We are seeing soil temperatures that are favorable for warm season growth and with a little bit of time you can make this a painless transition process. If you opted not to overseed your lawn last year I am sure by now you’ve mowed the grass plenty of times and are starting to see it develop into a lush turf. The idea is to keep your lawn perfect and not get behind by forgetting to add fertilizer and a great choice with overseeded or non overseeded turf is the Soil Burst 5-15-10. The magnesium, calcium, and iron will jump start your lawn and get it the right nutrients to have a healthy start to the year. Below you will find instructions on making sure you have a good transition and your lawn stays healthy as the weather changes.

Step By Step Transitioning

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 to reduce turf canopy.

6. Gradually back off the water in April and May 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 70% 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!

Watering

Let’s talk about how much you need to be watering to get your grass growing and properly transitioned. As I have been preaching for the last few years you do not want to just turn your water off for a week to ten days and kill the ryegrass because you are also stunting the growth of the bermudagrass. All grasses need water to survive so cutting off water only causes you to have more issues with your lawn. During the summer you should use between 1” and 1 ½” of water per week and that can be broken up into 3-4 days depending on your soil type. During this time of the year you want to use 70 percent of that amount so your bermudagrass/paspalum thrives and the ryegrass begins to choke itself out. Over a couple weeks of this practice, lower mowing heights, and opening up the turf canopy with a verticutter you will transition very quickly. It does not take much for your warm season grass to take off and begin to grow but if you have too healthy of ryegrass you are putting the equivalent of a shade canopy over the turf.

This is why you don't turn your water off for 7-10 days

Lots of people often ask if verticutting is the same thing as dethatching and the answer is no. While they are similiar the cultural practice of each is slightly different. To verticut a home lawn you would use a self propelled unit that utilizes vertical blades to help thin out the turf canopy. You set this machine to run through the grass leaf tissue and it never affects the root system. Thinning out the turf canopy allows light in, helps the grass use less water, and most of all it gives your grass new growing points.

Photo courtesy of Renothin

Dethatching is the process of removing built up organic matter. This is a process that usually needs to be done every three to four years and it is similiar to a verticut except it cuts much deeper into the soil. it is extremely important when operating this machine that you don’t go so deep that you’re pulling up root mass. Dethatching should be done during the summer months when the grass is actively growing and when you have an extreme spongy feel to your turf.

At this time of the year we battle through some tough visual periods with our lawns but there is no reason to be concerned unless you’re just seeing dirt. The yellow to brown tinge is the ryegrass starting to die out and it takes some time for the bermudagrass or paspalum to overtake it. This is not an instant process and you should keep in mind that having dead material on top of your bermudagrass is providing shade and warm season grasses hate shade. This is why it is good to verticut or rake up any dead material and allow the sunlight to get into the plant so it can grow.

Last but not least remember everyone will go through this painful process including high end million dollar golf courses so don’t worry about seeing some brown grass.

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.

Q. I seeded my lawn a couple weeks ago, how long do I continue with my 3x a day watering schedule?

A. Once your grass reaches 1 inch in height and it is filling in evenly all over you can cut the watering back to once in the morning and once in early afternoon until you have a full stand of grass. You should be watering 5-10 minutes per cycle, but making sure that your lawn does not flood and you are keeping the grass moist. During the third week cut your watering to one time per day for 10-12 minutes and then after a month and it is fully established you can start to develop the root system by watering deep and infrequent. During the winter months you can get away with watering 20-25 minutes every 3-5 days.

Q. When is it okay to make my first cut on the newly seeded turf?

A. Once the grass is fully established around the 10-14 day mark it is a good time to go ahead and dry down the lawn during the day and get a clean cut on the lawn. There will be so much moisture in the grass from watering in the seed that it will cause the turf to clump up if you mow it wet and there is also a big potential to cause damage to the ground by rutting it up so make sure to dry it down.

Q. When is the next time I fertilize the ryegrass after the starter fertilizer?

A. After you make you first cut it is a great time to get the second application of fertilizer down and give the lawn an extra push. I like to use the Soil Burst 7-7-7 at this stage as it hardens up the leaves canopy and replenishes the turf with all the nutrients lost during the grow in.

Q. I want to sod my lawn in the winter, is it okay?

A. This is such a good time to put sod down because the soil temperatures are still high and the grass is all overseeded for the winter months. In the spring as the temperatures begin to climb make sure to gradually lower your lowing heights to allow the bermudagrass to grow through the ryegrass. Sod can be planted year round with great success as long as the soil is prepared correctly. Check out my old archives on Soil prep for more information.

Q. How much water should I be applying to my non overseeded turf during the fall and winter?

A. If you are not overseeding this fall it is a great time to really conserve water. If you have paspalum I suggest watering a couple times a week to hold the color as long as you can and if you have bermudagrass you can cut the watering back to one time per week for 20-30 minutes depending on your soil texture. During the winter months it is only important to keep moisture in the soil so there is no winter damage to the root system so watering once every 21-28 days for 60 minutes is sufficient. If we get timely rains you may be able to get away with not watering at all during the winter months and picking it back up as the temperatures warm up in March.

Q. There are weeds coming up in my ryegrass, can I treat them?

A. Weeds get into seed very easily and that is why it is so important to buy a weed free seed to begin with. Remember that just because the price tag looks initially cheaper it will probably end up costing you double in the long run. Since the ryegrass is so new it is too early to put down a post emergent herbicide so you would have to wait till the grass is fully established with a good root system and it has been mowed a few times.`

Q. What fertilizer should I use on my dormant turf heading into the winter?

A. You want to put down a balanced fertilizer at this time of the year and get some potassium into the turf to maintain its strength. I suggest putting down the Soil Burst 5-15-10 @ 20 pounds per 1000 SF on bermudagrass and 10 pounds per 1000 SF on paspalum. This is also a dark pelletized granule that will keep the heat in the plant and keep the tissue green for longer.

Q. Are there any other secrets to keeping the grass in longer into the fall on my dormant turf?

A. A dark pelletized granule is important and so is your mowing height. The longer the turf is, the easier it is for frost to attack the leaf canopy. You don’t want to scalp down your turf because it will not recover at this time of the year but by utilizing foliar feeding and gradually lowering your mowing heights you can get it down to a lower height before applying the 5-15-10 later in the month.

Q. What fertilizers are recommended during the winter months?

A. As soon as we receive some frost and the soil temperature drops the granular fertilizers become very inefficient. During the time frame of December to March it is best to use the Soil Burst foliar spray products can they can easily be taken up by the grass plant. I suggest alternating the three products every 21-28 days to maintain a deep dark green color. You will quickly notice yellow lawns once we get a freeze and that is because of lack of nutrients.

Q. My lawn looks beautiful now but often turns yellow in December. What am I doing wrong?

A. Your lawn is just reacting to the nutrients that are present for uptake so as I said before you need to utilize foliar sprays during the winter months. The other important thing to do is to really get your lawn growing before we get that first frost. In my past blogs I laid out a 3 step process and alternated the three foliar fertilizers all before the first frost arrives and it is important to follow these steps to keep your lawn from ever heading downhill.

Q. I have dog urine spots all over my yard, is there anything I can do?

A. This is a much easier fix during the winter months versus the summer and the best way is to get some extra BOBSeed and make a sand/seed mix just like you would see made at a golf course. Simply dig out the damaged turf and fill the area with sand and seed and it will come up during your normal watering.

Since you are a month into the overseed season it is also a good time to check your irrigation clock, sprinklers, and valves to make sure that everything is running properly. It is very easy to get small rocks stuck in the valves causing tiny leaks in the valve box, or broken sprinkler nozzles from the lawn mower hitting the shorter grass. Turn on each station for a couple minutes and check to make sure you are getting even coverage, good sprinkler output, and that you don’t have too much over spray in non lawn areas.

If you have a couple broken nozzles they are easy enough to change out and if the valve has a rock or two stuck in it you will have to take the set screws out of the top of the valve and change out the diaphragm inside. This is an easy fix and usually they need to be changed out once a year because rocks get inside and don’t allow the valves to close completely which results in small leaks.

If you have any additional questions or have something strange going on in your yard that you’re not sure about please email me pictures to info@westernsod.com and I will answer them as soon as I can.

Until next time,

Jay

Many homeowners, developments, golf courses, and hotels really look forward to the winter weather not only for the visitors but also foe the season when we can grow ryegrass. If only we lived in a place that could grow a year round grass and not get into this mess every year life would be great, but then again we would have to suffer through the cold winters that most people moved away from the first chance they had. Since that is a dream for the unforeseeable future let’s talk about how you will get your lawn to look like the neighborhood country club. If you think they only have perfect grass because they spend a ton of money you would actually be pretty far off base. There are several golf courses with large budgets, but most of the money is in labor, equipment, water, pesticides, and too many other things to name. Yes fertilizer does cost a pretty penny especially with today’s oil prices but when you treat your lawn with the proper nutrients you can save yourself a ton of money down the road.

I can tell you that most golf courses alternate between just a couple foliar fertilizers. They shoot for this initial growing period as a time to get the granular fertilizers down and into the plant so the ryegrass is healthy and growing before the soil temperatures start to drop. Why? This is because when the soil temperature is too cold it can no longer take up nutrients from the soil efficiently and many are left sitting in the ground till the spring or they are eventually leached into the ground water below. Therefore they use this optimal growing season to push the ryegrass and get it up and moving.
Ryegrass is a bunch grass and while it is a single plant it does tiller and become thicker over the year.

In order to get your thin lawn too become dense you need to fertilize it early and often. So that takes me to now. We are one to three weeks into the overseed season depending on when you dropped seed and should be on your second to third fertilizer application already. Lately I have heard some conversations from people who have been using ammonium sulfate to get the ryegrass up and established after the seed goes down. I am not a big fan of this all though you may hear others rave about their success I worry that all you are getting is top growth and you have done nothing to improve your root structure. What is going to hold the grass plant together come late fall? The shoots are going to slow regardless of the amount of nitrogen you put down because of the cooler weather and you will be left with a weak grass plant. So what do I suggest? I outlined the easy 1,2,3 steps in several of the blogs and many of you have used this approach and I have heard rave reviews, but for those of you who are unfamiliar or not sure where to get the products I will give some generic alternatives.

The starter fertilizer is one of the most important steps in the initial overseeding process because you are supplying the seed with balanced nutrients that will help it germinate quickly, establish a new grass plant, and once established get it growing. If you did not put down a starter fertilizer it is not too late and I like any of the following: Soil Burst 5-15-10 (available online at www.westernsod.com) or check the website for a pick up location near you. If you don’t have a participating Ace Hardware, Sprinkler World, or nursery close you can usually pick up a bag of 6-20-20 from most home improvement stores. I do prefer the 5-15-10 because you are supplying the grass with manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Once the grass has been growing for a couple weeks and you have made your initial mowing it the perfect time to get down a second fertilizer application. When your lawn reaches about two inches it is strong enough to mow and this is best accomplished by drying down the lawn for a half day and getting a clean cut on the turf. It is always better to mow the grass dry so you don’t rut up the ground or pull out new innocent grass plants. Once the cut has been made you can make your second application of fertilizer and this is when I like to give the lawn a little bit of a push. Again sticking to the balance fertilizer method of supplying the grass with the right nutrients I choose to use the Soil Burst 7-7-7 at 1.5 quarts per 1000 SF. All of the Soil Burst products are available online and from several retailers listed online but again if you cannot find any you can use a 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 which is available at several locations. I prefer the liquid application here to help aid the shoots in growth and because it is translocated to the roots for uptake by the new grass plant. This application is usually made 10-14 days after seeding takes place and the first mowing has been made.

Okay that takes us up to where several people are today and that is between the 21-28 day range since they dropped their seed. There are lots of options at this point but the best thing you can do here is give the grass a good push, and make sure you get a good quality fertilizer to help the root system. You can use a balanced shot of Turf Royale 21-7-14, the Soil Burst 4-0-6 or if you desire stick to another application of 15-15-15 and make sure your grass is good and healthy before the middle of November. If you seeded in early September you will need to make another late fall application just to get the ryegrass to outcompete any remaining bermudagrass, but if you went in the last couple weeks you will be good to go for the winter.

These are some of the easiest fertilizer tips I can give you at this time of the year. As I have said you really need to get the lawn up and growing early or it will be a struggle for you all season long. A lawn that lacks in fertilizer going into the cold season will often show lots of signs of dormant bermudagrass in the turf, sometimes yellow spots till the ryegrass fills in, or you will have a yellow color all season long. The great thing about the Soil Burst is you can buy these in a package and use them monthly during the winter months to keep your turf looking like a golf course. The same stuff that is packaged in those little bottles is what golf courses use all winter long to get that dark green color. So if you learned anything from me in the last few weeks it is don’t cheat yourself and buy a low quality seed and get that grass sup and going early.

Race Reports

I have had a few people email me to ask how the running is going lately and if I still have the streak going. I have been running well as of late and the streak hit 580 consecutive days this morning. I do have an interesting race report from this past weekend and some information for those of you interested in getting into running. Be sure to check out my new website at www.mcdowellmountainman.com. This site has tons of different trail maps of all levels, product reviews to help you get into running, and a race calendar with everything from 5k’s to 100 milers. Be sure to join the Facebook Fan Page while you are there and subscribe by email if you would like to receive my blog updates.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Jay

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

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jay