Now that all the holiday decorations are down and you’re getting those tax refunds back it is time to make your outside space come to life. If you’re ready for the extreme yard makeover, and want to do it on a tight budget then follow my instructions and I will save you time and money. The tips I am going to lay out today will save you money now and down the road. For any of you who have had to do this two or three times you now know just how important the soil prep is to your lawn. Read the rest of this entry »

In my last blog I discussed the advantages of using a foliar fertilizer during the winter months and today I produced a short video explaining these products and show you exactly how to use them. Before taking a look at the video I want to give you a few reasons why I am telling you to use these products, how they will help your lawn, and where you can buy them at.

1. During the winter months the soil temperatures often drops down far too low to allow for nutrient uptake and retention in the plant. A foliar application allows the fertilizer to get into the grass plant leaves and it is translocated down to the root system for plant uptake.

2. There are three different foliar products and these are designed to help promote root and shoot growth, and get nutrients such as calcium and magnesium into the plant to get a quicker green up.

3. Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, and Magnesium are the kick starters for grass and these nutrients are essential for plant growth all year round. Iron can be found in many products but be careful because it will stain everything it touches. The Soil Burst products were designed to be non-staining so you don’t have to worry about limestone, flagstone, or getting rust spots all over your walkways.

4. The granular 5-15-10 is a great starter fertilizer or pre-plant for a new sod application. It will mix well into the soil and become viable if done during tillage. As the soil temperature warms up you can use this for spring green up, anytime throughout the summer, and as a late fall fertilizer. I highly recommend using this before any new sod application.

5. The Soil Burst line can be ordered online through www.westernsod.com or www.westcoastturf.com, picked up from Sprinkler World and select Ace Hardware locations. Our Scottsdale farm offers sod, fertilizer, and seed pickups. For directions and office hours 888-454-TURF.

6. You want a product that is easy to apply with no mixing and will ensure the correct amount of fertilizer without damaging grass. These products come with the easy to use hose adapter and the granular has a shake top lid making life much easier and saves you money from buying back pack sprayers that break down quickly.

7. The foliar fertilizers are $14.95 per bottle and the granular starter fertilizer is $19.95 per container. Sod can be picked up from the farm for $.29 SF, please call ahead for availbility.

Take a look at the short video on Soil Burst and if you have any questions please email them to me at info@westernsod.com.

Thank you and have a great holiday!

Well I haven’t written a blog in a while since everything is normally status quo after overseed until we start to peak into late November. Since most people overseed their lawns for the winter I will touch on that today and give just some brief directions to those that do not overseed as far as water, fertilizer for the winter months but nothing major. The average household drops their overseed around October 1st each year so usually around the 6-8 week mark is when the grass starts to show its first signs of stress. If you followed my previous overseed directions and put down all three applications of fertilizers this will not apply to you because you will be the one with bright green lawn in the pictures above. Now that December is fast approaching and we are certain to get some hard freezes in the next few weeks how do you prevent your lawn from turning that oh so pretty lime green/yellow color that I often see around town?

Yellow Lawns

Some people feel that having a yellow lawn is inevitable once we start to get cold but then how is it possible that the golf courses, resorts, and many homeowners are able to keep their beautiful color all winter? They have learned over careful trials that the granular fertilizers just don’t react well in the soil during the winter months to green up a lawn and you are throwing your money away on high nitrogen products during the winter months. The winter months are all about spoon feeding and applying the appropriate nutrients to allow your grass to grow. I am not saying that no granular will work but outside of putting down a starter fertilizer under new sod there is not one that I would use from November-March to try and increase growth. I am a huge proponent of finding the right combination of fertilizers that are cost effective and will do their job. At this time of the year the Soil Burst products are extremely effective for helping get growth and color when it is cold outside. Did you know that Zinc and Magnesium are essential for a grass plant to maintain color, not just nitrogen and iron? Not all foliar products are created equal as some are just straight nitrogen, iron, or a combo of N-P-K but are they the right blend? Just because a product is a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 it doesn’t mean it is right for your lawn and that’s why there are three different types of Soil Burst products. (16-0-4, 7-7-7, and 4-0-6) You could buy just one of the Soil Burst products and effectively get color but to maintain plant health I recommend spraying with one of the three products monthly. We are talking about a total of $45 to treat your lawn for the winter and keep it green or you can buy three bags of granular fertilizer at $20/each and wait for the excessive growth in March when the soil warms up. Golf Courses, Resorts, our sod farms all use a program and through soil testing, tissue analysis and other studies they determine exactly what nutrients are necessary to keep the grass in tip top shape from the roots to the shoots.

This is what your lawn should look like at this time of the year but what do you do if you already have a yellow lawn? Is it too late to try and fix the issue? No way, it is only going to get worse as the temperatures drop so it is time to get out there and spray the lawn. It takes about ten minutes to spray 1000 SF of lawn and all you need to do is hook up the easy to use applicator (comes with the product) to your garden hose and spray in a figure 8 pattern over the entire lawn as evenly as possible. If you decide to just use a straight iron product such as Ironite be careful since it will stain your walks, patios, and anything it touches. The three Soil Burst products contain Iron but they are all completely non-staining so a little overlap onto the walks is not going to be problematic. There are lots of options out there and I just want you to know what we are using for the grass that is sent out to you in the the form of sod. If you are using other products make sure you check the labels to see how they compare.

Dog Spots

If you are like me then you have a pet that wouldn’t dare pee on the bushes but loves to pee in the lush green grass causing the nice little yellow spots all over the lawn. I treat these areas just like a divot on a tee box at a golf course by removing the dead material above and mixing up some BOBSeed ryegrass and sand and pouring it into the divot. These areas don’t need extra water to grow but with your normal watering cycles they will fill in over time. The seed won’t pop as quickly as it did in October but be patient and the areas will fill in and don’t worry your dog will find another beautiful piece of grass to kill in the meantime.

Watering during the winter

Most people have established their ryegrass pretty well at this point and the roots are starting to spread out making the grass plant stronger so it is a perfect time to really cut back on the water. From November-February you can get away with watering 2-3x per week for 20-25 minutes each cycle. If you already have a compacted soil surface and with the colder ground temperatures water isn’t infiltrating the soil you should have someone come over and aerify the lawn. You can aerify the lawn year round and there is no reason that you need to fill in the holes, just let the air into the plant. If you have an extremely compacted soil it would be great to get some deeper tines put in the ground but they are not always available so to help alleviate the problem this often needs to be done a couple of times in a six month period to really help. I always recommend aerifying your lawn every 1-2 years and more often when the grass is dying from the compacted earth. Here is a picture of a compacted lawn that resulted in a poor overseed.

If you have a non overseeded lawn you need to water about once per month through the winter for around 60-90 minutes to help keep moisture in the ground. If we receive timely rains then this step is often unnecessary and you can get away with leaving your irrigation clock off all season long. There is no need to fertilize during the winter and your last application of the Soil Burst 4-0-6 can be applied anytime before we get our first frost to help the root structure during the winter months.

I thought I would keep it short and simple today and as I see more issues arise I will address areas of concern. If you have questions please email them to me at info@westernsod.com and you can also attach pictures to this if there is something you would like me to look at. You can find the Soil Burst products at several Ace Hardware stores and Sprinkler World locations. Look for the bottle above and rememner there are three formulations. (16-0-4, 7-7-7, and 4-0-6) If you are missing my running blog updates you can check out the site at www.mcdowellmountainman.com and read about how I did a few weeks ago during my last hundred miler in Fountain Hills, AZ.

It’s November and if we had any leaves on the trees in the desert floor I imagine they would be changing color now that we are finally starting to experience a little bit of the fall season. Most people have either overseeded for the season or decided to let their lawn go dormant for the winter, but if you still wanted to overseed there is still plenty of time. You will not have any issues getting your seed to come up through most of November albeit a little slower than October it will still come up very well and be a nice thick lawn for the winter. I was going to just touch on some of the common questions that I have received so far this season relating to both overseeded and non overseeded turf. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most common questions during late October/early November is “I overseeded my lawn a few weeks ago and now I need to know how to proceed?” First of all, if you are asking yourself this question that means you take pride in your lawn and you are looking to have a beautiful lawn all winter and spring. If you put the seed down and haven’t thought about what’s next you may just end up with the yellow lawn on the block after we get a couple fall freezes. I have talked about several fertilizers that will work to get your lawn established and I will go over another plan of attack today so you can look beyond the month of October and enjoy your turf all winter long. Read the rest of this entry »

In my last blog a week ago I mentioned that we were still a little warm with the nighttime temperatures to drop seed, but we are in the clear now. The month of October is a great time to drop seed and you should see your ryegrass popping out of the ground in 5-7 days. I know the temperatures will climb back up into the 90′s again during the day, but it is the nighttime temperatures that are most important at this time of the year. If you have already put down seed and are 7-10 days out, it is time to get the second application of fertilizer down. I am going to keep today simple and short, just wanted to give everyone some reminders.

Our overseeded sod will be available at the farm on October 18th.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jay

We are quickly approaching the best time to overseed your lawn, but I also know that many people don’t have a choice and need to get their lawn done sooner than later. This can present a few potential problems, but I will give you a few ways to help you get healthy turf if you need to drop seed this weekend. The best time to seed is when night time temperatures dip into the high 60′s, and we start to cool off a little bit during the day. It is always nice to be out of the 100′s before beginning the overseed process, but it’s okay to start prepping now in order to get ready for the season. A couple weeks ago I gave you the easy 1,2,3 fertilizer and seed steps, and today I want to talk a little more about what needs to be done with the prep work.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re getting closer to the overseeding process! I am sure many of you reading my blog have started to see perennial ryegrass arriving in stores by the truck full, but we are still a little early. It isn’t too early to start some of the initial prep work, but it is still a little hot to drop seed. I realize that some of you won’t have a choice in the timing of overseeding, but if you do have a choice it is best to wait. Today’s blog is going to give you 10 easy steps on how to overseed and establish a great lawn for the winter. I have also attached a short video on doing so. http://www.youtube.com/ Read the rest of this entry »

We’re getting closer to the overseeding process! I am sure many of you reading my blog have started to see perennial ryegrass arriving in stores by the truck full, but we are still a little early. It isn’t too early to start some of the initial prep work, but it is still a little hot to drop seed. I realize that some of you won’t have a choice in the timing of overseeding, but if you do have a choice it is best to wait. Today’s blog is going to give you 10 easy steps on how to overseed and establish a great lawn for the winter. I have also attached a short video on doing so. www.youtube.com

Read the rest of this entry »

I was looking to put in a lawn this month, but I want it to be green this winter. What are my options?

It is fine to go ahead and put a non overseeded lawn in through October, but it is not a wise decision to overseed your lawn if it was put in at this time of the year because you have not given it enough time to establish itself.

I put my lawn in this summer, is it okay to overseed this season?

Read the rest of this entry »