Hello again from Kregel’s Landscape and Garden Center.
It is nice to see that lawns have finally dried out after our deluge of rain and snow earlier this month. Lawns are mostly out of dormancy and we are making our way through the crabgrass applications now. If you haven’t received your first application yet we should have it completed in the next 2 weeks as soil temps continue to climb.
Watering
Most lawns do not need any additional water yet unless you have done some seeding or have a very new lawn. You will need to be keeping things damp in these situations. New seeding requires light watering 2-3 times per day to aid in germination. If it is allowed to dry out it will not germinate. You should be thinking about starting your underground irrigation system and making sure that everything works properly so you are ready to water by the middle of May if the weather requires it.
Tip Burn
Anybody notice any tip burn after the heavy frost a couple of weeks ago? Lawns were really starting to green up and grow and then we got hit with a couple of mornings of lower 20’s which burned some of the lawns slightly. After mowing a few times this should disappear and has no long term affect on the health of the lawn.
Mowing Height
You can be mowing around 2.5″ or higher right now. By June 1 you will want to be mowing at around 3.25″ so you can be slowly raising your mowing height over the next month to let the grass acclimate to the new height.
Tree Seedlings in Lawn
We are starting to see tree seedlings appearing in lawns especially around Maple and Crabapple trees. This is a common thing we see this time of year and no action is required at this point. Your regular mowing and a little warmer weather will take care of most of the problem. Whatever is left will be controlled with our broadleaf weed control. Some years are worse than others. From what we have seen this year is a little lighter than some but it is early so the jury is still out.
Moles and Grubs
There is a pretty common misconception out there that if I have moles in my yard I have grubs as well and the moles are feeding on the grubs. This is only slightly true. Yes, a mole will eat a grub but scientists have found that 95% of a mole’s diet consists of earthworms. We love earthworms so sorry but I can’t kill your earthworms either 🙂 We apply grub prevention on the lawn for the sole purpose of keeping the grubs out of the lawn and avoiding the damage that goes along with grubs feeding on turf roots. Moles will need to be trapped or baited to achieve complete control.
Garden Center
The garden center is now open from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm weekdays and from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday. It is approximately 80% stocked and we are just waiting on a few additional items. Feel free to stop by.
Landscape Work
It seems like our landscape division is going to have a very busy year. They are currently working on a few Parade of Homes. Here are a few progress pictures from one. This wall needed to be installed prior to pouring the concrete driveway with proper grid running underneath the driveway. Also includes pillars with limestone cap and metal fencing sections to be installed between. A set of natural stone steps leads down into a gas firepit/seating area in the backyard.
As always, let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
