Hello again from Kregel’s Landscape and Garden Center.

It is nice to see the weather forecast is showing some higher temperatures are on their way.  We may have a Summer this year after all.

Watering

It looks like close to 80 and dry through the weekend.  Slight chances for rain early- middle of next week so if we get some we should be fine.  If not, lawns in lighter soils will need to begin watering.  Some clay lawns will be drying out as well.  If you did any new seeding this spring make sure to continue to water that 2-3 times per day for short cycles.

Annual Bluegrass

This time of year most grass varieties produce seed.  Some more than others.  This is a completely normal process.  Depending on the lawn, there are typically other undesirable grasses growing in with your main stand of turf.  These can be hard to control as there are no selective products for many of them.  The most common one we see right now is Annual Bluegrass, or “Poa Annua.”  It is very obvious this time of year because it produces many seeds, so much so that it can have a white or gray appearance.  These seeds can and will germinate in your lawn, which is how it spreads from lawn to lawn.  Make sure to bag your grass for the 4 week span while this grass is seeding to help remove as much seed as possible from the lawn, rather than spreading it throughout. While  Annual Bluegrass can and will grow under any conditions, we normally see it thrive in wet, compacted, or shady areas.  If you can improve drainage or watering habits in these areas in any way it will help reduce the spread of this grass.  In a few weeks the seeding will slow down and this grass will blend in much better with the rest of your lawn although it will be a bit lighter in color.  

Mowing Height

It is time to raise mowing height to 3-3.5″ as a minimum.  I know I preach this a lot but with warmer weather on the way this is one of the most important things you as a homeowner can do for your lawn.  Right now we are seeing more than half of our lawns being mowed at or below 2″ which is much too low.  A taller turf will help to prevent the lawn from drying out in hotter weather, as well as produce thicker, darker turf.  In turn, thicker turf is the best form of herbicide to prevent weeds from growing.  Also, do not trust the marking on mower decks.  90% of them are wrong!  Always use a ruler to check mowing height. 

Garden Center

All Flowering Trees are now 15% off until Memorial Day.  We have many different varieties to choose from.  The Garden Center is currently open from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday and from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday.  We will be closed on Memorial Day.

Landscape Work

A couple of our homes are nearing completion for the West Michigan Parade of Homes which begins this Friday.  With the warmer weather we are beginning our grading and seeding work as well.  Just a couple details: outcropping steps are Gray Gorge, random outcropping stone is Glacier Gray, pavers are Unilock Brussels limestone color with Series 3000 Black Granite as a inset sailor course. There is also a pic or two in there of a bubbling rock feature we just completed, as well as some pictures of the fence/pillar combo over the retaining wall completed.

As always, let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

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!

Hello again from Kregel’s Landscape and Garden Center.

Just when we think spring is here they forecast more cold weather.  Oh well, I guess that is to be expected for March in Michigan.  We did have a few really nice days though.

Scheduling

We have not begun applications yet.  I do see a few other companies out already but it is really too early.  Soil temps are low and are probably going to drop even more the end of this week.  The good thing is most of the snow is gone so we are getting close.  Most of our round 1 applications will be from the end of March through April.

Vole Damage

Do you have little runways chewed through your grass that appeared when the snow melted?  It is Vole damage.  Basically a field mouse.  They come out of the planting beds into the grass areas under the cover of snow and can make a mess.  In extreme situations you may have to add a little soil and seed but most of the time it will repair itself.  It is VERY important to use a leaf rake to rake all the loose grass off the top right now to open the area up for new growth.  If you leave the dead grass on the top it will suffocate the roots underneath and sections of the grass will actually die.  

Thatch Layer

In making my rounds I am pleasantly surprised by how most lawns are waking up.  Usually at this time the snow is disappearing and leaving us with a matted down disaster that may need a lot of work.  This winter did not produce long lasting snow cover which in turn did not mat down the grass as we sometimes can see.  Most lawns are standing up quite nicely with minimal snow mold.  Also, the overall thatch layers seem to be at a healthy level.  Some thatch is good- up to .75″ is ok in most situations.  In extreme situations you may need to use a steel rake to pull some thatch out in areas, or even dethatch the lawn, but not very often at all.  If the thatch layer is low, let it go!

New Addition

We have been busy this winter building out a new fertilizing truck for our lawn application production team. We are excited about the finished product.

Home and Garden Show

I just wanted to take a minute and thank all of our friends and customers for stopping by our booth at the show earlier this month.  It was a successful show and we really appreciate all the support from our friends and customers.  I hope it made all of you excited for spring – I know it did for me.

Landscape Work

No pictures yet:(

We just began working a few jobs and have a few loads of plant material coming in later this week. If you have a project in mind let us know, we would be happy to help. Our spring is looking pretty full and we are booking for early summer already.

As always, let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you!