Is this Legal?

Roundup can only be used in Ontario for Poison Ivy and other plants that pose a threat to health.

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Turf King Hamilton Halton Haldimand
905.318.6677

Aerate and Overseed

When lawns are damaged by insects and need to be repaired. We almost always recommend aeration and overseed as the method to be used to get the lawn back in shape. The seeds falling in the aeration holes are almost sure of germinating. Here is a photo of an core aeration hole on lawn that was aerated and seeded.

The Photo was taken 7 days after the aeration was done. (now this may be an exception in how fast the seed will germinate. The amount of water the seed receives will determine how fast it germinates. So watering and rainfall will affect this)

Seeding is much less expensive than sodding. Sodding is great if you need an instant fix. Seeding takes a little longer but in the long run is a better fix. With seeding, you will normally use a seed mix with several species and varieties. This variability in the lawn population will increase the lawn's resistance to disease and help it to overcome those conditions such as soil, light/shade, and drainage.

Aeration/overseed is much more economical than topdressing and seeding. Topdressing is also great for the lawn, but when it purpose is to repair the lawn, aeration/overseed  is the way to go. There is not the same amount of labour needed to move wheelbarrows of soil to the furthest corner of the lawn.

Sometimes, people are concerned that the holes are 4-10 inches apart. With aeration/overseed, you are unlikely to see a whole lot of green "fuzz" of seeds coming up. That green fuzz of seeds germinating is what one often sees when topdressing and seeding.

One thing to remember is that we only need one grass seedling every 6-8 inches to germinate. 

When a stray seed grows in the flower bed and is given a little while to grow, that single seed will grow into a grass plant that can span 6-8 inches very easily. So if only one seed grows in the aeration holes and nowhere else, the lawn will fill in. (in this photo above, here are 2 single grass plants. Together they are at least 6 inches wide. Notice the peach pits to the right)

In the situations where a fuzz of grass seedlings grow, one must remember that if there are a hundred seeds in a small area the size of a sheet of paper, only 2-4 seeds are likely to survive. I know that because I have seen a hundred weeds seeds grow in a small area much like the grass. A few weeks later, when I didn't pull out those weeds, I notice that even though there were originally a lot of seedlings, only a have dozen have survived. The rest of the seedlings have died out due to the competition from there "litter mates."

The same thing will happen with the grass seedlings. It's just that with grasses, it is much harder to distinguish individual plants.

After the aeration/overseeding, the lawn should be watered daily to allow the grass seed to germinate.

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Turf King Hamilton Halton Haldimand
905.318.6677

Colourful Edible Landscape

Eat the landscape. Rainbow swiss chard
www.hamiltonturfking.ca
Turf King Hamilton Halton Haldimand
905.318.6677

Lawn is still Brown

i am one of your customers, and am a little disappointed in the results of my lawn.  it has a large brown patch.  we seed the area regulary as suggested by your company, however the lawn is still brown.  we have been told we have cinch bugs, however the lawn doesn't seem to get better.  Is there anything we can do to improve the situation ?  My neighbours do nothing to their lawns, but they seem to be greener then mine.
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John

Thanks for your email.We appreciate hearing your concerns and about your lawn but are sorry to hear that you are have some concerns.

Chinch bugs can be a tricky insect. There used to be a product that could be put on early in the summer. Once applied, your chances of having a chinch bug problem was reduced to about one in 50.

Nowadays, with the organic type products, applications are not of any value unless chinch bugs are present. In other words, prevention is no longer possible. Putting on a product before the chinch bugs appear on the lawn will not prevent them. Once chinch bugs get on the lawn, the organics will reduce their population to the point where damage should stop.

However, depending on how much damage has been done to the lawn, the lawn may or may not recover from the damage. Chinch bugs suck the sap from the grass plants. If the damage is minimal, the plants will recover and turn green again. If the damage is severe, the lack of sap can cause the death of the plant. Then even when the chinch bugs have been treated, the dead grass will not turn green.

This year with the severe drought in July, the grass plants were being stressed on 2 fronts. Drought and insects.

If there are patches that are slow to recover, the best seeding time of the year is just ahead. Late August  through to the end of September is the ideal time to improve the lawn by seeding. The nights are cooler, the morning dew is heavier, and if we do get rain, it is less likely to evaporate as quickly as it might earlier in the summer.

There are a number of different way to overseed. Many people will spread a thin layer of black soil on the damaged or thin areas in the lawn. Then spread the grass seed on the soil. Rake the soil lightly to disperse the seed so it is just under the surface. Water 1-2 times daily for 2-3 weeks. 

Make sure to use a high quality grass seed mix. Even better, make sure that the mix contains endophytic perennial ryegrasses that will resist chinch bug damage.

Another way to seed the lawn- (and this is the way we would do it) is to do a core aeration on the lawn and then overseed. The seed falling in the aeration holes is protected from drying out as quickly. It will almost certainly germinate. This method is less labour intensive and therefore less expensive that spreading topsoil around.

As to why you have chinch bugs and your neighbours don't- see http://hamiltonturfking.ca/gerrys-blog/203-why-did-i-get-chinch-bugs

We will send out someone to take another look

Gerry

Animals Digging in the August Lawn

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.

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

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www.hamiltonturfking.ca
Turf King Hamilton Halton Haldimand
905.318.6677

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.

 http://www.hamiltonturfking.ca/gerrys-blog/293-can-chinch-bugs-be-eradicated

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.