When it comes to having a great lawn, what is most important?
Lawn care applications?
Maintenance practices?
Environmental conditions?
All three are keys to a great lawn - Lawn Care Applications, Maintenance, and Environmental Conditions.
Great lawns are not a result of getting one, or even two, of the three correct.
Great lawns are equally the result of all three.
Discussing the three keys to a great lawn is too much for one writing, so we are going to cover each key separately.
Today, we will cover Lawn Care Applications. Next month we will visit about how proper Maintenance impacts your lawn and discuss the impact Environmental Conditions have on the greatness of your lawn in June.
Lawn care applications are comprised of two components — weed control and fertilizer.
Weed Control Applications - Correct Timing of Weed Control Applications is Important
Three things you need to know about weeds:
First - Knowing weed life cycle is important when it comes to prevention and control.
Annual weeds germinate from seed, grow and flower (produce seed) all within one year.
Perennial weeds continue to grow year after year increasing in both size and root.
Second - Identifying the type of weed, are either broadleaf or grassy, is equally important.
Broadleaf weeds are the easiest to spot because they look very different from grass. Broadleaf weeds have a stem with leaves attached.
Grassy weeds are actually undesired grass that grow as one single leaf. Grassy weeds are similar to turf grass. Often, they are not as noticeable when they are small but will destroy the aesthetics of a lawn as they mature.
Third – Weeds are either winter weeds or summer weeds.
With annual weeds there is a correct time to prevent and with perennial weeds there is a best time to control. Annual weeds are easiest to prevent, but they can be very difficult to control when mature.
Lawns that are littered with mature weeds during March and April are the lawns that did not receive a fall pre-emergent application last year.
Mature weeds are slower to respond to herbicides. Once a weed starts producing flowers they slow growth and don’t take in herbicides as quickly.
Winter annuals are prevented with a pre-emergent herbicide in late summer and fall. Summer annual weeds are prevented in the late winter and spring. Timing is the key to both. For the best results, the pre-emergent needs to be applied before the weeds germinate.
To prevent summer annual weeds, an application must be made before soil temperatures reach 55 degrees for three consecutive days, which is typically in mid-March.
To prevent winter annual weeds, an application must be made before the first cool spell occurs in late September to early October.
Commonly asked question: “Is it too late to start a lawn care program this year?”
No, it is never too late to start. Weeds will continue to germinate all summer. Turf development is important during the growing season. Starting a lawn care program at any point during the season is better than not starting at all.
Effective prevention of annual weeds is enhanced when a second pre-emergent application is made 30-60 days after the first application. Pre-emergent herbicides have a life. Depending on conditions, the product used and the quality of the application, pre-emergent herbicides will last 60 to 120 days. A second application creates a season long barrier of weed prevention.
A proactive approach to weed control is two timely pre-emergent herbicide applications to prevent summer annual weeds and two timely applications to prevent winter annual weeds.
Mature crabgrass is much harder to control during the growing season.
Now that soil temperatures have consistently been above 55 degrees for a few weeks crabgrass has started growing in lawns that did not receive a pre-emergent early this year. A pre-emergent now will prevent more crabgrass and other summer annuals from germinating.
Crabgrass, a summer annual grassy weed, is very easy to prevent with a pre-emergent applied in before soil temperatures reach 55 degrees. It is also easy to control when it is in the first stage of growth. This picture was taken this week and is the first crabgrass I have seen this year, two weeks later than normal.
Most weeds littering lawns in March, such as henbit, can easily be prevented with fall pre-emergent herbicides.
A well timed lawn care program will result in your best lawn.
Persistence is a key to gaining control of weeds. Between keeping the area mowed and spraying with herbicides, control can be gained.
Hall | Stewart Lawn Care Programs, both our most popular 7-Step Weed Control & Fertilizer Program and our 4-Step Weed Control Only Program, include 4 pre-emergent herbicide applications each year:
Late Winter - January through early March
Spring – Mid March through mid-May
Early Fall – Mid August through September
Late Fall – October through November
But, not all weeds can be prevented. Existing weeds and perennial weeds require post emergent weed control applications.
The key to controlling perennial weeds and mature annual weeds is applying the right herbicide at the right time and the willingness to make follow-up applications when required.
Post Emergent Weed Control Takes Persistence
Fall (October-November) is the best time to control winter broadleaf weeds when they are small and actively growing. Spring (April-May) is the best time to control summer broadleaf weeds.
When a weed is actively growing it absorbs herbicides much quicker. Once a weed begins flowering growth slows as it focuses on reproduction. During this stage weed control is possible, but slower.
Nutsedge is one of the difficult to control weeds that often requires additional treatments.
Post-emergent weed control is always more difficult when the weed is mature and flowering. Herbicides work by translocating through the plant. When a weed is actively growing, it absorbs the product quickly. Once the weed starts to flower (seed), it slows growth and focuses on reproduction. During this stage, control is much slower.
A key to successful control of existing weeds is retreatment if needed 14 days after an application.
Difficult to control weeds, such as nutsedge, violets, geraniums to name a few, take time to gain 100% control. Follow up applications are often needed. Persistence is the key.
Hall | Stewart Lawn Care Programs include follow-up visits when needed to gain control of difficult weeds.
Poa annua, a winter annual grassy weed, thrives in thin turf.
The best defense against weeds is a healthy thick turf.
Fertilizer Applications – Healthy turf is the best prevention of weeds.
Weed control and fertilizer work hand-in-hand to produce a great lawn. Common weed problems are less in an actively growing, fertilized, watered and maintained turf.
A healthy, properly fertilized, dense turfgrass can resist weed invasion and is able to better tolerate heat, cold, drought and wear.
The three key ingredients in fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. All three are needed by your turf.
Nitrogen gives a lawn the best quality of color and density, but it is void in our soil. Therefore, it needs to be added the most.
Phosphorus and potassium are required for healthy turf growth but because they are present in our soil they do not need to be replaced as much.
Both Bermuda and fescue are at their best when they receive a total of 4 to 5 lbs of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft during the growing season spaced out over 4-5 applications.
Bermuda, being a warm season grass, needs to be fed the most during the summer. The first application should be made within 2 to 6 weeks of spring green up. An application before the lawn has come out of dormancy is a waste of product and does not benefit the turf. The last application should be made by the end of September. Heavy fall fertilizer in an attempt to force growth and color deep into the fall can be a contributor to spring dead spot. Follow this link to read more about spring dead spot.
Bermuda, warm season turf, looks best through the summer heat when nighttime temperatures are consistently 65+. Bermuda respond well to regularly scheduled fertilizer applications, high in nitrogen during the summer.
Fescue, a cool season turf requires a completely different schedule and thought process. Cool season grass is at its peak in the spring and fall. During the summer, growth slows, and the plant actually enters a period of semi-dormancy even though it never actually loses all its color.
Cool season turf needs fertilizer between the first of March and the end of May. This creates a strong and healthy turf with the best opportunity of surviving the summer heat. High nitrogen fertilizer June through August can damage fescue. In the fall, September through November, resume fertilizer applications.
Fescue, a cool season grass, looks best in the spring and fall. Fescue lawns need the same amount of annual fertilizer as Bermuda, but it must be applied in the spring and fall. Fertilizer during the summer will damage a fescue lawn.
Picture of the Week:
Iris are now adding color to our landscapes. Just like all the blooms this spring, they also seem more vibrant than usual. Iris are an old fashioned hardy perennial that require minimal care and live a long time.
Fertilizing fescue in the summer will always lead to disappointment.
Great lawns are the result of a properly timed weed control and fertilizer program that is tailored to your type of grass.
If you are not currently subscribing to a Hall | Stewart Lawn Care Program and have struggled with getting the critical timing right on your lawn, we would enjoy visiting with you.
If you are a Hall | Stewart customer, we look forward to every opportunity to be on your lawn helping you have a great lawn!
We will continue The Three Keys to a Great Lawn series in May with a look at Maintenance Practices and in June with a look at Environmental Conditions.
Lorne Hall
Hall | Stewart Lawn + Landscape
(405)367-3873