Turf redemption on the horizon
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I’ve lost the battle. I can’t deny it anymore. My lawn has been
overtaken by a bevy of weeds and diseases. I don’t know how we really
got to this point. I can blame the weather that has been brutal with
heat, humidity, soaking rains and bone dry stretches, but to be honest
I’ve probably not fertilized quite enough and the broadleaf herbicide
applications I preach about for the fall, well, let’s just say that last
year football, golf and some weather seem to have derailed my best
intentions for the fall herbicide application. I’ve thought about
charging our turf students this fall to come out and collect weed
samples for their weed ID collection. My latest walk through found:
crabgrass, black medic, oxalis, dandelion, white clover, birdsfoot
trefoil, yellow nutsedge, chicory, Canada thistle and perennial
sowthistle. Add some typical hungry turf diseases such as red thread and
rust, and I better get out the old tennis shoes to walk around the lawn
this fall. The good news now is that the forecast is calling for cooler
temperatures next week, and I’ve got a plan that is going to re-stake a
claim for turfgrass in my lawn.
Step 1: Sharpen the mower blades. It’s been a long
season of mowing. The rainfall throughout most of this summer has
resulted in almost continual mowing and by now my mower blades are just
sharp enough to cut butter.
Step 2: Labor Day fertilization. Anytime from now
through the first couple weeks of September is a great time to fertilize
the lawn. Temperatures should be cooling down, and the turfgrass will
respond favorably to a fertilizer application with a moderate growth
response.
Step 3: Broadleaf herbicide application. Target late
September or early October for a broadleaf herbicide application to
reset the clock on all of those broadleaf weeds you’ve been struggling
with all summer.
