GO AFTER HARD TO CONTROL LAWN WEEDS NOW

Fall is an excellent time for broadleaf weed control for those species which are perennial or winter annuals. This would include two of the hardest to control weeds in lawns – ground ivy (creeping charlie) and violets. These weeds are preparing for spring growth by moving nutrients into their root systems. If weed control is applied the herbicide will be moved into the root system along with the nutrients. The leaves of the weeds might not curl up and turn brown like they do in the summer, but there will be a lot less of these weeds popping up in your lawn next spring.

THE MOST IMPORTANT LAWN TREATMENTS

Fall lawn maintenance is an important time of the year to help your lawn recover from summer stresses. Turfgrasses shift a good deal of their energy from shoot growth to root, rhizome or stolon growth. This physiological change means that lawns that are thin will increase in density and those with weak or damaged roots will regenerate roots. If you have a thin or weakened lawn, this is the time of year to initiate cultural practices to take advantage of this change in growth habit. Management practices done properly in the fall are our best insurance of high quality turf next spring.

Yard aeration can be done now. Favorable moisture and temperatures along with decreased weed competition make fall the ideal time for yard aeration.

It is also a good idea to fertilize your lawn in the fall to provide the nutrients the lawn needs to recover from summer stress. Proper fall fertility helps increase turf density and takes advantage of increased root development. Nitrogen is the most important element in a fall lawn fertilization treatment. Care should be taken, however, not to over apply nitrogen fertilizer in the fall as high rates of nitrogen have been shown to decrease root growth.

This is also the time of year for broadleaf weed control. Just as with grasses and trees, weeds are translocating and storing nutrients in their roots for the fall and winter. When herbicides are applied they are also absorbed and moved to the root system. When the weather is cool and the weed is growing slowly you may not think the herbicide is working because the leaves aren’t curling, but the plant is taking the herbicide into its root system and you won’t see this weed next spring.

RUST DISEASE ON LAWNS

If you’re noticing orange staining on your shoes or lawn mower there’s a good chance you have rust disease somewhere in your lawn. Rust is a lawn disease we typically see in the fall on ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass when top growth has slowed.

There are fungicides available to treat rust disease, but if you can put up with it for one or two weeks it will probably go away on its own.

SEEDING YOUR LAWN

We’re quickly approaching the time of year when we can overseed to thicken up our lawns. The best time to overseed your lawn in southeast Michigan is mid-August to near the end of September. Mid-August may sound too early to start seeding, but keep in mind it will take Kentucky bluegrass 2 - 3 weeks to germinate.

Speaking of Kentucky bluegrass, this type of turfgrass is considered the best species for home lawns in southeast Michigan. If you’re going to overseed with Kentucky bluegrass, it’s important to find a grass seed blend that has at least three different cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass. Each cultivar has its strong and weak points, so having more than one cultivar reduces the possibility of your lawn being severely damaged by one particular lawn disease.

Perennial ryegrass is found as a component of most bags of grass seed. This type of grass seed is added because perennial ryegrass germinates quickly, usually in five to seven days. This helps to protect the Kentucky bluegrass after it germinates. One downside of perennial ryegrass is that the seedling is very aggressive. If more than 25% of a Kentucky bluegrass/perennial ryegrass mixture is perennial ryegrass, the established turf will be predominately perennial ryegrass.

Grass seed that is marketed as “shady blend” usually have one or more varieties of fine fescue grass seed in them. Fine fescue is another quick germinating seed. Fine fescues blend well with Kentucky bluegrass and also provide the mixture with some shade tolerance.

The improved turf-type tall fescues have been well received over the last several years for their improved texture and color. These tall fescue hybrids are especially adapted to sandy, drought-prone sites because its extensive root system can avoid short-term drought. Turf-type tall fescue also has good wear tolerance and some tolerance to shade. If you decide to use a turf-type tall fescue be sure to select an improved variety and plant it as at least 70 - 80% of the mixture. This will give your lawn a more uniform appearance once it’s established. DO NOT confuse turf-type tall fescue with varieties such as K-31, which is the coarse-bladed grass that often grows in large clumps.

Once you have overseeded your lawn it’s important to keep the seed moist so it will germinate. After it’s germinated it’s critical to keep the new seedling moist so it won’t dry out. A skipped day of watering could ruin your overseeding project.

THE PILL BUG, SOW BUG & HOUSE CENTIPEDE

Pill bugs and sow bugs feed on decaying plant matter such as rotting wood chips and mulch. They are an important link in the group of organisms that dispose of, and recycle these materials. House centipedes linger in the shadows of this habitat snatching off very small insects, spiders and other very small creatures. They are the wolves of this dark, damp world. They play the important role of regulator.

Like most of the backyard fauna, all will enter your house if given the opportunity. They are more than happy to go where they can find food and habitat similar to their outside home.

Damage and Importance

Pill bugs, sow bugs and house centipedes, if present in your home, will be found in dark, damp and relatively undisturbed areas of structures. This usually means your basement or crawl space. More specifically, around floor drains or near damp wood such as paneling or baseboards. Also, look under any cardboard boxes in the basement that haven’t been moved lately.

None of these home invaders cause damage to your home. In fact the house centipede will do a pretty good job preying upon small insects, mites and spiders. However, the sight of one skittering in and out of a floor drain in the basement can cause great alarm to some homeowners.

House centipedes have bitten people. They are not poisonous. In fact, they have very weak jaws and their bite ranks around a mosquito bite on the severity index.

Identification

Pill bugs and sow bugs are quite similar in appearance. Anyone who has ever flipped over a board laying on the ground has seen one, or both.

The pill bug will roll up in a ball when disturbed. The sow bug cannot ball up. It has two tail-like appendages on the tip of its abdomen, preventing it from exhibiting this behavior.

The house centipede’s many (15 pairs) long legs and striped coloring make it very distinctive. Some folks misname them millipedes, but they are quite different. All centipedes have one pair of legs for each body section (segment). Millipedes have two pairs for what appears to be each segment.

None of these are actually insects.

Controlling Pill Bugs, Sow Bugs, and House Centipede’s

Through the summer months you might find any or all of these harmless creatures roaming around your house. The probability will increase if you have mulched areas near entrances and have an attached wooden deck. Moist summers tend to favor higher populations. Dispose of them as you would any other nuisance, non-damaging household pest. Keeping them out of your house involves sealing cracks and crevices to deny entry.

Changing the local habitat can help keep these unwelcome guests out of your house. Remove any non-essential debris, mulch and boards from around your house. Establish a zone of bare soil adjacent to your house that will dry out.

If you seem to have unusually high numbers of pill bugs or sow bugs, this is an indication that you’ve probably got damp wood nearby that needs to be dried or replaced. House centipedes are predators. If you have high numbers of these, it indicates they have a plentiful supply of prey nearby.

If all other options don’t seem to be getting results you can set up a perimeter pest control program. This is an insect control program where a foundation spray is applied to discourage insects, spiders, and other home-invading pests from entering your house. Perimeter pest control treatments are started in the spring, continue into the summer, and end in the fall when insects begin to hibernate for the winter.

CHINCH BUGS IN YOUR LAWN

How does your lawn look if we have an extremely hot summer combined with zero rain? In Michigan we often see the grass will turn a yellow-brown color, it looks crazy dry and dead. We know drought stress can cause this damage to your grass but there is actually an insect that can what looks like drought damage to your lawn. Who is the culprit? Chinch bugs! Chinch bugs are easy to recognize, but really hard to see. These pests are 1/5" long with black bodies and white wings folded across their back. These insects take several weeks to mature. After hatching they start out yellow, but gradually turn pink, then reddish in color.

When a chinch bug sees your lawn their mouths start to salivate like ours do over a juicy piece of steak. Chinch bugs honestly think of our lawns as dinner! You could do everything there is to do to ensure your lawn is going to be healthy and nice looking and these bugs will still show up.

I know you're wondering how exactly do these bugs create this much damage to your lawn? Well, chinch bugs suck your grass blades dry by feeding on the liquid in a grass plant. They can kill small patches (if you’re lucky) or move all the way around your entire lawn, leaving large brown patches in your lawn. Many people become furious at the lawn damage caused by chinch bugs. There is hope, and there is a solution to help guarantee your lawn will be looking top notch this summer. Owen Lawn Care can apply lawn insect control treatments to stop chinch bugs, sod webworms and grubs from damaging your lawn.

Instead of trying to diagnose lawn problems on your own, give Owen Lawn Care a call so people aren't staring at your lawn for all the wrong reasons.

KEEPING EARWIGS OUT OF YOUR HOUSE

There is an often used analogy used to describe how closely ecosystems are interconnected. The analogy describes an ecosystem being like the surface of a pond. Throw a rock in the middle of a calm pond and watch the ripples move out from the point of impact. Eventually, the ripples will move across the entire surface until they reach the shore. Regardless of the size of the pebble the disturbance is felt across the entire surface of the pond.

Ecosystems are like this. Regardless of how subtle the change or disturbance is, the impact is felt throughout the entire system. A single, small rock will only cause a momentary change. The system is disturbed and recovers. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Your backyard is an ecosystem that you have pretty much created, maintain and often times alter. For instance, mulching shrub beds and tree rings is a common practice in many Michigan landscapes. Recycling leaf and grass clippings back into your ecosystem is also gaining popularity. Most homes now have decks or a patio, as well. If you think about it, these represent fairly significant alterations to your backyard ecosystem. It stands to reason that these “rocks” could trigger some other changes as well. Enter the scary looking earwig.

Earwigs love moist environments with lots of cracks, crevices, nooks and crannies. The changes mentioned above are made to order for earwig insects.

Earwig Damage and Importance

Earwigs are part of a group of insects that are primarily scavengers. They feed on dead plant and animal material. They are active primarily at night and may be attracted to light. They are commonly found entering the household in the summertime. During the day, they can be found congregating under loose bark flaps, under decks, in mulched shrub beds and other similar debris.

Identification

The pincher-like appendages at the end of the abdomen makes the earwig very recognizable.

Integrated Earwig Management

During the summer months earwigs often begin appearing in the homes. The probability will increase if you have mulched areas near entrances and have an attached wooden deck. Moist summers tend to favor higher populations of earwig insects.

Earwigs do not cause damage inside houses. Earwigs are not known to bite or pinch. Dispose of them as you would any other nuisance, non-damaging household pest. Sealing cracks and crevices around the home can help prevent earwigs form getting inside your home.

Remove non-essential objects that are in direct contact with your home, especially mulch or boards. Establish a zone of bare soil that will dry out directly next to your house.

If these options don’t work, or aren’t possible, a perimeter pest control program can be set up. This will provide a bug barrier that will discourage earwigs, and most other insects, from entering your home. Perimeter pest control programs are started in the spring, as soon as insects become active, and continue until insects have begun to hibernate for the winter.

CHINCH BUGS IN LAWNS

Now is a good time to examine lawns for chinch bugs. Look around the base of the grass plants where the stem of the plant goes into the thatch layer or soil. Pull back a little of the thatch or soil around the base of the plant and look for small black bugs with triangular white patches on their wings, about 1/8 inch long. Immature chinch bugs (nymphs) can vary in color from reddish to black and will have a white band across their back.

If you can find more than 20 chinch bugs in two minutes of searching you can expect to see some damage from the chinch bug feeding. Chinch bugs will continue to be active throughout July and early August. We offer lawn insect control treatments as either a liquid or granular application if you have chinch bugs feeding on your lawn.

LAWNS THINNING IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS

We’re finding a few thinning lawns with Leaf Spot/Melting Out disease in Bloomfield Hills. This lawn disease is generally a problem on Kentucky bluegrass lawns. Leaf Spot/Melting Out causes lesions to form on the grass blades. The lesions are often surrounded by a yellow zone that fades into the adjacent healthy green tissue. Older grass blades are usually more susceptible than younger grass blades.

Melting Out lawn disease may also invade root tissue, causing wilting of foliage and reddish-brown dry rot of the root that becomes black as the disease progresses. As the disease continues to spread the lawn becomes thin with no specific pattern development.

Cultural control methods include increasing mowing height and light applications of nitrogen to encourage the grass to grow out of the disease. Also, remove grass clippings to reduce the amount of infected grass blades, which can cause further infection. Fungicides can be applied to stop or slow the spread of Leaf Spot/Melting Out if the disease is active.

If your lawn has been damaged by Leaf Spot/Melting Out some seeding may be necessary. The best time to do seeding in Bloomfield Hills is in late summer or early fall. There are several varieties of Kentucky bluegrass available and many have been bred to be resistant to this disease. The specific varieties of Kentucky bluegrass should be listed on the grass seed package.

Bluegrass varieties resistant to Leaf Spot/Melting Out include:

• Blacksburg
• Brilliant
• Liberator
• Midnight
• Moonlight
• North Star
• Total Eclipse
• Wildwood

MOLES IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS

Moles, Moles, Moles! How do we get rid of Moles? This is the question many Bloomfield Hills residents are asking themselves.

Mole tunneling in Bloomfield Hills, MI is destroying some beautifully manicured lawns. Many Bloomfield Hills residents are trying to get their lawns back. Some have turned to home remedies, internet, family and friends.

Moles live off earthworms and insects, making it almost impossible to eliminate them in your yard.  Most lawn chemicals do not work on earthworms and they are the moles main source of food. We wouldn’t want to eliminate earthworms from our soil anyway – they provide too many benefits to our lawns, trees, and shrubs.

Moles are very active animals and damage from moles happens all year. You might not know it, but moles don’t even hibernate in the winter. Moles dig different kinds of tunnels in our lawns, some deep and some shallow. Usually the deep tunnels are for living and raising their babies while the shallow tunnel is for feeding. Usually, moles do not share their tunnels; their babies leave after a few months to make their own tunnels.

We know how frustrating mole damage can be. It use to be that trapping was the only way to get rid of moles, but most Bloomfield Hills homeowners don’t have the time or ability to properly trap moles. Now there’s a better way to get rid of moles in your lawn – a mole bait that moles will eat because they think it’s an earthworm! This mole bait will reduce, if not totally eliminate, moles in your lawn.

Owen Tree Service will evaluate the mole tunnels in your lawn and concentrate on the active mole tunnels. Our mole control program has proven to be quite effective. We offer a season-long mole control program in case new moles come into your lawn from a neighboring property.

SPRAYING FOR DANDELIONS

Dandelions can be beautiful - in moderation. I don't know about you but when I am sitting on my porch in the summer enjoying a nice glass of tea with the hot sun beating down on my shoulders I don't want to look at my lawn and see hundreds even thousands bright yellow dandelions taking over. Seeing a few dandelions can be beautiful, but once they turn into white, messy seed heads your lawn will begin to look like that horrible white stuff we all know as...SNOW! 

Don't get me wrong, dandelions are pretty. Children love to pick them in the yard and bring you a "bouquet" of flowers. These are the moments we live for. The only problem with dandelions is they attract bees. Time and time again at my home in Lapeer I would play outside not looking where I was stepping and immediately burst into tears because I was stung. We all want our children to have the opportunity to enjoy playing outside without the chance of getting hurt. 

Dandelions can be found all over the world. This fact could have fooled me because it seems like all of the dandelions are in my backyard. These seeds are produced without pollination; the flower head dries out for a day or two making the dried petals drop off. This next step is the white seed head that covers your emerald green lawn with a gush of wind.

If you're anything like me you enjoy summer, green grass, being outside, and spending time with family. You don't need the hassle or worrying if someone is going to get stung or what people driving by think of your "yellow" or "white" lawn. Take a minute now and call Owen Lawn Care to set up your lawn fertilization and weed control so you can enjoy the nice weather this summer. 

Snow Mold

The record snowfall from this past winter is still haunting us with many lawns being affected by snow mold. This lawn disease causes irregular, tan, matted areas to form - usually in areas where snow cover was heaviest. You might notice a pinkish or greyish tinge to the affected areas. This would indicate you have either pink snow mold or gray snow mold. In either case, lightly raking these areas usually is enough for the grass to recover and fill in.

Learn more about snow mold at: 

http://www.owenlawncare.com/snow_mold.html

GARDENS AND WEED CONTROL

Weed control in your garden can often be a never ending task. We grab our gardening tools, gloves and last but not least our Motrin for the terrible back aches we soon have to endure. Sure, your garden looks like a photo out of Better Homes and Gardens but how long does this perfect picture actually last?

One thing that can save you the hassle and backache is mulching your shrub beds. Mulch not only looks nice it also blocks light from allowing your weeds to grow out of control. Weed control is something you need to tackle before it gets out of hand. You should consider doing your first bed weeding, or having a professional come to your home and spray for weeds, in the early spring. If you have a landscape company spray for weeds they can also lay mulch down at the same time. Just think, by summer your weeds will be completely under control and your flowers will be the main gossip point with your neighbors. You will soon have people stopping by asking what your secret is to an amazing garden.

Many of us spend hours getting that picture perfect garden. What do you do when you walk outside and notice weeds taking over this beautifully maintained area? Weeds can spread in numerous different ways, some we can control and others we can’t seem to ever stop. Wind, water, animals and people are some of the ways weed seeds can spread. There are ways to get rid of these pesky weeds and that is with Beds and Borders Weed Control. Our Beds and Borders Weed Control program will assure that your garden, sidewalks, driveways, patios, or pathways stay weed free all season long.

EARLY SPRING LAWN THOUGHTS

During the winter, frost heaving in the soil may create a less than ideal mowing surface. A lightweight roller is recommended to eliminate bumps which could lead to scalping your lawn. Additionally, raising your mowing height at this time will encourage roots to grow deeper and aid your turf before it enters the summer stress period.

Would you like free lawn fertilizer this year? Consider leaving your grass clippings on the lawn to recycle nutrients. University studies have shown that mulching your grass clippings will return an average of one pound of Nitrogen per year to the lawn. That’s equivalent to one extra lawn fertilization treatment and less work for you! Three things to keep in mind if you are going to mulch your grass clippings:

• Keep your mower blades sharp
• Avoid mowing when the lawn is wet
• Don’t remove more than a third of the grass blades at any one mowing

If you are thinking about seeding your lawn you’ll want to get started soon. It’s a good idea to get the seed down before the weed competition increases. If you have a lawn service you should inform them that you planted new grass seed so they won’t apply a crabgrass pre-emergent. You might want to have them do a starter fertilizer application instead to help the new grass seedlings get off to a good start.

SPRING LAWN CARE

As we enter springtime in Rochester Hills we are reminded of the usual lawn care routines ahead of us. If you had a lawn care service last year, or keep up with lawn fertilizing on your own, you should enjoy an early spring green up and a nice thick lawn. If, however, your lawn is off-color and thin you might want to start a lawn fertilization program in the early part of the spring.

In general, maintaining good healthy turf through monitoring problem areas in your lawn and proper management of fertility, irrigation, and mowing (yes mowing!) will reduce the potential for disease, insect, and weed problems in your lawn.

If your lawn has many bare spots and entire areas that require renovation and reestablishment, here are some suggestions. First of all, the spring is not the best time to establish grass seed due to the extensive weed competition. However, it is better to get started on the seeding now if it is needed rather than allow weeds to take over your lawn. If you are going to do seeding in the spring it’s also a good idea to apply a “starter” fertilizer to get the new grass seed off to a good start.

Kentucky bluegrass is the highest quality (and highest maintenance) grass used in Rochester Hills. However, turf-type tall fescues are enjoying wider acceptances as a medium maintenance turf species. Ryegrass and fine fescues germinate and establish quickly making them ideal for quick repair of bare spots. Just keep in mind that a patch of fine fescue will stand out if the rest of the lawn is all Kentucky bluegrass. Additionally, many ryegrass varieties and fine fescues contain an endophyte (a fungus that grows inside the plant) that provides some insect resistance and drought tolerance.

After the seed has been sown the most important task is keeping the seed, and new seedlings when they emerge, moist. For more information on watering new seed you can visit: http://www.owenlawncare.com/watering_new_seed.html

CRABGRASS PRE-EMERGENTS

Crabgrass pre-emergent is a component of almost all lawn care programs. The goal of using a crabgrass pre-emergent is to minimize the number of crabgrass plants that will germinate in your lawn.  It’s important to realize that no crabgrass pre-emergent will eliminate crabgrass; however 90 - 95% control is not out of the range of the crabgrass pre-emergent products available today. This does mean, though, that even if you achieve 95% control of crabgrass on a 5000 square foot lawn you could have 250 square feet of crabgrass.

One aspect of crabgrass pre-emergents that many people don’t know about is that crabgrass pre-emergents will also help minimize more than just crabgrass plants. To understand what to expect from crabgrass pre-emergent you need to know what type of weeds it can control.

Annual weeds (like crabgrass) reproduce from seed each year and are therefore controlled by pre-emergent herbicides. Biennial weeds reproduce from seed, but require two seasons to complete their life cycle. Therefore, pre-emergent herbicides will control germinating seeds of biennials, but will not control a vegetative top that established the previous year. As with the other weed types, germinating seeds of perennial weeds are also controlled by pre-emergent herbicides. However, pre-emergent herbicides will not control perennial weeds that have already germinated and are established.

Most crabgrass pre-emergents do not affect growth from vegetative structures such as rhizomes, stolons, fleshy roots, tubers, and bulbs. Pre-emergent herbicides kill plants by direct contact with living root tissue or through root absorption. If absorbed, the pre-emergent disrupts internal plant growth processes which results in seedling death.

Crabgrass pre-emergents today have about an 8 - 9 week effective residual in the soil, which allows for a pretty wide window of application timing in the spring. Given that most crabgrass germination in southeast Michigan occurs in mid-to late May, a crabgrass pre-emergent application anytime in April to mid-May should be pretty effective.

Can you apply crabgrass pre-emergent after crabgrass has germinated? The short answer is - yes. Just because crabgrass, in general, might start germinating in mid-May doesn’t mean all crabgrass plants are going to start germinating on the same day. In fact some crabgrass plants may not germinate until June, or even July. Additionally, there are few crabgrass pre-emergents that are even effective on controlling young, newly germinated crabgrass plants.

Southeast Michigan Mid-Winter Lawn Tips

§         This is the time of year to think about retaining your lawn service provider to ensure timely applications before the spring rush and take advantage of the Owen Lawn Care prepay discount.

§         Ice melt products can damage turf and plants - most commonly along driveways and sidewalks. Try using an alternative like Sand, if possible.  Products containing Magnesium chloride or Calcium magnesium acetate are also a better option than rock salt. If lawn or shrub damage is visible in spring repair or plant replacement may be necessary. Call for available services.

§         Keep debris off lawn such as, branches, piles of leaves, accumulated snow from sidewalks and driveways. These areas become great breeding ground for snow molds due to prolonged moist, shaded, and snow covered turf.

§         Winter is a great time for trimming trees. Keeping trees trimmed can help provide more sunlight for turf, improve health of trees, and taking care of any overhanging or dead branches that could cause damage. We have many ISA Certified Arborists to assist you.

§         Lawn mower maintenance. Such as blade sharpening, cleaning, changing filters spark plugs and fuel stabilizer. Sharp blades and cutting grass at a height of 3 to 4 inches helps suppress weed growth and create a healthy lawn.

Please check our web sites for all the services we provide

www.owenlawncare.com    

www.owentree.com