Hello again from My Turf Fertilization & Kregel’s Landscape and Garden Center.
We made it to August. The hottest time of Summer. The average July high temperature was 3.1 degrees higher than average for Grand Rapids and the long term forecast isn’t showing much different for the month of August. We have been getting some good rainfall here and there but right now unirrigated lawns are drying out quickly.
Watering
With temperatures approaching 90 regularly and not much rain in sight, most soils need to be watered every day for 30 minutes per rotor zone and 10 minutes per spray zone. You can adjust up and down depending on how your specific lawn responds – some need more water, some less. With rain and/or cooler temperatures you can back off to every other day. If we make a lawn treatment be sure to water in heavily afterwards to avoid stress on the lawn.
Crabgrass
Above average temperatures and intermittent heavy downpours have given this annual grass a great environment for growth this year. We are seeing more this year than the past 2 years combined! Most thick, healthy turf is pretty clean but many edges, thin spots, or bare spots are under attack. We are spot treating for any that is coming up now. Although we can’t expect a 100% kill on crabgrass this time of year, we can control most of it with a single application. We are also currently recording crabgrass amounts and locations so that we know which areas to really focus our crabgrass prevention products on next spring.
Core Aeration
We will be beginning our core aeration work later this month and into September and early October. This is the process of removing cores of soil from the ground to allow for decreased compaction and increased nutrient and moisture uptake. This is very beneficial for all lawns, but especially on clay based lawns. Let us know if you would like us to schedule this service for you.
Mowing Height
In the Summer we recommend mowing at 3-3.5″ as a minimum. With the heat we have had so far this summer it is especially important to abide by this rule to avoid heat/drought stress on the lawn. Cool season turf is not designed to be cut any lower than 3″ during warm periods.
Landscape Work
Here are several jobs our installation crews just completed. Both are backyard patio areas with landscaping to complete the area.
As always, let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
