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. 

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