Lawn Care Tips

CUT IT HIGH! - While fertilization adds nutrients to the soil, which subsequently, becomes available to the turf grass plant, the grass plant produces food for itself through the process of photosynthesis - the leaf blade feeds itself! The more surface area a grass plant or leaf has, the greater the ability that plant has to sustain itself!!

The longer the grass blades are, the longer and stronger root system will be had. So, in times of stress, especially drought, deeper stronger roots will allow the entire plant to sustain itself. extending past very dry soil at the surface. Recovery from insect and disease pathogen infestation will also occur more quickly when mowed higher. If your lawn is cut too short, it may not make it through periods of drought and pest damage

IT"S ABOUT COMPETITION! The soil is full of weed seed and crabgrass seed! Longer lawns can "out-compete" weeds by being the fittest and crowding out weeds.

WHERE DO YOU FIND CRABGRASS BEING MOST PROMINENT? The answer is where ever the grass is cut shortest. For instance where the mower "scalps" the lawn or along driveway, walkway and road edges where you or your "cutter" use string line trimmers to "edge" the edges. There is a right way and a wrong way to edge, that's another topic.

SOIL AERATION - This is a management practice that can almost instantly improve your turf growing conditions!!

Heavy clay soils, compacted soils, lawns with over 1/2 inch of thatch or soils with an impervious layer limiting root penetration are the best candidates for soil aeration. Typically performed in spring and/or fall and at times in conjunction with over-seeding. Cullen lawn care will recommend soil aeration when it is needed, not do it automatically.

A few things to remember regarding aerating (pulling plugs from the lawn) beside the benefits there is also introduction of what was once "dormant" weed seed in the soil, so you may have a greater incident of weeds in the lawn requiring control. Also, if you have a population of earth worms in your lawn, they are aerating the soil naturally!!!! Sandy soils often require less aerating too.

Cullen doesn't aerate for the sake of it, it's done for a purpose. And instead of paying those companies that do it "carte blanche", you should save the money if aeration isn't needed and buy a tree, or go to dinner with your family instead!!

Often, immediately after the snow melts in the early spring, there are "patches" of matted grass that is usually straw colored. The appearance of the lawn is mottled and sometimes can be very extensive. The most probable cause is gray snow mold. (pink snow mold can look similar but occurs further into spring and will have a red or pinkish hue in and around the "dead" patches of grass.)

Snow mold is a fungus with abundant spores in the soil and,especially, in the thatch layer of your turf. Certain conditions of you lawn going into winter will affect the severity and occurrence in spring. Management practices to employ prior to the first snowfall include:

1) reducing the thatch layer in the lawn. Either aerate or use a rake or power rake the lawn.

2) reduce your mowing height on the last cut of the season. Long grass that lays over itself creates a favorable environment for snow mold.

3) Use a low percentage nitrogen (vs. high %N) to reduce any rapid top growth late in the season.

4) DO add or use higher potash (K) fertilizer on your final fertilizer application in the late fall. Potash/potassium/K is an essential element in the plant molecule is used to thicken cell walls of the turf grass plant "hardening" the plant and in essence making it more resistant to infection.

5) Apply a fungicide in late fall (Common name - PCNB) This practice is followed on most golf course greens in the north east mainly so conditions for play are improved in the spring and to prevent valuable bentgrass from being replaced with a more invasive annual bluegrass or Poa Annua on putting serfaces.

The roots of the plant are usually not killed but the upper sheaths are. It is best to rake the dead matted grass out and fertilize and even over-seed if neccasary.