April Showers - FINALLY!

The April showers have arrived just in time. A couple more days and many lawns would have gone into “summer drought stress” long before summer arrives. The forecast for this week calls for cool weather and more showers throughout the week. With temperatures averaging in the 50’s we’re finally getting the spring weather our lawns need!

Many lawns started to green up but without rain or watering, they have just been sitting there waiting to grow. New seedling turf hasn’t done much. Any seeding done up to now hasn’t had much chance to sprout. And many trees and shrubs have been in a kind of suspended animation waiting to see if there was going to be spring or if we were jumping right into summer.

A week from now those lawns that were starting to go dormant will be beaming with color. The fertilizer that was applied during the past weeks will release and grass will start growing with the normal spring surge.

If you haven’t had a chance to service your lawn mower, you probably only have a few more days to get the blades sharpened and the oil changed. Spring mowing will be starting up again real soon!!

When you do start your mowing routine, remember that the ideal mowing height is 2 ½ to 3 inches. And don’t ever cut off more than 1/3 of the blade. (If the grass gets out of control, raise your mower height and cut it back in stages over the course of a couple days.) Proper mowing at this time of year helps to promote denser turf and suppresses many weeds.

Plan your mowing schedule so you can mow frequently enough to leave the clippings down on the lawn.  Clippings DO NOT make thatch, but they do return nutrients to the soil and add organic matter to your lawn.

After the showers pass, it will be time to plan your watering schedule for the spring season. As long as the weather stays cool with temperatures in the 60’s or even the 70’s, most lawns will be fine with watering only once or twice a week if there are no showers. Wait until the summer weather comes before you start a summer watering schedule. If you need help to figure out the best watering plan, just give us a call.

We still need about 6 inches more rain to get caught up from the deficit of this spring. Let’s hope we’re back into a normal weather pattern!

"April Showers" bring......?

“Summer weather” is in the forecast for the early part of the week, and people are questioning: “is it time to start watering the lawn?”

With the cool days and much cooler nights we’ve had recently, there hasn’t been much need to water lawns or landscapes. That may change with temperatures in the upper 70’s and 80’s Monday and Tuesday!

 

As of early April most of Southern New England is experiencing a rainfall deficit of at least 6” and the U.S. Geological Survey considers us to be in severe to extreme drought conditions. 

Unfortunately other than a chance for showers in the next couple days there is no sign of significant rain to help us out of drought or to give our lawns and landscapes the good soaking they would love to have right now.

Your lawn may benefit and actually need a watering this week. BUT, summer heat for a couple days NOT mean it’s time to set sprinklers to water the lawn every day. Drought conditions are already causing some rivers and streams to run at below normal levels for this time of year. Without precipitation soon, there is a good chance we will see early season restrictions on outdoor water use.

On average, lawns need about 1” of water per week. If you give the lawn a good soaking, give it another few days, check the forecast for showers and then decide on whether it actually needs watering. Cooler weather returns Wednesday and lessens heat stress on grass.

The exception to the watering rule is if you have seeded this spring, or if your lawn was newly seeded last fall and the turf-grass plants have not fully established deep rooting. New seed needs light watering every day for 21 days to ensure all the grass seeds germinate. The young turf just establishing from last fall, might need watering every few days only because the roots are still very young and have reached deep into the soil yet.

So, make your watering decision based on how your lawn looks, what the precipitation forecast is, and with concern for saving water during our early season drought!

Does the early Spring hurt?

What does the lack of winter and the early spring mean for my lawn and landscape?

Most lawns are greening up and once it warms up enough many will need the first mowing. The week of temperatures in the 70’s and low 80’s pushed most lawns out of dormancy while it also caused many early flowering trees to give us an extremely early show of color. 

Although temperatures have returned to more normal levels it looks like lawns and landscapes are running as much as 2-3 weeks ahead of “schedule”. Some lawns are slow to green and that could be due to the specific turf-grass variety (some are slow to green every spring but make up for it with amazing color the rest of the season). The open winter may have caused lawns to brown more than normal because of possible breakdown of chlorophyll in the plants. Without snow the grass plants were open to prolonged exposure to the sun during a time they are dormant and can’t replace the chlorophyll production which is what makes the leaf green.  With normal spring rain and temperatures in the coming weeks, along with our spring feeding, we expect lawns should all “catch up” and start growing in nicely.  

 And of course if you have Zoysia-grass in your lawn it will likely be mid to late May before it  greens up and blends in. It's a terrific grass in the middle of the summer but that straw color that hangs out late into spring and returns with the first frost is frustrating for those of us who love a season-long green lawn! Unfortunately there is no easy way to get rid of it. Zoysia is a warm season grass with incredible roots that just don't want to quit.

The good thing is everything will be greening up over the next few weeks. Remember it’s only the beginning of April! Last year there was still snow on lawns at this time!!

Forsythia and Crabgrass

My forsythia is in flower. Is it too late to put down crabgrass control?

 No! It’s not as simple as watching for forsythia blooms… Many people use forsythia as an indicator for crabgrass treatments, but forsythia flowering should be the sign that it’s time to START planning pre-emergent crabgrass control applications. Generally crabgrass germination is not expected until after Forsythia flowers have faded and fallen off. Even then there are many variables such as air temperature, soil temperature, sun exposure and turf density.

 Research has shown that crabgrass germinates when average daily soil temperature reaches 57 to 64 degrees at 1 inch depth. Even then many crabgrass seeds will not germinate until the soil temperature is above 70 degrees. Turf density, mowing height and soil structure all affect soil temperature and therefore crabgrass germination.

We can also use Growing Degree Days (GDD) to predict crabgrass germination. GDD is based on the measurement of air temperature above a base temperature of 50 degrees Farenheit. Science tells us that crabgrass will germinate at about 200 GDD. (It’s the end of March and we’re still below 90 GDD.) However all those variables about soil temp, density, etc. still come into play affecting exactly when this pesky weed will sprout!

Normally the first place we find crabgrass sprouting early is in sunny, hot dry areas like the south side of a building in lawn surrounded by pavement which contributes to heating the soil. Crabgrass likely won't sprout until June in more protected areas.

The key to success with crabgrass control is to properly maintain the lawn with good fertility to increase turf density. Mow high to shade the soil. And apply pre-emergent control before crabgrass sprouts!

The good news is that Weed Man applies two full applications of crabgrass control that work as a pre-emergent AND a post-emergent. What that means is that we protect the lawn with a blanket to keep crabgrass from establishing, but if there is “break-through” our 2^nd application will stop the crabgrass plants from gaining a foot hold.

So trust us to take care of crabgrass and we’ll trust you to take care of proper mowing and watering. Be sure to check with us if you need advice on proper care of your lawn. 

Call us at 413-736-9333 or 860-903-1110!

Fall Lawn Recovery

Fall is for lawns?

This is the time of year every lawn care person waits for. Cooler days and nights (hopefully) along with at least a little rain helps lawns to recover and thicken after the heat and stress of summer. And pushing a spreader across a thick green lawn on a cool autumn day makes you forget all the problems with summer weeds and brown spots!!!

It was a summer with intense heat and extended drought conditions both of which cause turf grass roots to decline and die back. Add a weather pattern that was perfect for all varieties of turf diseases to further weaken grass plants. And of course we had perfect "Georgia style" weather all summer which crabgrass and summer annual weeds love! It's been kind of the "Perfect Storm" for everything bad that could happen to a lawn.....

The big question now is what to do to help the lawn recover. For lawns that received adequate watering, there may only a few weeds to be cleaned up. If the lawn suffered heat, drought, disease, or root die-back, we hope the crown is still alive and that the grass will soon begin to recover. Many lawns are starting to sprout even without any watering but if you can turn on a sprinkler, it will help. As long as there haven't been insect problems most lawns can recover from their dormancy. If you look closely you may see little green shoots from the grass that is starting to come back. That's a good sign that the roots and crown are still alive.

We help the recovering lawn along by fertilizing to be sure nutrients are available for strong root growth. Core aeration will help to open the soil allowing more water, air and nutrients to be available to the grass plant. And of course over-seeding with improved varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Rye-grass will help the lawn to fill in faster and will strengthen the foundation of the lawn by adding disease or insect resistant turf-grasses. Even if your lawn is thick green and healthy, it can benefit from core aeration to help reduce compacted soil, break down thatch, and make an excellent seeding bed if you want to improve your lawns foundation.

Don't wait until Spring to decide if your lawn needs seed. If it suffered from this summer's stress, make the small investment now to over-seed! Spring seeding brings weeds and crabgrass!! Autumn brings lush green lawns....

Dog Days of Summer

The summer of 2010 is going into the record books as the hottest, and one of the dryest summers on record here in the CT River Valley. Today is August 9, and the temperature is 86 and humid! Our summer started early, back in May, and we are just beginning the "dog days of summer"......

Most lawns are not loving the weather we are having and unfortunately, August is sure to bring more. Those dog days surely mean more heat and humidity. The good news is that as the days get shorter, the night get a little cooler, and our lawns and landscapes get a signal that it's time to send out new roots and begin to prepare for winter. So, although it's hard to tell right now, all those brown lawns are beginning to wake up, even though we are going to have more summer weather!

What they really need along with the shorter days, and cooler nights, is a good soaking rain. Continue to do your best to supplement with watering as best you can. Fertilization is important now to have food ready for the lawn as it needs it. Aeration can be a big help to open the soil for better water absorption, more nutrient availability, and to help stimulate root growth. This is also a great time to overseed the lawn to introduce improved, disease and insect resistant grasses.

While it's difficult to grow cool-season bluegrass and rye-grass lawns when we're getting "hot-season" Georgia type weather, we're confident that protecting the lawn from insects and building the soil with the proper nutrients will really help most lawns bounce back quickly.

Arlington National Cemetery

Weed Man Springfield Volunteers at Arlington National Cemetery

Weed Man employees volunteer their time and lawn care services at our nation's most revered cemetery.

The oppressive heat and humidity gripping the East Coast was secondary to the dedication and commitment of approximately 450 lawn and landscape professionals who participated in the Professional Landcare Network’s (PLANET) Renewal and Remembrance project at Arlington National Cemetery.

With temperatures in the high 90s and a heat index over 100 degrees, about 100 companies from 29 states participated in the event which is in its 14th year. Renewal & Remembrance has become a not-to-be-missed event for many professionals who desire to volunteer their talents to the ongoing maintenance of the revered grounds at Arlington National Cemetery.

Weed Man was well represented at the event in their recognizable yellow and green uniforms. Representatives from Weed Man offices in Massachusetts, Ohio and Virginia attended the annual event.

“Participation in this respected industry event is a wonderful opportunity for our team to work side-by-side with lawn and landscape professionals from across the U.S. to enhance the turf at Arlington National Cemetery,” said Bruce Sheppard, a Weed Man business owner in Virginia.

Tom Mauer, a Weed Man business owner from Massachusetts added, “We feel it’s our responsibility to volunteer in this program. We’re proud to be in a position to provide valuable lawn care services to our country’s national cemetery.”

During the day of service, lawn and landscape professionals spread lime, aerated turf, planted trees and flowers and repaired irrigation systems at the military cemetery. The event also included a children’s program. This year, children received a lesson about the history of Arlington National Cemetery, planted perennials in a garden and participated in the laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“Your presence here is a statement that demonstrates your dedication to your country as well as the industry by presenting our industry issues to your legislators,” said PLANET president David Snodgrass. “You are not only representing yourself, your business and your state, but most importantly, our industry.”

The combined value of products and services donated to Arlington is $250,000. Over the years, the program has contributed approximately $2 million to the care of the national cemetery.

Other facts and figures from the event include:
• 55 children participated in the children’s activity
• 120 tons of lime was applied to 275 acres at Arlington National Cemetery
• 31 acres of turf was aerated
• 10 yards of soil was installed
• 7 yards of mulch was applied
• 22 trees and 6 shrubs were installed
• 60 perennials were planted
• 9 trees were pruned and received cabling and bracing
• 7 trees received lightning protection
• Irrigation systems at the Columbarium and Receiving Vault were updated