Early Spring Fertilizer

Published April 29, 2013 | By TheGrassExpert

Now that Spring is finally here, it is time to get back out on the lawn and help prepare it for the long growing season ahead. There are a number of key recommendations one can follow to ensure the lawn gets a running head start before the long hot days of summer begin including an important early spring fertilization.

An early spring fertilizer application is important to help “jump start” the lawn and especially help areas of the lawn that were damaged by winter kill and snow mold disease. Spring fertilizer will help green up the lawn quickly and wake itself up out of its winter dormancy state. Fertilizer blends that contain Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium provide the turfgrass with the plant essential nutrients required to sustain and encourage healthy growth.

Spring Fertilizer

Spring Fertilizer

The spring season is typically when cool season turfgrasses grow most actively with the combination of optimal temperatures and precipitation in most regions. This makes spring fertilization very important since the turf requires the most nourishment by way of fertilization during this period.

Rate of application is an important variable that can be determined by a number of factors including, blend analysis, type of fertilizer (liquid or granular), release technology (quick or slow), and the nutrient source (organic or synthetic). The typical recommended rate of application for a spring fertilizer is 1 lb of (N) Nitrogen per 1000 sq ft. This provides the adequate nutrition the turfgrass requires for the spring growing season.

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Fenway Park – Home of the Boston Red Sox

Published October 11, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

Just recently I visited the city of Boston and had the oppertunity to see “up close” the oldest ballpark in America and one of the most recognized sports venues in the World, Fenway Park.  Home to the 7 – time World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park opend over 100 years ago and is currently the oldest Major League Baseball stadium still in use today.

Fenway Park

To go along with all the history and as impressive as Fenway Park is with most of its original design and architectural features still intact, the natural grass playing surface was one of the things that excited me the most.  Forget the original wooden grandstand seats, the retired hall of fame numbers lining the walls, or the famous Green Monster, the grass field has to be one of the most well maintained playing surfaces in all professional sports.

View of Fenway From the Top of the Green Monster

Having said this, apparently the field at Fenway Park didn’t always look so perfect.  What you see today in the result of a major renovation that took place in 2005.   The original 93 year old field was completely replaced from the soil up.   Compacted soil, unlevel playing surface, and poor drainage,  were replaced with a new sand based growing medium, the playing surface was laser levelled, drainage was installed,  and a special blend of Kentucky Bluegrass sod was planted to resurface the 2 acre playing field.

View From the Press Box

The grass at Fenway park is so popular that homeowners want the same grass in their lawns.  Available for purchase are the Scotts brand, Fenway Park Kentucky Bluegrass seed mix , and Fenway Park lawn fertilizer that contain the same seed varieties and fertilizer technology used by the Director of Grounds, David Mellor to maintain Fenway Park.

As more and more synthetic turf surfaces replace the all natural grass surfaces, its always a treat to see such well maintained grass like i saw at Fenway Park.

The Green Monster

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So Long Crabgrass….Until We Meet Again Next Year

Published October 4, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

Each and every year as the fall season approaches and the temperatures cool, the Crabgrass infestations that covered many parts of home lawns begin to quickly die back just as fast as it germinated and began infesting lawns during the summer. Crabgrass is an annual plant, which means it dies each year in the fall and then germinates again in the next year beginning in late spring and into summer.

 
The most common types of crabgrass found in home lawns are typically both smooth and hairy crabgrass species. Crabgrass typically becomes a major problem in home lawns beginning in late spring and throughout the summer months into the early fall. Infestations are common in areas of the lawn that are growing thinly, in areas where exposed soil exists, around and along the driveway and sidewalk edges, and in other weak areas of the lawn where the desired grass can be outcompeted due to under fertilization, poorly drained soils, and lack of water.

Crabgrass Infestation along curbside

Crabgrass plants grow very low to the ground and expand laterally in a circle upwards of 12 inches in diameter. As the plants grow bigger, and the infestation increases, the desired grass typically gets outcompeted quickly and the crabgrass completely takes over. A single crabgrass plant can produce over 150 000 seeds over the course of a season, and these seeds are what germinate come late spring the next year. knowing this, it is very important to re-establish desired turf back in these areas during the fall so the crabgrass has a much harder time finding its way back in the lawn the next season.

Crabgrass dying off turning purplish colour in the Fall

As the crabgrass plants begin to die off, the colour generally turns from lime coloured green to a purplish/yellowish/reddish colour. This discolouration indicates its time to begin a combination of cultural practices that can help with filling these infested areas back in with desired grass again. The fall is a great time for seeding and establishing new grass, and aggressively overseeding or slit-seeding these areas is recommended. Core aerating and topdressing these areas in conjunction with seeding will help speed up this re-establishment process even more.

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This is Talladega Superspeedway!

Published October 2, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heading to Talladega Superspeedway this coming weekend, I was lucky enough to be live on location in Alabama to see first hand how the bermuda grass infield gets prepared just days before the big race.  With crowds expected between 150 000 – 200 000 race fans, all eyes will be starring down at pit row and towards the finish line so the turf certainly needs to look its best.

 
Standing on the edge of pit row just in front of the grass infield I saw up close how the turf was being prepared.  Along pit row is where the 40 + race cars will make a combined 500 + pit stops to make it through this 500 mile race so dozens of sponsors will have their company logos painted into the grass infield and displayed for the hundreds of thousands of spectators watching live and the millions of viewers watching the race on TV.

Talladega Logo’s Painted in Grass Infield

To help cover up some of the imperfections in the turf such as weeds and stressed areas, the grass infield was being painted with a dark green paint to make sure everything looks perfectly uniform.  This process takes some time, similar to painting a wall in your house.  Several layers and coats of paint are required to ensure this uniform colour consistency.  Once this is completed, the sponsors logos are outlined and painted in the grass infield and their brand is displayed brightly very similar to the same thing you see on football fields in the endzone.

A lot of preparation goes into each NASCAR event both on and off the race track and at Talladega the famous grass infield is no exception as the turf needs to look its best too on race day.

This is Talladega Superspeedway

 

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Early Instar White Grub Damage

Published September 13, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

Early instar White Grub damage is becoming increasingly evident in lawns across Canada and the USA this time of the year.    White Grubs are the larvae life stage of several destructive turfgrass insects including the European Chafer, May/June Beetle, and the Japanese Beetle.  During the larvae life stage the white grubs aggrssively feed on the roots of the turfgrass plant causing major damage to lawns.  The Adult beetles (European Chafer, May/June Beetle, and Japanese Beetle) laid their eggs early in the summer and these eggs have hatched, thus the early instar activity of these white grubs.

 
Early Instar White Grub Activity
 
For most white grubs, their life cycle takes 1 year to complete and the most damaging stages of their cycle is during the larvae stages which takes place over the fall and into the next spring.  As the larvae cycle ends the white grubs then stop feeding and pupate into an adult beetle.  After the adults have emerged, they lay their eggs and start the entire process over again.

White Grub Life Cycle

 

Major damage can also become evident in lawns from animals, birds and rodents that are searching and digging for these white grubs as food.  Often times, the damage created from this digging is much more severe than the grub feeding damage itself.

 

 
White Grub Larvae Closeup
 
White grub larvae are cream white in colour with a tan coloured head, and have 3 pairs of legs at the front of its body.  A raster pattern (arrangement of tiny hairs) can be found on each grub larvae at the back end.  Depending on how good your eye sight is a magnifying lens may be required to see this raster pattern.  The raster pattern is what is used to identify and determine what type of beetle the larvae grub will become.  For example an “Open Zipper” pattern indicates the grub will become a European Chafer beetle, and a “V-Shape” indicates it will become a Japanese Beetle.  This identification process is important because grub life stages can vary slightly depending on the particular grub species and timing control applications is imparetive to ensure good quality control.

 

European Chafer Larvae Raster Pattern

Japanese Beetle Larvae Raster Pattern

 

For more information on white grubs click the following link. White Grubs

 

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Weed of the Week – White Clover

Published September 10, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

This weeks weed of the week is White Clover.  Commonly referred to as the “Shamrock” white clover consists of 3 oval shaped leaves that together grow from the central stem and make up this famous shamrock symbol. As luck would have it, it is estimated that approximately 1 in about every 10 000 three-leaf clovers a very lucky four-leaf clover can be found.

Native to North America, White Clover is one of the most common weeds that can be found in lawns all season long across Canada and the USA. In some cases, white clover is even being planted by homeowners in place of grass as a natural dense ground cover reducing the maintenance, water, time and money required to maintain a grass lawn.

White Clover (close up)

White Clover is a very low growing broadleaf weed that is green in colour and has 3 leaflets that form what we most commonly call a shamrock. White and pinkish flowers grow and bloom as the plant ages making it much more obvious in a lawn when the clover is flowering. White Clover typically creeps its way through the lawn growing in patches, and multiple layers under the canopy of the turf. This makes it very challenging and difficult to control given its growing nature. Multiple applications are required throughout the season to help eliminate this weed.

To learn more about White Clover click here to view Power Point Presentation.  Weed of the week – white clover

 

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Chinch Bug Alert!

Published July 10, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

Chinch Bug Alert!

Summer heat is in full effect and lawns are now showing signs of browning out.  Be aware, this could be more than just drought. Tiny surface insects called Chinch Bugs are very common during the summer months.  Chinch Bugs typically live in the thatch and suck the juices from the grass leaf blades causing damage that looks very similar to drought stress.

 
Chinch Bugs are very tiny but can cuase major damage. The damaging nymphal life stage of the chinch bug is bright red in color with a white stripe across its back.  In order to find them you will have to get down on your hands and knees and spread the turf apart.  The best place to look for active chinch bugs is in areas where the stressed turf meets the healthy turf.

Different Life Stages of Chinch Bugs

Damage caused by chinch bugs is usually permanent and the lawn will not recover when it rains or the lawn gets watered. It is very important to identify, treat and eliminate these chinch bug Infestations before they multiply and the damage becomes extensive to a lawn.

Chinch Bug Damage to a Lawn

Click here to learn more about chinch bugs.

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Pristine Kentucky Bluegrass Lawn in of all places – Pisa, ITALY

Published June 29, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

Earlier last month I travelled over to Europe in Italy and came across some of the nicest Kentucky Bluegrass I have seen in a long time.  I was in the city Pisa at the historic site of the Worlds most famous tower “The Leaning Tower of Pisa”.  The grounds surrounding the tower and famous cathedral next to the tower were meticulously manicured and the turf was in pristine condition…so much so that I did a live on location video for all the people back home to see.  The turf was beautiful lush green without a weed in sight…..i suspect chemical weed control restrictions are not yet in effect!  Although the leaning tower was a sight to see, being the grass expert I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful turf that made it that much more special.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a better looking Kentucky Bluegrass lawn than this one in Pisa!

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Oregon – The Birth Place of Grass Seed Production

Published June 27, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

Have you ever wondered where grass seed comes from or where it is grown?  To help answer that question I had to travel to the Pacific Northwest State of Oregon to see where it all takes place.  Situated in the Willamette Valley, Linn County known as “the Grass Seed Capital of the World” is home to over 1500 grass seed farms, covering over 500 000 acres of land, and yielding over 700 million pounds of grass seed annually!   Amazingly, all but 2% of the grass seed produced here is shipped out of state and around the world.  Linn county is truly the birth place of seed production, and it is with the ensured highest quality that continues to regard Oregon with the reputation as the worldwide leader in seed production.

Seed Research Facility - Oregon

The cool moist winter, and dry warm summer climate throughout the Willamette Valley make growing conditions very ideal for grass seed farmers and allows them to produce the highest quality of seed for worldwide distribution.  Field after field, farmers are growing just about every cool season turf species including, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Creeping Bentgrass, Fine Fescue, Tall Fescue, as well as forage type grasses too.

New Varieties of Turf in Greenhouse

I had the opportunity to visit the Seed Research of Oregon facility and learn from the members of their professional team and research scientists just how the seed production works from start to finish.   As you can imagine this is no simple process and takes years of research and development to bring a final product to market.  Some of these important steps include carefully selecting plant varieties, breeding the plants,  monitoring and evaluating their performance, commercializing and moving into field production, harvesting the crop, screening and cleaning the seed, sampling for purity analysis, until the product is ready to be shipped and sold.

Turf Plots at the Research Facility

Many industries including golf courses, lawn care operators, landscapers, nursery sod growers, and sports field managers are all faced with tougher and tougher challenges each day to maintain the highest quality of turf.   As seed research and development continues, selecting the species and varieties that have been specially designed to help combat the challenges of drought stress tolerance, insect, and disease resistance, require less fertility, can tolerate effluent water quality, and germinate quicker are just a handful of the qualities that will help turf managers maintain and grow healthier turf.

Seed selection has never been so important, and that’s why at Nutri-Lawn, we have carefully selected these different grass types with the top performers for each environment and growing condition.   Whether it be in the sun or shade, or for new lawn establishment, or just an overseeding we always ensure the highest quality of seed.

"Zoom" Variety Perennial Ryegrass

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Kentucky Bluegrass a distant second to the Ancient Wonder of the World!

Published June 25, 2012 | By TheGrassExpert

As I highlighted earlier, while I was travelling in Italy this month well maintained turf was very hard to find.  When I came across some I couldn’t help but do a live on location video when I had the opportunity.   Lone behold at one of the most famous historic sites of Ancient Rome just beside one of the 7 Wonders of The World I found what I was looking for.   A small section of perfectly manicured Kentucky Bluegrass just outside the walls of the magnificent Colosseum.   This tiny section of turf is about the only piece of green you can find anywhere around the perimeter of The Colosseum so once again I wanted to pay special attention considering it was looking so “Wonderful”.

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