Several people have called about animals digging in their lawns the past couple of weeks. They say the lawn has been torn up and has holes in it. Many times they will call and say that they think they have grubs.
At this time of year, it is still a bit early for white grubs.
If I ask them what the holes look like, most people describe it as a neat hole about the size of a golf ball. The ones I have seen are nicely cleaned out with not dirt crumbs to be seen. These holes an 1 1/2 inches around are an indication of leatherjackets.
While it is possible to see white grubs at this time of year, generally they are very small. This indicates that they are very recently hatched. Skunks and raccoons are harvesting leatherjackets right now because the leatherjackets are at what I call their pre-Thanksgiving size. Just like turkeys are harvested just before Thanksgiving, so the animals are harvesting the leatherjackets when they are at their largest size.
The baby white grubs are not worth digging for. Let them feed on the lawn for a few weeks- we can come back later when they have put on some fat.
Leatherjackets are the larvae of the adult Crane Fly.
At this stage, we don't recommend treatment. The leatherjackets are not feeding or damaging lawns. They will soon pupate and turn into adults. The adult Crane Fly looks like a giant mosquito. They don't hang around very long. They mate and the females lay eggs.
If you see a multitude of the adults, then a control application this fall or next spring may be worthwhile. This treatment is done once the eggs have hatched into larvae. The adult is hard to treat since it is a flying insect. Insect eggs are hard to control. The larvae are the easiest stage to control.
Think positive. The animals are getting rid of the leatherjackets, so that's a plus. Just put a bit of soil and some grass seed in the holes.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Animals Digging in the August Lawn
Friday, August 5, 2011
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
Friday, July 29, 2011
Can Chinch Bugs be Eradicated
Hi Gerry
Thanks for your payment.
You asked: "This is the second year that we have had to treat the lawn for chinch bugs. How do we eradicate?"
Chinch bugs are impossible to totally eradicate. And especially so with the products available today. Even in the old days, chemicals would knock out a lot more, but I'd hesitate to say that they totally eradicated them.
Adult chinch bugs overwinter under the shrubs, along the house or garage- anywhere it is a bit warmer or protected. They return to the lawn in May-June. They mate and start laying eggs. A female chinch bug may deposit 500 eggs over a 2-3 week period.
Even if all the chinch bugs on your lawn were controlled, the adult chinch bugs that overwintered on a neighbour's lawn could come over to your lawn and start laying eggs. So sometimes chinch bugs can be a problem for several years in a row.
Do mow your lawn at 3" high. Chinch bugs like warm, sunny conditions. A little bit extra grass blade will shade the soil and keep it a touch cooler. This may not prevent chinch bugs altogether, but it does help to tilt the balance in your favour.
When overseeding, make sure to use a mixture that contains a Perennial ryegrass that contain an endophyte. These endophytes help to deter chinch bugs.
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."
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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.
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.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Turf Trauma Article in Hamilton Spectator
Turf King owner Gerry Okimi admits he’s never seen a summer like this in his decades of experience in the lawn care business. Despite the conditions, however, he said homeowners still have cause for hope.
“Grasses are genetically capable of withstanding drought conditions, to a point,” he said. “They will go dormant when it’s dry and then, when the fall rains come, lawns will pick up and start to turn green.”
Okimi said a healthy lawn treated with a high-potassium fertilizer has the best chance of beating the heat. His best advice, however, is a little more unconventional.
“Instead of watering the lawn, wash the car,” he said. “That’ll make it rain.”
Here is the complete article ...
Thanks for the heads up, Bill
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Heat Stress Lines
Damage from the mower wheels is evident in nice geometric markings.
www.lawncarehamilton.com
www.hamiltonturfking.ca
www.hamiltonturfking.ca
Turf King Hamilton Halton Haldimand
905.318.6677
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
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