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Facts, Information, and control

Crabgrass is a summer annual grassy weed. It actually grows in the late spring and summer while soil temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees. Being an annual grass, crabgrass lives for one season. It has very low nutrient requirements, and can basically grow anywhere; even in sidewalk cracks. Crabgrass is light green in color, coarse bladed and will root at the nodes when they touch the ground. A single crabgrass plant can produce up to 700 tillers. It is a bunch type grass, and a single bunch can produce up to 150,000 seeds during a season. This is why it can become such a large problem in lawns over just one summer season.

There are 2 main factors that affect control of crabgrass over the summer: The first is proper timing and application of pre-emergent herbicide, and second is turf density.

Crabgrass is a “cousin” to your turfgrass. It processes its food very similarly to the way your grass does. Because it is so similar to your turfgrass, the weed control needed to kill crabgrass after it has already germinated and began growing in your lawn can easily damage your grass. For this reason, it is important to prevent as much crabgrass as possible from ever showing up in your lawn. This is accomplished by using pre-emergent herbicide that will stop crabgrass before it starts producing seeds. It is very important that the pre-emergent be applied early in the spring well before the temperatures increase. The common mistake most lawn owners make is starting too late in the spring.

Pre-emergent is the most effective way to control crabgrass in your lawn, but it will not work in a thin lawn nearly as well as in a lawn that has good density. So if your lawn is thin going into summer, you should expect to have crabgrass even with the application of pre-emergent in the spring. To maintain density of your lawn it is important to have good watering and mowing practices. For Bermuda and zoysia lawns core aeration in the spring will greatly help with the density of your lawn. For fescue lawns aeration and re-seeding in the fall is the best way to keep the density up. Contact us if you would like to get core aeration or aeration and seeding done on your lawn.

With the dropping temperatures this coming season, you may become the unwilling host to some unwelcome winter guests: Rats. These animals often invade homes in search of warm winter nesting areas. Norway rats and Roof rats are commonly found here in the Southeast.

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Norway and Roof rats have litters of 6-12 young born about 21 days after conception. Females have 4-6 litters per year. Their offspring can begin reproducing as early as 8 weeks after they are born, so it is not hard to understand just how quickly they can become a major problem inside your home.

Both species will eat nearly any type of food. They prefer cereal grains, meats, fish, nuts and fruit. They are primarily nocturnal, and they have a keen sense of smell to offset poor eyesight. These animals are destructive to property and foodstuffs. Their teeth never stop growing, so they constantly chew on things to keep their teeth filed down. They damage electrical wires, conduits, wood, and other substances causing potential hazards inside your home.  Their hairs and urine contaminate foods and dishes. They play an important part in the transmission of human diseases such as typhus, rat-bite fever, and bubonic plague.

Adult Norway rats weigh an average of one pound. Roof rats are slightly smaller on average. Norway rats usually construct nests in underground burrows or at ground level. Nests are lined with shredded paper, cloth, or other fibrous material. Roof rats usually frequent attics, building crossbeams and pipes. They often leave a dark colored layer of grease and dirt to mark their travel ways.

Control of rodents inside your home is included in our Quarterly Household Pest Program at no additional charge. Control of Norway rats can be achieved at the ground level or basement level, while Roof rat control measures must be used in attic spaces and areas above ground level. You should remove tree branches overhanging the roof of your house in order to reduce access to attic areas. Control is achieved with glueboards and snap traps, and other methods. Most rats have a strong tendency to avoid new objects in their environment. It may take several days before they will approach a control device such as a glueboard or snap trap.

Winter is often perceived as being a slow, down time for the lawn and pest industry. This is a huge misconception. In fact, the winter treatments for lawns, shrubs, and indoor pests are some of the most important treatments done throughout

the year.

Lawns have a completely different group of weeds that appear during the winter months. The pre-emergent treatments we apply during the fall and winter help to greatly reduce these weed populations in lawns during the spring. Even though bermuda and zoysia lawns are dormant, the lime and root developing fertilizers we apply during this season dictate how healthy the lawns will be in the spring.

The dormant oil treatment applied to ornamental trees and shrubs in the colder months is a key factor in minimizing damage in the spring. By eliminating the over-wintering eggs from the summer insects, we can severely curtail early season insect populations that will begin to feed on plant foliage when the temperatures begin to increase.  We also fertilize trees and shrubs during the winter months. Our pressurized, deep-root method of tree and shrub fertilization gives woody ornamentals the nutrients they will need for vigorous spring and summer growth. The pressurized injection method aerates the root zones allowing for better root growth and development.  The deeper and stronger a plant’s roots are, the less damage it will receive from freezes, wind chill, and summer heat.

Many varieties of insects enter your home during the winter in search of warm nesting areas. These insects would often not choose to colonize inside your home, but are forced inside in search of warmth. The perimeter barrier we maintain around the foundation, windows and doors of your home effectively minimizes the number of insects that successfully enter the home and make their nests inside your walls.

It is a common misconception that nothing needs to be done when the grass is brown, the leaves have fallen and the temperature has dropped. In actuality,  the treatments we apply to your lawn, shrubs and home are extremely important to insuring good effective control of weeds and insects not only in the winter, but during the spring and summer months as well.

The onset of colder temperatures usher in a whole new crop of weeds in your lawn. These are the winter annuals and cool season weeds. They thrive in temperatures below 65 degrees. Due to the lack of color in dormant bermuda and zoysia lawns in the winter, weeds tend to stand out far more. This makes controlling them much more important. There are 2 particular weeds that present a large control challenge during the winter months: Poa annua and wild onion.

Poa annua, or annual bluegrass, is an annual grass that appears in small clumps during the winter. It can appear in all types of turf grass, but is most evident in bermuda and zoysia lawns because poa annua is green during the winter while the turf grass is brown and dormant. The best way to control it is through the use of pre-emergent treatments in the fall to stop the seeds from germinating when the temperatures drop. Poa annua most often shows up in thin lawns, because the pre-emergent designed to stop its germination is less effective in thin turf.

  Wild onion (or wild garlic) is a perennial winter weed that is particularly difficult to control. Most of the weed grows underground in the form of bulbs. The thin green hollow tubes that project from the bulbs out of the ground have a waxy coating that makes it difficult for herbicides to cling to. Wild onions tend to grow in clumps. If the bulbs are not killed during the winter, they will go dormant during the summer and begin producing more top growth the next winter. In order to control wild onions, we must use a systemic product that will attack the weed at the bulb. This often requires repeated treatments throughout the winter in order to achieve effective control.

The level of weed infestation, and the current density of the turf are the 2 main factors that dictate how effectively we can control certain winter weeds in the lawn. Both grassy and broadleaf weed controls are included in the Top Turf Program. Grassy weeds may take multiple treatments to control.

Weeds are most visible in bermuda and zoysia lawns in the winter because the grass is dormant and the weeds are green. One major cause of the increased weed populations in bermuda and zoysia lawns during the winter is they were mowed too short during the fall.

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The best way to control weeds is through the use of a pre-emergent herbicide. Pre-emergent herbicides stop the germination of annual weed seeds and prevent them from growing in your lawn. The density of your lawn is directly related to how well the preventive treatments work. Warm season grasses respond well to being mowed low and often during the summer. This is one of the best ways to insure good density. But leaving the mowing height low going into the dormant season opens the lawn to many potential problems. One of these problems is the premature breakdown of the pre-emergent designed to stop winter weeds.

“Uninsulated and unprotected roots and crowns can freeze over the winter, causing large areas of the lawn to die.”

Another problem caused by allowing bermuda and zoysia lawns to go dormant too short is the potential for damage to the roots by freezes, frosts, and wind chill. Unisulated and unprotected roots and crowns can freeze over the winter, causing large areas of the lawn to die. When warm season lawns go dormant, all of the leaf  blade material that turns brown dies, but it serves a valuable purpose over the winter. It acts as insulation for the roots and protects them from the harsh winter conditions.

You should maintain your bermuda or zoysia lawn at no more than 1 1/2 inches high during the growing season; lower if you can mow it more than once per week. To protect the roots and crowns during the winter you should raise the height to 2-2 1/2 inches before the lawn goes dormant.

Many of you have recently had your fescue lawns core aerated and seeded. The fertilizers we apply at this time of year are specifically designed to help the new grass develop properly. Germination should be evident, and the new grass should be well on its way to growing to maturity. Keep in mind, however, that the grass is very young and immature currently. There are several things you should be doing in order to protect your investment.

Falling leaves should be kept off the new grass. In order for the fescue to continue to develop, it needs sunlight. Allowing leaves to cover newly seeded lawns for even a short period of time can cause severe damage to the new grass. You should avoid raking the leaves if possible because raking can damage the underdeveloped root systems. Blow the leaves with a blower, or try to pick them up with your mower if you have a bagging attachment.

You should mow your new fescue at a height of 2-2 1/2 inches for the first few mowings. You can then raise the mowing height to between 3-4 inches. Be sure to use a very sharp blade to avoid causing damage to the new grass. A dull blade will pull at the new grass, damaging the roots similar to the damage caused by raking.

Weeds will be present in your new lawn. This is unavoidable because the new fescue cannot withstand the effects of the weed controls. As a general rule, the weeds can be treated soon as the new grass has been mowed 3 or 4 times. The new grass must be mature enough that the weed controls will not kill it.

As you go about your day, you stop and notice you have a trail of ants in your kitchen or bathroom. The first thing you do is spray them with a household bug killer. A few days later, they are back with friends and maybe even on the other side of your home. You then notice that they are coming from the walls and maybe even from the cracks in the floor. What kind of ants are these? Where did they come from? Why are they in my walls? These are questions I receive daily. I have been working at Top Turf for over four years. My name is Troy Prescott and I am “Your Neighborhood Pest Control Expert.” Let me answer some of these questions.

If this sounds like a problem you are having, then your home is being invaded by Argentine ants. Argentine ants are about 3/16 of an inch long and dark honey brown, not black. They entered Louisiana from South America about 100 years ago and have spread throughout the southern region of the United States. They arrived in Atlanta twenty years ago through transportation of potted plants and food shipments. Argentine ants have been invading homes ever since. Although they are not a poisonous type of ant, Argentine ants are very aggressive. They can completely eliminate other types of ant colonies and other insects to use as a food source.

Argentine Ants are in your walls, because they are nesting and looking for a food source. The larger the colony, the bigger the appetite. Argentine ants will utilize just about any food source they can find. I have seen them in microwaves, dishwashers and even refrigerators. That’s not all, if they are in your walls, then they are coming from somewhere outside. Argentine ants are most commonly found outside in mulch, pine straw, under rocks, in potted plants or any place that retains moisture.

If you find the trail of Argentine ants that is terrorizing your home, that is not necessarily the end of it. One trail of Argentine ants in Georgia has measured over 350 feet long. Argentine ants are difficult to eliminate, because they consist of a over a million worker ants and hundreds of queens. They have the ability to combine with other Argentine ant colonies over the winter months to form “super colonies” that nest just about anywhere.

Controlling Argentine ants is a difficult task. It is a year round problem that requires a thorough, long-term program. This program consists of correcting Argentine ant’s living conditions or as pest control technicals like to say, “condusive conditions”.

The recent rainfall will strengthen your lawn’s root system and is great for the overall health and vigor of the grass. For the past three years we have not had significant weed pressure due to the drought. With all of the recent rain, weeds are now popping up everywhere. The wet conditions provide a prime environment for the proliferation of broad-leaf weeds in your lawn. These weeds grow vertically much faster than your grass and become very unsightly in your lawn. Broad-leaf weeds are easily controlled with a post-emergent weed control. The only way to eliminate these weeds is to treat them after they have germinated. That is one reason why our lawn care service is a ongoing service. If you notice weeds popping up in between your regular scheduled service, please contact our office and we will be happy to re-visit your property and take care of them. Nobody does weed control better than we do!  That’s why we are called “Your Neighborhood Weed Control Experts”.

Pre-emergent forms a barrier at the soil line to prevent summer grassy weeds from invading your lawn. The most notorious and by far the most important of which is crabgrass. The only effective way to stop crabgrass is before it comes up. If you do not stop it before it starts to germinate you will be fighting a losing battle all summer long. Post-emergent products are made to control existing crabgrass plants, however, one crabgrass plant can emit 10,000 seeds. As fast as you can knock one plant out, another one is popping up in it’s place. So get your crabgrass barrier down now. Here at Top Turf our clients receive pre-emergent with the first two applications of the year. The fertilizer is important to help promote a dense, healthy root system, which will also help to minimize weeds in the lawn. Be sure to water in your application. Please refer to watering section of our website for up to date watering information.

As you know you reap what you sow, so our clients will have great looking lawns this year!

Kevin

The recommended mowing height for Bermuda during the GROWING SEASON is 1 inch to 1.5 inches. As winter approaches, Bermuda should be allowed to grow to a height of at least two inches. This height should be maintained throughout the winter months. The average last freeze date in Atlanta is around March 25th and has occurred as late as April 6th. Please DO NOT make the mistake of attempting to bring Bermuda out of dormancy too quick! If you want to ensure your Bermuda or Zoysia will be healthy this year and free of winter damage, wait until about April 1st to scalp it. Your neighbors may be scalping their lawns in early March. They may get lucky and have a bright green lawn before you mow for the first time of the year… but the odds are in your favor. And, don’t listen to the superintendent at the golf course. You have a residential lawn not a putting green. Follow the mowing and watering instructions under the “Tips” section of our website, have us provide your lawn care for the year and you will have a lawn you will be proud of. Guaranteed!

Kevin Bryan