Which program should I choose?

Hello Gerry:

I am interested in going with your company.

I like the fact it appears if you have a problem or a question is there usually someone that can answer within a day or two.

This was my main beef with the current company I have. No one was ever there or for that matter cared  and since I am fairly new to all of this believe me, I was not impressed

I am trying to compare your program with what I have now, 

What would be the best thing to do from here.  I was hoping I could get a discount for prepaying or any others I may qualify for.

Thank you, looking forward to hearing from you 

Judy

Hi Judy

Sometimes doing the same program as before is okay if that program is what you need.

Sometimes it may be helpful to start from square one to figure out what your needs in fact are.

Most people want a healthy, green lawn-> fertilization. We find it costs the same time for our guys to spread high quality fertilizer as it does to spread mediocre quality fertilizer. Our 3 fertilizer program is equivalent to many other 4 fertilizer programs. 

Most people prefer to not have too many weeds- so at least a couple of spot weed treatments if the lawn is in reasonable shape. Blanket treatments may be necessary if the lawn has been neglected and is very weedy.

You mentioned grub treatment. You may have had a problem in the past. No one can predict if the adult beetles will lay eggs on your lawn this year or not. Certain areas of the city are often more likely to get grubs than other areas. Areas with high grub populations are likely to have more adults that will lay eggs in the summer. 

Some people feel more comfortable, knowing that they have done something to reduce the risk of grub damage. Organic nematodes are not as effective as Merit (the product now banned that was less poisonous than table salt.)

Your neighbour, Bob says he has a problem with crabgrass. This is usually a problem in sunny areas, especially along the edges. An organic crabgrass preventer can be applied. It is about 50% effective. That sounds not bad, but in August the 50% that may come up can look 100% terrible. Because of this it is important to look at other cultural methods to reduce the risk of crabgrass. Mowing higher, re-adjusting the lawn levels along the edges, and seeding to increase lawn density in crabgrass-risky areas may be needed as well.

A prepayment discount is always available to new customers, the paying of which we appreciate but target is not fixed until we figure out what you need.

Gerry

Hand Pulling Crabgrass

With this summer's hot temperatures and dry conditions, Lawns are being attacked all over by hordes of crabgrass.

With Ontario's Cosmetic Pesticide Ban, post emergent crabgrass treatments for this time of year are no longer available (or legal) to control crabgrass.

Hand pulling is the only choice.

This can be a tedious chore.

Is it worth doing?

We look after 2 different Burlington condo sites on the same street. Last year, one condo decided to pay some young people to hand pull the crabgrass along the walkways. The second condo decided that they couldn't afford to do the hand pulling.

This week, when our lawn technician was on the 2 sites, he reported that the first condo had a lot less crabgrass than the second one.

Although we treated both with the organic crabgrass reduction product this spring, the difference in the amount of crabgrass at this time of year is likely due to the hand pulling that was done last year.

The good thing about crabgrass is that it will die when we get a good frost. The bad part is that the produce so many seeds.

Make sure to pull the crabgrass before it goes to seed. Crabgrass plants are capable of producing thousands of seed.

Try to pull the crabgrass after a rain. When there is some soil moisture, the crabgrass will pull up much easier.

www.lawncarehalton.com

www.lawncareancaster.com
www.hamiltonturfking.ca
Turf King Hamilton Halton Haldimand
905.318.6677

Question about Quackgrass

Question about Quackgrass

We notice that the grass areas are being over run with "Quack Grass".  Seems to be a problem throughout Millcroft.  Is there a lawn maintenance product that can take care of the problem ???  Would you please advise me about the "quackgrass."

=========================================================================== 

Hi Dennis

First, is to determine what it is. Quackgrass, crabgrass, bentgrass?

If it is crabgrass, this is an annual weed, comes up from seed, dies every winter. Nowadays, only application is to put a seed germinating preventer on before crabgrass germinating season.

There are also a couple of other annual grasses, foxtail, barnyard grass. Treat more or less as you would crabgrass. This time of year- manual removal to reduce the seed production. Then cultural practices to help fight it. Mowing height is especially important.

Quackgrass, on the other hand is a perennial grass. It doesn't die in the winter. Crabgrass preventer products may reduce germination, but do nothing for existing plants. Normally quackgrass doesn't go to seed in regularly mown turf.

The only product that will control quackgrass is a non selective herbicide like Roundup. This product is not legal to be used in this manner under McGuinty's current Pesticide Ban legislation.

So, if it is quackgrass, digging it up is possible, but the underground stems or rhizomes can be up to 12" deep. A small piece of the root (as small as a few inches long) left behind in the soil has the ability to grow into a new plant. These rhizomes on an established plant can grow sideways and pop up a foot away from the original plant. This is why it is hard to eradicate by digging. You may dig up the mother plant as well as the daughter plant, but if the underground rhizome connecting the two is left behind, it will re-infest the lawn.

Quackgrass tends to grow more upright, while crabgrass tends to grow more horizontally (which does allow the seedheads to develop below mowing height and produce thousands of seeds per plant.)

Quackgrass tends tio grow faster than the regular grass. After the mowing, the quackgrass will be up above the rest of the lawn in a day or two.

Cutting the lawn more often will help the lawn to better compete against quackgrass. This is not something can be done for a couple of months and make the quackgrass disappear. The problem is that a hot dry summer allows quackgrass with its deep roots to survive better during drought conditions.

Is My Crabgrass Up Already in April?

If you are seeing some wider bladed grasses at this time of year, it is not crabgrass. Crabgrass is an annual grass. It dies in the fall and comes up from seed in the late spring. It usually is not visible until the end of June. So what you are seeing now is definitely not crabgrass.

Quack grass is another wide bladed grass. It however is a perennial grass and will be starting to grow this early. 

Crabgrass is normally treated by putting on products that reduce its germination from seed.
Because quack grass is already alive and growing, putting on something to reduce germination rarely of benefit.

See the following articles on Quack Grass

http://www.hamiltonturfking.ca/gerrys-blog/64-thick-bladed-grass
http://www.hamiltonturfking.ca/lawn-library/28-weed-grasses-quack-grass

Ripening Crabgrass

Somehow, this summer has been ideal for crabgrass. Lots of it everywhere, often in lawns that have not been bothered by it for several years.
Crabgrass seed, is thus shown to have seeds that remain viable for a long time.
On the other hand, this is a reminder that good grass seed also keeps its ability to germinate after a long time. Once in a while, someone will ask, "I have a package of grass seed in the basement that's been there for years."
As long as it is quality seed, throw it on the lawn. Its viability will be lessened, but you have nothing to lose.
www.hamiltonturfking.ca
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

More mower stripes

Now here is another lawn with stripes- 

This is in a narrow part of the lawn near the driveway. Although this part of the lawn abuts the neighbour's lawn, the part belonging to this customer is only about 4 feet wide. So the lawn cutters always go up and down this strip in the same pattern each week. 

This repetitive mowing pattern has created grooves in the soil surface that make it uneven. Normally this may not be a problem.

In this case, the lawn is being mowed too short. However, the grass growing in the wheel tracks is not being mowed as short as the lawn in between. 

So that narrow strip of grass is enjoying the benefits of a longer mowing height. It is staying greener. The longer grass blades provide just a little more shade. This keeps the soil cooler and reduces water evaporation. This results in a healthier lawn in that narrow strip.

Another benefit that is a little harder to see- there is less crabgrass growing in the deeper grooves. The cooler soil temperatures may be just enough to reduce the crabgrass germination in that strip of grass.

At another lawn I was looking at, I noticed that there was crabgrass growing along the edge. It is normally along the edges of drives and walks that crabgrass grows. I always assumed this was due to the warmer soil conditions due to heat transference from the heat-absorbing pavement adjacent to the lawn.

But I also noticed that the lawn in this case was an inch or so higher than the adjacent sidewalk. So this meant that each time the edge was mowed, the wheel of the mower was on the walk. In turn the strip of lawn adjacent to the walkway ended up being cut just a bit lower and closer than the lawn one strip away.

Which then leads me to wonder- is the crabgrass there because of the warming effect of the pavement or is it due to the fact the lawn is cut slightly lower along the edge?

tranf

www.hamiltonturfking.ca

What can I do with crabgrass in my lawn?

Some suggestions and tips-


Unfortunately, there is no longer a post-emergent product that can be used on crabgrass at this time of year.
Any top killers that will kill crabgrass will burn the lawn grasses as well, which tends to make the lawn with temporary dead spots. This can look even worse than the lawn with crabgrass.

The good thing about crabgrass is that it will die when we get cold weather in October. The bad part is that they can produce a lot of seeds for next year.

This year- Hand pull as much as possible
Make sure mowing height is at least 3" high. Crabgrass likes warm soil temperatures. The extra blade length provides a little more shade to keep the soil cooler. Going from a 2" mowing height to a 3" mowing height may not seem like much, but that extra 1" is 50% more grass blade.
The extra shade also reduces water evaporation, reduces the chance of chinch bug problems, and helps reduce weed germination.

Crabgrass tends to grow in the weaker and warm areas. The warm areas are along pavement and patios where the hard surface transfers heat to the soil adjacent. Make sure when trimming that the lawn along the edges is not trimmed too short.

Weak and thin areas- Thin areas do allow the soil to get warm. Warm enough to allow crabgrass to get a foothold. When the lawn is thicker, there will be less crabgrass.

Fall is a good time to thicken your lawn with overseeding. Mid-August through September is the ideal time to increase density of lawns. The night temperatures are cooler and water does not evaporate as quickly. This is Mother Nature's grass seeding season (and when the sod farmers do their seeding, too)

Of course, regular and professional applications of a high quality granular fertilizer three or four times per season helps to increase tillering in Kentucky bluegrass. A fancy way to say it increases density and thickness.

Next spring, consider using a crabgrass preventer to reduce crabgrass germination. The old crabgrass preventer is now banned. There is an organic alternative. Not as effective, and more costly. The pesticide product lasted for 12-16 weeks, the organic one lasts about 4 weeks. It will hopefully reduce crabgrass germination, but is not always fool proof.

--

Turf King Hamilton
95 Hempstead Dr Unit 14, Hamilton ON L8W 2Y6
905.318.6677
Email: hamilton@turfking.ca
http://twitter.com/turfkingofgreen


www.hamiltonturfking.ca

Crabgrass Menace

# weed control Crabgrass is up and affecting lawns. Lighter green foliage that does not blend well with the darker greens of desirable lawn grasses is one reason people feel crabgrass is a weed. Here we see crabgrass sprouting in a lawn.

Crabgrass likes warm soil. Most often it is found along the edges of the lawn -especially where the grass abuts concrete or asphalt walks or driveways. The hard surfaces hold the heat and transfer the warmth to the soil nearby. Coupled with the fact that the lawn tends to be weaker at the edges, makes these spots ideal for crabgrass to grow.

In this lawn, one may think that crabgrass is the problem. In reality, the crabgrass growing here is a symptom of a weak lawn. This patch of crabgrass is in a sunny, open location. Yes, that is the type of situation that crabgrass likes. But, I believe crabgrass is here because the lawn is weak. I don't believe the lawn is poor because of the crabgrass.

Sure enough, there were a number of chinch bug nymphs crawling through this area.(not the best photo, but they don't stop to pose, no matter how politely you ask). Not a lot yet, but much of the damage was from last year. This year the nymphs are just starting. My point is that this area was damaged by chinch bugs in the past, which weakened the lawn, which allowed the crabgrass to invade.

To reduce the risk of crabgrass, do protect your lawn from pests. Then do those things to keep your lawn healthy and dense- regular quality fertilizations, overseeding as needed. Also proper mowing and watering. For crabgrass, a mowing height of 3" is important. The longer grass blades will shade the soil and keep it cooler. This will favour desirable turfgrasses and discourage crabgrass.

www.hamiltonturfking.ca

Crabgrass sprouting in driveway- Oakville

Crabgrass Seedlings have sprouted in the warm environs of an asphalt driveway. May start to sprout in sunny open areas soon.

www.hamiltonturfking.ca

Fall Lawn Tasks

a List of things to do in the Autumn for your lawn

• Seeding thin, bare and weak spots
• Seeding areas where crabgrass is prevalent to help crowd it out next year
• Seeding the lawn overall to increase its density
• Topdressing to improve soil conditions
• Fall is a good time to aerate the lawn- do it along with seeding and/or topdressing
• Soil tests can help determine what nutrients are lacking
• Add horticultural lime to areas of acidity (eg under evergreens)
• Rake moss away and seed
• Fertilize now for winter hardiness and better spring colour
• Continue to mow regularly at 3 inches high
• Lower the mowing height for the last cut to prevent winter diseases
• Watch for insects- white grubs- damage will be visible now.
• Watch for crane fly adults- an indication of future problems with leatherjacket (larvae)
• Chinch bugs - are around but not for long
• Remove fallen leaves from trees before the snow comes
• Think about pruning trees to allow more light into shady areas
• Apply gypsum to areas that may be subject to salt damage -near roads, walks, etc.

Call a Lawn Care professional to set up a Lawn Program for this fall and next spring.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:

Turf King Home

Click here to Request a Quote Online -

or call us at 905.318.6677 or 1.888.TURFKING (887.3546)

If you would like more information, please Contact us

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Copyright 2009 Turf King-Hamilton. All Rights Reserved.

Chinch bugs hate the shade

The King of Green has always said that chinch bugs are "Sunny Weather" friends. They prefer the sun and dislike the shade.
Not sure if you can see this well, but this lawn has a hedge running east-west along the southern edge of a lawn. So the lawn along the hedge is shaded most of the time because it is on the north side of the hedge. The chinch bugs have decimated the lawn. All they have left are the quack grass, crabgrass, and a lot of dead grass. The lawn damage is extensive.

Hard to tell if the weeds are there because the chinch bugs left them behind or if they jumped into the lawn because the chinch bugs destroyed the lawn, and reduced the turf density.

If you look closely you will see that there is a strip of lawn about 2 feet wide along the hedge that (while far from good), is not as damaged as the rest of the lawn.

Call Gerry Okimi at Turf King 905.318.6677.
Lawn care at its best. http://bit.ly/3ehXf

We have treatments available for chinch bugs.

We can also repair the lawn by our overseeding treatments.

Lawn Repair Time

Fall is an ideal time to get your lawn in shape. Lawn care is especially important at this time of year.
There are several reasons why your lawn can need some help. Now is a good time to thicken the lawn.

Crabgrass can be problem in many lawns. Overseed to help crowd out crabgrass next year. If tthe lawn is thick, crabgrass is less likely to grow. Make sure to mow the lawn at 3" high. A higher mowing height is one of the things you can do to help reduce crabgrass.

Chinch bugs can also devastate a lawn and leave it in need of repair. Sometimes a homeowner says they need weed control. But sometimes it just the chinch bug damage has left the lawn thin and weak. Weeds jump into the bare and thin spots. What is perceived is a weed problem may just be the result of a chinch bug infestation.

Japanese beetles and European Chafer can lay eggs that hatch into white grubs. These larvae feed on the roots of the lawn. The only method of control for grubs is to use nematodes.

One way to seed the thin spots in the lawn is to add some soil to the bare spots. Sprinkle the soil, then level it out. Spread some high quality grass seed over the soil. Rake it lightly to help cover the seed. Water lightly daily until the seed has germinated. Keep watering as needed for a couple more weeks.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:

Turf King Home

Click here to Request a Quote Online -

or call us at 905.318.6677 or 1.888.TURFKING (887.3546)

If you would like more information, please Contact us

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Copyright 2009 Turf King-Hamilton. All Rights Reserved.

Summer Crabgrass Tips

With Crabgrass showing now in full force, what can be done about it?
In Ontario, we have a new Cosmetic Pesticide Lawn. Post-emergent crabgrass control products like Acclaim are now longer permitted to be used.

If you have a lot of crabgrass problems, now is the time to consider how best deal with this less than ideal grass.

First, recognize that the good thing about crabgrass is that it is an annual weed. When the first hard frost hits the lawns in the fall, crabgrass will die. It will be gone for the rest of the year. So at least we know that any crabgrass you may be seeing right now is only temporary.

The bad news about crabgrass, however, is that each crabgrass plant can produce thousands of seeds that can grow and infest your lawn next year. Any thing we can do to reduce the amount of seed that is produced will make our job that much easier for next season.

When the crabgrass is still young, it will pull out fairly easily. Hand pulling is a great option as it gets rid of the crabgrass and hopefully before it has a chance to seed. Sometimes a small hand trowel or a dandelion weeder is helpful in getting the roots out. If you hand pull after a good rainfall, the roots will come up easier. Crabgrass, fortunately has fine fibrous roots rather than a long, tap root like a dandelion.

If the size of your crabgrass crop has exceeded your ability to hand pull in terms of quantity and size, one option is to use the permitted non-selective herbicides. These products contain either acetic acid (vinegar) or soap based herbicides. Because they are non-selective, they will control not only your crabgrass, but they will damage the desirable turfgrasses as well. So, one has to decide if damaging the good grasses is worth it.

If you have a large amount of crabgrass, it may be worth the risk of damaging the lawn in order to combat the crabgrass problem. Spray the crabgrass patch carefully. Try not to get any of the spray onto those areas of the lawn that does not have any crabgrass. Use a shield of cardboard or other material to protect those areas of the lawn that you do not want the spray to damage. Once the crabgrass (and the good grass) start to yellow, spread some black soil on the damaged areas and spread some high quality grass seed. Keep the seed constantly moist by watering at least twice a day. As the new grass seed germinates it will help to fill in the spaces left by the crabgrass. The black soil, while it does look like a band aid solution on your lawn, at least shows that you are doing something about the crabgrass.

Later as the crabgrass starts to go to seed, do your best to remove as much of the seed heads as possible. As the crabgrass matures, it will start to spread out on the ground, laying flat and close to the surface. Sometimes you may be able to use a stiff rake to pull some plant out.

Another way to help reduce seed production is to rake the prostrate seed heads before mowing. That way they will be upright and vertical enough to be mowed off. Bag the seed head clippings and dispose of the seed.

As we get into the fall, continue seeding as needed so that the areas where the crabgrass problems occurred are growing in nice and thick. Add fertilizer to also help with the thickening and turf density. Crabgrass will die off with a hard frost and will certainly be gone by winter.

Next spring
Once the new season begins, plan to tackle the crabgrass by applying a corn gluten meal fertilizer in late April through early May. Corn gluten meal acts as a natural fertilizer as well as a crabgrass preventer. There is a protein in corn gluten meal that disrupts the normal root development of germinating seedlings. Without a proper root, those seedling will die from a lack of moisture. Corn gluten meal is active for about 4 weeks, so timing of the application is critical. About 20 lb. of corn gluten meal need to be applied to 1,000 sq ft of lawn. Remember that it is also a fertilizer, so do not apply another fertilizer at the same time.

Care of your lawn to reduce crabgrass.
Once you start mowing your lawn, make sure to set your mowing height to 3 inches. At 3", there will be more leaf blade height to shade the ground. Compared to a mowing height of say 2 inches, the 3 inch height provides an extra inch of leaf blade. That may not seem like much, but it is 50% more leaf blade. That extra shade it provides helps to reduce crabgrass germination.

Crabgrass likes to grow in warm, sunny spots. That's why you often find it along the edge of the driveway where the concrete or asphalt transfers its heat to the lawn adjacent to it. Crabgrass loves that warmer soil. By mowing your lawn at 3 inches, the extra shade will keep the ground cooler and more moist. Lower soil temperatures will help to increase the lawn density and the lawn's vigour. All of these factors will reduce the amount of crabgrass that will infest your lawn.

The higher mowing height also helps to reduce weed germination so that less weed control will be required. As well, cooler soil temperatures will help to reduce chinch bug populations and chinch bug damage, so your lawn care all around will be much easier.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:

Turf King Home

Click here to Request a Quote Online -

or call us at 905.318.6677 or 1.888.TURFKING (887.3546)

If you would like more information, please Contact us

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Copyright 2009 Turf King-Hamilton. All Rights Reserved.

The Flourish of Crabgrass

Crabgrass is one unwanted guest in home lawns. It's grass blades are wider than the desirable turf. Its light green colour is not as pleasing as the darker green of the Kentucky bluegrasses and fine fescues that we prefer. Normally crabgrass flourishes in hot weather. It is doing in spite of the cool damp conditions. Here is a stand of crabgrass along the edge of a driveway.

The cooler weather is certainly better for the lawns overall. We are finding chinch bugs, but the damage overall is less severe than if it was hot and dry. White grubs are on the horizon. European chafers are out there mating and laying eggs.

On that weather note, was speaking to our favourite sweet corn grower at Snyders Corn. Apparently the heat units for this season are about 500 units below average. And if you consider that the season is around 2,700-2,800 all told, that's quite a drop. His corn is just waiting for some warm weather and sunshine.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:

Turf King Home

Click here to Request a Quote Online -

or call us at 905.318.6677 or 1.888.TURFKING (887.3546)

If you would like more information, please Contact us

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Copyright 2009 Turf King-Hamilton. All Rights Reserved.

Crabgrass Phenology

We were in Lincoln Nebraska to attend a graduation. Of course, I am curious to see the lawns in this area. The leafing of the trees is ahead of Southern Ontario. I even found a crabgrass seedling starting to sprout in the middle of the sidewalk. Of course, the sidewalk is warmer than the lawns. Crabgrass likes to grow in warm soil. And sidewalks and driveways warm up and hold the heat sooner and longer than the soil under your lawn. But it was also starting to grow in a open area in a boulevard.

To help reduce crabgrass problems in your lawn- here are 2 suggestions.

1. Keep your lawn thick and healthy. The thicker the lawn, the less likely it will be to allow crabgrass a chance to sprout.

2. Related to the above – is to mow your lawn at 3 inches high. The longer mowing height means there will be more leaf blade to shade the soil. The more shade, the cooler the soil will be. The cooler the soil, the better the lawn grasses will like it. The cooler the soil, the less likely it will be that crabgrass will grow.

A note on phenology. I didn’t see very many of the flowering trees or shrubs in bloom while in Lincoln. I was trying to see how the weather related to what we have here in southern Ontario. On the last day, we were walking down a different street and I came across a Mock Orange in bloom. “Aha”, I said. The mock orange in our garden usually blooms around the July 1^st Canada picnic we usually have with our family. And crabgrass is usually just starting at that time of year here in southern Ontario. So, therefore, the crabgrass sprouting in the sidewalks of Lincoln makes perfect phonological sense.

If you have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF GREEN:

Turf King Home
Click here to Request a Quote Online -

or call us at 905.318.6677 or 1.888.TURFKING (887.3546)

If you would like more information, please Contact us

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Copyright 2007 Turf King-Hamilton. All Rights Reserved.