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Proper lawn care and maintenance is challenging in the summer due to the weather, but with the right lawn care program from Turf King, reputable industry experts, you need not worry about pesky lawn pests and weed control.

Chinch Bugs

Chinch bugs suck and feed on sap from the grass, without which the grass cover will gradually wilt and discolor. It is no wonder then, that you may mistake this to mean that your lawn needs more watering. You can identify the bugs by their characteristic bright color and black triangle near the shoulder and a strong odor.

 Lawn Grubs

Also known as white grubs, these c-shaped pests are the larval forms of several scarab beetles. Grubs cause damage by feeding on grass roots, causing brown patches on your lawn and turf that lifts so easily. In addition, a grub infestation invites birds, skunks, moles and raccoons that will relentlessly tear away at your lawn looking for the grubs to feed on.

Nematodes release beneficial bacteria into the soil that infects and eventually kills the grubs.

 Crabgrass

Bare soil, water and sunlight. Everything that crabgrass needs to thrive in your lawn. The weedy grass can be found along the edges of the lawn where warm-soled bare spots are perfect for their germination. Seed these bare spots to avoid crabgrass. Mowing too short(less than 3 inches) also encourages crabgrass because it avails the weed with the sunlight it needs to grow. In addition, avoid watering too frequently since your lawn has some seeds just waiting to sprout with the right amount of watering.

At Turf King, we offer lawn care programs at competitive rates and guarantee quality services in lawn pest and weed control. Call us today for more information.

Bugs, Grubs and Crab-grass

From Silver and Gold magazine 

Someone askes
John is looking for a product to kill only clover in our lawn.
He has a sprayer and has tried Weed Be Gone which was ineffective.
Is there a better product you know of that will do the trick?

Gerry Says
Clover is or can be a problem with lawn care today
50 or more years ago- when 2,4-D was first invented- it did not kill clover- and people would put clover in the lawn on purpose.
It did help to keep lawns green by fixing Nitrogen out of the thin air and adding it to the soil
 
When 2,4-D was improved with an additive to control a broader range of weeds- clover was in the list - now clover was declared to be a weed.
 
Now some researchers have developed new strains of clover- Micro-clovers that grow a bit shorter and are more compatible with lawns.
 
Weed-b-gon, Fiesta and other similar products used by lawn care companies do not do a good job on clover. Treatments will cause the edges of the leaves to die- turn brown- but that does not consistently kill off the clover.
 
Clover is not used in lawns by itself as it has the problem of dying out every so often. So the patch of clover here today may disappear tomorrow or next year. Certainly being weakened by Fiesta iron can play a part in making in disappear. But there is no consistency in how or when it will happen.
 
There is no legal product that can be used on lawns for clover removal only- assuming that if the dandelions go that one would not be disappointed.
Only on a golf course could one use products that will control cover.
 
 

For the gourmet chefs- it seems that "baby" vegetables are the way to prepare foods in a new way. Baby carrots, baby spinach, baby peas. 

Is this a good thing for a world where we have a food shortage? If we let the crops grow to maturity, we would have more food. Instead of harvesting the vegetables when they are young, the same plant will produce a lot more edible produce if left to maturity. Are 'baby' crops a waste of resources?

Anyways, I digress.

Was harvesting some asparagus in the garden today. In the soil, I can see a few weeds starting to germinate. Clover and crabgrass. Clover will germinate with cooler soil temperatures- so I have been pulling them out for some time. 

Crabgrass on the other hand needs warm soil temperatures before it will germinate. In lawns that are shaded by the grass blades, it takes longer for the soil to warm up. In my asparagus bed, there is almost no shade. An asparagus spear casts very little shade. So here is a photo of a "baby" crabgrass. The crabgrass seedling is just starting to grow. Just before pulling it out, I thought a photo may be helpful.

Baby Crabgrass, Seedling, Just Germinating

Young crabgrass plants are harder to identify. Once they become more mature, their characteristics are more easily noticed.  Then they are a problem for lawn care operators.

In a lawn with a good stand of grass, the soil will likely be still too cool for the crabgrass to germinate. If, however there is a patch of bare soil in your lawn, the crabgrass may have an opportunity to sprout and germinate.

 

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