August Lawn & Landscape Tips

Aug 3

We have arrived at the hottest, driest point of the season…the last 10 days of July and the first 10 days of August when Oklahoma City’s average daily temperature reaches its peak.

The key to surviving the hottest period of the season is best practices. It's not just during times of high stress that these habits matter, but rather it's best practices all the time that make the real difference.

After getting way ahead on rainfall from mid-April through early July, the rainy pattern shut off three weeks ago. Hopefully, the chance of a good rainfall today will materialize and break the 21-day streak of no rainfall we currently have going.

Lack of moisture is the current biggest issue we are seeing. This week alone, we visited a lot of lawns and landscapes that were desperately needing moisture, with irrigation controllers still set as if we were getting occasional rainfall.

To finish the summer strong and keep your lawn healthy, here are a few best practices to focus on, the first being watering:

Watering

The abundant soil moisture from the early summer quickly disappeared the past two weeks. The best-looking lawns and landscapes are those that are receiving 1 ½” of water per week.

To learn how long and how often you need to water for your landscape to receive 1 ½” of moisture, place your Hall | Stewart Rain Gauge or cans around your lawn. Water using your normal cycle and then check the cups. Adjust watering times and frequency accordingly to insure 1 ½” is applied each week. Remember your landscape prefers deep soaking, infrequent watering over shallow, frequent watering. Even in the heat, lawns and landscapes are at their best when they are watered deeply as needed and not every day.

Healthy lawns have deep root systems. Roots will grow to the moisture. If your watering pattern is short, shallow, frequent watering resulting in moisture only in the top 1-2”, you will have a shallow rooted lawn dependent upon daily water. Deep soaking results in a root system with grass roots 6” to 2’ deep that is not dependent upon frequent watering and is drought resistant.

Remember, trees planted in the last two years need supplemental watering during the summer heat and extended dry periods. A good rule of thumb is to give them 10 gallons of water every week.

Best Watering Practice for August – Know how long you need to water to get 1 ½” water on your lawn each week. Practice deep soaking, infrequent watering.

If you are unsure about your watering practices, let us help. We can schedule an Irrigation Audit/Check to make sure your system is operating at its peak efficiency during the summer heat.

*Take time to check your irrigation and fine tune it. A leaning head often is the culprit for dry spots in the lawn.*

Mowing

Both warm season turf (Bermuda and Zoyia) and cool season turf (Fescue) should be mowed at the highest level this month, warm season 2-2.5” and cool season up to 3-3.5”. At the higher level the lawn will have more leaf space resulting in better heat and drought tolerance. Continue to mow often enough that you are removing only 1/3 of the grass each time you cut. If you are cutting frequently enough to pass the 1/3 test, don’t catch the clippings. Allowing the clippings to decompose on the lawn will return moisture and nitrogen to the soil. Give no bagging a try. You will be surprised at how much more color your lawn will retain even in the heat. When you bag your clippings, you are tossing out nitrogen and moisture your lawn could really use this month.

Best Mowing Practice for August – Mow high, mow often, and don’t bag your clippings.

*Bermuda lawns perform their best in the heat. Mow often and don’t bag the clippings. Grass clippings are mostly nitrogen and moisture. Your lawn will thank you for giving them back.*

*After mulch mowing, use your blower to distribute any noticeable clippings.*

Well maintained Bermuda lawns can’t be beat in August.  This Bermuda lawn is the result of best practices this summer: well timed lawn care applications, aeration in June, deep infrequent watering, and mulch mowing. — Well maintained Bermuda lawns can’t be beat in August. This Bermuda lawn is the result of best practices this summer: well timed lawn care applications, aeration in June, deep infrequent watering, and mulch mowing.

Fertilizer

Apply fertilizer to warm season turf this month. This time of the year, Bermuda and Zoysia benefit from a high nitrogen fertilizer that is low in phosphorus and potassium.

DO NOT fertilize cool season lawns until we reach the cooler temperatures of September.

Warm and cool season turfs require different fertilizer schedules. Don’t make the mistake of trying to treat them the same when it comes to fertilizing.

Best Fertilizer Practice for August – Fertilize bermudagrass, don’t fertilize fescue. Important - Follow watering instructions after fertilizer is applied.

Weed Control

Spring pre-emergent herbicides are reaching the end of their effectiveness in your soils. Should an occasional weed show up in your turf this month, it is best to go easy on weed control. We have reached the time of the year that damaged turf may not have a chance to fully recover before fall. Great weed control is at least 75% the result of thick turf. August is the month to focus on turf development going into the fall.

Later this month is the best time to start applying the first fall pre-emergent herbicide application. The first fall weed to germinate is poa annua (annual bluegrass). Poa annua has become more and more of a problem to control in lawns worldwide as it has developed resistance to current herbicide chemistry. For the best prevention, it is important to put a pre-emergent on your lawn between late August and the end of September followed by a second pre-emergent, using a different herbicide, in October or November.

Best Weed Control Practice for August – Don’t cause turf damage by overtreating weeds. Better to go into the fall with a thick turf than one with herbicide damaged thin areas.

Bermuda vs Fescue in August

Bermuda (warm season turf) loves the summer heat. Fescue (cool season turf) prefers nights below 70 and days below 90. Healthy bermuda lawns look their best in the heat of the summer. Healthy fescue will retain color, although not as much as in early summer, and growth will slow.

Fescue where there is plenty of air circulation and dabbled sunlight typically looks best in the warm weather. Fescue lawns with heavy shade and little air circulation tend to thin from brown patch disease. Brown patch occurs in fescue lawns anytime the grass stays wet for 5 hours or more at a time and nighttime temperatures are in the 70s. During the hottest and driest time of the season, brown patch is often self-inflicted by watering your fescue in the morning and evening, a common incorrect watering habit on fescue lawns in July and August.

Brown Patch develops in fescue lawns that have an area of low air circulation or heavy shade during the summer if the area stays wet for more than 5 hours at a time. Don't create Brown Patch with your watering practices. Allow your fescue time to dry between waterings.

Inspect Shady Lawn Areas

September through October is the best time of the year to establish fescue. Now is the time to assess the areas of the lawn where bermuda has become thin due to increasing shade (Bermuda needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight to be thick), areas of the lawn where fescue did not perform well because of very dense shade (Fescue needs at least some dappled sun), and areas of fescue that have been damaged by brown patch this summer. Because fescue does not spread, you should plan on adding some seed every fall.

Best Fescue Lawn Practice for August – Inspect and evaluate your turf. Check shade patterns and make a plan for overseeding low light areas with fescue this fall.

Need Help Evaluating Your Shady Areas?

We would be happy to evaluate your shade and make a recommendation.

Just give us a call at (405)367-3873 or respond to this email.

Insect Watch

If Grubs have been a problem in your lawn, August is the time to apply an insecticide. Remember, the insecticide will kill desirable insects also. Only treat for grubs if there is evidence of a problem.

Keep on the lookout for Army Worms. We continue to find active army worms causing damage in isolated areas of the metro. There are 4 to 5 generations between July and November with each generation increasing in numbers, so early control is best. Early caterpillars are green and very small. As they grow to 1 to 1 ½” they turn browner with reddish brown stripes on each side of the body and small back spots on the top. Their distinctive mark is an inverted “Y” on the front of the head. Army worms will feed on any leafy, soft plant with plenty of moisture in the leaf. Typically, in August they will feed mostly on bermuda because of an abundance of healthy leaf blades and less on fescue because it is not flourishing as much in August. Watch for areas of the lawn that appear to have drought stress should not be. Test the area with a soap flush. Mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap with 1 gallon of water and pour over the surface. If you have army worms, they will come to the surface. Treatment with a systemic insecticide when the worms are small before they become heavy feeders is best. Need more information on Army Worms, check out our article from July 13th.

Continue to inspect shrubs for Aphids and treat as needed. A common host plant is the Crape Myrtle.

Inspect your trees and shrubs for active Bagworms. If you need help controlling bagworms, give us a call. When possible, remove and throw away bagworms. Don’t toss them on the ground because they will crawl back onto your plants.

Watch for Webworms in your trees this month. The later generations of webworm are the ones that cause damage. If noticed early when the webbing is small, simply cutting the branch out is the best control. If spraying is required, you must penetrate the webbing to gain control.

Best Insect Control Practice for August – Spend a few minutes inspecting your lawn and landscape for insect activity. Treat as needed.

*A common problem on Hackberry trees in the summer is nipple gall. Unfortunately little can be done to control gall-making insects.*

*When you remove bagworms please dispose of them. This little guy is slowly climbing back up a tree to do more destruction.*

*Summer annual color mixture of Joseph Coat, Sunpatien, Angelonia, Penta, Coleus, and Lantana.*

*This summer’s Crape Myrtle colors have been brilliant.*

*Shady summer annual color mixture of Impatiens and Caladium.*

*Limelight Hydrangeas can’t be beat for colorful summer shrub. This is a ‘Little Lime’ and is great for smaller areas.*

Landscape Color

How has the color been in your landscape this season? Sometime this month take pictures and make notes of the plants that are doing the best in your landscape.

Black-eyed Susan’s are the perfect perennial to add color to the landscape during July and August.
Crape Myrtles are loving the warm days and rewarding us with abundant summer color this year.
Limelight Hydrangeas continue to brighten the landscape even on the hottest of days.
Lantana, Penta, and Periwinkle are just a few summer annuals that are at their best now.

What is adding great color to your landscape right now? We want to know. Send pictures please.