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? Read the rest of this entry »

The month of December is a time of slow growth for your winter ryegrass.  We won’t start to see the resurgence of growth until early February when the temperatures start to warm back up.  Since we typically receive the majority of our harder frosts during December-February it is a great time to get outside and adjust your clock for the winter season.  If you are still running a summer watering schedule on your lawn, or if you haven’t adjusted your clock since you overseeded now is the time to make some changes.  Read the rest of this entry »

Well it’s Thanksgiving week.  As is usually the case we saw a little bit of frost in the outlining areas this morning and it appears we may get a couple more light frosts later in the week.  When we start to get frost you will notice that your beautiful ryegrass might be losing some of that new grass color.  The best thing you can do before we get some of the harder frosts is to apply a fertilizer such as calcium nitrate 15.5-0-0, 15-15-15 or if even a slow release dark pelletized product such as Soil Burst or Milorganite. 

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve received a lot of questions from paspalum growers who are chomping at the bit to get out there and fertilize their lawn, but let’s remember why you bought this grass.  This is a grass that likes low nitrogen and thrives off micro nutrients such as manganese, zinc, and iron.  The summer stress period brings on different animals for every grass and each grass has its way of fighting them off.  This blog will touch on the cultural techniques you can do at home to keep your paspalum strong, deep green in color, and keep costs down.  Just as is the case with all grasses, a healthy lawn is the best defense for any potential problems out there. Read the rest of this entry »

The monsoons are upon us, and so is the humidity.  We need to take advantage of it and get our lawns and sod filled in while we have optimal growing weather.   Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, that is the title for my blog this week.  I would agree that no one looks forward to the extreme heat, but there is nothing better to help get rid of any remaining transition issues out there.  If you have stubborn ryegrass that has been sticking around despite your low mowing heights and reduction of watering,  a few good days above 110 degrees should take care of those issues.  Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone seems to be asking the same questions about their lawns about now.  Here are the questions, and my answers.  I’ll do my best to help you have the healthiest lawn in the neighborhood! Read the rest of this entry »

I have started to notice some lawns where it is evident that the paspalum is being overwatered.  It’s contributing to some small brown areas in the lawn that rapidily increase in size if not handled properly.  Remember that paspalum is a very rhizonomous grass, and gets all its strength and energy from the roots.  If you overwater it makes for a short root system and weakens the plant.  Read the rest of this entry »

While many of us are dreading the summer heat, your summer grass is actually looking forward to it!   Bermuda, paspalum, and St. Augustine grasses do very well in the warmer climates, while fescue and blue/rye thrives in the cooler climates of northern California and Arizona.  Grasses flourish on temperatures that range from 90-105 degrees for warm season lawns, and 65-85 for cool season grasses.  Read the rest of this entry »

I am often questioned about what the grass on your Arizona lawn should look like during the transition period.  Below are some pictures of our turf test plots with non-overseeded plots on the left and overseeded plots on the right. Read the rest of this entry »