Summer is coming to an end and fall will be here before you know it. So, let's review a few things to remember this month when maintaining your lawn.
Treating The Lawn
The grass is in its peak growing season but so are the weeds, fungus, and insects! Let's go over a few things to do to keep your lawn healthy this summer.
Fertilization & Weed Control
Treating the lawn is one of the best and easiest ways to help keep your lawn looking nice and staying healthy. By controlling the weeds, you eliminate the risk of weeds spreading and taking over the lawn. Fertilizing will help grow full and stronger grass that can handle the summer weather and prevent funguses from growing.
How Should My Weeds Be Treated This Month?
Treating Warm Season Grasses Throughout August: If you have Bermuda, Zoysia, or Centipede you will need Pre-emergent for the winter annuals including Poa. You may also need a Post-emergent for any broadleaf weeds.
What Is Poa & Why Is It A Difficult Weed To Manage?:
Poa is an aggressive invasive weed that is more difficult to treat than some other more common weeds. Poa will germinate in early fall when temperatures reach below 70 degrees. Poa is a type of fescue grass that can not survive in warmer temperatures. Due to this, Poa dies naturally in the summer when the weather reaches above 70 degrees. While this weed does die off on its own in the summer, it spreads extremely fast throughout the rest of the year and drops tons of seeds at the end of its life cycle. This makes Poa one of the most difficult weeds to manage.
How To Get Rid Of Poa:
The best way to treat poa is to catch it early on. The less time it has to spread and drop seeds, the faster you can get rid of these weeds. However, if there is established poa already in the lawn it needs to be treated with a post emergeant. This step may need to be done several times to kill what has grown. At the end of summer, a pre-emergent should be used to treat the entire lawn to stop any poa seeds from germinating. Poa seeds can stay in the lawn for a few years so a preemergent should be applied to the lawn for the next few years.
Other Challenging Weeds:
- Nutsedge
- Crabgrass
- Spurge
- Dallisgrass
Fungicide Treatment
During the summer months, many lawns in Georgia may experience fungus in the lawn. Due to the hot and humid climate, it creates perfect weather conditions for fungus to grow throughout the lawn. The optimal temperature for fungus to grow is when nightly temperatures reach above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Fugus will damage your grass as well as shrubs and other plants. Having a healthy lawn is the best way to prevent fungi from inhabiting your lawn. If your lawn already has fungus, it's recommended to apply a fungicide treatment for the most effective results. Fungicide treatments get rid of the fungus by killing the micros from the grass blade down to the root systems and allowing for the grass to begin to recover.
How Does Fungus Affect Your Lawn?
The most common effect fungus can have on the lawn is discoloration, typically it can turn the grass brown. Fungus will also thin the grass and in some cases kill or cause permanent damage to your lawn.
What To Do After Treating A Lawn Fungus?
A fungicide treatment will kill the bacteria in the lawn and stop the fungus from spreading. However, a fungicide treatment is not a catch-all solution. Fungus does cause damage to the lawn making the grass discolored, thin, and weak. After getting rid of any fungus, the grass may need some more help to fully recover. To help the damaged areas recover after treatment one of the most important things you can do is water the lawn regularly. Preferably these areas should be watered in the mornings for 30 minutes a setting 3-4 times a week. Overall the lawn should have an inch of water a week. It's also important that during this period you give your lawn time to grow back.
Treating weeds and fungus is no easy task. The more you maintain these issues, the easier it will be to treat them. At Total Lawn Care we have formulated a 9-step service with high-quality kid and pet-friendly formulas for a more efficient and safe way to take care of fertilization and weed control. Each step is created to maintain weed-free lawns year-round and fertilize to promote healthy grass. If you're around the Winder Georgia area and have weeds or think you may have a fungus in the lawn, give us a call!
Insect Control
July and August are prime time for bugs. Insects are cold-blooded creatures and can regulate their body temperature in the heat. Insects reach their full strength once temperatures are around 70 degrees, however, once temperatures reach above or well above 70 degrees, they can begin to reproduce at a much higher rate causing infestations.
Damaging Outdoor Insects To Look Out For This Month:
Armyworms - These insects usually come out during late summer to early fall. These worm-like larvae stay true to their name as they travel side by side while eating and destroying the lawn. Armyworms eventually become months, however, they will very quickly damage the lawn by eating the grass while in their larva stage. These insects are ones you will want to get rid of as soon as you notice them.
Bettles- Bettles can come in various varieties however most of them act the same. After living in their grub phase, they turn into beetles and emerge out of the lawn during early summer or late June. However, these insects are the most active during late summer or throughout August. Bettles are found in either the lawn or shrubs and cause a lot of damage. You'll want to get rid of these insects before they can cause too much damage or lay eggs.
Aphids- These bugs typically show up during mid-summer throughout fall. Aphids love nitrogen which causes them to be attracted to many plants in your lawn. They cause damage by sucking out nutrients and weaken the plant. While aphids can be in the lawn, they are more commonly found under the leaves of your shrubs and other plants.
If you're dealing with pesky insects in the lawn and live around the Winder Georgia area, give us a call and have local professionals take care of the insects for you.
Weekly Mowing
From June through August, it is recommended to mow all grass types once a week while the lawn is in its optimal growth period.
How Should My Lawn Be Mowed This Month?
During peak growing season for all grasses, the lawn should be mowed weekly in order to maintain a nice looking and healthy lawn. At this time most grass types should be cut to 2-3 inches.
What Are The Benefits Of Cutting My Grass Once A Week In The Summer?
Some people may not know, but warm-season grasses like Bermuda, are only green on the top third of the grass blade. Meaning when you mow it less frequently you may end up with brown sections throughout the lawn. By mowing every week you will be cutting less green grass off your lawn and are able to maintain the grass height easier. Cutting the lawn more frequently will also cause less thatch build-up on the lawn. Cooler season grasses will begin to stress when temperatures reach above 90 degrees. However, with regular mowing the clippings will add nitrogen to the soil and can act like a moderate fertilizer. Mowing weekly helps stimulate better growth in fescue grass.
Trimming Shrubs
Shrubs are not only in your beddings to fill up space. Shrubs add structure and beauty to the landscape. However, it can be easy to forget about them until they become an issue due to their increased size or lack of appearance. Shrubs require more trimming than one cutback a year. By shaping the shrubs throughout the year and especially during optimal growing seasons, they will keep a structured appearance and maintain healthy growth.
How Should My Shrubs Be Cared For This Month?
Shrubs and bushes are perennial woody plants. They are commonly used to decorate landscapes due to their long life span of 10-15 years and require minimal maintenance. Depending on your shrubs it may be more beneficial to have them shaped once every other week or once a month.
With so many different types of shrubs, it can be difficult to know how each one needs taken care of. If you live around the Winder Georgia area, give us a call and have local professionals take care of your shrubs so you don't have to worry about it.
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