Helpful lawn tips and information

curtv — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:53:04 +0000

Correct watering schedules are very important.

If you haven’t started watering yet, it’s time to start. It takes less water to maintain the lawn, than to recover it once it has dried out.If you are unable to water, and your lawn does go dormant, it will recover much faster if it has had regular applications of fertilizer, and has the proper nutrients available to the plant. We recommend that you never water at night. Doing so will leave the grass wet for too long and create the perfect conditions for some troublesome lawn diseases. However, watering at night is still better than not watering at all. A lawn in Full Sun should be watered about every other day this time of year, and possibly more often in the hotter months. A shady lawn however does not require as frequent of watering.

Mowing Tips

Often the greatest and simplest thing you can do to improve the quality of your lawn is to raise the mowing height. The grass varieties we have here inMichigan should be mowed to a height of 3 1/2? or higher. Doing so will help to thicken up the lawn, crowd out weeds and crabgrass, help to fill in bare spots, and improve root development. It will also reduce the lawn watering needs and improve the grass resistance to disease.

Mower blades should be sharpened at least once a year, and many professionals recommend sharpening after each 8 hrs. of mowing. A dull mower blade will rip and tear, leaving a brown spot at the tip of the grass blade. If your mower is missing small strips, the blades are worn on the ends and need to be replaced.

Bees, Wasps, Ants & Spiders?

Our Bug Shield Pest Control Program is a pest control program for your home.

We apply an odorless liquid barrier that kills wasps, bee’s, ants, and spiders, and keeps on killing for about 4 weeks! Our product is applied to the places bugs like to live and hide…around the foundation, doors, and windows, around and under decks, on the eves, fascia, and gutters, in porch lights, etc.. This 5 application program is done once a month, beginning in May, and ending with the last application in September. An average sized 1 story home cost $225 a year, larger 2 story homes, or including a detached garage will cost slightly more.

The Forsythias are blooming.

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:02:28 +0000

Is it too late for crabgrass control?
No. Although the air temperature have been unusually warm this spring,
the ground temperature is what really matters when predicting crabgrass germination.
Ground temperatures are still below the germination point here in West Michigan,
although they are registering much warmer in Central Michigan. Our Crabgrass preventer is also 25% stronger than what may of our competitors are using, and also has some post-emergent control. Which means it can still kill crabgrass even after germination.

When to plant grass seed?
If you have some areas that need seeding, you will enjoy much better results
doing so in the fall! But if you have plow damage areas, or something that can’t wait,
please let us know you plan on seeding. That way we can make sure we put down the correct products on those areas. If you wish to reseed after we have already made our 1st application, simply use some fresh topsoil on those areas, or rake/till up to a depth of 1″-2″

Winter Turf Tip: Snow Mold

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:42:51 +0000

Snow mold image.

Your lawn was perfect last fall. You spent endless hours all last summer caring for your grass. You watered it, you kept your mower blade sharp, you mowed it at the right height never taking more than a 1/3 of the grass blade off. You had a honest lawn care service apply the right fertilizers at the right time, you even had lawn aeration done to help the roots and reduce the thatch. When fall came you made sure the leaves where picked up. All this to make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood.

Winter has just arrived and your lawn is now white and you think I don’t need to worry I did everything right to have the best lawn around. However none of us figured it would be 50 degrees in January. What does this mean you ask? This means when the snow disappears you have a chance to have a disease we call snow mold.

What is Snow Mold?

Snow Mold is a disease that effects most all types of grasses that are subject to freezing temperatures and snow. Snow Mold is often the first disease we see in the spring and it causes your lawn to develop ugly circles about the size of a volleyball. When looking at this the grass is either colored Grey or Pink and is all matted down. This is how it gets it name either Pink or Grey Snow Mold.

Controlling Snow Mold

The best way to control Snow mold is to lightly rake the matted area. This allows air to reach the root crown and allows new grass to grow when it warms up in the spring. Also make sure if you still have snow piles that you break them down to help speed up the melting process. I also suggest that you schedule lawn fertilization with a crabgrass preventer to be done in the spring. If you hire a service don’t let them use a strait fertilizer in the spring this will cause too much growth and could harm your turf.

How Can I prevent Snow Mold Next Year?

Preventing snow mold can be tricky, our weather has alot to do with it and we can’t control that. Here a few hints to help prevent Snow Mold.

1. Make sure your lawn is mowed short in the fall. I suggest 1-1/2 inch to 2 inches. Slowly bring your lawn to this height by dropping the mower blade a notch each week, not all at once. I suggest you start this process in mid to late fall.

2. Follow a proper balanced fertilization program. Too much fertilizer in late fall can cause excessive growth. This can help Snow Mold form.

3. Thatch management is also very important and I suggest core aeration each year to help keep thatch bellow 1/2inch.

Fall Grub Alert

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:02:42 +0000

We have already noticed an alarming number of lawns with grubs and grub damage this fall.

Lawn Alert!!!
We have already noticed an alarming number of lawns with grubs and grub damage this fall. Many of the lawns were not quite yet showing any symptoms, and the only clue was skunks digging up the grubs at night. Some sites however are already showing
browning out of the lawn caused by the grubs feeding on the roots. If your lawn received our Merit Grub Preventer, you don’t have to worry. But if it did not, you may wish to check your lawn for grubs.
How to check: To look for grubs simply grab a handful of turf and try to pull it up, if it comes up easily- like the grass has no roots left, you probably have grubs. Look around in a few different places in the soil and you should find them. If the turf did not easily peel back, you might be OK, but a quick inspection at the root zone in soil in a few places is still a good idea. If you have any questions regarding grubs, and how to treat or prevent them, please call our office.

We here at Turf Care are always promoting the benefits of mowing you lawn to a height of 3.5″, so it may surprise you to hear us say it is time to cut it short! This time of year you should be gradually decreasing your mowing height, down to around 2″. Doing so will help protect it from winter kill and Snow Mold. An added bonus is that the shorter grass will also allow leaves to blow on by, and not accumulate as much in your yard!

Thanks, and have a great fall!

Fall Lawn Tips

admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:19:07 +0000

Fall is time for core areation. Call Turf Care today for a quote.

Wow! What a quick, hot, dry and very humid summer. Soon the cooler wet weather will be here. September is the time of the year to start looking at reducing the height of your lawn, 3 inches is perfect. You also need to watch the amount of water you put on your lawn. At this time of year watering 3 or 4 times a week for 20 minutes is plenty. Over watering in the fall will promote disease. September is also a great month to look at doing some lawn revitalization like core aeration. September is also the best month to do seeding.

Core Aeration is an often overlooked but important piece of having a healthy, lush lawn. Core Aeration helps to reduce thatch, improve soil structure, and allows fertilizer, water, and oxygen to get to the root zone where it’s needed most. The best time for Core aeration is in the fall. If you would like to schedule this service, or have any questions, please call our office.

Bees, Wasps, Ants, & Spiders? Our Bug Shield-Perimeter Pest Control Program will prevent & kill insects living on or entering your home. Treatments are done by our State licensed applicator who knows how to identify pests and which products to use for the best results! Each visit also includes spraying an odorless and non-staining liquid to places bugs like to live and hide…around the foundation, doors & windows, around and under decks, on the eves, fascia and gutters, behind porch lights, meter boxes, etc. The normal seasonal program consist of 5 monthly visits May through September. However…it’s not too late to enjoy a pest free home! Get your home protected before the cooler temperatures send insects indoors to spend the winter in your warm home.

Summer Lawn Care Tips

admin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:33:16 +0000

Proper sprinkling can reduce the chance your lawn will be diseased.

How Much and When should I Water?
As we get farther into summer, the watering needs on a lawn greatly increase.
If you have an irrigation system, it will probably need to be adjusted to water more frequently than in the spring. But be sure it gets turned back down again later in the year- If the lawn is too wet into the fall it greatly increases the likelihood of disease and other problems like moss.
We recommend that you never water at night. Doing so will leave the grass wet for too long and create the perfect conditions for some troublesome lawn diseases.
However, watering at night is still better than not watering at all.

Mowing Tips
Often the greatest and simplest thing you can do to improve the quality of your lawn is to raise the mowing height. The grass varieties we have here should be mowed to a height of 3 1/2″ or higher. Doing so will help to thicken up the lawn, crowd out weeds and crabgrass, help to fill in bare spots, and improve root development. It will also reduce the lawn watering needs and improve the grass resistance to disease.
Mower blades should be sharpened at least once a year, and many professionals recommend sharpening after each 8 hrs. of mowing. A dull mower blade will rip and tear, leaving a brown spot at the tip of the grass blade.

Brown Spots?
If you are seeing brown spots in your lawn, there is a very good chance the lawn has a disease called Red Thread. Red thread at first glance will look like a brown spots, each usually 1″-4″ in diameter, but can be up to 4 feet. Upon close inspection of the tip of the affected grass blades you may see a tiny pink or red thread growing up off the top.
Red thread will not kill a lawn, and will go away in time on its own.
Fungicides are usually not a good option for this disease, since they are expensive and have unreliable results. If you are able to bag your mower clipping while the disease is present it will help prevent the spreading of Red Thread. Our next scheduled application of fertilizer will actually help grow out the disease too.

Spring lawn care tips

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:53:02 +0000

Does the crabgrass control application need to be watered in?
No! The next rain fall will take care of that for you.

The forsythias are blooming. Is it to late for crabgrass control?
No! Crabgrass germination occurs when the soil Temperatures reach 65 degrees. Soil temperatures are several weeks behind the air temperatures. Our crab grass control provides pre- and post-emergent control. This means you can relax our product will knock out crabgrass. Even if it has germinated.

Can I Seed My Lawn?
Our crab grass control is designed to stop the germination of grass. This means it can not select between good grass and bad grass. If you want to seed we recommend that you aggressively scratch the area that you want to seed and top dress with some fresh soil before seeding. If you have areas that where obviously seeded relax, we only placed a starter fertilizer on that area.

What are the gray or pink spots in my lawn?
Snow Mold! This year with our mild winter snow mold is very active. There are two types of snow mold they are pink and gray.

What should I do about the snow mold?
The best way to help your lawn recover from snow mold is to lightly rake your lawn and break up the areas that are effected. In most cases our spring application will stimulate enough growth to heal these areas.

Have a little fun while we rebuild the Turf Care site

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:14:31 +0000

Thanks for visiting the Turf Care Mole Man website. We’re in the process of building a more interesting site, one filled with tips to help you care for our lawn. While we do that, wander over to the games page and try your skill at shooting a pesky mole.

Turf Care Mole Man Game

Wait for the ad to load, there is a progress bar that scrolls along the bottom of the game that let’s you know when you’re ready to play. Then click start, use the mouse and the cross hairs to shoot the moles as they pop out of the holes in the ground. The red ones shoot back, so you have to get them fast or you’re done. Leave your high score as a comment.