Kirk's Lawn Care

Yes, believe it or not! All dogs’ urine contains salts and nitrogen that can kill the grass. But it is the way dogs deposit their urine on a lawn that determines the extent of the injury. Dogs that squat to urinate deposit a large volume of urine in a small spot and cause more severe damage than dogs that raise their legs when urinating. Generally speaking, female dogs and young dogs of both sexes squat to urinate. Older male dogs raise their leg, spreading urine to a larger area. Male dogs are also more territorial and do more “marking” than female dogs, and so they tend to urinate small amounts in a number of different locations. Thus, dogs that are young, large, or female often do more damage than ones that are old, small, or male.

Getting rid of weeds is time consuming, back-breaking, and can be expensive if you use herbicides. Ideally, you should stop weed growth before it starts—this is easier and cheaper than killing weeds when they pop up. Preventive lawn weed control is also safer for the environment and more long-lasting than defensive approaches.

Effective Lawn Weed Control

Here’s how to keep weeds at bay, before they invade your yard:

1. Repair bare or weakened areas. Weeds take hold in bare spots in your lawn, or in areas where the turf is weakened. Make sure you fill in bald spots in your yard in the early spring by sprinkling with grass seed and lightly raking (make sure you also water). If the lawn is thin in spots, add fertilizer to strengthen the grass.

2. Reduce soil compaction. Heavy foot traffic areas are prone to weed growth as the soil gets compacted and grass has trouble growing. If you must, add a pathway (with mulch or gravel) to prevent weeds from growing in place of grass—and spreading to other parts of your lawn.

3. Mow high. Mow the grass at three inches or higher so it can shade out the weeds and weaken them.

4. Watch for weed growth near driveways, walkways. Weeds gain a foothold in areas where high temperatures can damage cool-season grass, such as along the edges of driveways, walkways, and patios (the hardscape raises the temperature of the surrounding lawn). Pull out any weeds that emerge in these areas immediately so that seeds do not sprout and spread throughout the yard.

(Source: allaboutlawns.com)

With our very mild winter we have been experiencing lately, has your flower bulbs been tricked into blooming early? If so, don’t fret!

La Nina is at it again.

The ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that originates in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the west coast of South America near the Equator has helped keep the jet stream — and typical winter-like temperatures — on a west-to-east path over Canada.

One of the places where the evidence of La Nina is showing up in the United States is in residential landscapes, especially in some parts of the South where bulbs such as daffodils that are commonly associated with early, middle and late spring blooming cycles were in flower in January.

Should gardeners be concerned? What will happen if there is a sudden drop in temperatures to below freezing or a plunge into the teens?

Don’t worry, says Jay Hutchins, general manager of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs in Gloucester, Va. As long as the bulbs were planted in the fall and have developed roots, they will be fine.

And many, he points out, have been in the ground for much longer than a season.

“Mother Nature has designed them to take a beating,” he said. The reason “they can take more harsh conditions than people think,” he explained, is because “the cell walls of the bulb are flexible and the bulb won’t crack or collapse” during freezes.

The foliage and flowers could be another matter.

Freezing temperatures could “burn” the foliage and cause it to have yellow tips. Extreme low temperatures could cause the buds that haven’t opened to abort as a way of protecting the bulb, Hutchins said.

If the forecast does call for harsh changes, Hutchins offered several tips for homeowners to protect foliage and blooms.

•Add extra mulch.
•Cover foliage, buds and flowers with milk cartons.
•Put up stakes and drape a tarp over the plants to keep a heavy frost off of them.

The unusually warm winter is also presenting challenges for botanical gardens that have planned major spring events. “The spring bulbs are further along than we might like to see,” said Amanda Campbell, manager of the Display Gardens at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

She is keeping a close eye on the weather because Atlanta Blooms, a huge spring promotion, is planned around blooming meadows of tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, crocus and other bulbs. The tulips are of particular concern because the unusually mild temperatures have caused tulip foliage to emerge several weeks ahead of schedule.

February and early March in the South have been known to be quite cold and nasty, Campbell said, and if the temperatures drop the bulbs will slow down and bloom will be delayed. Her biggest concern would be if Atlanta gets one of its notoriously late freezes after an extended warm period. “That would be very hard on the tulips,” she said.

Home gardeners would have a much easier time. If there is a dramatic turn in the weather, they could just cut their flowers, bring them inside, put them in a vase and enjoy the blooms and the fragrance.

And they can rest easy knowing that, La Nina or not, they won’t lose their bulbs to the whims of nature.

(Source: mnn.com)

Make sure you always use the right ice melting product for the job! There IS a difference between the various salt products you may find at your hardware store.

I will try to clear up the differences and the pros and cons of each product.

SODIUM CHLORIDE:
Known as “rock-salt”
Effective down to +16 degrees, but preforms best in the mid-20s
PROS:
1) Readily available
2) Very cheap compared to other deicing products
3) Keeps surface dry, does not attract moisture
CONS:
1) One of the most corrosive of the de-icing products
2) Highest risk of harming concrete and vegetation
3) Leaves residue on surface that can be tracked into buildings

CALCIUM CHLORIDE:
Melts ice down to -25 degrees F
PROS:
1) Lowest temperature de-icer
2)Less harmful than sodium chloride when it comes to concrete and vegetation
CONS:
1) Much more expensive than sodium chloride
2) attracts moisture, may leave surface wet
3) Leaves residue on surface that can be tracked into buildings

MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE:
Effective down to -13 degrees F
PROS:
1) Gentle on most surfaces and vegetation as well as pet safe
2) Does not leave residue on surface
3) Low environmental impact
CONS:
1) Like calcium chloride, it is much more expensive than sodium chloride

BEWARE: Many de-icing product companies are making “mixed” de-icing products which contains the 3 chlorides listed above. They often package them in a appealing bag with full-color graphics to attract homeowners. Be VERY careful! Many of these products can consist of up to 90% sodium chloride (rock salt). Remember, rock salt is very harsh to concrete and vegetation.

MY ADVICE: Plan a few days ahead of the storm and visit your local contractor supply store and purchase non-mix deicing products. The bag may not be as pretty, but your concrete will be after winter!

Experts across the country—from those at the University of Idaho Extension to those at the University of Illinois Extension—will all tell you the same thing. September is the time for planting a new lawn.

Why September is prime-time for seeding grass

The biggest reason September is a great time to plant grass seed is temperature. In September, soil temperatures drop into the ideal zone for germinating cool-season lawn seeds. But that’s not all. Planting a new lawn in September, as opposed to October or November, gives the grass plenty of time to put down strong roots and really establish itself before winter weather hits. Another major factor is weeds. While spring has similar temperatures and offers a good long growing season before cold weather, in spring your new lawn has tons of competition from weed seeds. In fall, that’s not the case. So not only can your lawn thrive in the cool soil and put down strong roots in the months before winter, your new grass is much likelier to be weed-free when you plant in the fall.

Tips for a successful September lawn installation

Planting in September isn’t enough to guarantee new-lawn success. Preparing your soil, keeping the new grass moist, and applying a starter lawn fertilizer are all critical to growing a healthy new lawn. For more details, check out our full guide to planting grass seed.

When you’re fighting weeds, it can be tempting to give it everything you’ve got, no matter the time of year. But in the heat of summer, it’s best to take a tempered approach to weed control.

Do: Keep your lawn mowed high during the summer. Find yours on the chart, then set your mower to the high end of the spectrum. That extra half-inch or inch of height can help shade out weeds.

Do: Water deeply a few times a week, instead of lightly every day. Deep watering is a good practice throughout the year, since it encourages development of a strong root system; it’s also a summer weed control strategy. Light, frequent watering creates the sort of conditions that help weed seeds sprout. Keeping the water below the surface for most of the week can keep conditions inhospitable for weeds.

Don’t: Apply a chemical fertilizer in July or August, when your lawn is already heat-stressed, and your odds of damaging or discoloring your lawn are greater than at other times of year. Try extirpating most weeds with herbicide in early spring or fall.

While herbicides may be off the table for July and August, any time of year is a good time to get busy with garden gloves and a shovel. Just make sure you drink plenty of water and lather on the sun protection!