Fall Tune Up Time

As the summer winds down, some lawns from Hatboro to Pottstown will be stressed from the summer heat.  It's the perfect time to prepare the lawn for the fall and revitalize it.  Controlling the weeds in the early fall along with annual grasses, like crabgrass, which die out with the first frost help pave the way to improve the overall density for the following spring.

Core Aeration is the healthiest thing you can do for your lawn all year besides keeping it fed.  The core aeration process removes small cores of soil from your lawn to relieve the soil of compaction, which is very common in Southeastern PA soils.  It also helps reduce thatch which can constrict the flow or air, water, and nutrients from reaching the root zone.

Core Aeration helps reduce thatch and relieve soil compaction providing a healthier lawn.

Thatch is the layer of dead and decaying plant tissue between the soil surface and the green vegetation.  A thin layer of 2/10” is beneficial; however, when the thatch layer exceeds ½”, it promotes insect, grub, and disease activity and impedes water, fertilization, and pesticide effectiveness.

In Montgomery County, fall and spring are the best times to aerate.  Fall core aeration is best when performed between August and November.  Aerating before late season fertilization enhances root growth and improves spring greenup and growth.

Summer time and the lawn isn’t easy

For the past few summers lawns from Norristown to Cheltenham have battled the intense summer heat and typically lose the season-long battle. Once temperatures reach the 90's consistently, our cool season turf enter a state of dormancy but typically bounce back in the early fall, while weaker grasses simply die out with the blazing temperatures. This year, the relatively mild conditions have cut back on the drought damage, but a different issue is wreaking havoc on our lawns.

Afternoon thunderstorms promote fungus and disease activity in lawns throughout the summer. By night, the excess moisture coupled with dark, humid conditions create a hot zone for the spread of dollar spot and leaf spot disease which are two of the most common lawn diseases in Montgomery and Chester County during this time of year. Brown spots throughout the lawn are either caused by dollar or leaf spot disease. The grass surrounding the brown grass will have lesions that resemble an hourglass or a cigarette burn, respectively.

Leaf spot disease

There are several solutions to this problem. Fungicides help to stop the spread of the disease but do not return the brown areas to their original, spring-time green. Depending upon the disease, proper fertilization and watering at the appropriate times will speed up the curing process. Once the weather cools, aerating your lawn will reduce the thatch layer which promotes significant disease activity. 

 -Contributed by Harry Bambi, Sales Supervisor

Geometry and Your Lawn

It’s summer time in Montgomery County.  It’s been really hot and really wet.  While it’s a common perception to feel the lawn should have plenty of water and be green, the combination of excessive heat, humidity, and moisture create the perfect recipe for disease activity from Collegeville to Hatboro.

In order for a disease to develop, the ‘disease triangle’ must be present.  The disease triangle consists of three components: a susceptible host, a pathogen (cause of the disease), and an environment suitable for disease develop.  If any one of these three factors is not present, the disease will not develop.

There are several common diseases, such as dollar spot and summer patch, in Montgomery County given the high humidity, high nighttime temperatures, and significant amount of rain, which has kept the ground moist.

While fungicides can help stop the spreading, it’s best to manage the disease through proper fertility and cultural practices.  Here are some simple tips:

• Properly identify the disease.  Certain diseases are nitrogen deficient while other are aggravated by nitrogen.  Understanding which disease is present is key to proper management.

• Avoid light or nighttime watering.  Watering should be deep enough to saturate the root zone; typically 30-45 minutes per section.

• Manage your thatch.  Thick thatch, more than 1/2” will promote disease activity.  A healthy thatch layer is 2/10”.  Plan to aerate this fall to reduce thatch and relieve soil compaction.

• Considering seeding this fall with update varieties of turf to improve disease resistance.

• Manage your fertility.  Ensure your lawn is properly fertilized, consistently throughout the year.  Too much or too little fertilizer can promote disease activity.

There are many reasons the lawn can go brown in Montgomery County during the summer, proper diagnosis is key.  If it is an active disease, consider these tips to help manage your lawn through the summer stress.