corners. If you would like a free evaluation of your lawn and some free advice you can call Weed Man at 559-266-1624 or check out our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.

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Effective Crabgrass Tools Absent From Store Shelves...A Follow Up

You may be looking for an effective way to get rid of crabgrass from your lawn.  Many products prior to 2012 contain MSMA in products like Weed Hoe, or Trimec Plus.  Well you won’t find it on the nursery or garden center shelves now and probably never again.  As a professional lawn care operator, we have until the end of 2013 to use MSMA and then we must find some alternatives.  There are several products now on the market for homeowners for post-control of crabgrass and they all contain quinclorac.  I have not had good success at all in the Central Valley of California getting any significant control using this or Drive as the trade name.  Maybe you will be lucky and make it work, but my guess is that it won’t and you will be out the time and expense you have invested. 

What are your alternatives?  1. Cutting it out. 2. Ignoring it and letting the frost take it out in November. 3. Hiring a lawn care company that still has some on hand to selectively remove the crabgrass out.

What is the future?  There are some products in development and a few that could be useful in certain cases.  There is a product called Tenacity that has some decent post emergent control on crabgrass, but it will only be recommended for cool season turf as Bermuda will turn temporarily white following application. 

My hope is that EPA will be open-minded and see that our industry has no great alternative to MSMA for crabgrass and even more so for dallisgrass control and that MSMA registration for use on turf grass would be reinstated.  I have heard it suggested that the data supporting a ban on MSMA was flawed, but I can’t say for certain. 

For a free consultation on your lawn call Weed Man at 266-1624 or visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.  We would be happy to come out and show you the proper way to cut out crabgrass and not damage your lawn if you want to care for your lawn on your own!

What’s In YOUR Lawn?

My guess is that if you skipped putting down a pre emergent or put it down incorrectly then you may be seeing a new crop of crabgrass emerging from your lawn by now.  Crabgrass is an annual grassy weed that can germinate from early February through September.  It is aggressive enough to overtake any lawn type including bermudagrass.  Crabgrass has broad, translucent spring green colored leaves. 

Now that it is in your lawn you are left with only a handful of choices.  One is to ignore it and just appreciate the fact that it is green.  A second choice is to cut it out using a sharp knife and cutting off the roots at the soil line.  The growing points are all above ground and will not grow back.  This will avoid leaving craters throughout the lawn from pulling it out.  I like using the cheap steak knives you can find at the Dollar Stores.  This option is preferable when dealing with 100 or less plants unless you have more time and patience than I do.  The third choice involves a trip to the nursery or local garden center and finding a sprayable herbicide for killing the existing crabgrass.  This is not a viable option at all as the over the counter products are not effective in our area.  Please don’t waste your time and money.  The fourth and final choice is to hire a licensed professional that still has access to products containing MSMA.  This product will selectively remove crabgrass out of a lawn with 3-4 applications about a week apart.  Some yellowing can occur and other new seedlings can continue to sprout as we move through the summer months.  As a lawn geek, I see only options 2 and 4 making any sense.  If I could cut it out then I would elect that option.  If the task was too monumental for my available time or abilities then I would call someone like Weed Man that can guarantee the results.

Bottom line with crabgrass is prevention.  A pre emergent herbicide applied in the spring can prevent the summer problem of crabgrass along with proper cultural mowing and watering practices.  

If you would like a free opinion on what is the best option for your lawn and its weeds, insects, or diseases give us a call at 266-1624 or look at our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.

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Is There a Fungus Among Us?

Brown Patch

Summer has arrived with its excessive heat, limitless sunny days, and absence of rain.  The struggle for the homeowner is deciding what is responsible for the brown sections of the lawn.  Is it the sprinklers that aren't covering well?  Is it the lawn guy’s fault because he just fertilized, broke a sprinkler, or repeatedly cuts the lawn too short?  Did someone in my family toss or leave something on the lawn causing it to turn brown?  Is the neighbor’s dog or cat squatting on the lawn?  Are there lawn bugs?  Is it bad soil?  Aliens landing?  Perhaps even a fungus?

An experienced and knowledgeable professional should be able to identify and eliminate most of the above causal agents by taking soil samples, looking at patterns, asking questions, and getting on their hands and knees to look at the soil, thatch, and leaves.  I maintain that lawn diseases are too often made the scapegoat when really something else is causing the problem.  I can’t tell you how many times we have been told that ”My gardener says that I have a fungus” when they just have dry spots in the lawn.

Make no mistake.  We do experience a good deal of disease activity on tall fescue, bluegrass, and ryegrass lawns in the summer months.  Many of these are soil borne or at least lay dormant in the soils or thatch until the proper conditions arrive.  Symptoms are usually spots or circular rings in the lawn unlike many sprinkler or insect patterns.

Brown Patch is probably the most common lawn disease in our market.  It likes hot sunny areas, ample irrigation, poor air circulation, warm nights, and late evening watering.  You can’t control the weather, but you can manage the amount, frequency, and timing of your irrigation.  Deep, less frequent watering that is done between 3-6 am is best.  The sun can then dry out the lawn and leaf blades by mid morning reducing the period of leaf wetness.  

Southern Blight is another fungus that infects the same cool season grasses during the summer.  It has sclerotia, seed like structures, that hibernate in the soils and thatch until the conditions are favorable for “germinating”.  Typically yellow to brown rings of 1-12 feet in diameter will form. We do not feel the watering schedule has a significant impact on its spread or damage.  A preventive fungicide is the key for this one.

Pythium is a water mold and it loves wet and saturated conditions for its spread and infection of the cool season grasses.  It will appear as spots of greasy matted leaves in lawns generally over watered.  This is the least common of the three and can mostly be managed with proper watering practices and use of a fungicide as needed.

We have found that prevention with fungicides is a terrific option. Some offer up to 30 days of protection in our area.  

For more information on lawns please check out our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com or call us at 266-1624.

Mowing 101

There are few things nicer than the smell and sight of a fresh cut, lush, beautiful lawn.  Although mowing is not complicated, there are some best mowing practices.  Proper mowing habits can extend the life and vigor of your lawn for years to come whereas poor mowing habits can take a good lawn and make it a poor lawn faster than you might think.

Mow regularly so that you are removing 1/3 or less of the leaf length in a single mowing.  Weekly mowing is advised and during a spring flush of growth a second could be needed.  If the grass has gotten ahead of you and it is twice or more the normal height it would be best to raise the mowing height and come back a day or two later and lower gradually until you reach the preferred height. Do not allow excess clippings to remain on the lawn. Mowing too much off at once will shock the grass and result in scalping.  Two weeks between mowing is too long for a healthy growing turf.

Mow at the proper height for the grass type.  I would recommend 3 inches for tall fescue, 1-2 inches for common bermuda, and 0.5 to 1.5 inches for hybrid bermuda lawns.  Taller cuts result in deeper roots, cooler soils, less stress, and fewer weeds in most cases.

Replace or sharpen dull mower blades regularly to maintain a clean cut. Dull mower blades result in a raggedy cut.  Aesthetically, the lawn will have a dull look and potentially more susceptible to disease.  
Edging should be vertical not beveled off.  A vertical cut along walks and driveways keeps the mowing height in the ideal range leaving a healthier stand, cooler soil, longer root system and a more competitive situation against invading weeds.  If you like the idea of your lawn slowing shrinking away and weeds coming in then scalping down the edges with a string trimmer may be just what you are looking for.

Mow patterns should be varied regularly.  This will help reduce the rutting and spread out the compaction of repeatedly rolling over the same lines time after time.  It also helps reduce the grain of the lawn as it gets mowed from various directions.

Recycle the clippings by using mulching mowers especially during non-flush periods of growth.  The clippings will add much needed organic matter and nutrients to enrich the soil and feed the beneficial microorganisms in the soil.
Mow at a slow enough speed as to allow a good clean cut.  Mow at full throttle.  Going too fast will result in an incomplete cut and possibly excessive piles of clippings.

Other things include removing obstacles and debris before mowing, ensuring that the wheels are evenly inflated or the wheel height settings are all the same, mowing dry grass is preferred over wet, and always being careful of toes when backing up the mower.

For more information on lawns and lawn problems check out our website at Fresn.WeedManUSA.com or call Weed Man at 266-1624.