Transition

As the temperatures warm up we start to field calls about transitioning lawns. Here is a step by step process that can be implemented into everyone’s program over time.

1. Gradually lower your mowing heights to reduce the turf canopy. Warm season grasses are not shade tolerant and excess ryegrass provides shade. No need to scalp the lawn, just lower the height down and begin to thin out the grass.

2. Lightly verticut the lawn to open up the canopy and let sunlight into the grass below.

3. Be careful of fertilizer rates at this time of the year and stick to slow release products such as Soil Burst 4-0-6, 7-7-7, or 16-0-4. These can be applied in low nitrogen doses and will keep your lawn dark green (1.5 qts/1000 SF).

4. If you have standing water it is a great time to aerify so you can help air and water better infiltrate the soil.

5. Increase your mowing frequency to two times per week towards the end of March.

6. Gradually back off the water in April to stress out the ryegrass when soil temperatures reach 64 degrees (usually around mid April). Turning off the water completely will stress out the warm season turf and ryegrass so this is not the optimal approach. Use 60% of your normal water rate.

7. When soil temperatures reach 64 degrees apply Soil Burst 5-15- 10 at 20 pounds per 1000 SF to give the grass a jump start on the year.

8. Enjoy the beautiful summer lawn!

If you follow these quick and easy tips you’ll have a successful summer lawn, and as we all know the better the bermudagrass/paspalum the better the ryegrass is in the winter. The fertilizers I laid out for you are available through West Coast Turf and Sprinkler World locations. The Soil Burst fertilizers were designed for easy application through a built in nozzle and the non-staining products makes them an ideal product for high end residences, parks, fields, and all other lawn areas.

Installing Fresh BOBSod into a Home in Casa Grande

In my last blog I talked about a few weeds that are starting to appear in your lawn that are perennial problems. This week I want to talk about getting down a pre-emergent herbicide on your lawn before all the spring and summer annuals start to show their faces. Weather obviously plays a key role in everything we do concerning turfgrass so it is important to get the timing right.

This has been a very mild winter with very little rain causing the ground temperature to stay slightly warmer than normal so we will have some early season weed issues. If you are in a cooler part of town and are still getting hit with the occasional frosts I would hold off until the first part of March. These cool areas can get the pre-emergent down as late as the middle of March, while areas such as Phoenix and Palm Desert should be putting one down between now and the end of the month.

Since most homeowners have an overseeded lawn for the winter I want to make it clear that there are two options on a herbicide bag. One is overseeded rates and the other is non-overseeded rates. If you would like to keep your ryegrass make sure that you follow the overseeded rate or it could take a turn for the worse rather quickly.

Applying a pre-emergent is not always the answer, so make sure you know the following before you start.

1. Pre-emergents don’t kill weeds and seeds that are present, they keep them from growing.

2. A pre-emergent is designed to stop a weed from emerging from the ground initially so timing is very important. As I stated earlier temperature is the key factor in determining when to put down the application. The best time to apply the pre-emergent is when soil temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees first thing in the morning, not at 3pm. No you don’t need to get out at the crack of dawn to check, 8:00-10:00 AM is fine. For Phoenix and Palm Desert we are in that range now and they can be effectively applied between now and the end of the month.

3. If you would rather not apply a herbicide there is the option of using corn gluten to prevent weeds from appearing. Corn gluten works naturally by preventing seeds from rooting into the ground. You can use it for control of crabgrass, dandelions, pigweed, purslane, lambs quarters, foxtail and barnyard grass. Corn gluten is a very safe and environmentally friendly option but you may not see the same control that you will with some of the other pre-emergents on the market.

4. The next statement tells you the importance of keeping your lawn healthy and strong. Weed control in turf decreases grass competition, increases turf establishment rates, and decreases new grow-in time. Most people are growing in sod but if you happen to growing in stolons or seed this upcoming season this is especially important becasue weeds will take every avenue of growth that is offered to them.

Pre-Emergent Weed Control

Here is a small list of some of the more popular pre-emergents on the market for bermudagrass and paspalum and they can be picked up at most specialty stores and used safely. Some of these do require a certified applicator to apply so you may want to contact a weed company to apply them for you. You will not be able to purchase the restricted use pesticides without a license. Many stores will carry there own generic brand of these chemicals but make sure you are getting the same active ingredient. If you cannot find one of these products in the store most of them are available online to ship to your door. Herbicides are generally not cheap but they are effective when used right so make sure you do some research.

1. Barricade 65WG (Prodiamine)
2. Dimension (dithiopyr)
3. Ronstar (oxadiazon)
4. Pendulum (pendimethalin)

Before making an application of a pre-emergent herbicide make sure you take a look at the following:

1. Irrigate afterwards, water activates pre-emergent herbicides.

2. Measure your lawn surface area and calibrate your spreader properly prior to application. Applying more herbicide than is necessary could cause damage to your lawn.

3. If you are starting to see a little emergence of crabgrass or poa after the product has been applied it is okay to make a second application of some products over the missed areas. Consult with the label prior to making a second application.

4. If you have recently installed your turf (within the last 3 months) you should withhold all pre-emergent herbicide applications so you do not damage the root syetem.

Pre-emergents are a great asset to home and landscape management, but if used improperly can be your worst nightmare. Before heading out to buy a product make sure you have a plan of attack and consult with the chemical label to see if the weeds you have had in the past are controlled by the product you are purchasing.

Over applying a herbide can result in a pretty poor lawn for months

I had a question last week about removing the poa annua from dormant turf using a chemical and there are several chemicals out there that can control them such as revolver or monument. These chemicals are for licensed applicators only so if you are experiencing a poa annua breakout and want to get it under control consult a pesticde company to make the application. If you have ryegrass and the poa annua is starting to show there is not a chemical that will wipe it out without also killing your ryegrass. Do not be fooled by any product that says it will control poa completely because if it existed most golf courses and landscape settings would be poa free.

Spring watering and fertilizing guide

A common question that I receive at this time of the year is asking how much water should be applied now that the temperatures are warming up and when will my grass come out of dormancy?

Water – Overseeded lawn’s for the month of February need no more than 20-30 minutes two times per week. Your ryegrass roots are not as deep as your bermudagrass roots in the summer but it is still best to water deep and infrequently. You should be able to stick a screwdriver 6-8 inches in the ground after watering.

If you have dormant turf it is a good time to start to give it the occasional blast of water to awaken it slowly. During December and January one application a month is sufficent but as the soil temperature continues to warm up so does the need to increase your watering. For the rest of this month I would apply 30 minutes every other week and starting in March you can go to one day per week until you start to see the lawn really green up.

Fertilizer – The soil temperatures have come up quite a bit, but I still recommend foliar feeding with Soil Burst 7-7-7 to get through this month. If your next fertilizer application is not until March an application of the granular Soil Burst 5-15-10 is a great way to wake up the grass and get it growing. this is also a great application on dormant turf as a starter fertilizer.

Your grass will start to green up in early March if you have paspalum and early April for bermudagrasses. The paspalum’s are typically 4-6 weeks earlier than a bermudagrass.

I hope this answers all of your current questions and if anything arises please send me an email to info@westernsod.com and I will get back to you asap.

Baseball season is right around the corner and we are getting ready to put in a new BOBSod field for the DBacks, have you put yours in yet?

This has been one very mild winter so far and with the early break in the temperatures we are starting to see the emergence of some weeds. While most people will not really begin to have a war with the weeds for a few weeks I have started to notice Poa annua popping up in several neighborhoods, parks, and fields. If you’re not familiar with Poa annua it is can be an annoying weed that is spread by the seeds it produces. These seeds can be picked up on shoes, blown in from the wind, come in from the water, and several other ways so keep an eye out for it and pick it as it comes up.

Here is a picture of what Poa annua typically looks like in a lawn area.

It’s a well known fact that the best defense against weeds is to have a good dense stand of grass. If you have followed my previous tips and have been fertilizing on schedule, your lawn is likely thick, lush green and is in perfect shape to fight off weeds. If you are a little behind on your fertilizer applications now is a great time to catch up. You can use our “Seasonal Booster 7-7-7” to help thicken up your lawn and prevent the weeds from encroaching in the open areas. It is very different to control weeds in lawns that are overseeded with ryegrass versus lawns that are left dormant for the winter. I will touch on both.

First it is always best to practice weed management by hand pulling weeds before using unnecessary herbicides. If your lawn is being over taken with weeds or is too much to hand pick and you have to apply a herbicide, ALWAYS READ THE LABEL FIRST, AND APPLY AS DIRECTED. I cannot say this enough because it is very easy to injure your ryegrass or underlying bermudagrass by exceeding the label rates. If the label says 4oz/ 1000 SF it does not mean if you apply 8 oz/ 1000 SF that it will die twice as fast. What will die twice as fast is your lawn so follow the instructions carefully.

As I said earlier we are starting to see the emergence of annual bluegrass or as most people know it “Poa annua.” Poa annua is a high seed producing grass that likes wet compacted soils. We often start to see it emerge after rain storms but it is also very common in areas that retain moisture such as retentions or low areas in turf stands. Poa is a light yellow colored bunch weed with seed heads that multiply very quickly. Most people think that by mowing their turf lower they can rid the lawn of Poa, but since it tolerates low mowing heights and wet soils a good way to manage the problem is to keep you’re watering on the conservative side and try to stress it out. While it can tolerate heat up to about 100 degrees it does become weak and easy to pull when it is stressed. Since it is a bunch grass it can be pulled out fairly easy, but make sure you get the roots and all when removing it or it will come right back on you.

Another option is to let your lawn grow a little longer so the Poa annua can be seen well and really spend some time pulling it out. At the longer height it is easier to spot and it is a little weaker than when the grass canopy is too dense. When you’re mowing the lawn at this time of the year and Poa is present make sure you’re bagging the grass so the seed heads do not escape back into the lawn. If you do have Poa, there are very few chemicals that will treat it, and none are labeled for homeowner use. The best way to control it is to keep it in a confined area and hand pick it out before it spreads. Since Poa Annua is a cool season grass by nature and the only chemical controls are herbicides that kill all cool season grasses they touch, they cannot be used safely until transition time in April or May. Many golf courses and landscape areas transition there courses or lawn areas back to bermudagrass by spraying out the ryegrass in May and these chemicals also treat and take care of Poa annua.

In the next few weeks we will start to see broadleafs appear, but the nice thing is they’re much easier to control than Poa annua. Some of the most common weeds that will start to appear soon are clover, mallow, and mustards. Most broadleafs are easy to control with a post emergent herbicide, but it is best to be preemptive and use a pre-emergent around the middle of February to keep them from showing up. If some do sneak by you there are several options and when selecting a herbicide it is always best to make sure the chemicals contain one of the following active ingredients depending on the type of weed(2,4-D, Trichlorpyr or Clopyralid). Clover is tougher to kill than dandelions so different active ingredients are necessary depending on the weed. Make to read the label about what weeds are actually controlled by the product. As I said most broadleaves are easy to control and here is a picture of a broadleaf weed.

If in past years your lawn has been taken over by crabgrass and goosegrass it is really time to look at your fertilization program. These are typically a result of a poor turf stand which has resulted in these weeds encroaching into the open areas of your lawn. These weeds generally will start to emerge between the middle of February and into early March. There are pre-emergents that work well to control these but timing is essential. Some of the best products out on the market are Dimension and Barricade but as with most products these must be applied by a licensed applicator. Since it can be very tricky to get the timing perfect or to get all the crabgrass and goosegrass before it emerges you can safely have MSMA applied to the plant to help control the problem. This will need to be applied by a licensed applicator and after a few treatments the problems should resolve itself if you’re maintaining a healthy lawn. If you’re behind on your fertilizer applications make sure to catch up before it is too late. Keep applying the Soil Burst 7-7-7 and 16-0-4 and get your lawn as healthy as possible. Spending $15 every 21-28 days is much cheaper than $200 pesticide applications. These are some of the nastiest weeds out there and it doesn’t take much for them to take over your lawn so make sure to stay on top of them. I have attached pictures of crabgrass and goosegrass to help you identify the emergence of them in your lawn areas.

For those of you who didn’t overseed your bermudagrass I advise putting down a pre-emergent herbicide such as Barricade or Dimension in late February to control weeds summer annuals from starting to emerge in your lawn. Our winter has been warmer than normal with very few freezes so I don’t advise making any late season round-up applications to kill emerging weeds in your dormant turf. I will talk more about pre-emergents in the upcoming weeks and give you plenty of time to get what you need to have the best lawn in the neighborhood. These will be applied when the temperatures dictate us to use them and this is generally around the middle to end of February. If you’ve been putting down your Soil Burst applications I am sure you’re looking at a lawn like this right now.

Have a great week!

So just how important is the soil prep? Soil prep is actually the most important step in the operation because having a compacted or poorly draining soil will result in a chlorotic lawn with a shallow root system. A shallow root system will end up costing you double in water, fertilizer, and every afternoon during the summer months you can bet it will be your lawn that needs water first. A properly prepped lawn will allow for a deep root system and even during the hot summer months allow you to water just 3 times week. I know some of you are watering 7 days a week and when you don’t you start to see your lawn shrivel up and that is a direct result of poor water infiltration and shallow roots. We need to learn to train the roots to grow deep and they cannot even begin that process if they can penetrate the soil.

Okay, the first step is going to be to rent a tiller and start to turn over the soil. This can be very time consuming if you have a clay soil or very rocky conditions but in those cases this is even more important. If you’re simply changing lawn varieties after a couple years or you just recently tilled your yard then you can skip this step but it is always good to do while the ground is exposed. Rototiller’s are available at most rental stores and you can expect to spend about $80-$100 to rent it for an entire day. The goal of the tiller is to turn the soil to a 6-8 inch depth. This can be quite the challenge in some parts of town so you may need to go a few directions to make this happen. As the rototiller’s teeth penetrate into the soil it will open up the soil surface which allows for better water and air infiltration. After turning the soil over one time and getting it to your desired depth you will want to mix 50 pounds per 1000 SF of gypsum into the soil and till it in. The gypsum is not a fast acting product but it will loosen the soil over time. The gypsum will work its way through the soil and help improve air flow into the ground. Gypsum is a relatively inexpensive product and you can apply more than 50 pounds if you have really poor soil conditions but be advised that it will take about 6-7 weeks to break down in the soil before it can react and help loosen the soil. you can expect to spend around $10-$15 for a bag of gypsum so this is a cheap part of the process.

Now that the soil has been loosened it is the perfect time to put in that state of the art irrigation system. Head down to a irrigation store like Sprinkler World and have them help you with the plans and layout for your backyard. Once you have laid out the system it is time to trench the yard. You will trench out the irrigation sysytem to about a 4-6 inch depth and lay the pipe from the water supply line to the valves. The number of valves necessary will depend on the amount of sprinklers, water flow, types of sprinklers, and spacing. I will not go into detail on this but I would advise for more information you visit your local irrigation store or consult a landscape professional to help carry out this step.

Once your sprinkler system has been put in it is best to leave the swing joints capped where the sprinkler heads will go until your final grade is established. Most of the soils in Arizona have a high clay content so it is best to create a better growing medium and sand is your best option. We generally have pretty poor soils in Arizona so it is nice to use a washed mortar sand or a higher grade sand with a mixture of medium fine sand particles to help with drainage and root growth. If you already have a sandy profile you don’t need to add any sand unless it is for leveling but try not to put a different type of sand over top that would create a potential layering issue. Lots of landscapers use wood mulch, a topper or sod mix and these are okay but remember that they hold water and that does not allow your roots to grow deep so sand is a better option.

One of the issues with mulch is it keeps moisture in the top of the soil profile which results in short roots becasue they don’t have to grow deep to get water. You can put down as much sand as you would like and the more the better, but an extremely sandy profile does limit your nutrient holding capacity so if you are going 6 inches or more I would incorporate a little peat in to the mix as well. You can go with a 85-90 percent sand mix that is 10-15 percent peat. After you have put the sand down you will smooth out the surface with a 2 x 4 or drag the area smooth with a mat. It is important to remember to water the sand for a couple days to fix any settling that may occur. When you’re establishing your finished grade remember that you should be ½ inch below where you will set your sprinkler heads. The sod you purchase will come with a 1/2″ of soil and with your sprinklers set 1/2″ above grade the grass will match up perfectly. Now that the sprinklers are in and the grade is done it is time to put down a starter fertilizer. A great starter fertilizer and a safe fertilizer to use throughout the year is the Soil Burst 5-10-15 available from Western Sod and West Coast Turf. You can order it from us directly or purchase it online at www.westcoastturf.com. This can be delivered with your sod and applied to the soil surface a few minutes before you put the sod down with the easy to use shaker cap. The Soil Burst should be applied at 10-20 pounds per 1000 SF as a starter fertilizer and can be used to feed your lawn throughout the year.
Once the soil is prepped it is time to select your sod. Remember to read about all the different types of grasses, maintenance requirements, and decide what works best for you. There are so many great choices for the desert southwest including several bermudagrasses including BOBSod or the popular new Seashore Paspalum.

When the prep is all done and you order from West Coast Turf you can be assured to have a lawn that looks just like the field we put in before the Rose Bowl this year.

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.

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

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jay

Just like when you put your initial lawn, the prep work is actually more important than the grass itself. If you skimp on this step or try and go the cheap route it will come back to haunt you. If you read my previous blogs I suggested that you let your summer lawn grow up a little higher than normal so when you verticut and scalp the grass down you are actually just taking the lawn to a normal height versus digging into the dirt. You don’t do yourself or your lawn any good by continually scalping it down to the ground with the expectation that it will come back strong every spring. While it seems like it should, you could end up with a year like we just had that was horrible for the transition process. If you want to know what made this year so difficult for so many golf courses, landscapers, and homeowners it was the inconsistent spring temperatures. We never really had the hot weather early and it allowed the ryegrass to stick around much later than normal shading out the underlying summer grass. As I have said quite a few times, shade is the biggest enemy for your summer lawn and ryegrass is just like having a tree on top of it if it is still strong in late May and early June.

Once you let the lawn grow up to the longer height run a verticut or dethatcher (very high setting) if you cannot find a rental place with the verticut. This will open up the grass plant and allow the seed and water to get down into the grass. Every time you scalp the lawn you close the turf canopy and it makes it tougher and tougher for the seed to get down into the thatch layer. The next crucial step is to gradually lower your mowing heights so you can reduce some of the top growth. You are actually just mowing to a height a notch or two below your normal summer height. Now run the verticut one more time over the lawn in the opposite direction to put grooves in the soil and give the seed a place to go. You can clean up the verticut debris by doing another clean up pass with the mower.

Many of you are going into the overseed season knowing that your lawn is so compacted from years and years of traffic, or just the amount of clay in the soil and it is a great time to aerify the lawn. This can be done now prior to the overseeding process to open up the soil and allow for better water infiltration and it also aids in the efficiency of the roots taking up fertilizer. This is a job that is best hired out, but before they start make sure all the sprinkler heads have been marked (flagged or painted) and they go around those areas. If you have already planted ryegrass and compaction and standing water are clearly an issue wait until mid November and aerify the lawn before we get any heavy freezes that would keep the tines from getting good penetration into the soil.

Now many of you have already dropped seed or will be dropping seed this upcoming weekend and the biggest concern you are going to have is with the bermudagrass or paspalum coming back and filling in the space between ryegrass leaf blades. It is often pretty difficult to tell what is bermudagrass and what is ryegrass if you have a finer type turf, but once we get out first freeze it will be pretty evident with the little brown golf ball sized spots all over your yard. The warm season turf is still so strong at this time of the year that it is important that they are really put in check before you start overseeding and the best way is with a growth regulator such as Primo. This is not something you are going to buy over the counter at your local store, but an irrigation or turf specialty store may carry their brand. Primo is a brand name and there are several growth regulators out there but it is the most widely known one. Can you still have a good overseed without using Primo? Of course but it is all dependent upon using the correct fertilizers and pushing the growth.

In my previous blog I gave you the 1, 2, 3 steps to an easy overseed and these really should be followed when it comes to fertilizers. The ryegrass needs to be at its peak prior to the first frost so it can fill in any voids caused by warm season turf that hung around too long. Ryegrass is a bunch grass, but it does tiller and will get thicker as the season goes along with the right fertilizer program. Again here is the fertilizer program I recommend and these products can be bought from select Ace Stores, Sprinkler Worlds, Silverbell Nursery or direct from our website (shipped to your door or picked up at our Scottsdale farm). If you didn’t put down a starter fertilizer with the seed it isn’t too late and you should do so as soon as possible to get optimal growth out of the seed and get better germination.

I mention the type of seed we use on our sod farms mostly because of the high quality seed that comes in the bucket. There are so many cheap ryegrass blends out there that will grow quickly, but inevitably they will have poor color, wear tolerance, or have weed seed in the mix as filler. You don’t ever want to buy a seed that has any weed seed what so ever so make sure the bucket or bag you pick up is 100% clean. The germination rate should be over 96% or you will need to factor that into how much extra seed needs to be put down to get 9.5-10 pounds per 1000 SF. If a bag only has 85% germination you are losing 15% of the bag to seed that isn’t viable and it needs to be accounted for when planting. A normal loss would be around 3-5% and I would worry about anything below that amount. That is typically why you see a cheaper cost of seed between the good, better, and best mixes. Spend now, save the headaches later. The last thing you want to do is incorporate weed seed into your lawn and allow it to fill in the voids caused by frost or wear. Since a weed is a plant out of place we all know they have a big tendency to find voids in turf.

I will get off my soapbox now and onto the next subject of seeding. How much seed should be applied to cover your lawn, do you need mulch, how do you keep the birds away, and how much does it cost to overseed the average lawn?

How much seed should be applied to cover the lawn adequately?

You want to put down 8-10 pounds per 1000 SF of turf area. Remember to account for seed that will not germinate so you may be applying more. There is no need to go over this rate because it will grow very clumpy and choke itself out after a few weeks.

I have so many birds that cover my lawn after I seed, should I be putting down mulch?

I personally don’t ever put down a seed cover or mulch and you would be hard pressed to find a golf course that is going to cover 60-90 acres of turf with a seed cover to keep the birds away. The truth is the birds are going to eat a certain amount of seed anyway and that number is factored into the 8-10 pound per 1000 SF rate.

How much does it cost to overseed a lawn?

I will break this down into approximate numbers and if you are hiring this out make sure you are accounting for dump fees, labor, machinery and profit.

Verticut Rental -$45 for 4 hours or $80/day

Aerifier $45 for 4 hours or $80/day

BOBSeed perennial ryegrass $29.95 for a 10 pound bucket (treats 1000 SF)

Soil Burst starter fertilizer 5-15-10 for a 9 pound container is $19.95

Soil Burst liquid program consisting of 7-7-7, 16-0-4, and 4-0-6 is $14.95 x 3 = $44.85

This is enough fertilizer and product to get you a healthy lawn for 4 months and it costs less than $150 to do it yourself and I would figure around $250-$350 per 1000 SF to have someone do this for you. If you can get it done for this price it is well worth it, but I just want to give you the breakdown if you want to do it yourself.

I hope these tips have helped you this week and I will keep you updated on what to do as we move deeper into the overseed season. If you don’t need to seed your lawn yet, sit back turn on Michigan football and wait for it to cool down a little.

It has started off as a great football season and luckily for me Michigan managed not to stub their toe on any of the cupcakes they played early on. I have been pleasantly surprised with the schedules most of the teams have played so far because there is actually a little competition out there and I am seeing very few North Dakota states on the schedule. I would mention Appalachian state, but even four years later it makes me want to cry and I am reminded daily when Jim Rome plays the “it’s blocked, the kick is blocked” sound bite from the game. As most leagues move into conference play this week I will be picking some of the better matchups. Here are my locks for the week and you can take them to the bank, well maybe that’s not the best idea.

Here we go!

Minnesota +19.5 @ Michigan – This will not be your year Gophers, and even though you are playing for the little Brown jug don’t forget just how bad you are. You were just blown off the field by FBS (Division II) North Dakota State 37-24. I like Denard Robinson to finally find his arm in the passing game and he will throw for 250 yards and rush for 200 more.

Michigan State + 3.5 @ OSU – this may be the surprise line of the week unless the wise guys know something I don’t but the Buckeyes are not a very good football team and MSU is coming off a thrashing at ND a couple weeks ago and is looking to run up and down the horseshoe. I haven’t heard if there latest suspended players were reinstated for the game but I still like MSU by 10. Take the money line and make some cash.

Alabama -6 @ Florida – while this game is being played in the swamp the bad news for Florida is that they have been nothing but an average team since the almighty Tim Tebow left campus. Florida may have a few tricks up their sleeve but don’t expect Saban to play it safe. I like Bama to run up the score and try to catch LSU in the polls.

Arizona +11.5 @ USC – The Wildcats always play out of their minds one game per season but unfortunately it always happens at home. USC is battered, has no confidence and is playing for nothing more than bragging rights but they will annihilate the Cats this weekend. The Wildcats have a QB and are missing the other 21 players that make up the team, take USC and don’t stress about the points. 34-14.

Oregon State – 17.5 @ Arizona State – Devil fans if there was ever another must win game it would be this one. Very few times in Coach Erikson’s tenure has he managed to follow up a good win with a second one. Betting Oregon State is not going to save his job at the end of the year but it will keep him from losing it. This game shouldn’t even be close but I see a huge letdown. Take ASU to win the game but they will not cover 17.5.

Nebraska + 7 @ Wisconsin – A battle of the big boys and a cold welcome to the Big 10 or 12 or whatever they are this week. Nebraska has played solid football and possesses a game changer in Taylor Martinez, but they are in for a long day in Madison. Life was easy in the former Big 12 when you played teams with 250 pound lineman but wait till the 310 average of the badgers gets a hold of the corn fed boys. This line has been as high as 10 and I would take it up to 10. I like Wisconsin to pull away in the second half and cover the spread. Sorry Cole family, sorry Husker nation, but I just don’t think Saturday night will be good for you. Watch the first half and then take the wives to dinner because the half time adjustments will put this game out of reach quickly.

Please let me know if you have any questions on overseeding or want to comment on my picks. Hit the “Ask Jay” button to the right of this page!

Until next time,

Jay

P.S…..if you would like to follow my Ultra Running blog, please go to www.mcdowellmountainman.com. My latest blog is “We all want to be just a little faster!”

I think everyone can have a successful lawn this winter, and next summer if you follow these instructions. A thriving overseed can be accomplished when the night time temperatures are in the 60′s, high quality seed is used, and you don’t get too aggressive with the scalping of the lawn.

Just so you know, the BOBSeed I refer to in this blog is available for sale in Arizona only. And the Soil Burst is available outside of AZ through our website or by calling our order hotline at 888/893-8873.

One week before you’re ready to overseed, increase the height of your lawn by 30-40 percent. This is giving you more leaf tissue and open up the grass for the seed to get into the plant.

1. You will want to rent a verticut and set it at the 1/2 to ¾ depth. Take out the thatch and dead material until you are left with approximately ½” of thatch. If you have any more than this it harbors insects, impedes water and fertilizer penetration. If you have a huge thatch buildup you have probably had some watering issues this summer and that directly impacted your drought tolerance.

2. Next you will lower your mowing height one setting and scalp down the leaf tissue. You are not trying to scalp the grass down to the ground because this will result in a poor stand of grass for next year. You want to save some of the energy of the plant so it can come back strong in the spring. You will drop the height one more setting so you are just below your mowing height from a week ago and get a second scalp on the lawn to clean it up. This often results in the closing of the turf canopy and a second vertical cut is often necessary to open the grass plant back up. Once you have made the second vertical cut, mow up all the clippings and blow off any excess material from the grass. You lawn should have an open canopy so the seed can fall down into the thatch layer.

3. After the lawn has been cleaned up and the yard is clear, it is time to add your starter fertilizer. I recommend using a Soil Burst 5-15-10 at a rate of 9 pounds per 1000 SF. Each container is 9 pounds and it comes with a built in shaker for easy application. You can find this at several PHX/TUCSON ACE Hardware stores, through www.westernsod.com or www.westcoastturf.com.

4. Get your BOBSeed perennial rye seed out and have your spreader calibrated to drop 8-10 pounds of seed per 1000 SF. You will start with the perimeter of the lawn and drop the seed at a ½ rate two directions. I advise having someone follow you while you seed with some paint and mark out where the seed has fallen so you don’t overlap or miss an area. After the edges are complete you will then switch to your rotary spreader and seed the middle of the yard at ½ rate two directions. Again the total rate is 8-10 pounds per 1000 SF so you will be putting out 4-5 pounds at a time. This ensures the grass comes up in corn rows and you have not missed any areas.

5. Turn on your water for 3-4 cycles per day for 5-7 minutes. You are just trying to keep the seed moist throughout the day and free from drying out. This will be the irrigation cycle for the first two weeks until the grass has grown up to an inch. At this point you can gradually reduce some of the daily cycles and get it down to one long cycle early in the morning.

6. At the 10-14 day mark apply your second fertilizer. I like to use a balanced fertilizer that will help keep the grass growing and the root system developing such as Soil Burst 7-7-7.

7. You may be able to mow your grass before the second fertilizer application but if not, you will do it a couple days after it has worked itself into the soil. This is a longer cut and you are just giving the grass a haircut. Ideally this cut will be made to the grass in the afternoon when it has had a chance to dry down a little.

8. At the 3-4 week mark apply your third fertilizer application. You want to do this before we receive our first frost which is generally right around Thanksgiving. A good fertilizer in this situation is Soil Burst 16-0-4. This will both get your grass growing and allow the ryegrass to start to tiller and get healthy. If you wait till after the frost you will often lose color in your ryegrass and get yourself stuck behind the 8 ball.

9. You should be mowing 1-2 times per week after the lawn is established and gradually taking it to your desired mowing heights.

10. Most of you will have your lawn up and established a couple weeks before we receive a frost so it is always a good idea to get another fertilizer application down right before this happens, usually in mid November. I like to use a product that will sustain a good root system and also keep color once the frost hits. On our farm we switch over to Soil Burst 4-0-6 to get the grass winter hardy and maintain good color.

*** It is very important to use the right amount of seed. I have seen several companies advertise that you can get 20,000 SF out of a 50 pound bag of seed. If you read the directions on the back of the bag it clearly states this is for the northern states. These labels can sometimes be confusing so be careful. The BOBSeed is sold in convenient 10 pound buckets and 50 pound bags that are perfect for a home lawn and again it is seeded at 8-10 pounds per 1000 SF of lawn. You can pick it up at several PHX/TUCSON ACE Hardware locations, Elgin Nursery, Silverbell Nursery or directly through us at www.westcoastturf.com or www.westernsod.com. Make sure you are buying a high quality perennial ryegrass seed with a minimum of 96 percent germination and zero weed seed.***

As I said in my introduction, overseeding can be easy as long as instructions are followed and you don’t get overly aggressive during the scalping of your warm season grass. I have attached a video for you to look at that has all the steps I just talked about. You’ll be able to see why the height of the grass is not as important as having an open turf canopy.

Check out my video here: http://www.youtube.com/

Want to know more about how easy it is to use Soil Burst fertilizers, here is a little video: http://www.youtube.com/

I have started a new running blog at www.mcdowellmountainman.com if you wish to follow my runs.

I have had some great feedback already so I hope you’ll check it out!

Until next time-HAPPY OVERSEEDING!

Jay

I think everyone can have a successful lawn this winter, and next summer if you follow these instructions. A thriving overseed can be accomplished when the night time temperatures are in the 60′s, high quality seed is used, and you don’t get too aggressive with the scalping of the lawn.

One week before you’re ready to overseed, increase the height of your lawn by 30-40 percent. This is giving you more leaf tissue and open up the grass for the seed to get into the plant.

1. You will want to rent a verticut and set it at the 1/2 to ¾ depth. Take out the thatch and dead material until you are left with approximately ½” of thatch. If you have any more than this it harbors insects, impedes water and fertilizer penetration. If you have a huge thatch buildup you have probably had some watering issues this summer and that directly impacted your drought tolerance.

2. Next you will lower your mowing height one setting and scalp down the leaf tissue. You are not trying to scalp the grass down to the ground because this will result in a poor stand of grass for next year. You want to save some of the energy of the plant so it can come back strong in the spring. You will drop the height one more setting so you are just below your mowing height from a week ago and get a second scalp on the lawn to clean it up. This often results in the closing of the turf canopy and a second vertical cut is often necessary to open the grass plant back up. Once you have made the second vertical cut, mow up all the clippings and blow off any excess material from the grass. You lawn should have an open canopy so the seed can fall down into the thatch layer.

3. After the lawn has been cleaned up and the yard is clear, it is time to add your starter fertilizer. I recommend using a Soil Burst 5-15-10 at a rate of 9 pounds per 1000 SF. Each container is 9 pounds and it comes with a built in shaker for easy application. You can find this at several ACE Hardware stores, through www.westernsod.com or www.westcoastturf.com.

4. Get your BOBSeed perennial rye seed out and have your spreader calibrated to drop 8-10 pounds of seed per 1000 SF. You will start with the perimeter of the lawn and drop the seed at a ½ rate two directions. I advise having someone follow you while you seed with some paint and mark out where the seed has fallen so you don’t overlap or miss an area. After the edges are complete you will then switch to your rotary spreader and seed the middle of the yard at ½ rate two directions. Again the total rate is 8-10 pounds per 1000 SF so you will be putting out 4-5 pounds at a time. This ensures the grass comes up in corn rows and you have not missed any areas.

5. Turn on your water for 3-4 cycles per day for 5-7 minutes. You are just trying to keep the seed moist throughout the day and free from drying out. This will be the irrigation cycle for the first two weeks until the grass has grown up to an inch. At this point you can gradually reduce some of the daily cycles and get it down to one long cycle early in the morning.

6. At the 10-14 day mark apply your second fertilizer. I like to use a balanced fertilizer that will help keep the grass growing and the root system developing such as Soil Burst 7-7-7.

7. You may be able to mow your grass before the second fertilizer application but if not, you will do it a couple days after it has worked itself into the soil. This is a longer cut and you are just giving the grass a haircut. Ideally this cut will be made to the grass in the afternoon when it has had a chance to dry down a little.

8. At the 3-4 week mark apply your third fertilizer application. You want to do this before we receive our first frost which is generally right around Thanksgiving. A good fertilizer in this situation is Soil Burst 16-0-4. This will both get your grass growing and allow the ryegrass to start to tiller and get healthy. If you wait till after the frost you will often lose color in your ryegrass and get yourself stuck behind the 8 ball.

9. You should be mowing 1-2 times per week after the lawn is established and gradually taking it to your desired mowing heights.

10. Most of you will have your lawn up and established a couple weeks before we receive a frost so it is always a good idea to get another fertilizer application down right before this happens, usually in mid November. I like to use a product that will sustain a good root system and also keep color once the frost hits. On our farm we switch over to Soil Burst 4-0-6 to get the grass winter hardy and maintain good color.

*** It is very important to use the right amount of seed. I have seen several companies advertise that you can get 20,000 SF out of a 50 pound bag of seed. If you read the directions on the back of the bag it clearly states this is for the northern states. These labels can sometimes be confusing so be careful. The BOBSeed is sold in convenient 10 pound buckets and 50 pound bags that are perfect for a home lawn and again it is seeded at 8-10 pounds per 1000 SF of lawn. You can pick it up at several ACE Hardware locations, Elgin Nursery, Silverbell Nursery or direct through us at www.westcoastturf.com or www.westernsod.com. Make sure you are buying a high quality perennial ryegrass seed with a minimum of 96 percent germination and zero weed seed.***

As I said in my introduction, overseeding can be easy as long as instructions are followed and you don’t get overly aggressive during the scalping of your warm season grass. I have attached a video for you to look at that has all the steps I just talked about. You’ll be able to see why the height of the grass is not as important as having an open turf canopy.

Check out my video here: www.youtube.com

Want to know more about how easy it is to use Soil Burst fertilizers, here is a little video: www.youtube.com

College Football Week 3

First let me apologize for slacking on my college football run downs this year but I have had quite the full running schedule which has left me a little bit behind. I have not lost most passion for the game of college football and after last Saturday’s amazing win by the Wolverines against Notre Dame it reenergized me to do a college football write up. There really is nothing more exciting in the sports world than watching 114,800 fans go crazy as Denard Robinson connected with Roy Roundtree with 2 seconds on the clock to put the dagger in Notre Dame. In case anyone didn’t get to see it live here is another look at it. www.youtube.com I am not sure what I can say about this game except I was speechless, what a game and man did it feel good for them to beat the Irish for the third year in a row.

So far this college football season we have seen some great early games and this week is no different as #1 Oklahoma travels to Tallahassee to take on #5 Florida St. I think this game actually looks better on paper than it will on TV but this is the Seminoles time to shine and start a return to glory. It has been years since they showed any promise besides winning the weak ACC but a win against Oklahoma would go a long ways. I am sorry FSU fans but I see this game as a route and Landry Jones will continue his Heisman run as he will rack up over 400 yards passing as Oklahoma wins big 35-14.

Here are my additional picks of the week and must watch games

#3 LSU @ Mississippi State University – I love LSU to not only cover the spread but completely shut down MSU. This game will not be close even though it is an SEC conference game, look for LSU to dominate from the beginning winning 42-21.

#17 Michigan State @ Notre Dame – Can Brian Kelley get his Irish up and ready to play after last week’s defensive debacle? I don’t see good things for ND this week as Sparty comes in rolling and they always seem to play well in South Bend. This will be a back and fourth game with Sparty taking it in the 4th quarter 28-24. Look for Sparty to plant their flag mid field after the game.

Tennessee @ Florida- This used to be a marquee matchup but no one seems to have any interest left in a couple of teams that are going to struggle in a tough SEC conference. Tennessee historically has a tough time in the swamp and this week will be no different. Will Muschamp will have his boys ready to play and will beat Tennessee 35-31 in a shootout.

#18 ASU @ Illinois – Dennis Erickson and the crew are coming off an emotional victory against Missouri in which they need a defensive stop in overtime to win. I really worry about their discipline and I find it hard to believe any team can rack up over 100 yards in penalties and still win football games. The good news for the Devils this week is the Illini is terrible and cold weather has not hit the area yet so the Sun Devils will put a spanking on the Illini 42-14.

Finally how could I not talk about a game that who knows if half of players will even get to participate in because they have had trouble keeping their hands out of the cookie jar. Ohio State travels to Florida to play Miami in a game that is sure to be chippy amongst the players from past rivalries but will also feature some empty sidelines. The Buckeyes looked good in week one and terrible against Toledo last week so I am not sure which team is going to show up. I see this being a low scoring games with lots of turnovers and I like Nevin Shapiro’s Hurricanes 28 and the Columbus Tattoo parlor 24.

Have a great week and I will update my picks then.
I have started a new running blog at www.mcdowellmountainman.com if you wish to follow my runs.

Until next time-HAPPY OVERSEEDING!

Jay