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.

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.