Lawn Care Tips MOWING The biggest mistakes homeowners make in caring for their lawns are not mowing often enough and mowing with dull mowers set to cut at 1-1/2 inches or less. The result of such mowing is a thinned, shallow-rooted turf which does not compete well against weeds and which cannot withstand diseases, insects, and environmental stress. Lawns mowed at 1-1/2" to 3" will be healthier, better looking, and last much longer. 
Mow the lawn frequently enough so that you never take off more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time. Excessive leaf removal slows root growth. Root growth may not start for a month. This inhibited root growth reduces the plant's ability to absorb water and nutrients. This may mean you have to mow more than once a week especially in the spring. A lawn should not be mowed on a regular schedule but as needed. If you follow this rule, you will not cause the turf undue stress and you will not have to remove the clippings. It is beneficial to NOT remove the clippings because they contain nutrients which can be returned to the lawn. Clippings do not cause thatch, as they decompose quite rapidly. Only very long clippings, which would smother the grass, should be removed. However, if you adhere to the “1/3 of the grass blade” rule, you will never have a problem with long clippings. Be sure to have your lawn mower blade sharpened several times during the mowing season. A dull blade tears and shreds the grass, causing the lawn to have a brownish cast and making it very susceptible to diseases. REMEMBER: 1) Mow frequently
2) Keep clippings short
3) Leave clippings on the ground
4) Use a well sharpened blade
5) Do not cut grass short
6) Alternate mowing directions each mowing
WATERING If you want to have a beautiful green lawn throughout the growing season, you have to water it. In most areas, this normally means applying 1-1/2 to 2 inches of water per week during any period when there is insufficient rainfall. The weather and your soil type will have an effect on how much water the grass will need. 
It is much better for your lawn to water it heavily once or twice a week than to water it lightly more frequently. These frequent applications will cause the grass plants to be shallow-rooted and unable to withstand stress. If you want to know how much water you are applying at one time, place one or two small containers within the sprinkler pattern and check them periodically. As a general rule, with most home sprinkling systems, it will take at least a few hours to apply a sufficient amount of water. It is ideal to wet the soil to a depth of 4 to 8 inches each time you water. That is the equivalent to between 1 and 2 inches of rainfall. There are two easy methods of determining if it is necessary to apply water. The first is to push a trowel or similar tool into the ground and move it back and forth enough so that you can see the soil four to five inches deep. If the soil at that depth is not moist, water is needed. A second method is to see if, when walking across the lawn, you leave footprints. If footprints appear, your lawn is under drought stress and should be watered immediately. Many people water their lawns in the evening but this practice should be avoided because it encourages turfgrass diseases such as dollar spot and brown patch. Also, try to avoid watering during hot, windy days because much of the water is being evaporated before the roots are able to use it. Early morning is the best time to water. One final point which is extremely important: If you can't water your lawn throughout the summer months, it is best to simply let the grass go dormant. By watering only in the spring and early summer or watering only occasionally through the summer, you will interfere with the grasses natural means of coping with drought. While the lawn will go off color and not look very good in the summer if you don't water at all, it won't be under undue stress from interrupted watering. Our summer application will not put any stress on your lawn if you don't water. Also avoid letting the lawn go into dormancy and decide to start watering to bring it back. This will require a considerable amount of water and is stressful on the lawn.
THATCH WHAT IS THATCH? Thatch is primarily dead grass stems and roots which accumulate as grass plants die and are replaced. Thatch is not caused by grass clippings but by the woody, slow to decompose stems, rhizomes, and stolons below the grass blades. 
CAUSES OF ACCUMULATION Thatch buildup is a natural process with a healthy lawn. Vigorous, thick lawns build up thatch relatively fast. Lawns with frequent watering and fertilizer applications contribute to thatch accumulation. Any other combination of factors retarding decay and decomposition also favors thatch. DAMAGE FROM THATCH The biggest problem with a buildup of thatch is that the thatch layer prevents water and nutrients from reaching the plant roots. The water collects in the thatch layer and evaporates before it penetrates through to the root system. Thatch reduces the space available for producing new turf. Where crowded by thatch, the new plant parts tend to grow rapidly as they seek light and space, thus producing long, thin leaves with shallow roots. Thatch harbors disease inoculum. Turf diseases such as fusarium, dollarspot, and brown patch are favored by excess thatch. Thatch favors insects by hiding them from their predators. Thatch favors winter desiccation because the roots are concentrated in the thatch rather than in the protective soil. Finally, variable thicknesses and density of thatch make scalping by mowers almost inevitable. CONTROL OF THATCH NATURESCAPE recommends Aeration as the best control for thatch accumulation. Aeration or coring provides for this by pulling cores of soil and thatch out of the soil. Hollow metal tubes 1/2 inch in diameter are pushed into the soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches to pull out the cores. This allows oxygen to enter and contribute to decomposition of the thatch and promote deeper root growth. Also, as nature breaks up the cores, the solid will filter into the turf and support the microbial decomposition of the undisturbed thatch. Aeration is also preferred because there will be less tearing and disruption of the lawn surface as with dethatching. The aeration process also minimizes the damage that heavy thatch can cause. It does this by opening up the thatch, allowing air, water and fertilizer to reach the soil and expanding root system. Annual aerating will prevent a damaging thatch layer from ever building up. NATURESCAPE offers aeration in the spring and fall at very reasonable prices. Please call us if you are interested in this valuable service.
WEEDY PERENNIAL GRASSES Many lawns have been invaded by coarse, weedy grasses. The two types of weedy grasses are annual and perennial grasses. NATURESCAPE will control your annual grasses such as crabgrass and foxtail with a preemergent that prevents the seeds from germinating each year. Unfortunately, lawn care services can not control the perennial grasses because there isn’t any reliable selective control of them. The two most common perennial grasses are quackgrass and tall or coarse fescue. 
You can identify quackgrass by its bluish-green blades, which may be up to a half-inch wide, and its spreading growth habit. This perennial grass has fast-growing underground stems, called rhizomes, which allow it to cover a large area in a short time. Quackgrass prefers thin, dry lawns and will out-compete desirable turf grasses under droughty conditions. TALL FESCUE Tall or coarse fescue on the other hand, is a darker green perennial grass which grows in small patches or clumps approximately one foot in diameter. The blades of tall fescue are about one half-inch wide, while the stems have a reddish-purple color just above the soil. Like quackgrass, tall fescue is quite tolerant of drought. 
CONTROL The basic problem in controlling these weedy grasses is that any product which will kill them will also kill the desirable grass species in your lawn. Therefore, eliminating weedy grasses requires action by the homeowner. Because both of these weedy grasses prefer thin, dry lawns, keeping the lawn thick, healthy, and well irrigated will often do much to squeeze them out. Among the ways you may control tall fescue are these: 1. Dig it out. After the blades have grown to three or four inches, rake the patch toward the center to determine its size. Use a shovel to undercut the patch, going about two inches deep. Remove the entire patch and shake off as much soil as possible. Re-sod or seed the area. This method can be used in the spring or fall. 2. A time-consuming but effective way of controlling tall fescue is to use a small paint brush to apply a non-selective herbicide, such as Round-up. Be VERY CAREFUL not to get the herbicide on other plants (including desirable grasses) because they will be killed if you do. Paint a small amount of the herbicide on the tall fescue blades and, in a few days, the plant will begin to die.
SHADY LAWNS Growing turfgrass in deep shade is a challenge. It is important to understand that shade conditions require different grasses and different cultural procedures than sunny conditions. Kentucky bluegrass varieties do not, in general, grow well in the shade. Therefore, a grass such as red fescue will often be found under large trees. In some cases, turfgrasses simply cannot survive under the heavy shade produced by trees such as Norway maple. In these extreme situations, the homeowner should consider planting shade-adapted groundcovers such as English ivy, pachysandra, or myrtle. 
To give turfgrass the best chance to grow in the shade, consider these points: 1. Plant red fescue varieties. The best are Wintergreen, Ruby, Oasis and Pennlawn. 2. Raise the mowing height so that there will be more leaf blade to capture whatever light there may be. 3. Prune branches out of large trees so that more light can get through. It is particularly important to remove branches below the 10 ft. level. This is often the best thing for the trees as well. 4. Water infrequently but heavily. Approximately 1-1/2 to 2 inches of water in one application per week will usually provide sufficient moisture through the summer months. Because local conditions vary, occasionally check to see if soil is moist at the 4-6 inch level. 5. Control traffic in shaded areas as much as possible. Turfgrasses in the shade are not wear-tolerant and can be badly damaged by excessive use. 6. Finally, one of the most important and most neglected is to keep leaves raked up in the fall. If they are left on the ground to accumulate, they shut off light to the grass. The fall is the most important time of the year for root development and if light does not reach the grass, root growth is considerably suppressed.
LAWN INSECTS Many insects live in lawns, but only a few can cause considerable damage and are important enough to require control measures. NATURESCAPE includes an insect control when necessary in your lawn program. Also, your NATURESCAPE specialist will be watching for an insect problem but if you ever suspect that you have an outbreak during the year, please call us and we will inspect the lawn. The following are the 3 most common lawn damaging insects in the Midwest. CHINCH BUGS Chinch bugs are tiny, winged or wingless insects. The adults, who are only 1/16 inch long, have black bodies with white folded wings, the young nymphs are red with a black band on the abdomen. The adult chinch bugs move very rapidly through the grass, and it is often quite difficult to locate them. In order to find chinch bugs in the lawn, it will be necessary to get down on your hands and knees to make careful observations. 
Chinch bugs are most active in periods of hot, dry weather. Infestations can begin in June and may extend into September. Chinch bug damage initially appears as patches of yellowing turf in areas where heat is radiated from sidewalks or driveways. The damage is often confused with drought problems at first. Later, the damage consists of small, irregular areas where the turf has completely disappeared. Quackgrass often moves into these vacant areas within a matter of weeks. SOD WEBWORM 
Sod webworms are about 3/4 inch long, slender, cream or light brown in color with dark spots on the backs. They live in silken tubes at the base of the plants. Sod webworms produce 2-3 generations each year; therefore, the damage is likely to increase as the summer wears on. Adult webworms are small, cream-colored moths that flit about over the lawn and cluster around lights in the evening. They have a noticeable snout projecting in front of the head and fold their wings tightly against the body when resting. These adults do not feed. All damage is caused by larvae feeding on grass blades. Birds picking at lawns may indicate the presence of webworms. The first signs of sod webworm damage are areas of unevenly cropped grass. Soon, large areas may turn brown and die. Close examination will show that the Sod Webworm blades have been eaten away, with the bits of chewed foliage between the grass stems. GRUBS 
These are the larvae of the June beetle or the Japanese beetle. They are fat, white with brown heads, have prominent legs with curved bodies measuring up to 1 inch long. Grubs eat the roots of grasses, causing the turf to turn brown and die. Most species require 2-3 years to reach maturity, but some, including the Japanese beetle have a 1-year cycle. If turf shows brown or dead areas, examine it first for grubs. Grub-infested turf will be loose and can easily be pulled back to expose the insects.
LAWN DISEASES Fortunately, lawn diseases causing significant damage are not very common in the Midwest, but a few do exist that we will explain. Your NATURESCAPE specialist will always be watching for a disease problem, but if you possibly see any of the following situations, please call us. DOLLAR SPOT 
Dollar Spot is a fungal disease that may be observed on turfgrasses. It occurs on several grass species and is so named because it may cause damaged areas in the lawn that are approximately the size of the silver dollar. It can give a lawn a clumpy, irregular appearance. Individual leaves exhibit lesions that are white to tan in color with reddish-brown borders. BROWN PATCH The disease starts as water-soaked lesions on the leaf blade or sheath, quickly fading to tan. The lesions may girdle the blade, causing it to die back from the tip, leaving a pinched tip and a wrinkled looking blade. Severely affected patches of grass appear yellow and sunken, giving the turf a pockmarked look. Shiny black, football-shaped spores are easily seen on affected blades with a dissecting microscope. Severe attacks of Brown Patch are associated with periods of warm-to-hot muggy nights with light showers which occur after a period of drought. Symptoms of Brown Patch have been confused with other diseases such as dollar spot and fusarium, as well as insect, chemical, dog or other injury. NECROTIC RING SPOT 
In the past few years many homeowners have become all too familiar with the “frogeye” pattern of Necrotic Ring Spot. This disease, which primarily attacks the Merion, Windsor, and Fylking varieties of Kentucky bluegrass, is not easy to identify in its early stages. At first, it will appear as light, bluish-green patches approximately six inches in diameter. Within days the patches will turn to a reddish-brown and then to a light straw color. It is after the disease has already become well established that the well-known “frogeye” pattern appears. This pattern, which is a light tan ring with a tuft of green grass in the middle, may be up to two feet in diameter. Because the disease prefers hot, droughty conditions it is often found first near sidewalks and driveways, and on southern slopes. Compacted soils are also associated with the development of this disease. When Necrotic Ring Spot has invaded your lawn, it is time to break the rule about watering heavily and infrequently. Under Necrotic Ring Spot conditions, it is better to water the grass daily so that you are certain it never gets too dry. Watering can, by itself, make a big difference in your lawn's ability to survive this threat.
OTHER LAWN PROBLEMS MOLES One of the most frustrating cultural problems a homeowner faces is an infestation of moles. 
Although they do not feed on turfgrass, extensive damage may occur as a result of burrowing. Roots of the plants are left suspended in the air in these tunnels, drying out, and depriving the grass of essential nutrients and water. Naturally, the larger the population of moles, the more extensive the resulting damage. Moles eat the organisms that live in the soil, especially insect larvae and earthworms, and will occasionally take succulent vegetable matter such as newly sprouting seeds or bulbs. CONTROL Reliable mole control techniques include insect control, trapping, burrow fumigation and short fall mowing. Insect control application is accomplished by applying insect control which reduce the mole’s food supply. This, in turn, causes either starvation or movement to other areas with better food supply. NATURESCAPE includes insect control as part of your program. This alone will often control a mole problem. Trapping is accomplished by using either harpoon or choker mole traps. The traps must be placed in active tunnels and checked daily. Burrow fumigation is accomplished by fumigating with poisonous gas. This work can only be done by a certified Pest Control Operator. Finally, mowing the turf shorter in the fall provides less shelter in the winter and will help the mole problem. MUSHROOMS Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of soil inhabiting fungi. Mushrooms feed on organic matter in the soil. They are usually found in areas where rotting wood (stumps, roots, limbs, boards) are or were present in the soil. The feeding mushroom temporarily depletes the soil of water and nutrients which may kill grasses. 
CONTROL Individual and groups of mushrooms are difficult to eradicate. Chemicals applied to the lawn surface only temporarily suppress fungal growth. Raking the fruiting bodies only temporarily destroys the above ground portion. Eradication of the fungi requires soil replacement. Control individual mushrooms scattered throughout the lawn by digging up and removing the decaying wood in the soil below. Replace with fresh soil. Reseed or sod. Also aerating the soil with a pitchfork where the mushrooms are will allow more air to help decompose the rotting material. It will also help water reach the soil where it is being depleted by the fungi.
AREATION Core Aeration is one of the best things you can have done for your lawn. Not only does it reduce your thatch layer, but it helps stimulate root growth which is required for a healthy thick lawn. 
WHAT IS AERATION? Aeration is the practice by which hollow tines extract cores from your turf of soil and thatch with minimal tearing of the surface. BENEFITS OF AERATION Aeration can provide the necessary boost to a marginal lawn and a rejuvenation to others. As nature breaks up the cores, the soil will filter into the turf and support the microbial decomposition of the undisturbed thatch. Air and water entering the coring holes will also enhance decomposition of the thatch while promoting deeper root growth. Some of the advantages are listed below: 1) Stimulated root and shoot growth 2) Thatch buildup is reduced. 3) Soil layering is disrupted. 4) Optimum water penetration. 5) Improved fertilizer response. 6) Better drying of wet soils. 7) Increased gas exchange between soil and air. WHEN TO AERATE NATURESCAPE offers aeration at very reasonable prices in the spring and fall. Please call us if you are interested in this valuable service. BACK TO TOP |