What are the gray or pink spots in my lawn? Snow mold. There are typically two kinds of snow mold: Gray and pink. This disease is usually noticed as the snow melts in the spring. It is commonly found in those turf areas of greatest snow accumulation, such as along driveways or over the brink […]
-This is a part of the article entitled “Mowing in the heat” by Dr. Kevin Frank. “Last year I witnessed several incidents of tire tracks on turfgrass simply from mowing during the hottest part of the day. Typically tip burn happens when mowing occurs on heat or drought stressed turf. When the turf is close […]
As spring warms, bee activity will begin to pick up. Paper wasps will begin their nest building activities. We have begun to see the European paper wasp and our native paper wasp on their small, newly constructed, nests this past week. These are the queens working hard to build their nests so that they can start laying eggs. […]
Mowing is one of the most important cultural practices performed in lawn maintenance. Regardless of whether the lawn is fertilized, irrigated , in sun or shade, proper mowing practices are essential if a high quality lawn is to develop. Properly mowed lawns will have fewer weed populations, better moisture stress tolerance and generally better quality […]
Seedheads are starting to appear in big numbers in lawns this week This is a normal occurrence that happens every May across Michigan. Most of the common turfgrasses found in lawns produce seedheads including Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and of course Poa annua (otherwise known as annual bluegrass). Seedheads not only detract from the appearance […]
It’s time to put away your snow blower and shovel and dig out the lawn mower! Now is a great time for some lawn mower maintenance. Follow these 6 steps and you will be ready to mow! Change the oil. This is one of the most important steps. Also check the oil periodically during the […]
The reason turf performs so poorly in shaded are-as is because of a of lack of sunlight. Grass is like most other plants, it does best with an abundance of sunlight present. Densely shaded areas are often characterized by: 1) Thin, patchy areas of grass 2) Bare soil 3) Tree roots 4) Moss 5) […]
Every spring we are asked by our customers if they should power rake or dethatch their lawns. It seems like the logical thing to do, after all, we clean out our cars and basements– shouldn’t we also clean thatch out of our lawns? The answer to that question is usually “no.” Thatch, as defined by Dr. […]
Moss is a nuisance in a lawn and people often want to know how to get rid of it. However, before you control your moss, it’s important to understand why it is present. Moss loves shade, moisture, and poorly drained or compacted soil. It will tend to creep into areas where grass has weakened and […]
In the spring and fall, we receive many questions from customer who are having problems with moles. Moles have huge appetites and can eat up to one third of their body weight in food per day. Their diet consists mainly of grubs, earthworms and other adult and larval insects. We have heard many interesting stories […]