Now that summer has arrived most people are seeing situations that are much different than last July when we were hot and dry. This year many areas are seeing an increase in rainfall with hotter temperatures. The moisture is good for your lawn and watering budget, but be aware, as the temperature rises into the high 80’s and 90’s be on the lookout for unusual changes in your lawn that you may not have seen the day before. These changes will come in the form of brown rings, patches, spots, etc. You may think is grub or insect damage, which it could be, but most likely it is dreaded lawn fungal disease that if not treated, can devastate your lawn. These diseases come in many shapes and sizes and colors with names like brown patch, summer patch, dollar spot, red thread and rust that will be responsible for the damage to your lawn. Fungus can literally spread over large areas of your lawn overnight! The best way to prevent this from happening is to spread Jonathan Green Lawn Fungus Control. For preventative control use the normal spreader setting rate before you see the symptoms and double the spreader setting rate after the symptoms occur as a curative control treatment. It’s also recommended that you reapply the fungus control two to three weeks if problems remain. When mowing an infected lawn it is best to bag and dispose of the clippings so they will not spread the disease to other areas of your lawn.
Traditional high nitrogen synthetic fertilization of any kind is not recommended in July. What can and should be used are organic products that are safe to use all season long that will not burn your lawn. Spread either Jonathan Green Organic Lawn Fertilizer 8-3-1 or Natural Beauty Organic Fertilizer 10-0-1. These organic fertilizers contain humates and are 100% organic NPK that will provide consistent slow feeding of your lawn. Don’t forget about feeding your soil! Using our Mag-I-Cal and Love Your Lawn-Love Your Soil will help to balance your soil pH, release tied-up nutrients and help alleviate soil compaction. These organics will help your lawn through times of stress from drought and disease because soils that are nutrient deficient of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals tend to favor the development of fungal diseases. Another way for your customer’s lawns to be less susceptible to fungal disease is to use our Black Beauty grass seed. Black Beauty grass has a waxy cuticle coating, which helps inhibit the fungal spores from entering into the plant therefore preventing the fungal inoculation and infestation of your lawn.
Oftentimes fungal disease is mistaken for insect damage to the lawn. Chinch bug, billbug and sod web worm damage looks very similar to brown patch and when ignored can destroy your entire lawn. This is less likely in moist conditions as insects prefer hot, dry conditions to flourish. Our new Organic Insect Control is the answer. This new product is safe to use around kids, pets and will kill and control over 100 surface feeding insects for four weeks. The active ingredients are essential plant oils. These oils work by blocking specific neural pathway receptors that only exist in insects and have no adverse effect on mammals, birds or fish. It causes immediate knock down of the pests followed rapidly by the insect’s death. The botanical formula has strong repellency action that keeps new bugs out of the area.
If you prefer traditional fertilizers and treatments, our Jonathan Green Summer Survival Insect Control with Fertilizer will not only control a wide spectrum of surface feeding insects, but also gives your lawn a gentle, slow release feeding to keep your lawn greener during the summer months. This product is compatible with our Mag-I-Cal and Love Your Lawn-Love Your Soil and can all be put down at the same time. Another way to help prevent future insect damage is to grow a lawn that has genetically superior grasses like our Black Beauty which contains endophytes; a beneficial fungus that produces alkaloids that give enhanced resistance to insects.
Grubs are another common problem that can cause damage to your lawn during the summer. Apply our Grub Control and if you haven’t already put it down it would be advisable to apply it as soon as possible and water it in. Remember grubs prefer sunny areas so monitor shady areas of your lawn for damage.
One last recommendation is to make sure your lawn mower blade is kept sharp and your mower deck is raised to at least three inches. This will help to eliminate stress and the possible spread of disease in your lawn. Shredded grass blades, as opposed to clean cut ends, will allow fungal spores an area to enter into the grass plant. Mowing the grass too low will not only stress grass in the heat of the summer, but will allow undue moisture loss and make it more difficult to survive the hot summer months ahead.
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