The weather is starting to cool down and fall is rolling in. So, let's review a few things to remember this month when maintaining your lawn.
Treating The Lawn
Treating the lawn for weeds, fungus, and insects is the best way to keep your lawn healthy and looking pristine. Let's go over a few things to prioritize during this upcoming month.
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 overtaking the lawn. Fertilizing the lawn will help grow full and stronger grass.
How Should My Weeds Be Treated This Month?
Treating Warm Season Grasses Throughout September: 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.
The next treatment should include a winter fertilizer. This fertilizer will help your lawn survive durring the winter month and help the grass grow better for the spring. After a hard freeze, it may cause the grass to come out of dormancy later than expected. However, a winter fertilizer will help with this issue.
What weeds grow during this time in Georgia?
Annual Bluegrasses: Annual Bluegrasses such as poa are spread by seed by wind or birds and germinate when the temperature reaches around or below 70 degrees. These weeds thrive in compacted soil, areas that receive too much water, or in other damaged areas of the lawn. Blue grasses commonly grow in bare spots and walkways.
Poison Ivy: Poison Ivy is a poisonous plant that spreads by seed typically by wind or animals such as birds. This weed spreads quickly due to its horizontal root system and commonly grows as a vine. This plant thrives in rich soil that's well shaded and holds moisture. This is why we commonly see poison ivy in wooded areas. This plant typically should be treated with a stronger chemical like round-up rather than a post-emergent.
Nutgrass: This plant thrives in lawns that have poor drainage and holds a lot of moisture. This weed produces a seed head at the top of the plant that drops its seeds when mowed over and continues this plant to grow in the lawn throughout the season. This is one of the reasons why it's important to treat these weeds rather than mowing them over and even pulling them by hand.
Henbit: While Henbit does belong to the mint family, it is still considered a weedy plant with invasive characteristics. Not to mention they give an undesirable look in the lawn. This plant is easy to identify due to the purple flower that grows at the top of the plant. This plant grows from fall through the winter.
If you're dealing with tricky weeds in the lawn and live around the Winder Georgia area, give us a call and have local professionals take care of the weeds and fertilize the lawn for you.
Insect Control
Late summer is prime time for bugs however, there are some major damaging insects that stay active through early fall. When temperatures reach above or well above 70 degrees, insects begin to reproduce at a much higher rate causing infestations. After the heat of the summer when temperatures cool down to around 70 degrees, insects reach their full strength.
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. They eat the grass blade from the top down causing the grass to become brown and thin. These insects are ones you will want to get rid of as soon as you notice them. Signs of armyworms in the lawn include browning of the lawn and or white months in the lawn.
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.
Bi-Weekly Mowing
How Should My Lawn Be Mowed This Month?
During the early fall, all grasses should be mowed bi-weekly to maintain a nice-looking and healthy lawn. At this time most grass types should be cut 2 1/2 - 3 inches.
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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