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| CRAB GRASS |
Click here for more info on crab grass
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Spring...waiting and late crab grass
I just heard on the radio that they are expecting this April to be the 3rd coldest on record. That in combination with the crappy, wet weather has really made for a tough start to getting treatments done on our customers home lawns. I can see the dandelions are huddling in the cold temps and are just waiting for that 75 degree day to bust out! Despite all of this, Weed Man is poised to have its largest year of growth yet! We grew $400,000 last year so that is something to be proud of and we thank our loyal customers for all of the great referrals! We have so many people switching to our services, it truly makes you feel you are doing something right.
Secondly, and more importantly, you should expect crab grass to germinate quite late this spring. If you or a provider put down a pre-emergent for crab grass in late March or April you will most likely have crab grass break through this summer. At Weed Man, we never recommend crab grass control that early. Crab grass will not even start to germinate until the soil temps get to 55+ degrees, 24 hours a day for at least 5 straight days. We aren't even having air temps in that range consistently! So, I would expect crab grass to germinate late this year, in the early to mid June time frame. Proper applications will be done from about right now through the month of May.
Click here for more info on crab grass
Click here for more info on crab grass
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Spring Lawn Cleanup
Here in the upper Midwest areas of Milwaukee, Madison, Rockford and the Fox Valley area we see a wide variety of issues coming out of winter. The first things you may notice when your lawn reappears from its white, wintery state are matted down, white or pinkish grass, vein-like runs throughout the lawn, debris scattered on your lawn near the road or driveway and possible salt damage. Do not worry, much of these problems will take care of themselves with a little of your help.
The white or pinkish patches of grass that are matted down are caused by a fungus called snow mold. You typically see this where heavy amounts of snow were piled up the longest. Taking a plastic leaf rake and lightly raking these areas to help them breath will be all the turf needs to recover within a month or so.
Sometimes you many notice vein-like runs of grass debris throughout your lawn that were not there in the fall. This is noticed most in lawns that are near green spaces, prairies, woods or have lots of ornamental beds surrounding the turf. The damage is caused by a rodent called a “vole.” Voles are like field mice or “above ground moles” that you do not see in the summer because they stay close to fields, woods, prairies or other areas where they have cover to ensure they do not have encounters with hawks or other predators. Using a plastic leaf rake you will need to lightly rake through these areas to remove the dead grass that was chewed and tunneled through. This grass will be removed very easily as it is not anchored to the root system anymore. Re-seeding these areas can be beneficial but with proper fertilization these areas should thicken in naturally by late spring.
You can use the same leaf rake to help the turf breath in areas where there is debris scattered from snow plowing. By raking these areas, the debris will settle into the turf and become unnoticeable within a month or two. There is no need for heavy raking in any of the events listed above.
Visit us at http://www.weedmanusa.com/winter-damage.aspx for more info on winter damage.
Crab grass is another major concern here in the upper Midwest. However, there is a major misconception about crab grass. Many people are told that the earlier you put down a crab grass pre-emergent the better. This is not true. You want crab grass pre-emergent to be put down generally between mid April and late May. Crab grass will not germinate until the soil temperature consistently (24 hours a day for at least 5 days) hits 55 degrees. This usually doesn’t happen until late May. If you were to put down a pre-emergent for crab grass in March or early April, it may not stay active in the soil long enough to prevent the majority of the weedy grass from germinating. Another problem with crab grass is diagnosis. Many people think they have crab grass in the early spring when they see a green, weedy grass. Crab grass is an annual and will die every fall and in the spring it will look white to brown showing no signs of life. If you see a grass in the spring that is green and appears to be a weed, it is most likely quack grass or some other type of perennial weedy grass.
Visit our site for more info on crab grass. http://www.weedmanusa.com/crabgrass.aspx
The white or pinkish patches of grass that are matted down are caused by a fungus called snow mold. You typically see this where heavy amounts of snow were piled up the longest. Taking a plastic leaf rake and lightly raking these areas to help them breath will be all the turf needs to recover within a month or so.
Sometimes you many notice vein-like runs of grass debris throughout your lawn that were not there in the fall. This is noticed most in lawns that are near green spaces, prairies, woods or have lots of ornamental beds surrounding the turf. The damage is caused by a rodent called a “vole.” Voles are like field mice or “above ground moles” that you do not see in the summer because they stay close to fields, woods, prairies or other areas where they have cover to ensure they do not have encounters with hawks or other predators. Using a plastic leaf rake you will need to lightly rake through these areas to remove the dead grass that was chewed and tunneled through. This grass will be removed very easily as it is not anchored to the root system anymore. Re-seeding these areas can be beneficial but with proper fertilization these areas should thicken in naturally by late spring.
You can use the same leaf rake to help the turf breath in areas where there is debris scattered from snow plowing. By raking these areas, the debris will settle into the turf and become unnoticeable within a month or two. There is no need for heavy raking in any of the events listed above.
Visit us at http://www.weedmanusa.com/winter-damage.aspx for more info on winter damage.
Crab grass is another major concern here in the upper Midwest. However, there is a major misconception about crab grass. Many people are told that the earlier you put down a crab grass pre-emergent the better. This is not true. You want crab grass pre-emergent to be put down generally between mid April and late May. Crab grass will not germinate until the soil temperature consistently (24 hours a day for at least 5 days) hits 55 degrees. This usually doesn’t happen until late May. If you were to put down a pre-emergent for crab grass in March or early April, it may not stay active in the soil long enough to prevent the majority of the weedy grass from germinating. Another problem with crab grass is diagnosis. Many people think they have crab grass in the early spring when they see a green, weedy grass. Crab grass is an annual and will die every fall and in the spring it will look white to brown showing no signs of life. If you see a grass in the spring that is green and appears to be a weed, it is most likely quack grass or some other type of perennial weedy grass.
Visit our site for more info on crab grass. http://www.weedmanusa.com/crabgrass.aspx
Friday, April 8, 2011
Weed Man USA Helping Homeowners Prepare Lawns for Spring with National Lawn Care Month
It has been crazy here in Middleton, WI for lawn care already this spring. We are poised to have a great season. Please see the link below about National Lawn Care Month!
http://www.weedmanusa.com/spring-lawn-care-month.aspx
http://www.weedmanusa.com/spring-lawn-care-month.aspx
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Saturday was a great day for fishing
I was able to get the ok from my wife to take the day and go trout fishing last Saturday. What a beautiful day it was (despite the wind). I was able to meet up with a good friend, Len Harris on a stretch of water that was new to me and Len was revisiting after a number of years. It was truly one of the most beautiful pieces of water I have ever seen, and the trout fishing did not disappoint either! I actually had two doubles (when you have two fish on at the same time, two flies)! The driftless area of WI truly is under-appreciated. Here are some pics courtesy of Len
Friday, April 1, 2011
My son's first trophy fish
I plan on going trout fishing tomorrow and will provide a report on that. Dawson, my 10 month old, wanted to show dad his first 'trophy' as well. As you can see, he is showing me how big it is (although he probably doesn't know it). I truly look forward to the day that I can help Dawson catch his first fish. I believe the younger generations are really struggling to have any sense of the outdoors as they are submerged in 'instant gratification' like video games, facebook, text messaging, etc. It will be imperative to our children to have a sense of the outdoors whether it be hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, etc. I hope to share my love of fishing and the outdoors with my son Dawson.
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