Ask the Lawn Care Expert

Have You Been Seeing Multi-colored Beetles?

I am sure that many people have noticed Lady Bugs or Lady Beetles flying around the house during the winter, especially soon after a frost occurs. You are not alone as they have been active all summer throughout the US. If you have seen these beetles in your home during winter then you are most likely seeing Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetles. As the cold seasons approaches take the time to protect your home. The best way to control the beetles’ entry into a home is through prevention. Asian Lady Beetle […]

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What To Do When Grass Won’t Grow In the Shade

This is the traditional time when reseeding of cool-season grasses takes place. Late summer to early fall provides soil temperatures that are warm. This helps the newly seeded seed to germinate and the fall season usually means more rain than the summer season. It is also the time when turfgrasses “heal” themselves from the ravages of the past summer. This is mainly due to an increase in root growth as soil temperatures moderate. When you are deciding what needs to be reseeded, it is important to understand that there are […]

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Have You Seen Mushrooms In Your Yard This Year?

More people have asked me about mushrooms and sent me more pictures than I have ever received. With the amount of water that the Midwest and parts of the South and Southeast have received this year, it is no wonder why people are seeing so many. They seem to be popping up everywhere. To some homeowners, mushrooms are of no real concern. They know that they can practice their golf swing or just mow them off and they will go away. Some homeowners get “freaked out” by the presence of […]

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The Time Has Come to Seed Cool-Season Grasses

Late August to early September is the best time to overseed cool season grasses. It may still be a little warm, but temperatures will quickly begin to moderate as the days get shorter. The easiest way to get new seed into your lawn is to core aerate it first before sowing seed across your lawn. Be sure to either wait until a decent rain has fallen or the lawn is watered well before aerating. The goal is to allow the core tines to penetrate the soil to pull up plugs […]

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Armyworms Are Now Attacking!

We have been getting reports of extensive Fall Armyworm activity from Wilmington, NC to Opelika, AL and Nashville, TN to Dallas, TX and all parts between. Lawns are being eaten up almost overnight, which causes great distress to customers who had green lawns one day and a brown lawn the next day. There are a couple of species of Armyworms. The one that is feeding right now is the Fall Armyworm. Fall Armyworm Facts Feed on turf grasses, they prefer Bermuda grass, but will feed on tall fescue, Ryegrass and Bent grass […]

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Have You Seen Small, Tan Moths In Your Lawn?

While mowing my lawn over the weekend, I began seeing the annual emergence of small, tannish moths flittering across the lawn in front of my mower. Depending on where you live, these moths become apparent from July through September. Their numbers can be impressive as they rise out of the lawn. This causes concern to homeowners as they worry about their lawns and the possible damage moths can do. To some savvy homeowners and experienced lawn care professionals, the shape and color of the moth resembles the more damaging sod […]

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Billbugs: Don’t Let Them Overtake Your Lawn!

I recently attended a two-day conference, The 2016 National Turf Grass Entomology Workshop and Pollinator Summit. Both days were very interesting and enlightening. The first day was spent reviewing the work of Entomologists from 16 universities across the US. I found it very interesting as we have franchises in the state where most of the universities are located or in a nearby state. There are several new insect pests attacking turf in some parts of the US. Most of the work that these Entomologists do is based around golf courses […]

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Nutsedge: Keep An Eye Out For This Intrusive Plant!

I am very observant of what is growing in lawns and landscapes in the various regions where I travel and have noticed, that each year, Nutsedge is becoming more prevalent and an increasing challenge to control. Nutsedge is a perennial plant that increases in numbers every year. A single plant has the ability to produce several hundred tubers, or nutlets every year. These tubers remain viable for 3 years or more in the soil. Each plant also produces underground root structures called rhizomes, which allows the plant to spread each […]

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Tree Damage: Sometimes There Isn’t Anything You Can Do!

Do any of your trees look under the weather? In most cases, I can identify what problems are from pictures that I receive, but I admit that sometimes I am stumped. Sometimes there are pictures that show a problem and there just isn’t any hope for recovery. Such is the case with the picture below. As you can see, this tree has been severely damaged and unfortunately will most likely die. These could have been the causes of the tree damage: There was damage when it was moved to the place where it […]

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Does Your Maple Tree Have Blacks Spots On Its Leaves?

Tar Spot showing up on Maple tree leaves

I enjoy walking my dog every day since it is good exercise for both her and I as well as using that time to look for interesting or unusual plants or turf problems. There is a maple tree disease showing up on its leaves that has become more prevalent in the last few years. The disease is called Tar Spot. It has earned this name because the disease develops spots on the leaves that resemble, well, tar spots. The disease by itself rarely causes serious damage to the tree, but the spot can […]

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