Lawn Care
Thermal Blue – Installation Photos
It’s not often that we get to see the process of renovating a home lawn from start to finish. A garden friend recently sent these shots. See his notes at the end too: ——————— Walter – I completely renovated my...
Lawn – Beer for Fertilizer
One of the most ill-informed decisions of my life was to major in chemistry in college. Sure, I had excelled in the subject in high school. I could make my own gunpowder from ingredients bought at the pharmacy in town....
Bermudagrass – How is it Spelled
I have long fought editors of my books and newspaper articles about the correct spelling of turfgrasses. Here are the thoughts of Dr. Clint Waltz at UGA: “Bermudagrass is one word and only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence,...
Lawn – Fall Chores
For the first several months of new fatherhood I frequently felt like an idiot. Every time my son spit up a little cereal his mom and I assumed it was projectile vomiting and fearfully called our pediatrician. If he cried...
Roundup – Using on Winter Weeds
It is tempting to spray glyphosate (Roundup) on green winter weeds when your lawn grass is brown and dormant. However, bermudagrass is the only turfgrass on which I’d recommend this practice – - and with much caution. The bermudagrass must...
Lawn – Timing Pre-emergent Herbicide
One of the sourest phrases that can be directed at a child or adult is “I told you so!” Whether you touch a hot match, leave tools out in the rain or lift cinder blocks all afternoon, someone is usually...
Turfgrasses – Identifying
Unlike trees, which have distinctive leaves, or blooming plants, which have distinctive flowers, turfgrass identification is much more difficult for the amateur . There are five major lawn grasses grown in Georgia. Following are characteristics that will help you distinguish...
Brown Patch Control – N.C. State trial plots
Control of brown patch in tall fescue with monthly fungicide applications in Raleigh, NC. L.P. Tredway and E.L. Butler Department of Plant Pathology North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695 Fungicides were evaluated for their ability to control brown patch...
Importance of Soil Temps
The following is a partial list of soil temperatures (°F) at the 4-inch depth that are associated with certain biological events. Check your soil temperature here Cool Season Grasses: Fescue, Ryegrass 90°F Shoot growth ceases. 77°F Root growth ceases. 70°F...
Take-all Patch – Control with Manganese
Take-all patch has become a problem for St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass and bermudagrass lawns. It seems to be related to soil pH (acidity) problems as well as manganese deficiency. I asked Alfredo Martinez, PhD, Extension Plant Pathologist to comment on an...
Lawn – Dog Urine Spots
Q: I have two female dogs which immediately head for our front yard to relieve themselves when I let them out. Needless to say, there are plenty of yellow patches of dead grass throughout. Is there a chemical I could...
St Augustine – Weed Control
BASIC INFORMATION: General Turf and Weed Info Lawn Care Calendars THREE METHODS There are three primary methods of controlling weeds. Any one method, when used alone, will not usually control all of your weeds. To consistently control weeds you must...
St Augustine – Planting Sod
Kill all weeds by spraying the area with a non-selective weed killer two weeks before planting. • Till the soil thoroughly to a depth of six inches, mixing in the recommended amount of lime and fertilizer (1-800-ASKUGA-1) • If you...
St Augustine – Mowing
Every lawn grass has a height at which it should be mowed for best health. The rule is that only one-third of a grass plant should be removed in one mowing. As an example, if you intend to mow your...
St Augustine – Liming
An important factor in plant growth is the soil acidity level. This is measured in terms of a pH scale which is graduated from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Any number below 7.0 is considered acid with 5.0...
St Augustine – General notes
Information taken from The Revised Georgia Gardener’s Guide Walter Reeves and Erica Glasener Where would south Georgia lawns be without St. Augustine grass? St. Augustine grass is an excellent choice for the sandy soils of the lower half of the...
St Augustine – Diseases
Q: My St. Augustine grass has pretty much disappeared since last year. What do you know about the SAD virus that might have caused this? A: As you might be asked rural areas “You’re not from around here, are you?”...
St Augustine – Aerating
The best time to aerate St. Augustine grass is in early summer, when the grass is growing rapidly. On very compacted soils, aerating twice a year would not be out of the question. Apply fertilizer and water after aerating so...
