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White or Gray Matted Web-Like Grass? It's Snow Mold!
There are two types of Snow Mold that can develop on residential lawns, Pink and Grey. Although all grasses are susceptible to the diseases, they are most common on bluegrass, ryegrass, bentgrass and fescues. Pink Snow Mold, also called Microdochium Patch and Gray Snow Mold, also called Typhula Blight. Although they are both associated with snow cover, Gray Snow Mold requires at least 60 days of snow cover for it to develop. Both types of Snow Mold are most severe when snow falls on unfrozen turf, but Pink Snow Mold can occur without snow cover during cool (less than 60 degrees) weather that is wet and
How to Protect Your Lawn and Landscape from Winter Salt
If you are like most people, you go to the hardware store and pick up two or three bags of rock salt to use on your driveway and sidewalks. Some products claim not to damage grass or plants (like calcium chloride or magnesium chloride), but if you use too much, it can still cause damage. There are also products that are safer for pets, but those products can cost 7 to 10 times more than common rock salt. So what's the best way to protect your lawn and landscape plants from winter salt? Safe Salt Alternatives to Melt Winter Ice A cheap alternative to avoid winter salt damage on la
How Winter Mulch Can Protect Your Garden This Season!
Adding mulch around garden and landscape plants is a great idea as it will help protect the roots of overwintering perennials from the ravages of winter temperatures. When temperatures fluctuate during the winter, mulch helps to keep soil temperature around more steady than uncovered soil. Even though it is winter, plants still need moisture, especially evergreen plants like yews, junipers, arborvitae and many broad-leafed evergreen plants still require water. Common Mulch to Use in the Winter When bare soil freezes, the moisture in the frozen soil is less available to the plant, which can lead to wint
Fall Chores: 10 Simple Fall Cleanup Tips For The Season
One interesting aspect about lawn care, gardening and landscaping is that no two years are ever the same. Up until the middle of October, the Midwest had been extremely dry and much warmer than usual. These conditions have delayed the normal fall chores, pushing back such jobs as leaf collection or final mowing to much later in November. In past years, most leaves have fallen by now and lawns are beginning to harden-off for winter. There are many, many trees that still have mostly green leaves and the fall leaf color change has just started in some areas. Although it will soon change, most annual pla
Why Do Leaves Change Color In The Fall?
What time of the year do you like the most? Is it the winter when everything is covered with a blanket of white? Is it the spring when many trees and shrubs show off their beautiful flowers? Is it summer when lawns are green and flowers are blooming everywhere? Or, is it fall when the air turns cooler and the leaves on the trees take on their fall colors in shades of yellow, red, orange and brown? All seasons have their pluses and minuses, but fall is a very colorful time as the trees and shrubs change from different shades of green to various hues of yellow, red, orange and even brown. It
Fall Maintenance: Winterizing Your Lawn and Landscape!
You may still be using your lawn mower and other lawn equipment for a while, as fall gradually gives way to winter. Properly winterizing lawn equipment is well worth your time and effort. If you follow these six steps before putting it all away for the season, you will extend the life and maintain the efficiency of your lawn equipment, find yourself better prepared for the winter season, and perhaps have a fewer issues next spri
Pruning: How and When to Prune Flowering Plants
If you hesitate at the thought of bringing the pruning shears to your beautiful flowering plants, you're not alone. The thought of pruning flowering plants can make even the most experienced home gardener pause. But pruning is important to your plants' growth, and one of the best ways to bring more blooms the following season. But not all plants should be pruned the same way or at the same time of year. What gets pruned and when? We are so glad you asked! When to Prune, Timing Is Everything When and where to prune a flowering plant largely depends on when and where it blooms. Properly timing the prunin
Found A Smelly Dark Tip Fungus? It's Dog Stinkhorn!
Their name doesn’t sound very appetizing, their shape certainly doesn’t help matters much, and their odor can be downright offensive. The genus Mutinus Caninus , also known as Dog Stinkhorn , are a rather unusual garden fungus. This unsavory member of the mushroom family can be recognized by it’s distinctive shape and terrible smell. What is this dark tip smelly fungus? They will be hard to miss if you have them. For those not well-versed in Latin, the scientific name describes the similarity of their shape to that of a male dog’s identifying anatomical characteristic. Stinkhorns
Sprinkler Maintenance Tips For This Fall
If your home has a lawn/landscape irrigation system, regular inspection and sprinkler maintenance are key to keeping it operating efficiently and effectively. In addition to utilizing a professional service, such as Spring-Green’s Irrigation Maintenance Program , homeowners can take an active part in their sprinkler maintenance program periodically by walking the property and looking for visual cues to verify that their sprinkler system is working properly or that adjustments or repairs are necessary
Fall is a good time to fertilize cool season grasses!
Right now many of us are wondering how it could possibly be fall already, but it’s a fact. The autumnal equinox has passed, football season is underway, and pumpkin spice flavored foods and beverages are all the rage. If your lawn contains types of cool-season grasses, like Bluegrass, Ryegrass, Fine Fescue or Tall Fescue, the fall season also presents some fantastic opportunities to improve the overall health, vitality and beauty of your lawn. Performing core aeration in the f