Spring Has Sprung Again!!

Greetings!

Well we have had a lot of wet weather lately, but the Sun is on it's way.  Which brings up a question on watering??  

Since the response is complicated and an integral part of our lawn care programs and the control of the "off type" weed grasses that can be a problem we thought an e-mail bulletin would be helpful. The normal "chosen variety" of turf grasses in our area are Perennial Ryegrasses or Fescues. Both of these cultivars are capable of going weeks without water and will be just fine. The "off type" grasses like Poa Annua (Annual bluegrass, has white seedheads right now), Poa Triviallis (Rough bluegrass, no seedheads but grows taller than other grasses) and Native Creeping Bentgrass (low growing, circular patches that are lighter color green) are all shallow rooted and need moisture almost daily to stay green and healthy. Because of this fact, it is a good agronomic practice to NOT water your lawn until we have an extended period of dry weather (two weeks or longer). The chosen variety will do fine and the "off type" varieties will struggle and hopefully die off making room for the "good grass" to fill in.

When watering is required it is also suggested that you water heavily but infrequently. This means one time per week in the early spring and then two waterings a week in the summer.

The weed control product that we use, while controlling broadleaf weeds and clover is also damaging to the "off type" grasses and has no effect on the perennial ryegrasses or fescues. To put it in common terms, it is competition between the "good grass" and the "off type" grass. We need to do all we can for the best possible growing conditions for our chosen varieties. There is no "silver bullet" product that can be applied to your lawn and only eliminate the "off type" grasses leaving the "good grass".  The best control method for "off type" grasses is the use of proper watering, mowing and the use of our Weed Grass Control Program for annual grasses.

Leisa Aden

The Grass Authority