Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Anticipate the fall

Really the title of this post is a selfish shout-out to my buddies in the band Crawl who released a new CD of the same name over the past week. It can, however, also be the mantra of every lawn care professional at this time of the year.


Whether you cut, lay sod, or control weeds and insects like I do, all it takes is a few hot, humid days to see all your hard work from the spring vanish into a sea of dry dormant grass. Especially if you have a client who wants their lawn kept short and then doesn't water the turf. It's a recipe for disaster and many times you'll get the brunt of the frustration.


Ready or not here it comes. I'm sure you've noticed the emergence of crabgrass in the sunny hot areas of not only your lawn but others as well. For those of you who applied corn gluten way back when, you'll excuse the sarcasm but, that was money well spent. Yet, until we get a new control like Opportune, which may, or may not work, you are left with pulling the ubiquitous weed, just dealing with it until it dies in the fall, or killing everything with vinegar or Glyphosate. Not much in the options department if you ask me.


You really can't win with whatever weather you're dealt. If it's hot and dry, it favours the chinch bug and crabgrass camp, wetter...the grubs and turf diseases like brown patch.


Your lawn must seem like Switzerland between two warring insect nations and you can't win for losing.


So as many of you continue to enjoy the summer, I say bring on the fall when I can restore some lawn and order and repair the damage done.

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