Lawns : Yard and Garden : University of Minnesota Extension Shared from U of M Extension to Blogspot.

Lawns : Yard and Garden : University of Minnesota Extension





A great resource for all things lawn! Check it out for some great info from the University of Minnesota Extension.



- Jess   651-456-9696

What to do when your lawn will not grow? Trouble growing all types of grass?

Grass is not growing properly?

What to do when your lawn will not grow?

What do you do when all types of grass will not grow in your yard?

1) Reseed Lawn? How to plant grass seeds?

Obviously one thing you can do is to reseed the lawn in areas that are having trouble growing grass. The first thing we must do is to determine why the grass is not growing in this area. It may be as simple (or hard) as trimming some trees back to allow in more sunlight. Is the PH of the soil poor? This can be determined by taking a soil sample. Here in Minnesota you can have the University of Minnesota do your testing for you. Click Here for Soil Testing Instructions and Address to mail the soil sample to the U of M.  Could you have a white grub issue caused by Japanese beetle or Sod Web Worm? Grass Disease? There could be various factors causing the issue, so if you need help with determining this issue you can contact us for help figuring it out as a Weed Man customer. 

Once you have figured out the cause you can find possible resolutions. A very common resolution would be to reseed the lawn and plant grass in the dead area. 

How to Plant Grass Seed? What Types of Seeds?

A) Clear the area of debris, weeds and other non turf material and loosen the soil. This can be done with a various tools like a rake or shovel. You may want to dig down a few inches to alleviate any soil compaction or have a fall aeration. You may also want to replace soil or balance PH in the dirt before proceeding. If the soil lacks nutrients a potting soil or starter fertilizer can do the trick.  

B) We suggest a Kentucky Blue / Perennial Rye mix in Minnesota.

C) We recommend following the directions provided on the grass seed you purchase. If patch seeding versus doing the entire lawn, you may want to put the seeds on a little denser to create the success rate needed for a thicker greener lawn. 

D) Sprinkle on a little of dried grass clippings, mulch or hay to keep the seeds in place and to limit the amount of seed eaten by rodents or birds.

E) Keep the soil moist by watering lightly but frequently in the seeded areas. You do not want to do the infrequent heavy watering like you would do for established turf. 

F) Continue by treating the grass as usual after the 2-3 weeks by watering and mowing regularly.  Have Weed Man Lawn Care fertilize and control the weeds as usual. This will help the lawn have a quick recovery and look beautiful again!

2) When seeding in not the answer consider new landscaping!

Sometimes when no types of grass will grow in an area, perhaps landscaping is a good solution. Landscaping sometimes can be an excellent option for homeowners. Would mulch around a tree that is creating too much shade and it hard to trim be a good idea? Have you always wanted a fire pit with sitting area, perhaps now is the time.

Many times near the home you find shaded areas that are not conducive to growing the grass thick and dense like we would like. A beautiful patio made with brick pavers can transform a damaged lawn into a wonderful sitting area. Water fountains and mini streams can be beautiful and relaxing, however must be winterized each year so their is a little more maintenance. 

3) What about a pool?

Summer fun in the sun! What about a pool, if you have a larger area that will not grow grass and want to make lots of family memories a pool can make a great addition to a persons recreational options. Many a kids growing up always talked about the house with the pool and all the neighborhood kids would flock to that home. Obviously there is work involved to maintain a pool however the rewards may out shadow the downside for you. 

Not being able to grow any types of grass is not always the end of the world! With a little creativity and thought you can transform your lawn into something worthy of a great backyard!

Grass is not growing properly? What to do when your lawn will not grow? Brought to you by Weed Man Lawn Care of the Twin Cities 651-456-9696  -Jess

Weed Man Lawn Care of the Twin Cities

Dear Weeds, A letter to let you know that you are not welcome on my property! Stay off my Lawn!

WEED MAN TO SAVE THE LAWN

Dear Weeds, 

I know you miss me, but I really do not miss you! Every year you come up to visit and I have to tell you that you are not welcome. Do you learn from this year after year. No! You just keep rearing your ugly head and act like I owe you some real estate to live. You were born and I can give you credit for being alive, but that is where I must draw the line. This year is going to be different than the years previous because this year, I have WEED MAN! 

The Weed Man is out to defend my turf and will not be defeated. The Weed Man is smart, has lots of experience dealing with the likes of you and your kind and he is equipped with the weapons that will make him prevail. 

We have had a long standing relationship and I am sorry we have to end it this way. You are not going to influence my life any more and if you pop in from time to time to visit, then the Weed Man will arrive and put you back in your place. It was nice knowing you. Rest in piece. 

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Home-Owner

Introduction to Turf Pests. Insect damage on your lawn?

Guest Blog from The Lawn Care Academy

Introduction to Turf Pests

Your lawn represents a significant investment in both time and money. Turf pests, such as insects or small animals, can quickly damage or ruin a lawn. Your greatest defense against these pests is knowledge. When you know how to look for them and identify their signs and symptoms, you can stop them before any real damage occurs.

Many common turf pests, such as moles, are some of the most frustrating to deal with. The pages below will offer advice and suggest ways to solve the problems. We will also examine homemade cures if any exist for that particular pest.

Quick Overview of Lawn Insects

Insects are an important part of nature and are found in almost every square inch of earth. No matter how we feel about them, life on earth would suffer if they were not here.

However, even a good thing that is out of place can prove disastrous. Termites, for example, provide a valuable service in the forest, but they cannot be allowed to do the same thing to our homes. Ground wasps feed on small insects, but must be destroyed when the nest is a danger to children or pets. It is no different for our lawns. Since we have an investment in our lawns, we need to protect it from damaging turf pests.

How to Determine Whether an Insect Needs to be Controlled

Lawn insects are classified as either:

• Beneficial insects
• Nuisance insects
• Damaging insects

Beneficial insects are those that provide a needed service. Bees pollinate plants and spiders help keep other insects under control. These are just a couple examples.

Nuisance insects are usually more of a problem for us than they are for the grass. They include ants, spiders, adult green June bugs, wasps and hornets, etc. In most cases, little or nothing needs to be done about nuisance insects unless their presence becomes an annoyance or a danger to us, to our children, or pets.

Turf damaging insects are those that feed on the grass blades, stems, or roots and can harm your grass. These include leafhoppers, chinch bugs, billbugs, etc. Generally they are not a danger to us, just the grass. However, just because a lawn-damaging insect is found does not necessitate treatment. Healthy grass is easily able to withstand insect pressure within certain limits. It is only when they exceed the threshold that treatment may become necessary.

Relating Insects to Turf Damage

Insects That Feed Below Ground on Plant Roots

Most of the insects that damage the grass roots and crown are the larval stage of certain beetles and moths.

This also means there is a narrower window of opportunity to control the insects. Turf damage doesn't usually occur until the last stages of larval growth. Examples are white grubs, cutworms, and army worms.

Fortunately, we know when the damage is likely to occur, so that is important for good control.

Insects That Feed Above Ground on the stems and Blades

Insects that feed on plant juices are referred to as sucking insects. Aphids, leafhoppers, chinch bugs and mites can cause considerable damage especially to stressed or young plants. Some sucking insects can spread diseases to plants as well.

Since sucking insects live on plant juices, over-fertilized, nitrogen rich lawns will often receive the most damage.

Old Insecticides Vs. New Insecticides

How Old Insecticides Worked

In years past, insecticides were much different than they are now. Popular insecticides like chloradane, heptachlor and others were commonly used to kill tree insects or turf pests. They had a very broad spectrum and a long persistence.

The term "broad spectrum" means they controlled a wide variety of turf pests and "long persistence" means it remained active for long periods.

One application would last all season and quite often would last well into the second season. Due to the long persistence, a person didn’t need much knowledge of insect growth stages or behavior. The insecticide was going to kill the insect sooner or later. Although effective, the long persistence became a concern and by 1980 almost all were off the market.

Now, The New Insecticides

Newer insecticides are developed to be active for much shorter periods. Most will remain active for just a few days while a few others are persistent considerably longer. They also have a narrower spectrum. This can have a significant outcome, especially if we misidentify the damage or the tree or turf pests.

More attention and research has been given to biological controls. These are often insect specific and must be applied well in advance of any turf damage.

What These New Insecticides Mean For Us?

With newer insecticides, controlling turf pests means we must be more accurate at identifying the insect damage. If we are using a preventative insecticide before any damage occurs, we need to know when to apply it for best results. We also need to know what is the best product to use.

Weed Man Lawn Care Specializes at identifying issues and taking appropriate action! It may be a preventative approach or a reactionary approach based on your exacting needs. 

Serving the Minneapolis MN and St. Paul MN Metros for all your lawn care needs. 

How to get that perfect level cut for your lawn? Guest Blogger from Your Green Pal

Another great article from our friends at Your Green Pal.

How to get that perfect level cut for your lawn

Written by Bryan Clayton on September 29, 2014

You're envious of your neighbors lawn.  He has a perfectly level cut like this. And you want to know how to get it.

First, it starts with the quality of your turf.  You have to invest in a fertilization program for your lawn.  It will take several months of care and investment to get your lawn to full, thick, and healthy status.

Also if you're in cool season grass zone and have tall Fescue for instance, you'll need to aerate and overseed your turf every fall.   Without a thick healthy lawn you wont have anything to work with when it comes to mowing it beautifully.

Next, make sure your blades on your mower are sharp.  You will need to sharpen them every 15-20 mowings or at least twice per season.  I recommend sharpening them first thing in spring, and then again in mid-summer. During the summer months is when your lawn is most susceptible to damage from heat stress, so  its imperative to have sharp blades cutting the grass.

After you have a good sharp blade, scrape out the deck of your mower removing the build up that accumulates underneath.  You can use a regular painters spatula for this task.  Typically, you will need to clean out the deck of your mower every other cut.  This allows your mower to do its job better, and yields a better cleaner cut.  Put a plastic trash bag down and scrape it out over the bag, this makes for easy cleanup of the debris.

Now check over your lawn very closely looking for divets, pot holes, and imperfections in the grade.  This is crucial because if you have  uneven terrain your mower will scalp areas as you are cutting the lawn.  This is particularity the case if you have a riding lawn mower as they are not very forgiving and will case damage to the lawn as they run through a pot hole.

Following this advice you too can create a beautifully shorn lawn that looks like glass... 

When is the best time of day to mow my lawn? Morning? Afternoon? Does it even matter!

From our Floridian Friends http://www.yourgreenpal.com/

When is the best time of day to mow my lawn? Morning? Afternoon? Does it matter?

Written by Bryan Clayton on September 29, 2014

There are varying opinions on this … Some professionals say it doesn't matter, so long as you do not mow when the ground is very wet, as this can cause damage to the turf, and also rutting if you have a riding mower.  If you are flexible there is an optimal moment for lawn mowing

However, there are some pros that say mid-morning this the optimum time of day to mow the lawn. The logic behind this is that the lawn needs time to heal before evening, that the freshly shorn grass blades are susceptible to fungus and disease and really need the benefit of the day to dry and heal before evening sets in.  So, if you have the luxury of choosing when to mow in the day, there is a case that mid-morning is the optimal time of the day.

Lawn Care Mower Blades

Now, more importantly make sure that your blades are sharp, as this will affect the lawn more so than the time of day that you mow.  IF your blades are not sharp then the lawn is torn as the dull blades hits it, this causes damage to your turf and makes it more susceptible to disease and damage.

Keep in mind, if you are going to be working with a professional service you will probably have to pay a premium if you are wanting to have the lawn mowed at specific time of day.  These professionals make their schedules out by route density. Meaning they complete their stops in the most efficient manner possible as they navigate their way throughout the neighborhood, town, or city.  So asking for a specific time will be invasive to their schedule, and you will probably have to pay extra.  Take for example a St. Augustine turf that grows in Florida, it would be extremely hard for a lawn service provider to bag and haul all those clippings off.

This is where GreenPal comes in, make sure the time of day you want service is spelled out when you request pricing, so you will get more accurate pricing and get what you want!

Thank you Green Pal for the great short to the point tips!

How To Properly Rake Leaves A person who really really loves raking leaves! So funny!

This guy is so funny! I have never seen some one have this much fun raking leaves! Wow! you must see to believe!















If you need us for anything call Jess at Weed Man Lawn Care of the Twin Cities!

651-456-9696