We are all cheering for spring to arrive this year – no matter where you live! The north eastern states have especially been hit hard with cold temperatures and heavy snow.  Even the first day of spring brought further winter weather.  Because of the frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall, winter kill and snow mold damage on your properties, homeowners will inquire about these issues in the beginning of the month.  We may see more customers wanting to seed their lawn than previous spring seasons.  Jonathan Green is committed to supplying you with quality products that your customers will appreciate.  Our goal is to support you with products that will encourage your customers to continue to invite you back to their property and establish yourself as the professional.

The high levels of snow will certainly promote grey (also known as Typhula Blight) and pink snow mold (also known as Fusarium Patch).  Snow mold is a fungal disease that appears in the early spring.  Snow mold is predominately found where the turfgrass was left high or not cut at the end of the previous year.  Fortunately, grey snow mold damage is more prevalent and will recover nicely in time. If you encounter this fungus while working on a customer’s lawn, lightly lift the infected turf blades by raking to encourage air flow to engulf the plant.  Once the blades have dried, the infection will cease and the turf will renew itself – especially with an application of Jonathan Green’s, Green-Up 29-0-3.  The Green-Up fertilizer will promote further tillering of the plant, growing new shoots past the existing damaged plant areas.  However, if pink snow mold is prevalent, seeding may be your only option.

If you need to seed this spring, consider applying the Jonathan Green, Mag-I-Cal, as your first application.  This amazing product will balance your low pH and adjust the soil to benefit the grasses ability to absorb needed nutrients.  Magical begins to adjust the pH within 2 to 3 weeks, while the ‘old fashioned’ dolomitic lime takes 4 to 6 months to adjust the pH.  Grass seed typically struggles to germinate if the pH is out of balance.  Mag-I-Cal  will remedy your soil’s problems.   Regarding seed, Black Beauty Ultra is a great mix to start out with early in the season. This mix contains 10% Frontier Perennial Ryegrass which germinates as soon as the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees. We like a greater percentage of ryegrass in the beginning of the season. Tall Fescue and Bluegrass need the soil temperatures to be 8 degrees warmer!  Remember, to hold off on the pre-emergent until the seed has germinated and the turf has been mowed at least two or three times.  The Jonathan Green 12-0-0 with Dimension is the best product to apply after these conditions are satisfied.

Dimension is a pre and post emergent crabgrass control which is clear in appearance and non-staining.  This is important for your customers to know that you will not be discoloring the sidewalks or beautiful hardscaping patios.  Dimension may be applied prior to the germinating crabgrass seed, but also after seed germination.  This product provides early post-emergence control of crabgrass if applied prior to the 3-leaf stage of growth.  Understand too, that this rate of Dimension has been found to suppress – not control, many other grassy weeds such as annual bluegrasss, barnyard grass, goose grass, and yellow foxtail.  Dimension also suppresses many broadleaf weeds, such as chickweed, oxalis, spotted spurge, purslane, henbit, wood sorrel and many others.  Finally, once you decide to apply Dimension, you will not be able to seed again for 10 to 12 weeks.  Fall will be the next reasonable time to aggressively seed.

If you do have to seed bare spots or damaged turf areas on the lawn without waiting for germination and mowing, Jonathan Green has developed a 10-15-10 fertilizer with 3.5% Tupersan (a crabgrass control product that can be used at the time of seeding).  This product is a premium blended course granular fertilizer in a standard 1-2-1 ratio with pre-emergent crabgrass control.   The high phosphorus rate promotes healthy seed germination and success while minimizing the threat of crabgrass.  The 3.5% Tupersan may be used on newly seeded areas without injury to germinating seed of the following grassy types: bluegrass, fescue, perennial ryegrass, zoysia and some bent grasses.

If you wish to apply a straight pre-emergent without fertilizer, consider Jonathan Green’s Crabgrass & Weed Preventer for Lawns and Landscape areas.  This product is a granular crabgrass control as well as having the ability to control other grassy weeds and selected broadleaf weeds with the higher rates of Dimension.  Dimension may be applied to not only existing turfgrass, but to ornamental beds as well.  You will see this product offer up to 6 months of season-long bed control.  For best results, apply Crabgrass & Weed Preventer prior to seedling germination in either turfgrass or ornamental beds.  Remember, if you decide to apply Crabgrass & Weed Preventer do not overseed, reseed or sprig for at least 12 weeks after the application.

If you are still struggling to achieve a strong healthy turf on a few of your properties, consider using the Jonathan Green – ‘Love Your Lawn-Love Your Soil’ product. This innovative product is an easy way to create the proper soil conditions that turf Loves. Formulated with L-amino acids and complex proteins, these materials are essential nutrients to be absorbed during all stages of plant growth. Love Your Lawn-Love Your Soil also helps loosen heavy, hard packed soils and releases tied-up nutrients in the soil. Kick-start your lawn today to mature and thrive during the summer months by applying ‘Love Your Lawn-Love Your Soil’!

Finally, Jonathan Green is excited to announce its new product, Black Beauty Organic Lawn Fertilizer 8-0-3. This all-organic, homogenous pellet fertilizer feeds your lawn for 8 to 10 weeks providing excellent turf nutrition.  Black Beauty Organic Lawn Fertilizer contains bone meal, blood meal, feather meal, wheat shorts, calcium, iron, sulfur and a unique product named Hydretain. Hydretain are tiny ‘water magnets’ that captures moisture in the soil air space before it evaporates and sends it to the plant roots and to soil particle surfaces.  This product is both Hygroscopic (attracts water molecules) and Humectant (actually stores moisture). The end result is increased effectiveness of watering, rainfall, dew and even humidity in retaining significant moisture levels for the turf plant. Consider using this product late Spring and throughout the Summer.

If you have not received our Jonathan Green Professional Catalog, call the office and they will place you in contact with your local representative.  The catalog is an educational tool.  The weed identification chart, the hydro seeding loading chart, the insect identification chart, the fungus identification chart and lastly, our yearly Jonathan Green lawn care monthly application programs are truly a technician’s resource manual. Contact your Jonathan Green representative if you have any questions – they are always willing to help you – the professional!  Best wishes for a prosperous and productive spring.