Prepare for Spider Mites

Spider mites are commonly found in mid to late summer. They thrive in the heat and put a lot of stress on the host plant. We commonly find them in Dwarf Alberta Spruces, Blue Spruces, Junipers, fitzers, Tams, and other assorted conifers and evergreens. Spider mites can devastate a plant because they attack in the heat of summer–when the plant is most vulnerable.
Spider mites suck the plant juices resulting in mottling of the leaves and sickly looking growth. When the initial infestation occurs, fine webbing appears on new growth. Eventually leaves turn brown and drop off. They are generally found indoors, but are more common outdoors during the summer months when the weather is hot.

Symptoms of a mite infestation are lack of plant vigor, and needles turning brown and falling off. Mites often first appear where the host plants are exposed to afternoon sun or where in close proximity to a heat-absorbing surface such as brick or stucco.

Call Harmon & Sons today if you are concerned about Spider Mites www.harmonandsons.net

Drought Stress

During times when your lawn isn’t getting sufficient water it may show signs of drought stress. Early signs may be marked by turning areas of dark blue/green color or areas looking black an blue. With severe or prolonged drought stress the lawn turns brown. A drought stressed lawn will take a long time to recover. Follow watering and mowing schedule to regain color. Depriving an already drought stressed lawn of sufficient watering can devastate it, also it it’s severely drought stressed avoid mowing. Additional fertilizing or having a lawn care service will help it recuperate.

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Mowing

When mowing think of the one-third rule, do not cut more than one-third of the grass blade at one time. If you need to, mow a second time after two days, keeping the one-third rule in mind. During the spring and early fall mow more frequently, if needed, the cooler, weather with more rainfall will make your grass grow faster.

During the summer mow less the growth rate of the grass plants decreases during summer. Excessive mowing will stress your lawn.

Mowing tall for many species of grass, this encourages deeper root systems. Minimizes the use of water, moderates the soil temperature and reduces potential drought stress.

When shouldn’t you mow? Wet grass shouldn’t be mowed, it causes shredding and clumping. If your lawn is drought stressed, mowing can add more stress.

Changing your mowing patterns help keep ruts from forming on your lawn. Keep the blades sharp, if your blades are dull it will shred the tops of the grass, shredded tips can spread lawn diseases more easily.

Sharp blades are better for your mower, less wear and tear with sharp blades.

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Harmon and Sons, the Grass is Always Greener

Common Lawn Problems

Identifying lawn problems is key in treating them.

Lack of water: The grass will have a grayish, kind of blue cast to it. The leaves will be rolled over onto themselves. When you walk across the lawn it stays laying down, it doesn’t come back up.  You should give your lawn at least an inch of water, this will help bring it back.

Too much water: This problem can evident itself in many different ways. The lawn may appear yellow, from lack of oxygen, or when nutrients leach out of the lawn. Poor drainage, location at the bottom of a hill or soil heavy in clay are prone to essentially drowning the area, due to a lack of drainage.  You can add compost to the lawn to improve lawn structure.

Rodents: Moles and voles are rodents that damages the lawn by digging pathways through the lawn, damaging the structure. Some people think that moles and voles are the same, they are different animals with different diets, but they both can do harm to the lawn. They both are difficult to get rid of. Moles eat insects, such as grubs, in order to get rid of the moles, you need to get rid of the grubs first. Voles are mouse like, so the best way to get rid of them is to get an outdoor mousing cat.

Grubs: If you have moles you can be pretty sure that you have grubs. A “grub” is a term for the larva of many different insects. Lawns can be treated with milky spore, or to have your lawn treated by a professional to ensure the problem is taken care of.

pH Imbalance: If the pH levels are off in your lawn it can affect the nutrient intake of your lawn and garden. How do you know if there’s a pH imbalance? Well generally the first symptom is nutrient deficient plants, the plants in your yard will have a difficult time growing. But you’ll want to have a professional do a soil test, making sure that the pH is in fact imbalanced. The cure for the pH imbalance is adding lime or sulfer, if you add these without knowing for sure that you have a pH problem you will be wasting money and harm your lawn and plants.

Fungus: There are many kinds of fungal problems. Fungal problems create brown patches on the lawn. The most difficult fungal problem to treat is the fairy ring. It grows in the soil, damaging the structure of the grass and plants. To get rid of the fungus, you generally have to dig up all of the soil and replace it . Aerating can often help, add compost and water heavily to restore the health of the grass.

If you think that you have any of these lawn problems, visit us at www.harmonandsons.net

How to Hire a Lawn Care Service

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