The American Lawn - Lawn America February 2009 Newsletter

For a warm-season lawn, remember NOT to scalp your lawn until the danger of a killing frost is over. In Oklahoma, this is usually mid-April, while down south in Texas, late March would be the earliest you should scalp. Never scalp a cool-season lawn.

In many areas, winter drought continues to be a problem. Normally, irrigating your lawn during winter is not that big of a deal. Not so if it’s been over three weeks without rainfall, or if your soil is very dry.

Even dormant bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, and St. Augustine is alive, with a somewhat active root system during the winter. Cool-season turf such as fescue and bluegrass will benefit from irrigation at this time of year and green-up earlier this spring.

A good soaking once a week is fine for now. If we receive rainfall soon, you can cut back on that. And remember, you need to water in our pre-emergent applied within a few days of the application.

If there’s anything that sticks out like a sore thumb, it’s crabgrass in an otherwise beautiful lawn. This annual weed shows up like clockwork every spring, sprouting from seed and putting down roots quickly…then going to work giving lawns an overall ragged look. Left untreated, crabgrass will spread more and more each year. Eventually, its stalky stems and unsightly leaves will crowd out your good grass.

Since just one crabgrass plant can produce between 2,000 and 4,000 seeds per year, it’s important to put a stop to the problem before it gets started. The best way to do that is to treat your lawn with a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring, before crabgrass seeds have a chance to sprout. At LawnAmerica, we use a product named Barricade, which is one of the best available.

Pre-emergent herbicide acts as your lawn’s personal bodyguard. Applied to the top inch of your soil, it can cut down on crabgrass growth by killing the seeds as they begin germinating in mid-spring. When the small crabgrass plants die, the problem isn’t gone for good…it’s just hidden. Certain seeds can be kept from sprouting this season, but chances are that there are still other seeds in your soil that will begin germinating next spring or even years from now. New crabgrass seeds are constantly blown in and carried in by animals also. Crabgrass poses an ongoing threat to the health and beauty of your lawn, so yearly applications of pre-emergent herbicide are a necessity.

Pre-emergent herbicides do not prevent most broadleaf weeds from germinating. They will help somewhat on certain broadleaf weeds and other grassy weeds, but control in not real good. Other weeds such as Nutgrass are not prevented by pre-emergent products, so we’ll need to spray these weeds as they come up during the spring and summer.

Pre-emergents need to be watered into the soil a few days after application in order to move the product down into the soil. Once there, depending upon the type and rate applied, it will give you about 6 months of control. At LawnAmerica, we add liquid post-emergent into our spring mix, so that existing weeds are also killed and a broader range of broadleaf weeds are controlled.

When it comes to your lawn, prevention is the best medicine. Post-emergent controls can be used to treat crabgrass after it appears. However, since this weed tends to spread very quickly once it’s allowed to germinate, pre-emergent treatments are highly recommended. The best defense against weeds is also a thick, healthy, well-fertilized turf, so don’t neglect fertilizer applications as we get on into spring.

The practice of chopping off the tops of crepe myrtles over the winter has become very common. Many folks believe this is necessary to promote flowering, but that is not necessarily the case. Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new growth in spring, and may lead to slightly more blooms. However, they will bloom if pruning is not done.

Proper pruning can serve several purposes in plants, including crepe myrtles:
To encourage blooming or fruiting
To restrict growth
To train the plant into a certain shape
To improve the health of the plant

The main justification for pruning crepe myrtles is to develop the proper shape of the tree by removing suckers at the base and removing all limbs growing from ground level except 3-5 of the strongest limbs. As the tree matures, remove lower, lateral branches up to one-third to halfway up the plant, and ones that are crossing or rubbing against each other. Make your cuts to a side branch or close to the trunk, using good, sharp pruning shears.

Do corrective pruning to remove dead branches, and remove small twigs or branches in the center to create more open spaces for sun and air movement. If the plant is becoming to large, you can limb up or chop off the tops of the crepe myrtle in an attempt to keep it from becoming too large. Do not just cut it off at the same place every year though. If you have doubts about your ability to correctly prune, don’t hesitate to contact a local arborist.




		The official beginning of spring is next month, which is your opportunity to renew your lawn from a harsh winter. For a warm-season lawn, remember NOT to scalp your lawn until the danger of a killing frost is over. In Oklahoma, this is usually mid-April, while down south in Texas, late March would be the earliest you should scalp. Never scalp a cool-season lawn. In many areas, winter drought continues to be a problem. Normally, irrigating your lawn during winter is not that big of a deal. Not so if it’s been over three weeks without rainfall, or if your soil is very dry. Even dormant bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, and St. Augustine is alive, with a somewhat active root system during the winter. Cool-season turf such as fescue and bluegrass will benefit from irrigation at this time of year and green-up earlier this spring. A good soaking once a week is fine for now. If we receive rainfall soon, you can cut back on that. And remember, you need to water in our pre-emergent applied within a few days of the application. If there’s anything that sticks out like a sore thumb, it’s crabgrass in an otherwise beautiful lawn. This annual weed shows up like clockwork every spring, sprouting from seed and putting down roots quickly…then going to work giving lawns an overall ragged look. Left untreated, crabgrass will spread more and more each year. Eventually, its stalky stems and unsightly leaves will crowd out your good grass. Since just one crabgrass plant can produce between 2,000 and 4,000 seeds per year, it’s important to put a stop to the problem before it gets started. The best way to do that is to treat your lawn with a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring, before crabgrass seeds have a chance to sprout. At LawnAmerica, we use a product named Barricade, which is one of the best available. Pre-emergent herbicide acts as your lawn’s personal bodyguard. Applied to the top inch of your soil, it can cut down on crabgrass growth by killing the seeds as they begin germinating in mid-spring. When the small crabgrass plants die, the problem isn’t gone for good…it’s just hidden. Certain seeds can be kept from sprouting this season, but chances are that there are still other seeds in your soil that will begin germinating next spring or even years from now. New crabgrass seeds are constantly blown in and carried in by animals also. Crabgrass poses an ongoing threat to the health and beauty of your lawn, so yearly applications of pre-emergent herbicide are a necessity. Pre-emergent herbicides do not prevent most broadleaf weeds from germinating. They will help somewhat on certain broadleaf weeds and other grassy weeds, but control in not real good. Other weeds such as Nutgrass are not prevented by pre-emergent products, so we’ll need to spray these weeds as they come up during the spring and summer. Pre-emergents need to be watered into the soil a few days after application in order to move the product down into the soil. Once there, depending upon the type and rate applied, it will give you about 6 months of control. At LawnAmerica, we add liquid post-emergent into our spring mix, so that existing weeds are also killed and a broader range of broadleaf weeds are controlled. When it comes to your lawn, prevention is the best medicine. Post-emergent controls can be used to treat crabgrass after it appears. However, since this weed tends to spread very quickly once it’s allowed to germinate, pre-emergent treatments are highly recommended. The best defense against weeds is also a thick, healthy, well-fertilized turf, so don’t neglect fertilizer applications as we get on into spring. The practice of chopping off the tops of crepe myrtles over the winter has become very common. Many folks believe this is necessary to promote flowering, but that is not necessarily the case. Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new growth in spring, and may lead to slightly more blooms. However, they will bloom if pruning is not done. Proper pruning can serve several purposes in plants, including crepe myrtles: To encourage blooming or fruiting To restrict growth To train the plant into a certain shape To improve the health of the plant The main justification for pruning crepe myrtles is to develop the proper shape of the tree by removing suckers at the base and removing all limbs growing from ground level except 3-5 of the strongest limbs. As the tree matures, remove lower, lateral branches up to one-third to halfway up the plant, and ones that are crossing or rubbing against each other. Make your cuts to a side branch or close to the trunk, using good, sharp pruning shears. Do corrective pruning to remove dead branches, and remove small twigs or branches in the center to create more open spaces for sun and air movement. If the plant is becoming to large, you can limb up or chop off the tops of the crepe myrtle in an attempt to keep it from becoming too large. Do not just cut it off at the same place every year though. If you have doubts about your ability to correctly prune, don’t hesitate to contact a local arborist.