Sorry we’ve been negligent in posting updates on the website.  But, as our members know, by signing up for free newsletters, you get weekly (at least!) updates regarding our turf and ornamental issues.  We’ve nailed that this year.  Still, we need to work harder to keep the posts current.  It’s actually best to scroll to the very bottom of each category (pages on the lower left side of the website), because that’s where the meat of each topic resides.

FUNGAL DISEASES:  this is easily the worst year for brown patch out of the last four summers, and it’s ONLY JUNE!  Let’s hope for normal weather, not 10F above normal,the rest of the summer.  Brown patch is a hot weather-high humidity problem.  Excessive nitrogen makes it worse, so hopefully followers of THE Turf Plan have better yards than those utilizing the national 4-step program.  If you’ve got some great pictures, please send them to us.  If you’re irrigating your turf, apply your organic nitrogen product NOW!  If you’re not irrigating your turf, you should just ride it out.  Aerate and reseed in the fall (around Labor Day) to repair the sward.

Fungicides are expensive and they’re not guaranteed to work.  If you’re not pinched for cash, try one treatment, but the only way you’re going to know for sure if the fungicide is effective in your situation is to literally leave an “untreated strip,” or check plot.  Brown patch severity comes in and out, depending upon growing conditions.  Fungicides need to be applied every 14 to 28 days, depending upon the product and the severity of the infestation.  It’s gonna get uglier!

NUTSEDGE:  Nutsedge and brown patch actually go hand in hand.  When brown patch is bad, so is nutsedge.  It’s time to treat your nutsedge.  The forecast for the entire week is excellent…cooler weather, lower humidity.  Get ‘er done!  Remember, we provide you the NIS surfactant for free, when you buy Sedgehammer® from us.

MOWING:  Max your mower deck height…mowing at a height of 3.5 to 4.0″ inches is a good idea when the misery index is above 95F.  Sharpen your damn blade!  Mow in different directions.

CRABGRASS SPROUTS ALONG THE SIDEWALK:  Our customers have reported small crabgrass sprouting along sidewalks, streets and driveways.  This week is perfect to hose it down with some of the same Bayer® Broadleaf + Crabgrass hose-end product.  Clean up your broadleaf weeds this week, while you’re at it.  If you’re trying to kill wild violets, you need to talk to us, because you need an extra ingredient that you need to add to the sprayer.

IRRIGATION TIPS:  Now that we’re into the heat of the summer, it’s harder to over-water than it was during the cooler spring weather.  Therefore, those of you with irrigation systems should plan on providing supplemental irrigation on a regular basis.  Work with nature to provide at least an inch of water per week, maybe two. 

Set your irrigation timer to come on between 3 AM and 5 AM, so that you wash the dew off the grass blades.  Dew contains sugars, which provide nutrients to the fungal pathogens. By irrigating early in the morning, you’re effectively washing the sugar off the leaves.  It’s not as effective as a fungicide, but every little bit helps.

The past weekend, with all the rain and cloudy weather, has brought the powdery mildew out on bluegrass.  It’s an easy disease to control, compared to the dreaded patch diseases that occur with warmer temps.  We offer a great product with BANNER®, a versatile lawn and garden fungicide.  Use it on bluegrass ASAP.  In addition, spray down your roses, dogwoods, ninebarks, azaleas and rhododendrons.

Curious lead in for a turf blog, ain’t it? You’re wondering, “Huh, what are Jeff and Bill trying to tell me?” Plain and simple folks, “get on top it!” That’s why you subscribe to our newsletter…you want to know EXACTLY what’s going on in the world of turf, trees and shrubs! It’s tough not to use exclamation points when we communicate, but we’re two very happy, easy-to-please sum beaches. We enjoy helping you achieve that envious position of having the “best sward in the hood.”

Eight out of ten of you will achieve success by simply following THE Turf Plan. You folks simply need to do the right thing, when we tell you to do it. Sorry, buddy, this ain’t Burger King! If you aspire for great turf, you can’t have it your way! For the BEST turf, we want you to follow our advice. We’ll sell you anything from our product line, but don’t bitch at us when your personal plan doesn’t measure up to THE Turf Plan.

The astute reader has done the math…what about the 20% (two out of ten)? Well, them folks need a bit more attention. We’ve been coaching the swardmaster wannabees since 1988…we know how to grow great turf in the Lou If your sward (what’s a sward? it’s a great yard of turf) is not thick and lush and you’re either brand new to our program, or you’ve really been screwing the pooch! Like we said, we’ve been doing this since 1988, and we know that it only takes two fall cycles to get fabulous turf. Youll be the stud in the neighbor!

You’ll know you’ve arrived when your friends, family and neighbors start loading you down with compliments. Most typical is, “Who does your lawn?” Rather than be secretive and stuck up, please turn them on to THE Turf Plan. We’ve let you in on the secret to great turf, so do us a favor and recommend us to those within your sphere of influence. If they fail to execute, they won’t succeed. So, don’t be a chump…send us some business!

Enough of the self-gratulations. You subscribe herein for the horticultual tips, not the BS we’re feeding you right now. We’ll “show you the beef”…get those broadleaf weeds under control. Get the landscape beds cleaned up. Get the new coat of mulch laid down. Be kind to your plants and provide them with the nitrogen (that you’ve been withholdling) that they need to become vigorous, healthy specimens!

Mowing height for turf-type fescue is still recommended at 2.5 inches. But, if you get behind, don’t scalp it. Raise the mower deck to 3.0 inches. If you don’t have your mower manual, go figure out what make and model you have, and google the “service manual.”m Figure out what each “notch” means, in regard to inches. Bluegrass gets cut even shorter, 2 inches at the max. Got zoysiagrass? Scalp it! Now’s the time to get zoysiagrass under control, and scalping it now will help you keep it short all season long.

Sorry we’re such wind-bags.
Here’s to green grass,
Jeff & Bill

If you’re a groupie of THE Turf Plan, the best turf plan known to man, you’ve been mowing low since last October and November, and you’ve maintained that low mowing height this spring. Grass is not yet into the “busting ass” growth mode. That’s coming soon enough…probably that last week of April. You can be mowing between 2.5 and 3.0 inches right now for turf-type fescue. Bluegrass should be mowed at 2.0 inches. Got zoysia? Mow that sucker as low as you can! Get it low BEFORE it greens up.

Dozens of customers have come by these past few weeks to pick up their supplies.  Thanks for your continued support!  Crabgrass isn’t emerged yet…but we sure would like to see you nonetheless!

We’re happy to hear how many of you have the yard that’s the “envy of the neighborhood!”  Look folks, we’ve been doing this long enough that we can successfully coach you to a fabulous turf.  When your yard is excellent, you’ll know it by the volume of compliments…THEN you can call it your “sward.”  We supply the right products, and more importantly, we give you excellent advice.  But, if you want a great sward, you’ve got to do YOUR part.  Success factor #1 is measuring your grassy area, so that you really understand how much turf you’re tending.  If you’re too lazy to step this off, or measure it with a tape, please don’t bother with THE Turf Plan!  Don’t waste our time…hire a lawn service.  We want people with that want to be the lawn stud, the lawn stud-ette!  This requires a modicum of pride and energy, and half-a-brain.  Round off your turf area to the nearest 500 sq ft increment (aka, 0.5M).  Success factor #2 is spreading each product EVENLY across your grassy area.  We like it when you bring your spreader to us when you come to purchase your products.  We’ll show you which spreader setting to use for each product.  Plus, we’ll even take the time to teach you how to spread every product successfully.  Again, this takes at least half-a-brain, but a lot more motivation.  Success factor #3 is to FOLLOW OUR ADVICE!  When you join as a member (it’s FREE, tight-ass) you’ll get timely email reminders.  For example, since the second week of February we’ve sent out 5 emails.  This is an important time for the “turf calendar” so we strive to keep you in the know.  By the way, if one email per week is “too much information”…do us a favor and don’t sign up!  We want the do-it-yourselfer that wants the BEST YARD ON THE BLOCK!  All others need not apply!