2017 has started out nicely with some timely rainfalls to keep most of you from having to water your lawn. It has also helped us move closer to getting out of the drought we’ve been suffering from for the last few years. The winter storms are helping us replenish our water supplies but they’re also helping germinate all of those of those summer annual weeds in the soil. The good news is weeds are relatively easy to contain. There are some types such as annual bluegrass, crabgrass, and nutsedge that are a little more complicated but timing pre-emergent herbicide applications can save you a lot of headaches with weed control. In this blog I will go over various weeds and some ways to control them as well as discuss herbicide timing.

Weed control management is a function of several different factors but some of the things you can do to keep your lawn healthy are maintain the proper mowing height, don’t overwater your lawn, fertilize monthly, and aerate the turf when the soil becomes compacted. These items right here can be the difference between weeds slowly emerging in your lawn and taking over your lawn. A healthy lawn will push out weeds and keep them to a minimum. If you have very few weeds emerge during the year chemical application is unnecessary and weeds can be pulled by hand as they appear.

Crabgrass

Nutsedge

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Have you contemplated the possibility of replacing your natural turfgrass lawn with artificial turf? You may think it’s the “green” thing to do, but you may be surprised to know the dangers of artificial turf. At West Coast Turf/Western Sod we feel strongly about the benefits of Arizona natural sod over artificial turf. Not only is natural turfgrass sod aesthetically more beautiful, a grass lawn benefits the environment.

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At West Coast Turf/Western Sod, we are a leader in the turfgrass industry and have nearly 30 years’ experience growing the best sod for the Arizona climate. In fact, we have developed West Coaster Tall Fescue especially for the cooler climates in Arizona such as Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott, Sierra Vista, and cities south of Tucson above 4000 feet of elevation.  Sodding with this hearty Arizona sod will give you the benefit of a rich green lawn instantly! With sod you can have a gorgeous lawn in just one day.

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Our temperatures have cooled down and winter is finally here. Fortunately for those of us living in Arizona, winter still means gorgeous, sunny days and a lush green lawn. However, we can (and should) adjust the amount we water our grass at this time of year. At West Coast Turf/Western Sod we offer these winter watering tips for Arizona sod for our climate, defined by days with temperatures less than 90 degrees so sorry to those on the East Coast who may be reading about our “harsh” winter temps!

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Cold temperatures have arrived in California and Arizona, and those of you with overseeded sod may begin to see your lawn go in a little shock. One of the things you will notice first is bermudagrass going dormant in the turf causing small quarter sized yellow spots in your lawn. This is nothing to be concerned about as today we will discuss getting those spots to fill in. If you didn’t overseed your lawn for the winter it’s most likely dormant at this point and you can sit back and let your lawn sleep for a few months.

I’m sure many of you have seen the small yellow spots over the years in your overseeded lawn. The question is what is causing it and what can you do about it? First, this isn’t something to be concerned about. It’s actually a sign that you had a very healthy lawn going into the overseed season. Since many people overseed in late September/early October you’re still fighting with warm season growth. By supplying water and fertilizer to overseed the bermudagrass continues to grow and has a tendency to out compete your newly seeded ryegrass. When you’re overseeded lawn first start growing it looks immaculate, but it’s good to remember some of this is bermudagrass. The bermudagrass/ryegrass combination looks incredible and when it’s growing in it can be tough to distinguish the two.

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Did you know it can be very easy to buy Arizona sod? With nearly 30 years’ experience, West Coast Turf/Western Sod is an industry leader with sod farms throughout Arizona and California. In just a few easy steps, you can have fresh sod delivered to your door. Read the rest of this entry »

Those of us who live in the unique Arizona climate know the grass-growing drill: in October, the summer bermuda goes dormant, we scalp it, and overseed with ryegrass. Well, now it’s November and what if you haven’t overseeded yet? No worries, because another great benefit of the area is that Arizona sod installation can be successful year-round.

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It appears fall is never going to arrive as we’ve hit 90+ degrees twenty-three days in a row in the Phoenix area. The nighttime temperatures have slowly begun to cool but surprisingly they have yet to fall into the optimum range to overseed. For those who may have thought they were too late to drop seed, you still have a couple weeks to get your lawn going. Most people have already overseeded their lawns so I want to give some tips to assist your ryegrass while your warm season grass continues to grow.

If you overseeded anytime during the month of October I’m sure your lawn looks absolutely beautiful right now. It’s important to keep in mind that some of your grass is probably bermudagrass that bounced back from being scalped. How could this happen you ask? With daytime temperatures in the 90’s and nights in the 70’s it has allowed for an extended growing season. Many people including our sod farms use a turfgrass regulator such as Primo prior to scalping to help keep the bermudagrass in check. While this does help with a lot of the grow back it can’t prevent everything from coming back to life. Now that the ryegrass is up and growing strong it’s also a good time to put down a first or second application of Primo or other growth regulator. These products will greatly increase the density of your ryegrass and keep the bermudagrass from growing back. Why do you want to keep the bermudagrass out? If the bermudagrass is actively growing it is preventing your ryegrass from filling in completely. This is usually first observed after the first frost and the lawn will have small quarter size dormant turf spots throughout the turf. This is not a big deal as the ryegrass will eventually fill it in but something to keep in mind.

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It goes without saying that maintaining a lush lawn requires regular care. However, there is a prevalent misconception about just how much water your grass needs to remain healthy and green. You may be surprised to find that your lawn requires less water than you might think. Watering requirements for newly planted sod are very different than more established sod watering. To ensure the healthiest lawn, follow a sod watering schedule determined by your location, season and time since sod installation.

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Thinking about a new lawn in California or Arizona? Then West Coast Turf’s West Coaster fescue sod is a grass that you should consider. This very versatile turfgrass can thrive in many soil types. It is the most drought tolerant and resistant of any of the tall fescue varieties we have found. Mature fescue sod is available for an instant, rich, green, lush lawn, and seed is available for easy repairs. At West Coast Turf, our sod is harvested daily and uniquely packaged to ensure that your delivery is fresh and ready for planting.
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