We are starting to field calls now about the best ways to transition your lawn and as the temperatures warm up there is no better time to get started.

Here is a step by step process that can be implemented into everyone’s program over time. Please note that I will be drying down the sod at the farm to help aid in spring transition. It is not ideal to provide lush ryegrass at this time of the year that will shade out the bermudagrass.

Some people fear putting down an overseeded lawn at this time of the year but there is no need to worry. The roots of the ryegrass actually help the grass knit into the ground quicker and as the temperatures warm up the ryegrass easily transitions out. I will note that you don’t want to buy sod with 3” ryegrass but we keep our turf at ½” to ¾” at this time of the year so it makes for an ideal transition without any fuss.

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We all know that with the rain showers the weeds are going to start to appear in our grass soon if we don’t take some action. The best approach for early season weed issues is to down a pre-emergent and with temperatures that will be on the rise soon.  There is no better time than in the next few weeks. I will be outlining the specific steps needed to take action before the weeds become an issue.

Normally when we have this cold of a year the weeds will emerge a little later than normal from the heavy freeze but with timely rains and some warm weeks we’re starting to see quite a few annual weeds appearing. If you live south of Tucson or up north where you are still getting morning frosts you can hold off on weed control until the end of the month, but for the Phoenix and Palm Springs area now is a great time to get this product down.

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The past five days have brought in a weather pattern that us desert dwellers are not used to and I’m pretty sure many of you have noticed your dark green lawn turn to an ugly shade of yellow and brown.  While your plants outside have been suffering pretty bad with the deep freeze there is nothing to worry about with your lawn.  Ryegrass is well adapted for the cold weather and even though it is below freezing at night the daytime temperature is moving into the 40’s which will keep the lawn from going dormant.  It would take a couple weeks of freezing temperatures combined with very low daytime highs for you to lose all the color in your lawn.

I have been watching all my neighbors throwing covers over all their plants in hopes of preventing any frost damage and running their irrigation water for the trees on a trickle to keep the foliage but this is not necessary for your grass.  I have been by several neighborhoods where people are watering at 7:00 to 8:00am to try and get the frost off their lawn and instead of removing the frost they’re creating an ice rink.

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Before I begin talking about the next step in perfecting your lawn I will let everyone know that overseeded sod is now available if you’ve been waiting to sod your lawn.

The overseed season is well under way for most people so I thought I would take a few moments to talk about the next few steps after your seed starts to emerge from the ground. Read the rest of this entry »

While we are still topping out at 100 degrees during the day the night time temperatures are getting close to overseeding range. Ideally you would wait until the night time temperatures drop into the 60’s consistently, but I know many of you are getting anxious and want to get started. I put together a new video today on how to overseed so take a look and then get your BOBSeed and get ready to overseed. Read the rest of this entry »

WCT installing the new Sewallo GC

This has been an extremely long summer so far and I’m not quite sure if that is because I’ve spent every morning out on the trails or if it has just been hotter than normal. For those of us that are in Arizona we know July was one of the hottest ever recorded. Then we started August with 9 straight days without going below 90 degrees. That is absolutely brutal weather for us runners and non runners, but it has been beautiful for your lawn. Who would have ever thought the more we suffer the more your lawn thrives? Read the rest of this entry »

We are starting to approach the monsoon season and many of you are still struggling through another tough transition year. Be rest assured that at least the humidity brings grass growth. The best time of the year to see significant growth and establishment for your lawn is during the hot summer months. Most people are afraid to put a lawn down during the summer because they are scared that it will shrink up and fade away in the 115 degree temperatures, but that is actually not the case. Warm season lawns are grown optimally between 90-105 degrees and the higher temperatures don’t set it back at all. Today I’m going to give you a quick overview of what you can expect to see over the next month and how to treat different lawn issues. Read the rest of this entry »

As we approach spring I want to give everyone a few tips to help assist in the transition process. Transitioning from ryegrass back to a warm season grass can be difficult, but if you follow the instructions provided you will have no trouble getting your lawns perfect for the summer. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »