June 2015 - Our Lawns Will Need Some TLC to Prosper This Summer

Our Lawns Will Need TLC to Prosper This Summer

June 2015

It has been a challenging year thus far with a severe winter, a late and short spring, followed by a drought. Your lawn will need some TLC to prosper this summer.

Drought Stress

An early June application of Love Your Lawn-Love Your Soil will be especially important this year. Love Your Lawn-Love Your Soil provides increased air circulation to the soil which will help to reduce compaction and spur the beneficial soil microbes - helping them to free up soil nutrients and also nutrients from the fertilizer that you have already spread on your lawn. The amino acids, molasses and humates will keep them nourished and working hard.

An application now of Love Your Lawn - Love Your Soil will help to minimize the inevitable stress that will come in the months ahead. Proper watering is also essential. A total of one inch of water per week, including rainfall, is desirable. Watering deeply two or three times a week in the morning for 30-45 minutes per zone or lawn area, when necessary, is most beneficial for your lawn, encouraging deep root growth. Avoid frequent watering for short periods of time and avoid watering at night. Short duration waterings don't force the grass roots to grow deep in search of moisture and night time waterings promote turf disease.

Crabgrass

If you have a crabgrass history, you may want to consider an application this month of Crabgrass and Weed Preventer to extend control throughout the full season of crabgrass germination. Do not mow 48 hours before or 48 hours after application. This product should be watered in.

Nutsedge

Nutsedge is already up in some areas! For best control of nutsedge, treat with Pro-Sedge (Halosulfuron) as the plants appear, available at your local independent Garden Center or Hardware Store. Unfortunately, nutsedge will germinate throughout the summer and you may have to treat the leaf for control, perhaps multiple times through mid- August to attain the desired results.

Grubs!!

The best way to insure that you do not get grub damage this fall is to apply Grub and Insect Control. Use these timing guidelines: from New Jersey north, time this application in late June, south of NJ, an early to mid-June application would be best. This material prevents grub damage which is a good thing, by the time you know you have grubs in August/September you will already have damage. This product also gives immediate control of summer surface feeding insects (chinch bugs, sod webworms, etc) and as a bonus does a great job of controlling fleas and ticks, even ticks that carry lyme disease.

SOME THINGS TO LOOK FOR:

Unusual bird activity on your lawn. If suddenly there's a lot of birds are on your lawn - THEY'RE EATING SOMETHING!
Suddenly appearing brown spots. This is where it gets a little tricky, be careful not to mistake an insect problem for a fungus problem and vice versa! If you're not sure what you're seeing, take a close up photo of your lawn with your camera phone and email it to: [email protected]

Black Beauty Organic Fertilizer

A June application of Black Beauty Organic Lawn Fertilizer would be a great thing for your lawn. The 8-0-3 fertilizer will gently feed your lawn and the complex organic food sources will stimulate your soil's microbes and improve the health of your soil. This product also contains Hydretain? which, simply stated, will draw water from the atmosphere to your soil reducing the need for water and the stress that summer brings. The Hydretain acts like tiny "Water Magnets" accumulating water vapor into water droplets which are then attached to the grass roots. When you spread one bag of Black Beauty Organic Lawn Fertilizer you could save up to 25% on your water bill!

Calculate your water savings!
Let's assume an average water cost of $6.00 per 1,000 gallons, and that a 5,000 square
foot lawn requires about 1 inch of water per week for healthy growth. This lawn area would
need approximately 3,275 gallons of water with a total cost of about $20.00 per week or
$80.00 per month. The growing season for your lawn is approximately 9 months so your
water bill could be about $720.00 per year (more with a larger lawn area). By applying
Black Beauty Organic Lawn Fertilizer 2 to 3 times per year you could save about $180.00
per year in the absence of natural rainfall. Extending the time between watering cycles
reduces the total water volume used. You save money on your water bill while possibly
reducing your electric bill.

*Your savings and water requirements for healthy grass growth and cost per gallon of
water may vary based on weather and soil conditions, time of year, region of the country.

To the left is a photo in which the entire lawn was as green and healthy looking as the center section prior to a six week drought. The center of the lawn was treated with Hydretain?.

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Sincerely,

Jonathan Green

Seedsmen