KC Weather Factor, 2010

By Eric Bickel

Extreme heat and humidity have persisted for over four weeks.  The wet conditions this spring coupled with the heat stress have combined for peak turf loss conditions.  The cold spring and wet conditions (33” April through July) was not conducive to healthy deep root development.   The cool season grasses have been surviving for the last six weeks off reserves in the root systems.  Those reserves and the root systems have all but run out.  In addition, high humidity has created constant high fungal disease pressure.

Dew points, temperatures, wind speed, and soil temperature are the key climactic factors which measure the stress associated with cool season grasses ability to perform its basic physiological functions, (respiration, photosynthesis, evapotranspiration).  A brief summary of these factors, their critical values, and their occurrence follows for the period of June through Aug 11^th.

Days with highs of 90 or above                                                        37

Days with a low temperature above 70                                           43

Days with a average dew point above 70                                        46

Days with an average wind speed of 10 mph or less                      65

Days in which soil temperatures have been above 86                    52

When all five of these factors occur simultaneously at their critical values (highs & lows above 90 & 70 respectively, dew points above 70, soil temps above 86, and wind speed below 10), cool season grasses are in a state of full blown decline.  There is no recover for that day.  The plant can no longer perform its basic functions normally.  Metabolic activity is sustained solely at the expense of the root system.  When this occurs for extended periods of time little can be done to alleviate the issue.

Total days in which all five of these factors occurred simultaneously over the last 20 years, (i.e.# of severe root decline days)

Year                90’       91’       92’       93’       94’       95’       96’       97’       98’       99’

# of days          5          8          1          3          2          14        5          10        12        17*

Year                00’       01’       02’       03’       04’       05’       06’       07’       08’       09’      

# of days          9         16        13        9          5          7          11        8          5          6     

*1999 had the most consecutive days with 13

In 2010 this has happened 29 days, (this could hit 32 on Saturday, August 14^th!)

Yellow Nutsedge with Seed Heads

Nutsedge in a Lawn

Yellow nutsedge (a.k.a. watergrass) is going strong all over Kansas City lawns right now due to the wet spring and hot temperatures.  This weed is the “Weed from Hell” for homeowners and lawncare companies.  Nutsedge is so tough and prolific that even a product that kills everything it touches, like Round Up, won’t control it.

If you notice tall grasses that stick up above your lawn and are lighter in color than your grass, you’ve got nutsedge.  Though it looks like grass, nutsedge (also called nutgrass or swampgrass) is neither a grass nor a broadleaf weed.  It is a variety of weed called sedges.  Nutsedge can reproduce by seeds but it also produces rhizomes (stems that grow underground and sprout new plants) and tubers (which store food and also produce new shoots.)  These tubers are also called “nuts” or “nutlets” and that is where the plant gets its name.  This system of underground rhizomes and nutlets make nutsedge hard to kill.

Unfortunately, once it is established, it is not easily controlled.  According to the latest study from the University of California, Davis, a nutlet can reproduce seven to eight times after each new plant is removed by pulling or spraying before it reaches the six-leaf stage.  After a plant reaches the six-leaf stage it is mature enough to start producing more nutlets, which means more plants next year.

With this new information the latest protocol to control nutsedge is to spray with products like Sedgehammer or Dissmiss and/or pull the plants before they reach maturity.  This is quite the opposite from previous recommendations in which studies found that if you wait until the plant is mature you get better kill and it won’t send up so many new young plants.  Now we understand why we kept having more problems each year, we were trying the win the battle by controlling the top but were losing the war by letting it produce more nutlets for next year.

So, the long and the short of it is – getting yellow nutsedge under control will require a team effort.  We will spray every time we treat and you will have to pull every time you spot one in the lawn.  If we beat it back 7-8 times we will make headway on reducing the population next year.  If you want to read the entire study it can be found here http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7432.html

The White Grub

There is a small window of time at the end of July and the beginning of August when grubs are most easily killed.  If you haven’t gotten your grub treatment down yet, don’t wait.  In a few weeks, you’ll see the damage, but by then it will be too late the damage has been done.  This year, the hatch of the 2010 brood is estimated to be the weeks of July 25^th -Aug. 5^th, based on peak flight of the adult beetles that occurred around June 25^th, according to the Kansas State University Entomology Department.  

This is the time of year that the grubs emerge from their eggs and burrow up into the top layer of soil where they eat the roots of the grass.  They are easiest to kill in this early stage of development.  In early fall, the grubs will begin to burrow four to eight inches into the soil away from the cold. They will return older and hardier in the spring and will cause more damage then. 

White grubs in lawns are the larvae stage of common beetles like the June bug and the Black Masked Chafer. These root eating larvae are found throughout Kansas and are a perennial problem in lawns in the Kansas City area.  We generally don’t see damage from grubs until the end of August or first of September because they feed on the roots you can’t always tell they are there until the damage is done.

Grub Damaged Lawn

If you notice brown patches in your lawn that look a lot like drought stress, you may have grubs.  Because the grubs feed on the roots, the grass begins to die and the ground will feel soft or spongy.  The green grass next to the damaged areas may lift up just like carpet. 

You can check to see if you have grubs by digging up an area that’s showing signs of grass browning.  Dig a one foot by one foot area of your lawn to just below the roots.  Pull back the turf in these suspect areas, in particular the marginal areas where brown grass meets green grass, and look for the grubs.  Usually a population of about 10 or more grubs per square foot will lead to browning of the lawn.  

Another sign of grubs is damage from skunks and raccoons digging up lawns in search of grubs to eat. This usually happens at night. Moles may or may not be feeding on grubs so are not a reliable indicator of grub problems.

If you suspect you have a grub problem the important thing is to do something about it in the next few weeks. That’s when they’re the most susceptible because they are near the surface.  Once they burrow down 4 – 8 inches, they are out of reach.  Call us if you suspect grubs and we can confirm your diagnosis, treat if needed, and start helping your lawn recover.

These tips will keep your lawn healthy, save water, and save money.

Bye Bye Bugs!!!

Bugged by bugs?  Ticks ticking you off?  Wish the fleas would flee?

If you’re tired of being eaten alive when you barbecue or picnic in your yard, send those bugs packing with a lawn treatment.  A simple treatment will get rid of nuisance insects like fleas, mosquitos and ticks plus less obvious insects that can damage your lawn deep down.  One treatment will control bugs for a minimum of six weeks.  Just call us to schedule a treatment today.

Bagworm on Arborvitae

June is bagworm season.  Many people don’t realize they have bagworms because they camouflage themselves.  They form a 1 ½ – 2-inch bag that hangs downward from the branches and is gray or brown colored.  Many people mistake them for small pine cones.  But inside that bag is the female bagworm and, depending on the time of year, all of the eggs she has laid.

Damage:  The bagworms attack both deciduous trees and evergreens, but their favorite plants are juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine and cedar.  Bagworms wrap a strong piece of silk around the branch or twig to attach themselves.  This can girdle the branch and cause it to die.  Sometimes this damage doesn’t show up until the next season when the branch grows bigger and is strangled.  Bagworms also strip the plant of foliage as they eat.  To move from plant to plant, bagworms can either suspend themselves on silk and let the wind carry them or larger larvae can crawl short distances. 

Life Cycle:  By early fall, the larvae permanently suspend their bags.  Males emerge as furry black moths with clear wings about an inch wide.  The females don’t develop into moths, but remain worms and wait inside their bags.  They emit a strong scent to attract the males who mate through a hole in the bottom of the bag.  After she has laid several hundred eggs inside her bag, she dies.  The eggs will hatch the following May and crawl out of the end of the bag in search of food.  They use silk that they produce along with plant materials to make a small bag around their hind end.  This gives them the appearance of tiny ice cream cones.  As they feed and grow, they enlarge the bag and hide inside if disturbed. In fall, they form their bags and the cycle starts over. 

How to treat them:   Adult bagworms can be cut off with a knife or garden shears, but you must be sure to cut the silk band that holds them to the branch so it doesn’t remain and girdle the branch.  This works well with small infestations on smaller trees.  But many times, infestations can be widespread or occur on taller trees that make physical removal difficult.  Then, insecticides are your best choice.  The best time to use insecticides is June because the small larvae are more vulnerable to insecticides.  Call Heritage if you need help getting rid of bagworms or any insects on your trees, shrubs or lawn.  We can take care of it for you.

We have added lines to include landscaped areas and large potted plants near entrances, on decks, patios and around pools.  You can even set it up to auto fill a fountain!  There are so many options to keep your yard (all of your yard) looking great with no hand watering maintenance.  Stop struggling to keep up with the watering and spend more time enjoying your yard!  We’ll be happy to come out and give you an estimate on installing a complete sprinkler system or adding on to your existing system.  So step away from that hose and give us a call.

Missouri requires that you have your backflow device tested every year and so do many of the Kansas water purveyors.  Only a licensed technician can perform these tests.  If you receive a letter requiring you to have your device tested, or you just want it tested for peace of mind, call us.  Three of our irrigation technicians are licensed to perform the tests.  If you haven’t had yours tested for a few years, it is a good idea.  Nobody wants water from their sprinkler getting back into their drinking water.

A special Thank you to the guys for great attitudes even in the rain and to Helena for their donation of the lime.  See more pictures on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3678267&id=106660604309#!/pages/Olathe-KS/Heritage-Lawns-Irrigation/106660604309  

Filling a spreader with limeCivil War Memorial donated in 1893

Civil War Memorial donated in 1893