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[gentle music]

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- Bruce Spangenberg:
Okay, good morning.

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I'm Bruce Spangenberg.

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I'm a Horticulture Outreach
Specialist with UW Extension

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in the horticulture department.

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And today's program is
"Wisconsin Lawn Calendar."

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You should have a handout.

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That basically identical handout
is on our website.

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That's in our fact sheet
I put together last summer.

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So, we have the electronic
version.

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You also have the paper version,
and basically...

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the premise of that fact sheet,

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we're dealing
with cool season grasses,

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which, you know,
Kentucky bluegrass,

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fine fescues,
perennial ryegrass,

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those are the dominant
lawn grasses here in Wisconsin.

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And the idea
behind the calendar idea

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is to make sure you
properly time the practices

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'cause of what can happen.

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You know, I also emphasize
minimal use of chemicals.

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If you time things
at the right time,

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different practices
that I'll talk about,

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it maximizes the benefit
for the turf.

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It also minimizes the chances
of problems.

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So, you're much less likely

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to have to deal with weeds
or disease

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or something else that's
gonna be an additional chore.

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It's also possible chemical use,
that type of thing.

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And also keep in mind,

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and I'll emphasize
as I go along,

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not every lawn-- You're not
gonna do all these practices

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on your lawn in one year,

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and your lawn may not need
any of these practices,

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certain ones that I talk about.

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So, you need to match
the practices

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to the needs of your lawn.

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And I'll elaborate on that
a little bit as we go along.

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So, a couple of disclaimers
I mentioned,

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there's a number of things
that I'll talk about.

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I'm not suggesting you're
gonna do all these things

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on one lawn in one season,
depending on what they are,

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and there are some
natural conflicts that occur.

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And again, I'll touch on this
as I go along.

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Primarily, if you're dealing
with any kind of new seeding

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combined with an
established turf,

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'cause that creates a conflict
if you're using a herbicide,

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'cause most of the herbicides

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cannot be used
on newly established turf,

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or they may damage seedlings
that are germinating.

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And things like fertilizer rates
are going to differ.

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Typically, they're gonna be
much less

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on a newly seeded turf
versus the established turf,

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and even your watering schedules
a little bit different,

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'cause you gotta take
into account

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that young seedling
versus established plant.

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They have different needs.

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And, of course,
we have the weather.

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Not much we can do about that,
but you know,

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we suggest the optimum time
to seed might be,

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you know,
the first week of September.

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Well, if it's 90 degrees and
it hasn't rained in three weeks,

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it's probably not a good idea.

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You might wanna wait
a little bit.

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So, sometimes you have to make
a few adjustments

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based on those unusual extremes,

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either hot or cold, wet or dry,
that type of thing.

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So, we're gonna start out
with spring.

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And spring is a key time
for our cool-season grasses

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for their growth
and development.

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And you basically set the stage
for the season as you go along.

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A lot of things
that you do in the spring

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are gonna impact
that turf right away,

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and they'll carry on throughout
the summer, even into the fall.

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And basically, what you want
to keep in mind with spring,

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especially once the snow melts
and the warm weather comes in,

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hurry up and wait,
okay?

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You don't wanna get out
there too soon

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and start fertilizing,
that type of thing.

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And again,
I'll talk about some of this.

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You really want to gauge

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how quickly you do things
in the spring

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on how your lawn's responding
to the weather

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and where you are in the state.

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Obviously, here in
the southern part of the state

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versus the north,

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you're gonna see
some differences,

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and I'll touch on that.

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So, our spring calendar,
there's quite a bit on here.

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And again, it depends on
some of your needs,

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but cleaning up debris is
typically gonna be the start.

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You know,
how did the winter go?

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You can rake up dead grass
and debris that's accumulated.

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And typically, your lawn looks
kind of like the picture here.

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It's spotty.

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You know, I've got some areas

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that might be six inches high
and dark green.

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Another area like you see here
that might be totally bare.

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That might be a problem
with ice over the winter.

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It could be snow mold,
some other things.

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It may just be an area
that's slower to respond.

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So, give it some time.

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You can do some raking.

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If you're raking here
in the spring

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and you're pulling up debris
with a hand rake,

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that is not thatch.

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I'll touch on thatch
in a little bit.

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A true thatch layer is
much denser than that,

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but basically get the debris up
and then start in with mowing.

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We'll talk about mowing.

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We'll talk about
crabgrass control.

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Obviously, that was
a huge problem last year

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here in Wisconsin.

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We'll talk about fertilizing
and also core aerating.

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Those are really the things
to emphasize in the spring.

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I've also listed
establishment, overseeding,

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broadleaf weed control.

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But you notice
they're not highlighted.

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They're kind of down
at the bottom.

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That's not the best time
to do those.

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You're really better off those
to be an early fall activity

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rather than a spring activity.

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But occasionally, you know,
if you have bare soil,

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you just moved in,
you got bare soil,

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you don't wanna wait 'til
late September or late August,

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early September
to seed your lawn.

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You're gonna do it
in the spring.

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But you may have some drawbacks.

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So, we try to emphasize,
you know, the optimum time.

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So, one of the things
I'm gonna touch on

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right up front is mowing.

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We kind of take it for granted.

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But mowing has a huge impact
on your lawn.

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And again, that will carry
through throughout the season.

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It has a huge influence
on problems,

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especially weed problems.

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So, the lawn in this picture
is simply mowed too short.

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Weeds are starting to encroach.

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That's one
of the simplest adjustments

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you can make that has
a huge payback,

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a huge positive impact
on your lawn.

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Simply raise your mowing height.

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So, if we look
at mowing guidelines.

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Really three things
to keep in mind.

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The three questions
are always

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how often do I mow,
what mowing height,

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and what do I do
with the clippings?

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So, the frequency, base that
on how is your grass growing.

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You can't simply say,
you know,

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every Saturday morning
I'm gonna mow,

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or every Monday afternoon,
whatever it is.

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You base it on how is
that grass growing.

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We have what we call
the rule of one third,

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which simply says,

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don't remove more than one third
every time you mow.

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So, in the spring,
when it's cool and it's raining,

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you might have to mow
every five days to keep up.

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In the summer,
when things dry out,

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you might have to mow
every three weeks

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'cause the grass
simply isn't growing.

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So, base it on how that grass

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is responding
to its environment.

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And then, your mowing height,

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one suggestion is
if you have a rotary mower,

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just set it as high as it goes.

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That's gonna be
probably three and a half,

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might even be four inches,

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but try to get at least
into that three-inch range

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and you'll see
a huge difference.

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The lawn will look better.

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It'll have deeper roots.

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It'll tolerate
hot weather better,

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tolerate dry conditions better,

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and you'll have
fewer weed problems.

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So, again, that's a simple
adjustment you can make.

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Kentucky bluegrass is
our dominant lawn grass.

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The fine fescues are
our dominant lawn grasses.

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They prefer to be mowed higher.

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Don't mow 'em
at an inch and a half.

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They're gonna struggle.

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They're gonna be stressed.

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And then, the clipping issue,
return your clippings.

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Assuming you're following
that rule of one third,

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those clippings are
pretty high in moisture.

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They're gonna decompose
pretty quickly

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and they're gonna recycle
nitrogen.

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I'm gonna talk about nitrogen
here in a minute.

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Putting your program
together for the year.

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You can basically get
the equivalent

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of one fertilizer application

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simply by returning
your clippings all season long.

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You're recycling that nitrogen
back into the turf.

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Now, crabgrass is always
another concern in the spring.

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And again, last year was
a banner year,

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unfortunately, for crabgrass
here in Wisconsin,

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especially in
the southern part of the state.

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But the thing to remember with
crabgrass, it's an annual weed.

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So, every crabgrass plant
you saw last year

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in your lawn is dead.

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It died last fall.

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It has to come back by seed
this spring.

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And it's a warm-season annual,
meaning it likes warm weather.

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So, it's gonna take
quite a while

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for crabgrass to germinate.

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You know, the first warm day
in the spring,

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crabgrass is
not germinating in your lawn.

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And sometimes, people
get concerned.

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You know, "I've got to put
that crabgrass preventer out

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because it got 60 degrees
today."

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You got a long ways to go.

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The soil temperatures
need to get up about 60 degrees

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and stay there
for several consecutive days.

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So, soil temperature
versus air temperature

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takes a lot longer to warm up
that soil in the spring.

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And then, where crabgrass
is gonna typically thrive.

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It likes full sun and it likes
a thinner open turf.

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It likes to have sunlight
hitting the soil.

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That gives its upper hand
as far as germinating

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and getting established.

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So, if you see something
like this,

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like we saw a lot of last year,

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all these light green grasses
are crabgrass plants.

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Unfortunately,
that's in also in a lawn

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that's been mowed
excessively short.

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So, that's, you know,

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basically why that
crabgrass is flourishing

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because a lot of light
is hitting the soil.

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So, our management program,
if we start out for crabgrass,

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if we start out
with the cultural side,

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by far the biggest impact
is raise your mowing height.

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That's the number one
thing you can do

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whether you do anything else
at all.

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For crabgrass management,
raise your mowing height.

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You'll see a big difference.

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Avoid cultivation
in the summer.

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So, if you're gonna do
some overseeding,

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if you're gonna do
some dethatching,

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those kinds of things,

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ideally you're gonna do that
in the cool weather

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when the lawn responds quickly.

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If you do those kind of things
in late June,

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early July,

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the cool season grasses
are very slow to recover.

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Crabgrass is thriving,
so it's very likely to invade.

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And then, sound
for irrigation and fertilizing,

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and I'll talk about fertilizing
here in just a second.

246
00:09:32,739 --> 00:09:36,109
Fertilizing has a huge impact
on weed control

247
00:09:36,176 --> 00:09:38,345
because basically
all our lawn grasses,

248
00:09:38,412 --> 00:09:42,549
especially Kentucky bluegrass,
needs nitrogen to flourish.

249
00:09:42,616 --> 00:09:45,118
And you give it some nitrogen
within reason.

250
00:09:45,185 --> 00:09:48,255
And we'll talk about rates,
that grass will be thicker.

251
00:09:48,322 --> 00:09:51,391
It will naturally resist
weed invasions.

252
00:09:51,458 --> 00:09:54,194
So, again, that's one
of your defenses against weeds.

253
00:09:54,261 --> 00:09:56,663
Fertilize your lawn,
mow it higher.

254
00:09:56,730 --> 00:09:58,165
Now, if you have a situation

255
00:09:58,232 --> 00:10:01,502
where you had a tremendous
amount of crabgrass in the past

256
00:10:01,568 --> 00:10:04,238
and you're working on trying
to get your lawn thicker,

257
00:10:04,304 --> 00:10:05,639
you may need to come in with

258
00:10:05,706 --> 00:10:07,674
a preemergent herbicide
this spring.

259
00:10:07,741 --> 00:10:09,076
And if you go to garden centers,

260
00:10:09,142 --> 00:10:10,944
they have a lot of these
available.

261
00:10:11,011 --> 00:10:14,147
If they have the do-it-yourself
three or four-step program,

262
00:10:14,214 --> 00:10:17,451
they always include a
preemergent crabgrass control.

263
00:10:17,518 --> 00:10:19,253
If you're hiring lawn care,

264
00:10:19,319 --> 00:10:21,188
you're pretty much guaranteed
the lawn care service

265
00:10:21,255 --> 00:10:24,024
is also gonna put
a preemergent down.

266
00:10:24,091 --> 00:10:26,193
Now, the way a preemergent
herbicide works is

267
00:10:26,260 --> 00:10:29,930
it actually kills the root
of the crabgrass plant

268
00:10:29,997 --> 00:10:31,398
as it comes out of the seed.

269
00:10:31,465 --> 00:10:34,468
It doesn't sterilize the soil.

270
00:10:34,535 --> 00:10:38,172
But it has to be down
on the soil before that

271
00:10:38,238 --> 00:10:41,742
crabgrass seed germinates,
so you can't wait and see.

272
00:10:41,808 --> 00:10:44,811
Crabgrass starts to germinate
and then put the herbicide down.

273
00:10:44,878 --> 00:10:47,848
You missed it on the timing, so.

274
00:10:47,915 --> 00:10:50,484
Does your lawn need
a preemergent herbicide?

275
00:10:50,551 --> 00:10:52,519
It just really depends on
the history.

276
00:10:52,586 --> 00:10:55,789
But again, if you focus
on the cultural practices,

277
00:10:55,856 --> 00:10:58,492
you can get away from having
to use the herbicide.

278
00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:00,294
On the other hand,
like I said, last year,

279
00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:01,495
if you had a tremendous amount,

280
00:11:01,562 --> 00:11:03,497
you know there's a lot
of seed there this year,

281
00:11:03,564 --> 00:11:04,831
you might wanna use
a preemergent,

282
00:11:04,898 --> 00:11:06,834
work on the other
cultural practices.

283
00:11:06,900 --> 00:11:08,068
So, hopefully next year then

284
00:11:08,135 --> 00:11:09,837
you won't need to use
the preemergent.

285
00:11:09,903 --> 00:11:13,006
You can cut down
on the chemical use.

286
00:11:13,073 --> 00:11:15,576
Most likely, you're gonna find
it combined with fertilizer.

287
00:11:15,642 --> 00:11:17,578
I'll talk about fertilizing
here next.

288
00:11:17,644 --> 00:11:21,448
And I put the forsythia bloom
on the slide there.

289
00:11:21,515 --> 00:11:24,751
You also see a picture of
forsythia on your handout.

290
00:11:24,818 --> 00:11:26,153
There's that connection.

291
00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:28,755
And again, this is all based
on temperature in the spring.

292
00:11:28,822 --> 00:11:32,159
But when forsythia are blooming,
that's an idea of now

293
00:11:32,226 --> 00:11:34,728
you might want to think
about putting preemergent down.

294
00:11:34,795 --> 00:11:36,830
Typically, crabgrass
is gonna germinate

295
00:11:36,897 --> 00:11:38,966
<i>after</i> forsythia blooms.

296
00:11:39,032 --> 00:11:44,204
So, really a better signal would
be the blossoms are starting

297
00:11:44,271 --> 00:11:46,039
to drop on the forsythia.

298
00:11:46,106 --> 00:11:49,376
That's about the time you wanna
put your preemergent down.

299
00:11:49,443 --> 00:11:51,578
So, that's just a clue.

300
00:11:52,246 --> 00:11:54,248
Now, there are postemergent
herbicides available.

301
00:11:54,314 --> 00:11:56,450
And what the difference is,
a postemergent

302
00:11:56,517 --> 00:11:59,119
means the crabgrass plant
already is up.

303
00:11:59,186 --> 00:12:01,188
You spray it on the plant
and you kill it

304
00:12:01,255 --> 00:12:03,223
if the herbicide worked
properly.

305
00:12:03,290 --> 00:12:07,327
Most of those work best when the
crabgrass plant is very small.

306
00:12:07,394 --> 00:12:09,463
If the plant's already
gone to seed,

307
00:12:09,530 --> 00:12:11,932
established plants like you see
here in the picture,

308
00:12:11,999 --> 00:12:13,634
at that point,
it's really questionable

309
00:12:13,700 --> 00:12:15,736
whether you need to use
that herbicide.

310
00:12:15,802 --> 00:12:17,337
Probably won't work real well.

311
00:12:17,404 --> 00:12:19,339
And the other thing is,
a few weeks later,

312
00:12:19,406 --> 00:12:21,775
as you get toward the end
of summer, first part of fall,

313
00:12:21,842 --> 00:12:24,478
that crabgrass plant is gonna
die on its own anyways.

314
00:12:24,545 --> 00:12:26,947
So, if crabgrass gets away
from you one year

315
00:12:27,014 --> 00:12:30,717
and your lawn is just infested,
remember, they all die.

316
00:12:30,784 --> 00:12:31,952
They're gonna die
in the fall.

317
00:12:32,019 --> 00:12:33,153
You start over next year.

318
00:12:33,220 --> 00:12:35,489
So, just, you might
have to tolerate it there

319
00:12:35,556 --> 00:12:38,492
for a few weeks and then move on
rather than messing around

320
00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:41,094
trying
to apply another herbicide.

321
00:12:41,161 --> 00:12:42,462
That's really not necessary.

322
00:12:42,529 --> 00:12:46,667
And again, you're using
more chemical than you need to.

323
00:12:46,733 --> 00:12:49,069
Okay, so fertilization.

324
00:12:49,469 --> 00:12:52,372
The goal is the lawn
on the left.

325
00:12:52,773 --> 00:12:54,942
Your worry is
you're gonna do something,

326
00:12:55,008 --> 00:12:56,543
end up with the lawn
on the right

327
00:12:56,610 --> 00:12:58,879
where you've got
some problems there.

328
00:12:58,946 --> 00:13:02,883
So, basically,
when we deal with fertilizing,

329
00:13:02,950 --> 00:13:06,386
don't be afraid
to fertilize your lawn.

330
00:13:06,453 --> 00:13:07,788
Do it in moderation.

331
00:13:07,855 --> 00:13:09,990
We'll talk about rates and
how to choose a good fertilizer

332
00:13:10,057 --> 00:13:11,425
and when to put it down.

333
00:13:11,491 --> 00:13:14,361
What happened on that lawn
on the right-hand side,

334
00:13:14,428 --> 00:13:15,729
there's some miscommunication

335
00:13:15,796 --> 00:13:17,664
with the lawn care service
and a homeowner.

336
00:13:17,731 --> 00:13:20,400
So, a fertilizer was applied.

337
00:13:20,467 --> 00:13:22,903
The weather was cold,
nothing much happened.

338
00:13:22,970 --> 00:13:25,405
The homeowner insisted
the lawn care company come back

339
00:13:25,472 --> 00:13:27,441
and reapply, which they did.

340
00:13:27,508 --> 00:13:29,309
Still stayed cold,
nothing happened.

341
00:13:29,376 --> 00:13:31,945
The homeowner put
a third application on.

342
00:13:32,012 --> 00:13:33,580
Then the weather got warm
and it rained,

343
00:13:33,647 --> 00:13:34,781
and you can see what happened.

344
00:13:34,848 --> 00:13:37,150
So, be careful in the spring,
anytime,

345
00:13:37,217 --> 00:13:39,353
but especially in the spring.

346
00:13:39,419 --> 00:13:40,954
Just wait for the weather.

347
00:13:41,021 --> 00:13:45,959
Wait for your lawn to start
to grow before you fertilize it.

348
00:13:46,026 --> 00:13:47,694
So, when we talk about
fertilizing

349
00:13:47,761 --> 00:13:49,363
and "How do I fertilize
my lawn,"

350
00:13:49,429 --> 00:13:51,765
is really a three-part question.

351
00:13:51,832 --> 00:13:54,501
You need to pick out
a good fertilizer.

352
00:13:54,568 --> 00:13:57,905
You need to focus on the rate
or how much you put down.

353
00:13:57,971 --> 00:13:59,740
And then, when do I put it down?

354
00:13:59,806 --> 00:14:01,008
That's really your question.

355
00:14:01,074 --> 00:14:03,777
So, as far as types
of fertilizers,

356
00:14:03,844 --> 00:14:05,045
we have two categories.

357
00:14:05,112 --> 00:14:07,281
And I'll show you
some examples here in a second.

358
00:14:07,347 --> 00:14:10,083
But we have what we call fast
or controlled release,

359
00:14:10,150 --> 00:14:13,987
which essentially, when you deal
with a fertilizer of any type,

360
00:14:14,054 --> 00:14:15,789
when you first take it
out of the bag

361
00:14:15,856 --> 00:14:17,491
and put it down on the soil,

362
00:14:17,558 --> 00:14:19,960
it's not instantly available
to the lawn.

363
00:14:20,027 --> 00:14:22,162
It needs to go through some kind
of conversion

364
00:14:22,229 --> 00:14:24,364
to what we call nitrate,
a form of nitrogen.

365
00:14:24,431 --> 00:14:26,200
That's what the grass takes in.

366
00:14:26,266 --> 00:14:29,102
So, a fast release does that
very quickly,

367
00:14:29,169 --> 00:14:30,771
which is good in one sense.

368
00:14:30,838 --> 00:14:32,339
The lawn gets the nitrogen.

369
00:14:32,406 --> 00:14:34,908
But the downside is
you can cause overgrowth.

370
00:14:34,975 --> 00:14:37,377
You can burn the grass,
those kinds of things.

371
00:14:37,444 --> 00:14:41,515
Controlled release has
some mechanism to delay

372
00:14:41,582 --> 00:14:44,518
and slowly make that nitrogen
available to the grass

373
00:14:44,585 --> 00:14:46,353
over a longer period of time.

374
00:14:46,420 --> 00:14:48,822
So, typically, that's what
we suggest for turf,

375
00:14:48,889 --> 00:14:51,592
is to give that small amount
over a long time

376
00:14:51,658 --> 00:14:55,929
rather than all at once
with a lot of nitrogen.

377
00:14:55,996 --> 00:14:58,298
We talk about rates,
how much to apply.

378
00:14:58,365 --> 00:15:00,834
As I mentioned,
clippings recycle some nitrogen.

379
00:15:00,901 --> 00:15:02,569
So, automatically,
if you're returning

380
00:15:02,636 --> 00:15:04,271
your clippings all season long,

381
00:15:04,338 --> 00:15:06,740
you are putting down
a fertilizer application

382
00:15:06,807 --> 00:15:09,510
that's spread out
over several weeks.

383
00:15:09,576 --> 00:15:11,111
Keep in mind
that lawn in the shade

384
00:15:11,178 --> 00:15:14,948
requires <i>less</i> nitrogen
than a lawn in the sun,

385
00:15:15,015 --> 00:15:17,217
and sometimes
people do the opposite.

386
00:15:17,284 --> 00:15:21,154
A lot of our turfgrasses aren't
real well-suited for shade.

387
00:15:21,221 --> 00:15:22,489
They struggle.

388
00:15:22,556 --> 00:15:24,691
So, then people decide,
"Well, it's not doing too well.

389
00:15:24,758 --> 00:15:26,326
Let's give it another shot
of nitrogen."

390
00:15:26,393 --> 00:15:28,061
That's actually the worst thing
to do.

391
00:15:28,128 --> 00:15:29,830
Turf in the shade
simply doesn't need

392
00:15:29,897 --> 00:15:32,132
as much nitrogen as in the sun.

393
00:15:32,199 --> 00:15:33,333
And then our timing,

394
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,335
we focus mostly
on spring and fall.

395
00:15:35,402 --> 00:15:36,603
Avoid the hot weather months.

396
00:15:36,670 --> 00:15:41,408
Again, we're dealing
with cool season turfgrasses.

397
00:15:41,475 --> 00:15:43,844
So, I mentioned fast
and controlled release.

398
00:15:43,911 --> 00:15:45,913
Here's some examples

399
00:15:46,246 --> 00:15:48,448
of fast release
and controlled release.

400
00:15:48,515 --> 00:15:53,387
Now, if you buy a fertilizer
and you look at the package,

401
00:15:53,453 --> 00:15:55,222
the bag, the box,
whatever it comes in,

402
00:15:55,289 --> 00:15:57,524
typically it's a bag
with lawn fertilizers,

403
00:15:57,591 --> 00:16:00,127
you'll have what we call
a guaranteed analysis section

404
00:16:00,194 --> 00:16:01,495
on the label,

405
00:16:01,562 --> 00:16:05,098
and it will list all
these different nitrogen sources

406
00:16:05,165 --> 00:16:07,734
that are used to make
that product.

407
00:16:07,801 --> 00:16:10,971
So, you may see a combination
of fast and slow release

408
00:16:11,038 --> 00:16:12,372
or controlled release,

409
00:16:12,439 --> 00:16:14,341
but you want to focus
on having more

410
00:16:14,408 --> 00:16:16,176
of the controlled release
in there.

411
00:16:16,243 --> 00:16:17,878
Typically, there's a little bit
of fast release

412
00:16:17,945 --> 00:16:20,080
just so you get some green up.

413
00:16:20,147 --> 00:16:22,349
Like, just like when
you hire a lawn care company,

414
00:16:22,416 --> 00:16:25,485
and they may use a quality
controlled-release fertilizer,

415
00:16:25,552 --> 00:16:27,788
but they're also gonna add
a little bit of fast release

416
00:16:27,855 --> 00:16:30,357
because you pay them
to fertilize your lawn.

417
00:16:30,424 --> 00:16:31,859
You wanna see some results.

418
00:16:31,925 --> 00:16:33,827
You know, if they say,
"Well, wait two weeks,"

419
00:16:33,894 --> 00:16:35,495
you're thinking,
"Well, what happened?"

420
00:16:35,562 --> 00:16:37,431
A little bit
of extra fast release there

421
00:16:37,497 --> 00:16:40,234
will get some quick green up,
not excessive.

422
00:16:40,300 --> 00:16:42,870
And then the controlled release
kicks in later.

423
00:16:42,936 --> 00:16:45,606
So fast-release sources have
been around for quite a while.

424
00:16:45,672 --> 00:16:48,442
Urea, ammonium nitrate,
ammonium sulfate

425
00:16:48,509 --> 00:16:50,177
are the three most common.

426
00:16:50,244 --> 00:16:54,515
Urea is probably <i>the</i>
most commonly used on lawns.

427
00:16:54,581 --> 00:16:58,318
They have a very high analysis,
very high percent nitrogen.

428
00:16:58,385 --> 00:17:01,121
They also have a very high
what we call a "salt index,"

429
00:17:01,188 --> 00:17:04,491
which is what burns plants,
burns root systems.

430
00:17:04,558 --> 00:17:06,159
So, that's a major drawback.

431
00:17:06,226 --> 00:17:08,595
So, if you're gonna use
a fast-release source,

432
00:17:08,662 --> 00:17:10,797
you do it in moderation.

433
00:17:10,864 --> 00:17:13,967
Controlled release,
lots of examples here.

434
00:17:14,034 --> 00:17:17,070
Ureaform, it's been around
for a long time.

435
00:17:17,137 --> 00:17:18,939
Sulfur-coated urea,
and there's a lot of these

436
00:17:19,006 --> 00:17:20,941
polymer-coated ureas now,

437
00:17:21,008 --> 00:17:22,442
basically have
a coating on them

438
00:17:22,509 --> 00:17:24,478
that slowly breaks down

439
00:17:24,545 --> 00:17:27,748
and allows the nitrogen
to be released to the grass.

440
00:17:27,814 --> 00:17:31,718
IBDU has been used a lot
on golf courses.

441
00:17:31,785 --> 00:17:33,620
It's abbreviated
for obvious reasons

442
00:17:33,687 --> 00:17:35,422
to try to spell that
and pronounce it.

443
00:17:35,489 --> 00:17:39,760
But isobutylidenediurea
is a compound basically.

444
00:17:39,826 --> 00:17:41,595
Activated sewage sludge
or Milorganite

445
00:17:41,662 --> 00:17:43,397
is another one
that's been around a long time.

446
00:17:43,463 --> 00:17:45,699
It's a quality
slow-release product,

447
00:17:45,766 --> 00:17:47,301
does not have the contaminants

448
00:17:47,367 --> 00:17:49,670
that it once had
from industrial waste

449
00:17:49,736 --> 00:17:51,405
that might have been in there.

450
00:17:51,471 --> 00:17:53,307
And then most
of the organic fertilizers

451
00:17:53,373 --> 00:17:55,676
are gonna be slow release
or controlled release.

452
00:17:55,742 --> 00:17:58,545
And one of the ways
you can determine that,

453
00:17:58,612 --> 00:18:00,047
when you look at
the guaranteed analysis,

454
00:18:00,113 --> 00:18:02,449
you may see
that last thing listed there,

455
00:18:02,516 --> 00:18:04,418
water insoluble nitrogen,

456
00:18:04,484 --> 00:18:07,788
or it may say capital W,
capital I, capital N.

457
00:18:07,855 --> 00:18:10,924
That's referring to, again,
a nitrogen that's very stable

458
00:18:10,991 --> 00:18:13,227
and slowly breaks down.

459
00:18:13,727 --> 00:18:15,395
A lot of these
controlled-release sources

460
00:18:15,462 --> 00:18:19,700
rely on bacteria in the soil
to slowly break them down.

461
00:18:19,766 --> 00:18:22,536
Some, it's just a function
of moisture and time.

462
00:18:22,603 --> 00:18:24,037
But they do cost more.

463
00:18:24,104 --> 00:18:25,572
That is a drawback.

464
00:18:25,639 --> 00:18:27,808
But it is money well spent
because again,

465
00:18:27,875 --> 00:18:31,378
they're gonna give that lawn
smaller amounts of nitrogen

466
00:18:31,445 --> 00:18:33,447
over a longer period of time.

467
00:18:33,514 --> 00:18:35,349
And what you don't wanna do
in the spring

468
00:18:35,415 --> 00:18:37,451
is you don't want a big flush
of growth,

469
00:18:37,518 --> 00:18:39,586
'cause a lot of times, you know,
there's competition.

470
00:18:39,653 --> 00:18:42,589
I want the greenest lawn
on my block.

471
00:18:42,656 --> 00:18:44,358
Dark green is
not necessarily better

472
00:18:44,424 --> 00:18:48,128
than medium green,
so again, moderation.

473
00:18:48,195 --> 00:18:50,230
We'll talk about the rate here
in a second.

474
00:18:50,297 --> 00:18:52,466
So, look at fertilizer sources.

475
00:18:52,533 --> 00:18:55,469
Look closely
at what's in that product.

476
00:18:55,536 --> 00:18:59,039
And again, if you lined up
fertilizers based on price,

477
00:18:59,106 --> 00:19:00,674
what you'd probably see
if you went back

478
00:19:00,741 --> 00:19:02,676
and looked at the
guaranteed analysis,

479
00:19:02,743 --> 00:19:04,511
those on the low end of cost

480
00:19:04,578 --> 00:19:06,713
are probably very high
in fast release.

481
00:19:06,780 --> 00:19:08,115
Those on the high end
of cost

482
00:19:08,182 --> 00:19:10,317
are probably very high
in controlled release.

483
00:19:10,384 --> 00:19:12,719
And there's always
some exceptions in there.

484
00:19:12,786 --> 00:19:14,254
But I would emphasize again,

485
00:19:14,321 --> 00:19:16,757
if you're looking at
the health of your lawn,

486
00:19:16,823 --> 00:19:18,158
it's money well spent.

487
00:19:18,225 --> 00:19:19,960
Spend a little bit extra money
in that fertilizer,

488
00:19:20,027 --> 00:19:21,995
you're gonna see
some big dividends

489
00:19:22,062 --> 00:19:25,332
as far as what it will do
and the problems that you avoid.

490
00:19:25,399 --> 00:19:30,003
Like that one lawn you saw
with all the dead grass on it.

491
00:19:30,070 --> 00:19:32,172
So, specifically then
in the spring,

492
00:19:32,239 --> 00:19:34,408
what do we do with
our fertilizer program?

493
00:19:34,474 --> 00:19:37,444
Timing-wise,
the easiest thing to do,

494
00:19:37,511 --> 00:19:41,582
the best recommendation is base
it on what is your lawn doing.

495
00:19:41,648 --> 00:19:44,151
And ideally the best time
to fertilize it

496
00:19:44,218 --> 00:19:46,920
would be after
the second mowing.

497
00:19:46,987 --> 00:19:50,324
Okay, so rather than say,
"Well, I'm gonna fertilize

498
00:19:50,390 --> 00:19:53,060
on May 1 or April 30
or May 15,"

499
00:19:54,228 --> 00:19:56,296
wherever you are in the state,

500
00:19:56,363 --> 00:19:58,065
base it on
how that lawn is growing.

501
00:19:58,131 --> 00:20:01,335
So, some years, that's
gonna be possibly late April.

502
00:20:01,401 --> 00:20:03,203
Other years, it's gonna be
mid May,

503
00:20:03,270 --> 00:20:05,305
just depending on
how the season goes.

504
00:20:05,372 --> 00:20:07,774
But essentially, there's
enough nitrogen around

505
00:20:07,841 --> 00:20:09,943
when lawns break dormancy
in the spring,

506
00:20:10,010 --> 00:20:11,612
they don't need extra.

507
00:20:11,678 --> 00:20:14,681
So, once they kind of-- things
get more uniform on your lawn,

508
00:20:14,748 --> 00:20:16,283
you mowed it a couple of times,

509
00:20:16,350 --> 00:20:18,752
that's usually a good time
to fertilize it.

510
00:20:18,819 --> 00:20:20,821
Now, if you go back
to when I talked about

511
00:20:20,888 --> 00:20:22,923
the preemergent
crabgrass control

512
00:20:22,990 --> 00:20:27,294
combined with fertilizer,
that timing is still good.

513
00:20:27,361 --> 00:20:29,363
You're not gomma have
crabgrass germinating

514
00:20:29,429 --> 00:20:30,564
at your second mowing.

515
00:20:30,631 --> 00:20:32,299
It's gonna be much later
than that.

516
00:20:32,366 --> 00:20:34,334
So, if you're buying
the combined product,

517
00:20:34,401 --> 00:20:35,769
which is typically
how you're gonna find

518
00:20:35,836 --> 00:20:38,238
those preemergent crabgrass
herbicides,

519
00:20:38,305 --> 00:20:40,274
fertilize at the same time.

520
00:20:40,340 --> 00:20:41,975
Do it after the second mowing.

521
00:20:42,042 --> 00:20:44,978
That would be perfect timing
here in the spring.

522
00:20:45,045 --> 00:20:47,080
As I mentioned, use
controlled-release fertilizers.

523
00:20:47,147 --> 00:20:50,551
And then, our rate is gonna be
about one pound of nitrogen

524
00:20:50,617 --> 00:20:52,119
per thousand square feet.

525
00:20:52,186 --> 00:20:55,189
If you look at
most fertilizer products,

526
00:20:55,255 --> 00:20:57,224
they'll have, like,
a setting guide on there.

527
00:20:57,291 --> 00:20:59,226
It'll say, you know,
if you have a Scott's spreader

528
00:20:59,293 --> 00:21:03,597
or a whatever company spreader,
use setting D or whatever it is.

529
00:21:03,664 --> 00:21:05,232
Normally,
that's gonna be calibrated

530
00:21:05,299 --> 00:21:07,301
to be about one pound.

531
00:21:07,768 --> 00:21:10,003
Now, you can do the math.

532
00:21:10,070 --> 00:21:12,005
I hesitate to do math
in front of a group,

533
00:21:12,072 --> 00:21:13,173
especially in the morning,

534
00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:14,575
so, we're not
gonna go through that.

535
00:21:14,641 --> 00:21:15,976
But you can go
through that process.

536
00:21:16,043 --> 00:21:17,144
But most products now,

537
00:21:17,211 --> 00:21:20,080
most companies are buying
into that one-pound rate.

538
00:21:20,147 --> 00:21:21,548
Some of the controlled-release
products

539
00:21:21,615 --> 00:21:23,550
might be slightly higher
than that,

540
00:21:23,617 --> 00:21:25,052
which really is not a big issue.

541
00:21:25,118 --> 00:21:27,454
You know, if it ends up
being a pound and a quarter,

542
00:21:27,521 --> 00:21:28,655
even a pound and a half,

543
00:21:28,722 --> 00:21:30,390
if it's a high quality,
high percent

544
00:21:30,457 --> 00:21:33,794
controlled-release fertilizer,
that's fine.

545
00:21:33,861 --> 00:21:35,996
A pound and a half of urea,
on the other hand,

546
00:21:36,063 --> 00:21:37,264
is not a good thing

547
00:21:37,331 --> 00:21:39,066
because you're fonna get
a huge surge of growth

548
00:21:39,132 --> 00:21:41,268
and you're gonna have
some problems.

549
00:21:41,335 --> 00:21:42,436
What happens in the spring?

550
00:21:42,503 --> 00:21:43,637
You know, I mentioned
the grasses.

551
00:21:43,704 --> 00:21:44,838
That's a good time for them.

552
00:21:44,905 --> 00:21:46,006
They're revitalizing there.

553
00:21:46,073 --> 00:21:47,307
It's an active growth time.

554
00:21:47,374 --> 00:21:49,676
But if you put on too much
nitrogen,

555
00:21:49,743 --> 00:21:52,646
you will get top growth,
dark green grass.

556
00:21:52,713 --> 00:21:54,047
You're mowing it
every three days.

557
00:21:54,114 --> 00:21:56,450
But that's at the expense
of the root system.

558
00:21:56,517 --> 00:21:58,585
And that's gonna haunt you
the rest of the summer.

559
00:21:58,652 --> 00:22:01,889
So, that's why moderation,
use controlled release,

560
00:22:01,955 --> 00:22:05,125
wait for that grass
for that second mowing

561
00:22:05,192 --> 00:22:07,995
to time it right
in the spring.

562
00:22:08,929 --> 00:22:12,032
Now, a couple other things here.

563
00:22:12,099 --> 00:22:14,735
I mention thatch now,
and I have it in that handout.

564
00:22:14,801 --> 00:22:17,204
Talked about core aerating.

565
00:22:17,271 --> 00:22:19,506
I mentioned though,
if you're raking your lawn

566
00:22:19,573 --> 00:22:22,609
first thing in the spring
and debris easily comes up,

567
00:22:22,676 --> 00:22:25,045
that's not a true thatch layer.

568
00:22:25,112 --> 00:22:27,080
True thatch layers like
you see here in the picture,

569
00:22:27,147 --> 00:22:31,084
it's a dense layer of living
and dead material.

570
00:22:31,151 --> 00:22:34,755
And it's really not clippings,
it's root system.

571
00:22:34,821 --> 00:22:36,490
It's stolons and rhizomes.

572
00:22:36,557 --> 00:22:38,926
And Kentucky bluegrass
has rhizomes.

573
00:22:38,992 --> 00:22:40,727
So, you get a lot
of organic material

574
00:22:40,794 --> 00:22:42,996
and a very dense layer
on the surface.

575
00:22:43,063 --> 00:22:44,865
And as it gets thicker,

576
00:22:44,932 --> 00:22:48,268
what happens is most
of your living grass plant roots

577
00:22:48,335 --> 00:22:51,238
are now in thatch
rather than in the soil,

578
00:22:51,305 --> 00:22:53,140
and they're gonna
be stressed much more.

579
00:22:53,207 --> 00:22:57,911
It's a very good environment
for diseases, insects.

580
00:22:57,978 --> 00:22:59,947
It's difficult to fertilize,

581
00:23:00,013 --> 00:23:01,682
difficult even to water
sometimes

582
00:23:01,748 --> 00:23:03,550
when you get a real
dense thatch layer.

583
00:23:03,617 --> 00:23:08,422
So, the most common cause
of thatch is soil related.

584
00:23:09,089 --> 00:23:11,625
And typically
a classic scenario,

585
00:23:11,692 --> 00:23:14,428
and we see a lot of this in
the southern part of the state

586
00:23:14,494 --> 00:23:17,164
in residential areas,
you have a fairly heavy clay,

587
00:23:17,231 --> 00:23:18,765
and that may be part
of the process

588
00:23:18,832 --> 00:23:19,933
when the home was built.

589
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:21,869
A lot of the good topsoil
disappeared

590
00:23:21,935 --> 00:23:23,604
and you're left
with clay subsoil,

591
00:23:23,670 --> 00:23:27,140
or poor clay fill
that was brought in.

592
00:23:28,141 --> 00:23:31,245
That might be compacted,
and you compound it

593
00:23:31,311 --> 00:23:34,214
by overfertilizing
and overwatering.

594
00:23:34,281 --> 00:23:37,484
We see more serious thatch
problems like in this picture

595
00:23:37,551 --> 00:23:40,420
on sodded turf
rather than seeded.

596
00:23:40,487 --> 00:23:42,689
And the reason is when
you put down sod

597
00:23:42,756 --> 00:23:44,992
over a poorly prepared soil,

598
00:23:45,058 --> 00:23:47,294
you brought
in this established plant,

599
00:23:47,361 --> 00:23:49,796
may even have a little bit
of thatch with it,

600
00:23:49,863 --> 00:23:52,199
now you set it down on this clay

601
00:23:52,266 --> 00:23:54,434
and the roots simply
don't go down.

602
00:23:54,501 --> 00:23:56,436
They go lateral or they come up,

603
00:23:56,503 --> 00:23:58,438
and you get this layer
that gets thicker and thicker,

604
00:23:58,505 --> 00:24:01,875
and it gets harder
and harder to manage that turf.

605
00:24:01,942 --> 00:24:03,410
So, when we talk about thatch

606
00:24:03,477 --> 00:24:05,412
and you see
different recommendations,

607
00:24:05,479 --> 00:24:07,915
they'll talk about dethatchers
you can rent

608
00:24:07,981 --> 00:24:09,616
and you can tear the thatch out.

609
00:24:09,683 --> 00:24:12,085
You're not addressing the cause.

610
00:24:12,152 --> 00:24:14,288
That's why we really
suggest core aerating

611
00:24:14,354 --> 00:24:19,560
rather than dethatching
as a better long-term solution.

612
00:24:20,827 --> 00:24:22,963
So, here's an excessive thatch.

613
00:24:23,030 --> 00:24:25,098
This is actually an individual

614
00:24:25,165 --> 00:24:26,867
several years ago
brought me the--

615
00:24:26,934 --> 00:24:29,303
We talked on the phone
and they brought me a sample.

616
00:24:29,369 --> 00:24:31,705
They literally brought me
a box of their front lawn.

617
00:24:31,772 --> 00:24:33,807
They lifted it
right off the soil

618
00:24:33,874 --> 00:24:36,043
thinking they had
a grub problem.

619
00:24:36,109 --> 00:24:38,378
They actually had
a really thick thatch layer.

620
00:24:38,445 --> 00:24:39,980
This was like
an inch and a half,

621
00:24:40,047 --> 00:24:41,148
a really excessive layer.

622
00:24:41,215 --> 00:24:42,316
And what had happened,

623
00:24:42,382 --> 00:24:44,852
it was a sodded turf
over a compacted clay,

624
00:24:44,918 --> 00:24:48,388
and they were watering it with
an in-ground irrigation system

625
00:24:48,455 --> 00:24:50,958
too much, and also fertilized it
quite a bit.

626
00:24:51,024 --> 00:24:53,560
But what happened now
is basically

627
00:24:53,627 --> 00:24:57,264
all that root system
was no longer anchored in soil.

628
00:24:57,331 --> 00:25:02,236
It was all intertwined
with thatch in a thatch layer.

629
00:25:02,736 --> 00:25:05,372
So, the solution is
focus on the soil issue.

630
00:25:05,439 --> 00:25:07,541
So, that's why
on that spring calendar

631
00:25:07,608 --> 00:25:09,776
I put in core aerating.

632
00:25:09,843 --> 00:25:11,645
Spring and fall
is a good time to aerate.

633
00:25:11,712 --> 00:25:14,915
I mentioned it now here in
the spring part of the schedule.

634
00:25:14,982 --> 00:25:17,117
If you had a choice
to do it once a year,

635
00:25:17,184 --> 00:25:19,119
I'd probably do it
early fall rather than spring.

636
00:25:19,186 --> 00:25:20,954
If I had a sodded lawn

637
00:25:21,021 --> 00:25:22,856
and I knew I had a soil issue
underneath,

638
00:25:22,923 --> 00:25:24,758
I would do it
spring and fall.

639
00:25:24,825 --> 00:25:26,360
Do that
for a few years at least,

640
00:25:26,426 --> 00:25:28,929
to try to get things
going in the right direction,

641
00:25:28,996 --> 00:25:31,832
because basically
what core aerating will do

642
00:25:31,899 --> 00:25:33,600
is correct the cause,

643
00:25:33,667 --> 00:25:36,336
but it also degrades
the thatch layer.

644
00:25:36,403 --> 00:25:39,473
It helps increase microbes
'cause one of the problems

645
00:25:39,540 --> 00:25:41,842
you have when you have that
compacted soil

646
00:25:41,909 --> 00:25:43,443
and that wet environment,

647
00:25:43,510 --> 00:25:46,680
you have very few
beneficial bacteria

648
00:25:46,747 --> 00:25:50,317
to degrade that thatch layer,
so that's why it's accumulating.

649
00:25:50,384 --> 00:25:53,353
As you aerate,
you turn that scenario around.

650
00:25:53,420 --> 00:25:56,356
You increase the oxygen,
better microbe environment,

651
00:25:56,423 --> 00:25:57,524
better root environment.

652
00:25:57,591 --> 00:25:59,493
So, now your turf roots
go deeper

653
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,296
and your microbes break down
the thatch that's sitting there.

654
00:26:02,362 --> 00:26:04,631
So, really good practice.

655
00:26:04,698 --> 00:26:06,967
And even if you don't have
a thatch layer,

656
00:26:07,034 --> 00:26:10,437
periodically aerating your lawn
is money very well spent,

657
00:26:10,504 --> 00:26:13,740
whether you rent it
or hire somebody to do it.

658
00:26:13,807 --> 00:26:15,943
Anything you can do
to help your root system

659
00:26:16,009 --> 00:26:18,879
enhances your lawn, you know,
and in the long term,

660
00:26:18,946 --> 00:26:20,480
helps reduce chemical use,

661
00:26:20,547 --> 00:26:22,649
helps hold off some
of the problems

662
00:26:22,716 --> 00:26:26,587
or avoid some of the problems
that might occur.

663
00:26:26,653 --> 00:26:29,323
So, the process
on the bottom of that aerator,

664
00:26:29,389 --> 00:26:30,924
you have these hollow tines

665
00:26:30,991 --> 00:26:33,060
that go through the thatch
into the soil.

666
00:26:33,126 --> 00:26:35,162
They pull that core
or that plug up

667
00:26:35,229 --> 00:26:37,264
like you see
on the right-hand side there,

668
00:26:37,331 --> 00:26:40,000
and you wanna leave that
on the surface.

669
00:26:40,067 --> 00:26:41,902
That's what we call
top dressing.

670
00:26:41,969 --> 00:26:44,805
So, now you place some soil
on top of the thatch,

671
00:26:44,872 --> 00:26:46,106
the bacteria build up,

672
00:26:46,173 --> 00:26:48,475
and they start to degrade
the thatch from the top down.

673
00:26:48,542 --> 00:26:51,478
You've also made the holes
in the soil through the thatch.

674
00:26:51,545 --> 00:26:53,313
So, microbe populations
build up.

675
00:26:53,380 --> 00:26:55,949
And now it starts to degrade
the thatch from the bottom up.

676
00:26:56,016 --> 00:26:59,553
Plus you've improved the soil
better for the grass to grow.

677
00:26:59,620 --> 00:27:02,489
So, it's something
that's really, well,

678
00:27:02,556 --> 00:27:03,957
highly recommended
I should say,

679
00:27:04,024 --> 00:27:05,926
as far as lawn care
is concerned.

680
00:27:05,993 --> 00:27:08,595
And if you're looking
at an overall budget,

681
00:27:08,662 --> 00:27:10,864
you might even wanna skip
a fertilizer application

682
00:27:10,931 --> 00:27:12,566
and spend that money
on aerating.

683
00:27:12,633 --> 00:27:14,701
Or go in with your neighbors,
rent an aerator

684
00:27:14,768 --> 00:27:18,138
and have all your lawns done
in one morning,

685
00:27:18,205 --> 00:27:20,207
and it's really something
that can benefit.

686
00:27:20,274 --> 00:27:22,910
But in particular, if you know
you have a sodded turf,

687
00:27:22,976 --> 00:27:24,478
you know,
a very common scenario,

688
00:27:24,545 --> 00:27:27,147
it's a sodded front lawn,
a seeded backyard,

689
00:27:27,214 --> 00:27:29,683
that sodded front yard
is gonna see thatch problems

690
00:27:29,750 --> 00:27:31,752
a lot more readily
than that backyard.

691
00:27:31,818 --> 00:27:37,157
And that's where the aerating
comes in as a major benefit.

692
00:27:37,925 --> 00:27:40,661
Okay, now we move to summer.

693
00:27:40,727 --> 00:27:43,897
And basically, cool season
grasses in summer,

694
00:27:43,964 --> 00:27:45,632
it's a slow time.

695
00:27:46,066 --> 00:27:48,168
Depending on how bad
or how severe,

696
00:27:48,235 --> 00:27:49,336
however you wanna word that.

697
00:27:49,403 --> 00:27:50,637
Some people like
really hot summers,

698
00:27:50,704 --> 00:27:52,172
but the hotter and drier,

699
00:27:52,239 --> 00:27:55,175
the more likely that turf is to
slow down and even go dormant.

700
00:27:55,242 --> 00:27:57,945
Now, sometimes we get a cool,
wet summer and grass stays green

701
00:27:58,011 --> 00:28:00,447
and you're mowing it
consistently all summer,

702
00:28:00,514 --> 00:28:01,982
but we're gonna assume
you're gonna get

703
00:28:02,049 --> 00:28:03,317
warm weather in there.

704
00:28:03,383 --> 00:28:06,053
So, it's kind of a time off
for your lawn.

705
00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:08,589
Not a lot of activity here.

706
00:28:09,389 --> 00:28:11,758
So, most of our cultural
practices, we're avoiding.

707
00:28:11,825 --> 00:28:13,760
Now, as we get toward
late summer,

708
00:28:13,827 --> 00:28:16,563
that's a key time
to prep for doing things

709
00:28:16,630 --> 00:28:18,765
like overseeding or renovation

710
00:28:18,832 --> 00:28:22,302
that you might be doing
in September.

711
00:28:23,203 --> 00:28:24,805
So, our calendar here
is pretty short.

712
00:28:24,872 --> 00:28:27,107
Irrigation and mowing.

713
00:28:27,975 --> 00:28:29,910
So, again,
I already touched on mowing.

714
00:28:29,977 --> 00:28:32,779
Also scouting for insects,
in particular grubs.

715
00:28:32,846 --> 00:28:35,349
That's sometimes a concern
in the summer.

716
00:28:35,415 --> 00:28:36,950
Now, I put a question mark
on there,

717
00:28:37,017 --> 00:28:38,986
broadleaf weed control
and fertilization.

718
00:28:39,052 --> 00:28:41,054
For the most part,
avoid 'em.

719
00:28:41,121 --> 00:28:43,223
If you're gonna fertilize
in summer,

720
00:28:43,290 --> 00:28:46,059
that would need to be
on an irrigated lawn.

721
00:28:46,126 --> 00:28:48,362
And you are inviting problems,
you know?

722
00:28:48,428 --> 00:28:51,498
So, if you put a good quality
controlled-release fertilizer

723
00:28:51,565 --> 00:28:55,169
down in spring, like I said,
I would avoid summer.

724
00:28:55,235 --> 00:28:57,771
And your next time to fertilize
is gonna be about Labor Day,

725
00:28:57,838 --> 00:29:01,375
which will be coming to here
in a few minutes.

726
00:29:01,441 --> 00:29:03,844
On the other hand, if you have
a really high-maintenance turf,

727
00:29:03,911 --> 00:29:06,580
you could fertilize it in,
let's say, June.

728
00:29:06,647 --> 00:29:08,749
You know, some schedule--
or some recommendations

729
00:29:08,815 --> 00:29:10,584
say, "Follow the seasons."

730
00:29:10,651 --> 00:29:13,086
They'll say Mother's Day,
Father's Day, Labor Day.

731
00:29:13,153 --> 00:29:16,156
If you're gonna do
that Father's Day time,

732
00:29:16,223 --> 00:29:17,524
definitely controlled release

733
00:29:17,591 --> 00:29:21,161
and probably use it at a
lighter rate than the one pound.

734
00:29:21,228 --> 00:29:23,163
But for the most part,
I would skip it

735
00:29:23,230 --> 00:29:25,032
just to avoid problems
altogether.

736
00:29:25,098 --> 00:29:29,169
As long as you've done
that May application.

737
00:29:29,236 --> 00:29:31,572
So, as far as watering,
a couple recommendations.

738
00:29:31,638 --> 00:29:33,974
We say water to the depth
of the root system.

739
00:29:34,041 --> 00:29:35,509
That's simply to take
into account

740
00:29:35,576 --> 00:29:37,344
if you just seeded a lawn,

741
00:29:37,411 --> 00:29:39,713
you have to water
more frequently and not as deep

742
00:29:39,780 --> 00:29:41,915
'cause the seeds are
up close to the surface.

743
00:29:41,982 --> 00:29:43,550
If you're dealing with
an established turf,

744
00:29:43,617 --> 00:29:45,319
you're gonna water
less often,

745
00:29:45,385 --> 00:29:46,720
but you're gonna water deeper

746
00:29:46,787 --> 00:29:48,222
because the roots
are down deeper.

747
00:29:48,288 --> 00:29:49,923
So, that's why you make
the adjustment.

748
00:29:49,990 --> 00:29:51,558
But that's why I mentioned
at the beginning,

749
00:29:51,625 --> 00:29:53,227
you do have a conflict.

750
00:29:53,293 --> 00:29:54,628
And I'm gonna
get into overseeding

751
00:29:54,695 --> 00:29:56,096
here in a couple minutes.

752
00:29:56,163 --> 00:29:57,598
If you overseeded,

753
00:29:57,664 --> 00:30:00,200
you need to water it,
if it hasn't rained,

754
00:30:00,267 --> 00:30:02,870
more frequently to help those
seedlings along

755
00:30:02,936 --> 00:30:04,438
compared
to the established turfs.

756
00:30:04,505 --> 00:30:06,740
You have
kind of a mixture there.

757
00:30:06,807 --> 00:30:09,243
So, always go on the side
of the new turf,

758
00:30:09,309 --> 00:30:10,611
the seeded turf.

759
00:30:10,677 --> 00:30:12,279
But assuming
you're gonna water,

760
00:30:12,346 --> 00:30:15,516
some suggestions here
as far as when to water.

761
00:30:15,582 --> 00:30:16,850
What we call "foot printing,"

762
00:30:16,917 --> 00:30:19,186
when grass starts to wilt,
and you walk on it,

763
00:30:19,253 --> 00:30:20,921
it does not bounce
back right away.

764
00:30:20,988 --> 00:30:22,723
Your footprints
kind of stay there.

765
00:30:22,789 --> 00:30:24,525
Usually gets kind of
a dull look to it,

766
00:30:24,591 --> 00:30:25,893
a darker, dull look.

767
00:30:25,959 --> 00:30:28,028
That's telling you it's time
to water it.

768
00:30:28,095 --> 00:30:31,999
What you don't wanna do
is wait until it turns brown

769
00:30:32,065 --> 00:30:35,169
and then decide to water it
to make it turn green again.

770
00:30:35,235 --> 00:30:36,737
Even though it looks better,

771
00:30:36,803 --> 00:30:38,338
if this is the heat
of the summer,

772
00:30:38,405 --> 00:30:40,107
you've actually stressed
that turf.

773
00:30:40,174 --> 00:30:43,744
Because to go from brown
to green requires energy

774
00:30:43,810 --> 00:30:46,280
that the plant has inside of it.

775
00:30:46,346 --> 00:30:47,681
Summer is not a good time

776
00:30:47,748 --> 00:30:50,083
to replenish that energy
for cool season grasses.

777
00:30:50,150 --> 00:30:53,353
So, even though you made it turn
green and it looks better,

778
00:30:53,420 --> 00:30:56,223
you actually drain more
of its reserves away.

779
00:30:56,290 --> 00:30:57,824
And if you do this
a couple times,

780
00:30:57,891 --> 00:30:59,726
so if you make a turn green,

781
00:30:59,793 --> 00:31:01,361
dries out again
and it turns brown,

782
00:31:01,428 --> 00:31:03,030
you water it again, turns green,

783
00:31:03,096 --> 00:31:04,464
eventually it's not gonna
turn green

784
00:31:04,531 --> 00:31:05,966
'cause you burned it out.

785
00:31:06,033 --> 00:31:09,269
So, one recommendation
if you don't wanna water,

786
00:31:09,336 --> 00:31:10,904
make that decision early on.

787
00:31:10,971 --> 00:31:12,906
Mow as high as you can,

788
00:31:12,973 --> 00:31:16,810
and our cool season grasses
can tolerate dormancy in summer.

789
00:31:16,877 --> 00:31:18,212
You know,
it's perfectly acceptable

790
00:31:18,278 --> 00:31:21,114
for a bluegrass plant
to stay dormant for a month.

791
00:31:21,181 --> 00:31:22,449
It's not gonna die.

792
00:31:22,516 --> 00:31:24,451
It is brown,
but it's not gonna die.

793
00:31:24,518 --> 00:31:26,353
So, if you're dealing
with watering,

794
00:31:26,420 --> 00:31:28,622
you don't wanna spend
the money on the water bill,

795
00:31:28,689 --> 00:31:30,524
start mowing as high
as you can in June

796
00:31:30,591 --> 00:31:33,994
before the hot weather rolls in
and let it go dormant,

797
00:31:34,061 --> 00:31:36,697
but don't bounce back and forth.

798
00:31:36,763 --> 00:31:38,899
Be careful not to overwater.

799
00:31:38,966 --> 00:31:40,901
And the classic, again,
we see is when someone

800
00:31:40,968 --> 00:31:44,438
has spent the money to put in an
in-ground irrigation system.

801
00:31:44,505 --> 00:31:46,006
They sodded their lawn.

802
00:31:46,073 --> 00:31:48,008
They wanna take advantage
of the system.

803
00:31:48,075 --> 00:31:51,211
They set it improperly
and the lawn is too wet.

804
00:31:51,278 --> 00:31:54,648
This is a lawn
that this individual had sodded.

805
00:31:54,715 --> 00:31:57,351
After two months, they
commented, when they walk on it,

806
00:31:57,417 --> 00:31:59,653
they could feel it shifting
under their feet.

807
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,855
The reason:
It's sitting in water.

808
00:32:01,922 --> 00:32:03,957
It never had a chance
to dry out.

809
00:32:04,024 --> 00:32:06,193
You can temporarily sod
on concrete

810
00:32:06,260 --> 00:32:07,494
and keep the sod alive,

811
00:32:07,561 --> 00:32:09,863
but eventually, it's gonna have
some serious issues.

812
00:32:09,930 --> 00:32:13,033
So, let the soil dry out
before you water again.

813
00:32:13,100 --> 00:32:16,436
This one, again,
way too much water.

814
00:32:17,137 --> 00:32:19,973
Now, I mentioned grubs here.

815
00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,709
Just because that is
the most serious insect problem,

816
00:32:22,776 --> 00:32:25,512
we're gonna see if we do see
an insect problem on lawns

817
00:32:25,579 --> 00:32:27,381
here in Wisconsin.

818
00:32:27,748 --> 00:32:30,584
Grubs like full sun
to lay their eggs.

819
00:32:30,651 --> 00:32:32,019
So, the adults are beetles.

820
00:32:32,085 --> 00:32:34,254
They're looking for warm turf,

821
00:32:34,321 --> 00:32:37,858
full sun areas, and they need
moisture in the soil.

822
00:32:37,925 --> 00:32:41,395
So, if you happen to have
the irrigated lawn

823
00:32:41,461 --> 00:32:45,666
in the hot or the dry summer
in July and early August,

824
00:32:45,732 --> 00:32:49,403
all your neighbor's lawns have
gone dormant or half dormant.

825
00:32:49,469 --> 00:32:51,138
Yours is nice and green,

826
00:32:51,205 --> 00:32:53,140
and then it gets to be
the end of summer

827
00:32:53,207 --> 00:32:54,341
and your lawn's infested
with grubs

828
00:32:54,408 --> 00:32:57,544
and your neighbors have none,
that's why.

829
00:32:57,611 --> 00:32:59,079
That was an oasis
for those beetles

830
00:32:59,146 --> 00:33:00,414
to go to lay their eggs.

831
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,716
Now, if we have
a rainy midsummer

832
00:33:02,783 --> 00:33:06,653
and all the lawns have adequate
or equal amounts of moisture,

833
00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:08,689
odds are those beetles
are just gonna disperse

834
00:33:08,755 --> 00:33:12,226
and lay their eggs randomly,
and you won't likely see

835
00:33:12,292 --> 00:33:15,629
a heavily infested lawn
with grubs.

836
00:33:16,363 --> 00:33:18,899
So, if you have brown areas,

837
00:33:18,966 --> 00:33:21,368
what you wanna do is check
where the brown meets the green

838
00:33:21,435 --> 00:33:23,303
and try to pull that grass back.

839
00:33:23,370 --> 00:33:25,906
Now, that picture on the left,

840
00:33:25,973 --> 00:33:27,774
the raccoons have done it
for you.

841
00:33:27,841 --> 00:33:29,409
Raccoons and skunks will come in

842
00:33:29,476 --> 00:33:32,179
and tear up lawns,
looking for grubs to eat.

843
00:33:32,246 --> 00:33:33,914
And unfortunately,
they don't count.

844
00:33:33,981 --> 00:33:35,582
So, they don't say,
"Well, this lawn's infested.

845
00:33:35,649 --> 00:33:36,817
This one isn't."

846
00:33:36,884 --> 00:33:38,285
Raccoons just start digging
and looking,

847
00:33:38,352 --> 00:33:39,953
and they might
tear up your lawn

848
00:33:40,020 --> 00:33:42,289
even though there's only
a couple grubs in there.

849
00:33:42,356 --> 00:33:45,559
But typically, if you're gonna
look in that root zone,

850
00:33:45,626 --> 00:33:47,961
you normally have
about ten grubs per square foot.

851
00:33:48,028 --> 00:33:49,329
That's usually about the level

852
00:33:49,396 --> 00:33:52,065
where you're gonna see
lawns turning brown.

853
00:33:52,132 --> 00:33:54,201
So, really,
we wanna emphasize here,

854
00:33:54,268 --> 00:33:56,403
make sure you have
a grub problem

855
00:33:56,470 --> 00:34:00,007
before you consider
applying insecticide.

856
00:34:00,073 --> 00:34:02,776
Don't, here in the spring,
by a four-step program

857
00:34:02,843 --> 00:34:04,578
that includes an insecticide.

858
00:34:04,645 --> 00:34:06,413
There's no way
you can predict that right now

859
00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:07,581
you're gonna need that.

860
00:34:07,648 --> 00:34:09,750
Odds are you will not need it.

861
00:34:09,816 --> 00:34:11,952
Wait and see
if grubs start to show up.

862
00:34:12,019 --> 00:34:13,687
You can treat accordingly,

863
00:34:13,754 --> 00:34:16,023
but don't just routinely
put an insecticide down

864
00:34:16,089 --> 00:34:17,791
for a problem
that does not exist.

865
00:34:17,858 --> 00:34:21,094
Again, it's a good way
to save chemical use,

866
00:34:21,161 --> 00:34:23,597
reduce chemicals out
in the environment.

867
00:34:23,664 --> 00:34:25,199
Normally, if you're gonna see
the grub damage,

868
00:34:25,265 --> 00:34:27,868
it's gonna be late summer,
maybe early fall.

869
00:34:27,935 --> 00:34:29,770
So, check you got areas
turning brown.

870
00:34:29,837 --> 00:34:31,071
You're not sure what's going on.

871
00:34:31,138 --> 00:34:32,439
Try to peel that turf back

872
00:34:32,506 --> 00:34:34,174
and look where the brown
meets the green.

873
00:34:34,241 --> 00:34:35,843
That's probably where
you're gonna see those grubs

874
00:34:35,909 --> 00:34:38,045
waiting for you there.

875
00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:41,548
There are a number of
grub materials to consider.

876
00:34:41,615 --> 00:34:44,017
And I'll show you a couple
examples here in a second,

877
00:34:44,084 --> 00:34:48,088
but basically read the label,
follow the label directions,

878
00:34:48,155 --> 00:34:50,557
whether it's an organic control
or a synthetic,

879
00:34:50,624 --> 00:34:52,459
it is considered a pesticide.

880
00:34:52,526 --> 00:34:54,995
Make sure you follow
the label directions on that.

881
00:34:55,062 --> 00:34:59,032
And the material has to get into
the soil where the grubs are.

882
00:34:59,099 --> 00:35:01,201
So, not only do you
wanna water the material in

883
00:35:01,268 --> 00:35:02,636
after you apply it,

884
00:35:02,703 --> 00:35:05,038
it's also a good idea to water
before you apply it

885
00:35:05,105 --> 00:35:06,940
to get some moisture
in that soil

886
00:35:07,007 --> 00:35:09,510
so the insecticide doesn't
just dry on the soil surface

887
00:35:09,576 --> 00:35:12,946
and it never gets down
where the grubs are.

888
00:35:13,013 --> 00:35:14,114
And then, monitor results.

889
00:35:14,181 --> 00:35:16,917
The reason
I put that comment on there,

890
00:35:16,984 --> 00:35:19,353
don't expect brown grass
to turn green

891
00:35:19,419 --> 00:35:21,388
just because you treated
for the grubs,

892
00:35:21,455 --> 00:35:23,624
because the grubs
have eaten the roots away.

893
00:35:23,690 --> 00:35:25,659
It's gonna take some time
for that turf to recover.

894
00:35:25,726 --> 00:35:28,462
You might have to do
some more reseeding in the fall.

895
00:35:28,529 --> 00:35:31,365
And grubs also do
not instantly die

896
00:35:31,431 --> 00:35:32,966
when you apply an insecticide.

897
00:35:33,033 --> 00:35:35,636
It might take 10 days, 14 days.

898
00:35:35,702 --> 00:35:37,838
So, if you go out there
the next day and check

899
00:35:37,905 --> 00:35:40,007
and you see that grub's still
sitting there, that's fine.

900
00:35:40,073 --> 00:35:41,942
It's probably gonna stop
feeding pretty quick

901
00:35:42,009 --> 00:35:44,578
and then slowly dissipate.

902
00:35:45,012 --> 00:35:48,448
But a couple scenarios
on insecticides.

903
00:35:48,515 --> 00:35:50,050
There are a number
of materials out there.

904
00:35:50,117 --> 00:35:52,519
I just listed three of 'em
here as an example.

905
00:35:52,586 --> 00:35:55,189
If you're using
a synthetic insecticide

906
00:35:55,255 --> 00:35:57,858
and you take what we call
the "wait-and-see approach,"

907
00:35:57,925 --> 00:36:00,260
wait and see
if the grubs actually show up,

908
00:36:00,327 --> 00:36:02,996
the material trichlorfon,
which is sold as Dylox,

909
00:36:03,063 --> 00:36:06,133
or it might say
24-hour grub control

910
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:07,968
or quick-acting grub control,

911
00:36:08,035 --> 00:36:10,771
that's an insecticide
that works very quickly

912
00:36:10,838 --> 00:36:13,273
and also degrades
very quickly in the soil.

913
00:36:13,340 --> 00:36:14,875
It doesn't persist.

914
00:36:14,942 --> 00:36:19,112
It's also not considered
highly toxic to earthworms.

915
00:36:19,179 --> 00:36:20,914
So, it's not--
Even though it's synthetic,

916
00:36:20,981 --> 00:36:22,816
it's pretty
environmentally friendly.

917
00:36:22,883 --> 00:36:25,919
And again, the way you would use
that is wait and see.

918
00:36:25,986 --> 00:36:28,989
I've got grubs, I found them,
I apply the insecticide,

919
00:36:29,056 --> 00:36:31,625
I water it in,
and I'll get results.

920
00:36:31,692 --> 00:36:33,827
I'm not gonna put it down
two weeks ahead of time

921
00:36:33,894 --> 00:36:35,996
because it's gonna dissipate
in the soil.

922
00:36:36,063 --> 00:36:39,466
A couple of organic
or biologicals,

923
00:36:39,533 --> 00:36:41,869
there's another
spell check challenge there,

924
00:36:41,935 --> 00:36:43,637
the <i>Heterorhabditis</i>
<i>bacteriophora.</i>

925
00:36:43,704 --> 00:36:45,772
We just call 'em Hb nematodes.

926
00:36:45,839 --> 00:36:50,677
Nematodes are living,
microscopic worm-like organisms.

927
00:36:50,744 --> 00:36:53,847
And there are some that
are parasitic on white grubs.

928
00:36:53,914 --> 00:36:56,450
They don't harm earthworms,
but they go after white grubs.

929
00:36:56,517 --> 00:36:58,519
So, you can apply these
to your soil

930
00:36:58,585 --> 00:37:00,621
and get biological control.

931
00:37:00,687 --> 00:37:06,693
The challenge is you're handling
a living microbe, basically.

932
00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,097
So, if it sits on a hot shelf
in your garage,

933
00:37:10,163 --> 00:37:11,265
they may be killed

934
00:37:11,331 --> 00:37:13,333
before you apply 'em
to the soil in your lawn.

935
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,969
So, that's always a challenge
with some of these biologicals.

936
00:37:16,036 --> 00:37:19,406
They work very good in a lab
setting or a field test setting,

937
00:37:19,473 --> 00:37:21,742
but it's hard to replicate
them into a product

938
00:37:21,808 --> 00:37:24,411
you can package it, ship it,
get it to somebody,

939
00:37:24,478 --> 00:37:27,147
and then have them use it
and have it work.

940
00:37:27,214 --> 00:37:28,315
We also have a <i>BT.</i>

941
00:37:28,382 --> 00:37:29,716
Some of you,
I'm sure, are familiar

942
00:37:29,783 --> 00:37:33,554
with <i>Bacillus thuringiensis,</i>
especially the kurstaki variety

943
00:37:33,620 --> 00:37:35,389
that's used on caterpillars.

944
00:37:35,455 --> 00:37:36,557
We have one here.

945
00:37:36,623 --> 00:37:38,358
The GrubGone
is a typical product,

946
00:37:38,425 --> 00:37:42,696
but the <i>BT galleriae</i>
is actually a bacteria

947
00:37:42,763 --> 00:37:45,566
that you can apply to the soil
that will kill grubs.

948
00:37:45,632 --> 00:37:50,103
So, it's an alternative
to synthetic insecticides.

949
00:37:50,170 --> 00:37:52,306
And there are some
other options out there as well.

950
00:37:52,372 --> 00:37:54,575
There are some materials
that you put down sooner

951
00:37:54,641 --> 00:37:57,044
'cause they'll last longer.

952
00:37:57,110 --> 00:37:59,279
I would question
those of you in particular,

953
00:37:59,346 --> 00:38:01,215
if you've never had
a grub problem,

954
00:38:01,281 --> 00:38:02,950
don't start applying
those insecticides

955
00:38:03,016 --> 00:38:04,351
when you don't need to.

956
00:38:04,418 --> 00:38:08,121
It's not a environmentally
sound way to manage turf pests.

957
00:38:08,188 --> 00:38:11,458
But always read
the label directions.

958
00:38:11,525 --> 00:38:13,093
Monitor your lawns quickly.

959
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,495
If you've had grubs in the past,

960
00:38:15,562 --> 00:38:17,231
you know,
be on the heads up there.

961
00:38:17,297 --> 00:38:18,465
They're probably
gonna show up again.

962
00:38:18,532 --> 00:38:19,933
They might show up again.

963
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,437
Be ready with one
of the appropriate insecticides,

964
00:38:23,504 --> 00:38:26,840
whether it be synthetic
or organic.

965
00:38:27,875 --> 00:38:30,777
Now, as we get to late summer,

966
00:38:30,844 --> 00:38:32,412
and typically
we're pretty safe saying

967
00:38:32,479 --> 00:38:35,115
the second half of August,

968
00:38:35,182 --> 00:38:36,950
unless it's a really cool,
wet summer.

969
00:38:37,017 --> 00:38:40,654
But basically, we're looking at
preparing for that early fall,

970
00:38:40,721 --> 00:38:42,489
which is the next
really key time

971
00:38:42,556 --> 00:38:44,424
for our cool season grasses.

972
00:38:44,491 --> 00:38:47,628
So, it's a good time to control
perennial grassy weeds,

973
00:38:47,694 --> 00:38:50,964
and I'll show you the two most
common ones here in a second.

974
00:38:51,031 --> 00:38:52,199
Control 'em in August.

975
00:38:52,266 --> 00:38:54,401
Reseed those areas
in early September.

976
00:38:54,468 --> 00:38:56,670
It's also the time
to prep for renovation,

977
00:38:56,737 --> 00:38:58,672
or if you're establishing
a new lawn,

978
00:38:58,739 --> 00:39:00,340
any type of soil work,

979
00:39:00,407 --> 00:39:02,943
it's a good time to work on it
at the end of August.

980
00:39:03,010 --> 00:39:05,546
Get rid of the weeds
and then be ready to seed

981
00:39:05,612 --> 00:39:08,315
right about Labor Day
or shortly after.

982
00:39:08,382 --> 00:39:10,217
Continue with irrigation
and, of course,

983
00:39:10,284 --> 00:39:11,952
white grub control.

984
00:39:12,019 --> 00:39:13,887
White grubs can show
up into September,

985
00:39:13,954 --> 00:39:15,489
so keep monitoring your turf.

986
00:39:15,556 --> 00:39:20,527
Just depends on how
that particular year played out.

987
00:39:20,594 --> 00:39:23,263
So, if you deal
with perennial grass weeds,

988
00:39:23,330 --> 00:39:26,667
the two most prevalent ones,
one is tall fescue,

989
00:39:26,733 --> 00:39:28,468
especially here in the
southern part of the state.

990
00:39:28,535 --> 00:39:29,803
We see a lot of this,

991
00:39:29,870 --> 00:39:33,073
and this is very often confused
with crabgrass.

992
00:39:33,140 --> 00:39:36,276
So, tall fescue
is a coarse grass.

993
00:39:37,211 --> 00:39:39,646
Now, there are also are
some finer tall fescues

994
00:39:39,713 --> 00:39:42,049
that can actually be seeded
as lawn grasses.

995
00:39:42,115 --> 00:39:44,084
But the older, what
we call the pasture types,

996
00:39:44,151 --> 00:39:45,786
like you see here
in the picture,

997
00:39:45,853 --> 00:39:49,189
a very coarse, very wide leaf
blade, very tough leaf blade.

998
00:39:49,256 --> 00:39:52,392
It's hard to mow, and you get
these very distinct, patchy,

999
00:39:52,459 --> 00:39:55,062
clumpy-looking grasses.

1000
00:39:55,128 --> 00:39:58,131
As I mentioned, it's often
confused with crabgrass.

1001
00:39:58,198 --> 00:40:02,236
If you happen to see this right
away here in April or early May,

1002
00:40:02,302 --> 00:40:05,672
you've got this established
clump of grass in your lawn,

1003
00:40:05,739 --> 00:40:07,174
there's no way that's crabgrass.

1004
00:40:07,241 --> 00:40:08,475
It's way too early.

1005
00:40:08,542 --> 00:40:09,743
It's gonna be a perennial.

1006
00:40:09,810 --> 00:40:13,580
Most likely, it's gonna be
tall fescue.

1007
00:40:13,647 --> 00:40:15,415
Tall fescue has
very good drought tolerance.

1008
00:40:15,482 --> 00:40:18,619
And again,
that bunch-type grass.

1009
00:40:18,685 --> 00:40:22,789
The other one we see a lot of
is creeping bentgrass.

1010
00:40:22,856 --> 00:40:25,626
Now, creeping bentgrass
is not a weed on a golf course.

1011
00:40:25,692 --> 00:40:27,828
That's the dominant grass
on putting greens

1012
00:40:27,895 --> 00:40:29,196
and a lot of fairways.

1013
00:40:29,263 --> 00:40:30,797
But in a lawn,

1014
00:40:30,864 --> 00:40:33,834
what tends to happen is when
you mow it with a rotary mower,

1015
00:40:33,901 --> 00:40:37,171
it's pretty shallow rooted,
it easily tears up.

1016
00:40:37,237 --> 00:40:40,274
So, you get these patches
or clumps of very soft grass,

1017
00:40:40,340 --> 00:40:44,077
a different shade of green than
your bluegrass lawn typically.

1018
00:40:44,144 --> 00:40:47,814
And then when you mow it, very
often parts of it get torn up.

1019
00:40:47,881 --> 00:40:49,650
Creeping bent has stolons,

1020
00:40:49,716 --> 00:40:52,819
which are basically stems
that creep along the surface,

1021
00:40:52,886 --> 00:40:55,756
and if you break those off
and move it with your mower,

1022
00:40:55,822 --> 00:40:57,824
it does spread,
so you get one patch,

1023
00:40:57,891 --> 00:40:59,993
pretty soon you got
four patches in your lawn.

1024
00:41:00,060 --> 00:41:01,261
But one of the signals,

1025
00:41:01,328 --> 00:41:03,430
if you see a lot
of creeping bentgrass,

1026
00:41:03,497 --> 00:41:05,365
you're probably
on the high side as far

1027
00:41:05,432 --> 00:41:08,569
as nitrogen and irrigation
'cause it likes water.

1028
00:41:08,635 --> 00:41:10,137
It's fairly shallow rooted.

1029
00:41:10,204 --> 00:41:11,705
It also likes nitrogen.

1030
00:41:11,772 --> 00:41:13,307
So, you can look
at that and say,

1031
00:41:13,373 --> 00:41:15,976
"Well, maybe if I adjust
my fertility,

1032
00:41:16,043 --> 00:41:18,545
"that will help prevent
this plant from coming back.

1033
00:41:18,612 --> 00:41:19,713
"Now, it is a perennial,

1034
00:41:19,780 --> 00:41:21,315
so I have to do
something with it."

1035
00:41:21,381 --> 00:41:23,550
You know, I mentioned
earlier all the crabgrass plants

1036
00:41:23,617 --> 00:41:25,152
we saw last year are dead.

1037
00:41:25,219 --> 00:41:29,056
They're not coming back except
by seed because they're annuals.

1038
00:41:29,122 --> 00:41:32,025
Tall fescue and creeping bent
are perennials.

1039
00:41:32,092 --> 00:41:33,760
They don't die.

1040
00:41:34,161 --> 00:41:36,196
They could die,
but they rarely die.

1041
00:41:36,263 --> 00:41:37,798
So, they're there right away
in the spring,

1042
00:41:37,865 --> 00:41:39,800
and they start to grow.

1043
00:41:39,867 --> 00:41:43,036
So, your options here,
hand pull 'em or dig 'em out.

1044
00:41:43,103 --> 00:41:44,505
If you've got one
or two patches,

1045
00:41:44,571 --> 00:41:46,106
that's the best recommendation.

1046
00:41:46,173 --> 00:41:47,908
Don't start messing around
with herbicides.

1047
00:41:47,975 --> 00:41:49,510
Tall fescue is
pretty shallow rooted.

1048
00:41:49,576 --> 00:41:51,144
It comes up pretty easily.

1049
00:41:51,211 --> 00:41:52,913
Creeping bent
is also shallow rooted.

1050
00:41:52,980 --> 00:41:55,382
Just be aware of those stolons
as you pull it up.

1051
00:41:55,449 --> 00:41:56,850
It may break apart.

1052
00:41:56,917 --> 00:41:58,252
Get all that material
out of there

1053
00:41:58,318 --> 00:42:02,256
because those little pieces will
regenerate more creeping bent.

1054
00:42:02,322 --> 00:42:04,858
Your herbicide options
are pretty limited.

1055
00:42:04,925 --> 00:42:06,493
Nonselective herbicides

1056
00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:09,363
that don't leave a residue
in the soil.

1057
00:42:09,429 --> 00:42:11,131
So, something like glyphosate,

1058
00:42:11,198 --> 00:42:12,699
which for years
was sold as Roundup,

1059
00:42:12,766 --> 00:42:15,035
it's got some other trade names.

1060
00:42:15,102 --> 00:42:19,206
There are some other products
that are called Roundup

1061
00:42:19,273 --> 00:42:22,843
that don't contain glyphosate,
so look closely at the label.

1062
00:42:22,910 --> 00:42:26,547
What you're looking for is a
nonselective grass killer

1063
00:42:26,613 --> 00:42:29,550
that does not have
a soil residue

1064
00:42:29,616 --> 00:42:31,251
that's gonna impact seeding.

1065
00:42:31,318 --> 00:42:33,820
So, look carefully
at the labels.

1066
00:42:33,887 --> 00:42:35,255
But primarily,
when you do this,

1067
00:42:35,322 --> 00:42:37,457
if you've got a larger area
or even a small one

1068
00:42:37,524 --> 00:42:38,992
that you hand pulled,

1069
00:42:39,059 --> 00:42:41,261
you have to do
some reseeding afterwards.

1070
00:42:41,328 --> 00:42:43,363
So, that's why we say late--

1071
00:42:43,430 --> 00:42:46,667
mid to late August is
a good time to address the weed.

1072
00:42:46,733 --> 00:42:49,269
And then, early September
is a good time to reseed.

1073
00:42:49,336 --> 00:42:51,004
So, get the area prepped up.

1074
00:42:51,071 --> 00:42:54,975
Be ready to seed
once we get past Labor Day.

1075
00:42:55,943 --> 00:42:59,112
So, that gets us
into renovation.

1076
00:42:59,179 --> 00:43:01,281
Early fall is a prime time
to renovate.

1077
00:43:01,348 --> 00:43:04,318
Late August is a good time
to start prepping for that.

1078
00:43:04,384 --> 00:43:06,486
So, what two things
you kind of look at,

1079
00:43:06,553 --> 00:43:09,323
if I've got an area
like this lawn,

1080
00:43:09,389 --> 00:43:11,558
and if you're wondering,
that's not my lawn, by the way,

1081
00:43:11,625 --> 00:43:14,494
but I got this dead lawn here,
mostly dead lawn.

1082
00:43:14,561 --> 00:43:15,996
What do I do next?

1083
00:43:16,063 --> 00:43:18,899
There's really two things
to look at, two factors.

1084
00:43:18,966 --> 00:43:23,237
First of all, how much
desirable grass is present?

1085
00:43:23,303 --> 00:43:24,771
So, if you've got
desirable grass,

1086
00:43:24,838 --> 00:43:27,174
then that can kind of steer
you one way or the other

1087
00:43:27,241 --> 00:43:28,842
as far as how
you're gonna renovate that.

1088
00:43:28,909 --> 00:43:31,612
'Cause I have quite a bit
of decent grass,

1089
00:43:31,678 --> 00:43:33,614
maybe all I need to do
is do some overseeding.

1090
00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:35,816
I don't have to tear it all
up and start over.

1091
00:43:35,883 --> 00:43:40,187
On the other hand, if I see very
few desirable turf plants there,

1092
00:43:40,254 --> 00:43:42,155
I may as well just
totally start over.

1093
00:43:42,222 --> 00:43:43,323
Just get rid of everything

1094
00:43:43,390 --> 00:43:45,492
and do what we call
a total renovation.

1095
00:43:45,559 --> 00:43:48,762
But the other factor is
what's the condition of my soil?

1096
00:43:48,829 --> 00:43:50,297
You know,
I mentioned that scenario

1097
00:43:50,364 --> 00:43:53,467
where we see a lot
of poorly prepared soil

1098
00:43:53,534 --> 00:43:56,170
prior to establishment,
especially with sod.

1099
00:43:56,236 --> 00:43:57,771
And then I got
a serious thatch problem.

1100
00:43:57,838 --> 00:43:59,940
I got a compacted soil
underneath.

1101
00:44:00,007 --> 00:44:02,209
If I have terrible
soil conditions

1102
00:44:02,276 --> 00:44:05,979
and I have very few
desirable turf plants left,

1103
00:44:06,046 --> 00:44:07,681
I may as well just start over.

1104
00:44:07,748 --> 00:44:09,349
It's gonna be
more work initially,

1105
00:44:09,416 --> 00:44:11,785
but I'm correcting the soil,
and then just start

1106
00:44:11,852 --> 00:44:14,087
like I'm seeding
a brand-new lawn.

1107
00:44:14,154 --> 00:44:15,255
On the other hand,

1108
00:44:15,322 --> 00:44:17,324
if my soil is actually
in decent shape,

1109
00:44:17,391 --> 00:44:18,792
this particular lawn
in this picture

1110
00:44:18,859 --> 00:44:20,827
actually died from drought.

1111
00:44:20,894 --> 00:44:21,995
The soil was fine.

1112
00:44:22,062 --> 00:44:23,997
It was just
an unusual prolonged drought

1113
00:44:24,064 --> 00:44:26,066
and the lawn died out.

1114
00:44:26,133 --> 00:44:28,168
I really don't have to do
much with the soil.

1115
00:44:28,235 --> 00:44:31,605
I just need to get seed
into that soil by overseeding.

1116
00:44:31,672 --> 00:44:33,207
So, I can take
some different routes

1117
00:44:33,273 --> 00:44:36,410
with preparing that surface
and then doing some overseeding.

1118
00:44:36,476 --> 00:44:39,413
I don't have to tear that
whole thing up and start over.

1119
00:44:39,479 --> 00:44:40,614
But if-- [clears throat]
Excuse me.

1120
00:44:40,681 --> 00:44:42,015
If you know the soil is bad,

1121
00:44:42,082 --> 00:44:45,619
you need to tear it up,
amend it, and then go forward.

1122
00:44:45,686 --> 00:44:48,922
So, considering those
two things,

1123
00:44:49,590 --> 00:44:51,592
this is very often
what we see.

1124
00:44:51,658 --> 00:44:52,993
You know,
I talked about that,

1125
00:44:53,060 --> 00:44:55,195
especially the sod
over the poor clay.

1126
00:44:55,262 --> 00:44:56,663
So, the two pictures
you see here,

1127
00:44:56,730 --> 00:44:58,599
the one on the left-hand side,

1128
00:44:58,665 --> 00:45:02,236
you notice the lower left
is thinned-out grass,

1129
00:45:02,302 --> 00:45:03,470
the upper part,
the neighbor's lawn

1130
00:45:03,537 --> 00:45:04,972
is still pretty green.

1131
00:45:05,038 --> 00:45:07,708
And you got that line going
through there at a diagonal.

1132
00:45:07,774 --> 00:45:10,110
That line is the lot line.

1133
00:45:10,878 --> 00:45:13,247
The same lawn care company
fertilized both these lawns

1134
00:45:13,313 --> 00:45:15,616
on the same day
with the same material.

1135
00:45:15,682 --> 00:45:17,818
The difference is the lawn
in the foreground

1136
00:45:17,885 --> 00:45:19,853
has terrible soil underneath.

1137
00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:22,422
The neighbor's lawn
actually has pretty good soil.

1138
00:45:22,489 --> 00:45:25,759
So, what you see on the right
is what we call soil interface.

1139
00:45:25,826 --> 00:45:27,528
That's a section
that's been dug up.

1140
00:45:27,594 --> 00:45:30,197
You see the lighter-colored soil
underneath.

1141
00:45:30,264 --> 00:45:31,365
That's clay.

1142
00:45:31,431 --> 00:45:33,700
You see that very distinct
dark band

1143
00:45:33,767 --> 00:45:35,269
sitting on top of it.

1144
00:45:35,335 --> 00:45:36,737
That's either a little bit
of topsoil

1145
00:45:36,803 --> 00:45:39,239
that someone put in there
prior to establishing,

1146
00:45:39,306 --> 00:45:42,476
or that's simply the soil
that came in with the sod

1147
00:45:42,543 --> 00:45:43,944
and they placed it down.

1148
00:45:44,011 --> 00:45:46,413
But anytime you see
a very abrupt change like that

1149
00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:50,384
from a good, dark loam soil
to a clay soil underneath

1150
00:45:50,450 --> 00:45:52,619
and there's virtually
no transition,

1151
00:45:52,686 --> 00:45:54,621
that's gonna be
a nightmare for plants

1152
00:45:54,688 --> 00:45:56,623
because water is not gonna move
readily

1153
00:45:56,690 --> 00:45:58,225
through that interface.

1154
00:45:58,292 --> 00:46:01,061
So, what's gonna happen
to my roots on my grass plane,

1155
00:46:01,128 --> 00:46:02,796
especially when I sod it,

1156
00:46:02,863 --> 00:46:04,965
it's gonna hit that barrier
and it's gonna go horizontal,

1157
00:46:05,032 --> 00:46:07,201
and it's gonna go
backwards up.

1158
00:46:07,267 --> 00:46:09,670
I'm gonna start creating
a very thick thatch layer.

1159
00:46:09,736 --> 00:46:12,539
I'll have virtually
no roots going down in the soil.

1160
00:46:12,606 --> 00:46:14,408
And I'm gonna see
a lot of problems.

1161
00:46:14,474 --> 00:46:17,878
So, the way to avoid that
is amend the soil ahead of time

1162
00:46:17,945 --> 00:46:19,813
prior to establishment.

1163
00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:21,648
If I know I have the interface,

1164
00:46:21,715 --> 00:46:25,819
but I still have decent levels
of acceptable grass,

1165
00:46:25,886 --> 00:46:27,554
that's where the aerating
comes in,

1166
00:46:27,621 --> 00:46:30,891
where I can gradually solve
that over time.

1167
00:46:30,958 --> 00:46:33,727
So, factor all those things in.

1168
00:46:33,794 --> 00:46:34,962
As we move to fall then,

1169
00:46:35,028 --> 00:46:37,564
this is our key time
for almost everything.

1170
00:46:37,631 --> 00:46:38,932
Good time for grass growth,

1171
00:46:38,999 --> 00:46:41,768
good time to fertilize,
good time to establish turf,

1172
00:46:41,835 --> 00:46:46,240
good time to aerate,
renovate, all kinds of things.

1173
00:46:46,306 --> 00:46:48,509
So, as we move from late August

1174
00:46:48,575 --> 00:46:51,645
into early September,
through September into October,

1175
00:46:51,712 --> 00:46:53,213
the weather's getting
better and better

1176
00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:54,481
for cool season grasses,

1177
00:46:54,548 --> 00:46:56,416
so they're gonna respond
very well.

1178
00:46:56,483 --> 00:46:59,019
The other big benefit
as we move into fall,

1179
00:46:59,086 --> 00:47:01,188
we're not gonna see
things like crabgrass.

1180
00:47:01,255 --> 00:47:03,056
Crabgrass likes warm weather.

1181
00:47:03,123 --> 00:47:05,526
Crabgrass is not gonna germinate
in September.

1182
00:47:05,592 --> 00:47:07,728
So, if I establish my lawn
at the end of August,

1183
00:47:07,794 --> 00:47:11,532
first part of September versus
trying to establish it in May,

1184
00:47:11,598 --> 00:47:14,368
I'm gonna see
much fewer problems with weeds

1185
00:47:14,434 --> 00:47:18,672
with that fall establishment
versus spring.

1186
00:47:18,939 --> 00:47:22,042
So, my calendar then,
establishment, renovate, repair.

1187
00:47:22,109 --> 00:47:24,244
I'll touch a little bit more
on the renovation.

1188
00:47:24,311 --> 00:47:26,680
Fertilization, just like
I talked about in spring,

1189
00:47:26,747 --> 00:47:28,282
we do it again in the fall.

1190
00:47:28,348 --> 00:47:30,417
So, if you wanna focus
on two key times

1191
00:47:30,484 --> 00:47:34,087
to fertilize your lawn, after
that second mowing in spring,

1192
00:47:34,154 --> 00:47:35,722
and then about Labor Day.

1193
00:47:35,789 --> 00:47:37,524
Use a quality
controlled-release fertilizer.

1194
00:47:37,591 --> 00:47:40,194
And I'll come back to that
here in a second.

1195
00:47:40,260 --> 00:47:42,996
I haven't talked much
about broadleaf weed control.

1196
00:47:43,063 --> 00:47:45,799
September is an ideal time
to control broadleaf weeds.

1197
00:47:45,866 --> 00:47:47,568
Most of those are perennials.

1198
00:47:47,634 --> 00:47:50,470
And they respond very well
as far as being controlled

1199
00:47:50,537 --> 00:47:52,539
if you're using a herbicide
at that time.

1200
00:47:52,606 --> 00:47:55,642
And then core aerating,
of course, I already touched on.

1201
00:47:55,709 --> 00:48:00,280
September, October,
good times to aerate lawns.

1202
00:48:00,747 --> 00:48:03,317
So, if I'm putting down seed,

1203
00:48:03,383 --> 00:48:06,486
whether it be overseeding
or starting from scratch

1204
00:48:06,553 --> 00:48:09,022
with a brand-new lawn,
this is your opportunity now

1205
00:48:09,089 --> 00:48:12,826
to pick the best grasses
that you can.

1206
00:48:12,893 --> 00:48:15,796
So, use named cultivars,
choose named cultivars.

1207
00:48:15,863 --> 00:48:19,166
When you look at seed packages,
you will see...

1208
00:48:19,233 --> 00:48:20,868
It'll say Kentucky bluegrass,
for example,

1209
00:48:20,934 --> 00:48:23,704
and it may list two or three
cultivars underneath there.

1210
00:48:23,770 --> 00:48:26,106
You're gonna pay more
for named cultivars.

1211
00:48:26,173 --> 00:48:28,242
But just like with buying
controlled-release fertilizer,

1212
00:48:28,308 --> 00:48:29,977
it's money very well spent.

1213
00:48:30,043 --> 00:48:31,778
If you're going through
all the time and effort

1214
00:48:31,845 --> 00:48:33,380
to establish this lawn,

1215
00:48:33,447 --> 00:48:35,582
now's your opportunity
to get the best grass material

1216
00:48:35,649 --> 00:48:36,884
you can out there.

1217
00:48:36,950 --> 00:48:38,185
So, we call it a blend

1218
00:48:38,252 --> 00:48:41,088
when you have different
cultivars of the same species.

1219
00:48:41,154 --> 00:48:42,789
It may also be a mixture.

1220
00:48:42,856 --> 00:48:45,125
You may have bluegrass
with fine fescue,

1221
00:48:45,192 --> 00:48:47,227
bluegrass with ryegrass.

1222
00:48:47,294 --> 00:48:48,762
More genetic diversity,

1223
00:48:48,829 --> 00:48:50,797
a lawn that can withstand
problems a lot better

1224
00:48:50,864 --> 00:48:53,800
than just one cultivar
out there.

1225
00:48:53,867 --> 00:48:55,202
NTEP, that NTEP,

1226
00:48:55,269 --> 00:48:57,237
National Turfgrass Evaluation
Program,

1227
00:48:57,304 --> 00:49:00,107
that's what most seed companies
use to base their decisions

1228
00:49:00,174 --> 00:49:02,709
on what grasses
to put in their products.

1229
00:49:02,776 --> 00:49:05,879
That's a nationwide effort
with the USDA

1230
00:49:05,946 --> 00:49:09,216
and the land grant universities,
including right here at UW,

1231
00:49:09,283 --> 00:49:12,452
where there are plots put out,
where they evaluate cultivars,

1232
00:49:12,519 --> 00:49:15,055
new ones compared
to the existing ones.

1233
00:49:15,122 --> 00:49:16,223
And then, those are--

1234
00:49:16,290 --> 00:49:19,226
The information there
is used to make decisions

1235
00:49:19,293 --> 00:49:22,996
on the best seed products
to put out on the market.

1236
00:49:23,063 --> 00:49:27,467
So, if I'm overseeing the
thin lawn, pick a good grass.

1237
00:49:27,534 --> 00:49:29,903
I'm doing it here late August,
early September.

1238
00:49:29,970 --> 00:49:33,774
The key thing is good
seed-to-soil contact.

1239
00:49:33,841 --> 00:49:37,878
So, you can hand rake,
you can rent a dethatcher.

1240
00:49:37,945 --> 00:49:40,013
But you can also use
slit seeders.

1241
00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:41,682
These work extremely well

1242
00:49:41,748 --> 00:49:44,418
if you're trying to overseed
into established lawns.

1243
00:49:44,484 --> 00:49:46,887
Again, you're assuming
the soil is in good shape.

1244
00:49:46,954 --> 00:49:48,155
Here's one type.

1245
00:49:48,222 --> 00:49:50,357
You put the seed in that hopper
there on the left.

1246
00:49:50,424 --> 00:49:52,993
And underneath, you see
there's like a series of knives

1247
00:49:53,060 --> 00:49:56,697
that cut into the grass
and the debris into the soil.

1248
00:49:56,763 --> 00:49:59,900
This one's a little bit better.

1249
00:49:59,967 --> 00:50:01,068
You're probably gonna rent this

1250
00:50:01,134 --> 00:50:03,103
or hire somebody to do it,
most likely.

1251
00:50:03,170 --> 00:50:05,506
But you put the seed
in the top there on the left,

1252
00:50:05,572 --> 00:50:07,307
and you notice the machine
is kind of tilted

1253
00:50:07,374 --> 00:50:08,475
back on the right.

1254
00:50:08,542 --> 00:50:10,577
You have a series
of blades and knives

1255
00:50:10,644 --> 00:50:13,247
that cut into the grass
and the soil,

1256
00:50:13,313 --> 00:50:15,048
and there's, like, tubes
running down there.

1257
00:50:15,115 --> 00:50:17,651
The seeds are planted
right into those cuts.

1258
00:50:17,718 --> 00:50:19,419
So, the seed gets into the soil.

1259
00:50:19,486 --> 00:50:21,755
You can do this right
through existing grass.

1260
00:50:21,822 --> 00:50:24,224
That's existing green grass
that's thinned out.

1261
00:50:24,291 --> 00:50:25,759
And those seedlings
now will come up

1262
00:50:25,826 --> 00:50:27,861
inside your established lawn.

1263
00:50:27,928 --> 00:50:29,496
So, it's an outstanding way.

1264
00:50:29,563 --> 00:50:32,332
If you have a real small area,
you certainly can do it by hand.

1265
00:50:32,399 --> 00:50:34,234
But if you're dealing
with a bigger area,

1266
00:50:34,301 --> 00:50:37,304
the slit seeders really come
into play

1267
00:50:37,371 --> 00:50:40,874
as being an exceptional way
to do that.

1268
00:50:40,941 --> 00:50:44,211
My fall fertilization then,
Labor Day,

1269
00:50:44,278 --> 00:50:45,612
just like I said in the spring,

1270
00:50:45,679 --> 00:50:47,281
controlled release
at about the one-pound rate.

1271
00:50:47,347 --> 00:50:49,683
So, that has not changed.

1272
00:50:50,317 --> 00:50:53,620
And the only new thing then
that I have not talked about

1273
00:50:53,687 --> 00:50:55,622
is broadleaf weed control.

1274
00:50:55,689 --> 00:50:58,192
And broadleaf weed control,
if you have dandelions,

1275
00:50:58,258 --> 00:51:02,095
clover, ground ivy,
whatever it might be,

1276
00:51:02,162 --> 00:51:05,065
these are perennials that the
best time to try to control 'em

1277
00:51:05,132 --> 00:51:07,768
if you're gonna use
a herbicide is in the fall

1278
00:51:07,835 --> 00:51:10,637
because they're controlled
more permanently.

1279
00:51:10,704 --> 00:51:12,039
If you spray 'em in the spring

1280
00:51:12,105 --> 00:51:13,574
or apply herbicide
in the spring,

1281
00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:15,576
a lot of times,
they kind of wilt and curl,

1282
00:51:15,642 --> 00:51:16,743
but they don't really die.

1283
00:51:16,810 --> 00:51:18,078
You apply it in the fall,

1284
00:51:18,145 --> 00:51:19,980
they actually take that
herbicide into the root system

1285
00:51:20,047 --> 00:51:21,548
and they actually do die.

1286
00:51:21,615 --> 00:51:23,884
So, you get
more permanent control.

1287
00:51:23,951 --> 00:51:25,786
So, September into October,

1288
00:51:25,853 --> 00:51:29,089
now here's another way
you can minimize chemical use.

1289
00:51:29,156 --> 00:51:31,291
You have broadleaf herbicides
available as liquids.

1290
00:51:31,358 --> 00:51:33,861
You also have available as
granular mixed with fertilizer,

1291
00:51:33,927 --> 00:51:35,395
the "weed and feed."

1292
00:51:35,462 --> 00:51:38,298
Use the liquid herbicide
by itself.

1293
00:51:38,365 --> 00:51:41,134
Spot treat
where you see the weeds.

1294
00:51:41,201 --> 00:51:42,836
This is a post-emergent
application.

1295
00:51:42,903 --> 00:51:45,506
You're applying it
to established weeds.

1296
00:51:45,572 --> 00:51:47,541
If you can see where they are,
spot treat 'em.

1297
00:51:47,608 --> 00:51:49,343
If you just have grass
and there's no weeds,

1298
00:51:49,409 --> 00:51:50,978
there's no point
in applying herbicide there.

1299
00:51:51,044 --> 00:51:52,579
So, you can minimize
the amount of herbicide

1300
00:51:52,646 --> 00:51:53,981
you put down on the lawn.

1301
00:51:54,047 --> 00:51:57,284
Read and follow
label directions.

1302
00:51:57,751 --> 00:51:59,820
And no lawn talk is complete

1303
00:51:59,887 --> 00:52:03,223
without ground ivy,
mentioning it.

1304
00:52:03,290 --> 00:52:04,658
Two examples here.

1305
00:52:04,725 --> 00:52:08,128
Triclopyr is probably
your best synthetic herbicide,

1306
00:52:08,195 --> 00:52:10,364
and you can find it
in a lot of different products.

1307
00:52:10,430 --> 00:52:13,667
An alternative that's fairly new
is an iron chelate.

1308
00:52:13,734 --> 00:52:15,369
The product called Fiesta.

1309
00:52:15,435 --> 00:52:18,071
And there's some information
on our website about this.

1310
00:52:18,138 --> 00:52:20,107
You basically give
the ground ivy

1311
00:52:20,174 --> 00:52:24,077
a very high dose of iron,
and it works very effectively.

1312
00:52:24,144 --> 00:52:26,613
Right around the first frost
and when the plant's blooming

1313
00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:30,817
are the two key times
to deal with ground ivy.

1314
00:52:33,153 --> 00:52:35,722
And then finally, late fall,
just keep mowing.

1315
00:52:35,789 --> 00:52:38,192
Remove the excess leaves.

1316
00:52:38,258 --> 00:52:40,761
Fertilization is--
It used to be recommended,

1317
00:52:40,827 --> 00:52:44,565
and it's very difficult
to time it perfectly

1318
00:52:44,631 --> 00:52:46,200
because you want
the grass to slow down.

1319
00:52:46,266 --> 00:52:47,935
You don't want
the soil frozen yet.

1320
00:52:48,001 --> 00:52:49,670
Most recommendations
now have taken that

1321
00:52:49,736 --> 00:52:51,572
late fall application out.

1322
00:52:51,638 --> 00:52:54,074
And the other thing
I listed here, dormant seeding.

1323
00:52:54,141 --> 00:52:57,878
If you're gonna do
dormant seeding, very risky.

1324
00:52:57,945 --> 00:53:01,715
Ideally what you do is put the
seed down right before it snows.

1325
00:53:01,782 --> 00:53:02,883
So, you gotta time that.

1326
00:53:02,950 --> 00:53:04,418
Good luck figuring that out.

1327
00:53:04,484 --> 00:53:07,020
And then, you want the snow
to stay there until spring.

1328
00:53:07,087 --> 00:53:08,789
[audience laughs]
Good luck, okay?

1329
00:53:08,856 --> 00:53:10,591
So, if you have
a little bit of seed,

1330
00:53:10,657 --> 00:53:12,192
you don't really care,
you can try it,

1331
00:53:12,259 --> 00:53:14,328
but don't invest a lot of seed
for dormant seeding.

1332
00:53:14,394 --> 00:53:15,696
Just wait until spring.

1333
00:53:15,762 --> 00:53:18,632
You're gonna be much better
trying to do that.

1334
00:53:18,699 --> 00:53:20,968
So, we need to vacate
the room for the next session.

1335
00:53:21,034 --> 00:53:23,237
Thank you for coming,
and we'll talk to you later.

1336
00:53:23,303 --> 00:53:25,305
[audience applauds]