Summer time!

Here are some interesting tidbits about lawn care, landscape maintenance and irrigation for the summer months:

Turf Care

Often times we find ourselves trying to managing weeds and fungal disease this time of year.

Weeds

From crabgrass to nutsedge to lespedeza to dandelions, many of our weed control issues can be reduced with good mowing and maintenance practices.  Mow tall. Sharpen those mower blades. Water when needed to keep your turf dense and healthy. Anything you can do to reduce stress on your turf will help to also reduce pressure from undesirable plants popping up where you don’t want them. Spot spray for weeds when appropriate and necessary. 

Fungus

Brown Patch is our leading fungal disease for cool season turf in our area and nearly every lawn in town has it at some level every season. Once overnight temperatures stay above 60-65 degrees, this soil-borne fungus begins to feed on susceptible turf species. Again, maintaining the overall health of your lawn will help it survive.

Ornamental Landscape Plants

There are so many things are going on over the summer in our landscapes. A lot of the tree and shrub disease and insect damage that began in the late spring are showing their symptoms over the summer. Cedar Apple Rust, Fireblight, spider mites, bagworms, anthracnose, etc. all start in the spring, but damage shows up or is exaggerated by temperatures during the summer months. Some can be managed now, but others would need planned to head-off next spring. 

Japanese Beetles

They are still feeding. Populations vary year to year, but they still show up every summer in droves and feed on around 400 different plant species! 

Water When Needed

All of that plus heat and drought stress, too. What the heck?! Even those 80-foot-tall oak trees need a drink every now and again. Getting to know your plants and their water needs is always a good idea. Keep in mind that too much water can have the same effect as no water at all.

Irrigation Systems 

If you’re fortunate enough to have one, keeping it in good, effective working order can be a challenge

System Checks

The process of running through each of your sprinkler zones to make sure all of the irrigation heads are functioning properly and you’re covering all areas of the lawn and landscape appropriately.

Seasonal Adjust

Most newer irrigation controllers have the ability to adjust the time of operation simply by increasing or decreasing the percent of time on the schedule (0% = won’t run at all. 150% = the controller will add 50% more time to the watering cycles).

Wi-Fi Controllers

Like most everything else, if you want to control your irrigation system from your phone, you can! Pretty cool stuff out there now to help you manage your water usage.

Summer can be brutal, but all in all, we love what we do, even with the challenges we face during a Mid-Missouri summer. We hope that your lawn and landscape survive the season!