Lime - "Vitamins" for your lawn

Various factors affect soil conditions and increased acidity. Low soil pH (highly acidic) can be caused by leaching of nutrients from the soil as well as the soil type and even irrigation frequency. Also, decomposition of organic matter may reduce soil pH and increase acidity.

When soil pH is below 7.0, the soil is said to be acidic. When the pH is above 7.0 it is alkaline. Most soils in our area are acidic and the majority of lawns will benefit from liming. Our testing the past 3 years has consistently returned low pH readings on lawns with samples as low as 4.8! 

Why is soil pH important? As the graph indicates, low pH affects nutrient availability. Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium and molybdenum can all be affected. With these nutrients tied up in the soil by low pH, the lawn’s color, vigor, and ability to resist disease, heat and drought stress can be reduced.  Applying lime not only changes the soil pH, but it adds essential nutrients to the soil such as calcium and magnesium. Consider these the “vitamins” in your lawn’s meal plan!

Lime applications help to balance the soil and make these most important nutrients available for the best health and quality of the soil and your lawn. Based on our most recent 3 years of testing, we recommend most lawns receive at least a maintenance level liming every fall. If you need more information about your lawn’s pH, give us a call at 413-736-9333.

Grub Attack!

Grubs are active!

It's turning out to be a great season for White Grubs! 

We’ve never seen so much grub activity in lawns in October….. It appears that grub development may have been delayed by the summer’s heat and drought conditions. Many lawns that have never had grubs are infested with white grubs!

White grubs are small, plump, white larvae which attack your lawn by viciously chewing on grass roots. As they continue to grow and feed, the damaged area becomes larger. Once the grass roots are destroyed, yellow and brown patches in the lawn will appear, just as if the lawn was dried out.

Other signs of grub damage include skunks, raccoon and birds grazing and digging in your lawn in search of these tasty insects. Grub damaged turf will also roll back like a carpet. Grubs are usually full-grown by late August, but this season it appears they may be hatching later than usual and raving havoc with lawns. 

Watch for small holes dug into the lawn, or even areas of grass pulled back or torn up. It could be skunks or raccoon searching for Grubs. In some cases we’re not finding significant damage from the grubs, but the animal activity is becoming a serious problem. If the grub population is high enough we still may need to apply an insect control, but in some cases an application of an animal repellent may be enough to discourage any further digging. The good news is there's still time for treatment to prevent further damage and their return in the spring. Let us know if you need help.

Still Time to Aerate!

Still time for Core Aeration 

Core Aerate to help fertilizer & water get to turf root zone.

Aeration is one of the most important steps to healthy lawn care. Your lawn requires cultivation to help improve soil conditions, and to build greater resistance to disease, insects and drought. 

What is Core Aeration?
Core aeration is the removal of small cores of soil and thatch (layer of living and decomposing organic debris between the soil surface and green vegetation) from your lawn with specially designed equipment. 

Lawn Care Aeration | Weed Man Professional

* During aeration, a series of hollow tines puncture the soil surface and systematically remove small plugs of soil and thatch from the lawn.
* The removal of soil plugs helps air, water and nutrients to reach the root system of grass plants.
* Following aeration, the process continues to work for your lawn through the leftover plugs. These plugs should be left on the lawn because they contain soil microorganisms that help break down thatch. These plugs disappear in a short period of time when left on the surface.

   

Why aerate your lawn?

 Aeration is beneficial for your lawn in a number of ways:

* Aeration helps to loosen compacted soil. Compacted soils make it difficult for roots to grow, limiting the movement of air, moisture and fertilizer through the soil.

* Aeration can reduce your water requirements by relieving soil compaction. Water penetration is increased and water run-off is reduced.

* If your lawn has a thick layer of thatch, aeration will push through that layer and improve air, water and nutrient penetration. This will enhance the development of a deep root system. 

* Aeration results in a deeply rooted lawn that is healthier and better able to withstand drought, disease and insect stress.

* Aeration creates a great seed bed for Over-Seeding. 

Most lawns benefit from Over-Seeding to introduce new, improved varieties of grass for better density, color and resistance to insects and disease . Fall is the best time to seed and aeration makes the task easier.

October is still a great time to aerate. Turfgrass is recovering from summer stress and putting roots down deep into the soil. Aeration will help your lawn get the most from Fall Fertilizer and strengthen the plant before winter. 

Schedule a core aeration today!