For two years, ever since my friend Hannah sent me, within a month, a photo of their newly built house in Greenville and a photo of their newborn baby, I had been itching to visit her. She had moved there the same summer we moved here to Pittsburgh, so we shared, from a distance, being […]
Monthly Archives: May 2020
Dandelions Dandelions are promiscuous and can bloom anytime. I see them in earliest spring, well into fall, and once I saw one on December 5 peeking out of snow, with a yellow bloom halfopen, as if hoping for a half hour of sunwarmed melting. However, in my experience the great majority will bloom at once, […]
Did You Know? Young seedling grass can often be affected by chemicals so it is critical that there be sufficient time for your grass seedlings to establish them- selves. I will cover more on other chemical effects and seeding issues later on. Planning for a lawn project requires something to be done in most months […]
It can be very difficult to maintain a turf under shade conditions. However, a few management practices can improve the overall turf condition in these areas. Shade in home lawn situations is generally provided by trees, therefore, the pruning of limbs below 10 feet from the ground and selective pruning of limbs in the crown […]
This question does not have a simple answer because irrigation requirements vary with grass species, with soil type, and with environmental conditions. These factors often interact in complex ways that make decision making difficult. On average, turf will usually require from one to one and one hald inches of water per week for normal maintenance […]
It is important to remember that turfgrasses do not thrive on mowing; they tolerate it. It may seem that mowing is good for the grass, but mowing is always a stress. The cutting of leaf tissue may allow disease organisms to enter the plant, and it reduces the photo- synthetic area, lowering the production of […]
The general guideline for fertilizer application is to apply fertilizer when the turf is actively growing, therefore, the timing will be different for warm and cool season species. Cool-season species are most actively growing during the spring and fall of the year. However, high spring fertility treatments may be detrimental to the survival of the […]
Successful establishment of a lawn from seed is a critical component of creating a healthy lawn; however, at times good establishment can even be difficult for professionals. The potential of successfully establishing a healthy turf can be increased by paying attention to a few basic principles. Soil testing should be the first step in any […]
A mixture is comprised of more than one species of grass. It is often advantageous to plant a mixture because of the increased range in genetic diversity and adaptive potential that is achieved. For example, in a lawn situation some areas may be shaded and others may receive full sun. Additionally, some areas may have […]
Turfgrass breeders throughout the U.S. have worked very hard to develop cultivars of the common turfgrass species that are well adapted to different regions of the country. In addition there is an excellent program, called the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), partially sponsored by the USDA that tests new and old standard cultivars of the […]
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