In case you haven’t noticed, golf-ball sized woody galls are growing at an unprecedented rate on the pin oaks in St. Louis.  In particular, West County seems to have more infested trees than other areas, but if you look closely, infected trees are everywhere.  The cause of this gall is actually just a small wasp (psyllid).  It’s got a complex life cycle, and because of this, it’s exceedingly difficult to control.  Rather than regurgitating all the relevant information, go to this MU publication:  http://ppp.missouri.edu/newsletters/meg/archives/v16n4/a4.pdf

This insect can actually kill your oak tree over time.  Keep it well watered and well fed.  If you start a program with insecticides, commit to doing it for at least 3 years to determine if the program is working.

From personal experience, Jeff has a huge pin oak in his front yard, that’s far less affected than the others on the cul-de-sac.  Regular treatments of heavy doses of imidacloprid may be paying off.  But, it’s too soon to recommend this treatment to others.

Trickle-irrigate your valuable shade trees, by setting the hose on a very slow trickle.  Set the end of the hose up against the tree trunk, and let it run for 12 hours.  Then, move it to the opposite side of the tree, and let it trickle for another 12 hours.  If you see puddles or pools of water (runoff) then reduce the rate of the trickle.  The idea is to apply the water slowly enough that it’ll soak the root zone of the tree.  You won’t use nearly as much water as you’d expect, and your trees will appreciate the water. 

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.

As of 30-March-2010, no turf diseases have popped up.  Bluegrass will probably have a period of powdery mildew soon, especially in the shady spots.  This disease is easily controlled with Banner fungicide (we carry this product).

That hot week back in June has really hurt our turf. The heavy rainfalls the week or two before the heat really set our turf up for a double whammy, because the roots weren’t ready for the heat. When we can’t stand to be outside, our turf isn’t too happy with the weather, either. That heat stressed our turf, and stressed turf is prone to disease. We’re seeing dollar spot and tons of brown patch right now. In addition, nutsedge is growing an “inch-a-day”.

Just keep on doing the right things…mow your fescue at 3.0″ to 3.5″ tall, and be sure you have a sharp blade. Water early in the morning. Put your Milorganite fertilizer down any time now through July 15th or so. A little organic nitrogen can help your turf “grow through” the disease. Don’t OVERWATER. Let those roots breath. After the 4 inches of rain on 3-July and 4-July, don’t water your sward until Thursday.

Fungicides help, but they are not the panacea that you might expect. Fungicides will reduce the severity of the infestation, which means you’ll get 65% to 80% disease control. Don’t expect 100%! Of the two products we carry, the hose-end product is actually a “better” fungicide than the granular product, because it provides a broader spectrum of control against the various diseases.