Lawn Care

1
Lawn Care

• Present by
• Dr. Teri Hamlin
• Georgia Department of Education
• Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education
  Curriculum Office
• June, 2002

2
Turf Facts

• There are an estimated 800,000 acres of home
  lawns in Georgia
• The average homeowner spends 400.00 / acre
  annually to maintain lawn
• 312 million total turf maintenance expenditures

3
Get to know your grass

• Type
• Cool Season
• Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, Bentgrass
• Warm Season
• Bermuda, Centipede, Zoysia, St. Augustine

4
Methods for Establishment

• Seeding
• Plugging
• Sprigging
• Sodding

5
Soil Test
6
Soil pH

• pH governs the availability of nutrients
  activity level of microorganisms

7
pH

• Most lawns grow best in a soil pH 5.5 - 6.5
• Low pH lt than 5.0 (acidic soil)
• Dolomite or Limestone
• Avoid over liming - weak growth will result
• High pH gt 7.0 (alkaline soil)
• Ammonium sulfate , Aluminum sulfate, Sulfuric acid

8
Establishment Steps

• Rake Remove Debris
• Weed Seed Germination
• Add Nutrients Lime
• Soil Test Recommendation
• Phosphorous (2-3 lb per 1000 sqft)
• Application of Seed, Sprigs, Sod, Plugs
• Rake Roll
• ensure good soil contact

9

• Name of seed producer
• Seed Lot
• Seed Variety
• Purity
• Germination
• Weed or Crop Seed
• Non-Seed Material
• Date when seed was last tested for Germination

Seed Label Information What are you buying????
10
How much seed do you need?

• Based on pure live seed of plants required
  for area
• GOAL
• Establish 1000 plants per square foot for newly
  seeded lawn

11
Pure Seed or Mixture

• Mixture
• meets wide environmental use requirements
• select mixture based on desired characteristics
• turfgrass vary in resistance to disease and
  insects
• What can be mixed?
• Any turf that spreads by rhizomes or tillers
• (Fescue, Bluegrass, Ryegrass)
• Do not use stolon grasses, tend to segregate
• Bermuda, Bentgrass, Zoysia, Centipede, St
  Augustine)

12
Water

• Seedbed must stay moist for seeds to germinate

1st 3 weeks Seed Sprigs Keep moist by frequent,
light watering until new root system develops
13
Sodding

• Any turfgrass that spreads by rhizomes or stolons
• Best Time when turfgrass is actively growing
• Advantages
• Instant Lawn
• Less Weed Competition
• Decrease Erosion
• Disadvantages
• High cost

14
Installing Sod
Cost More Instant Lawn
15
Sodding

• Cost .12 - .35 / sqft
• 12 wide x 2 long to 18 wide x 6 long
• Pallet 450 sq ft
• Thickness 1 - 1 1/2
• 1/2 should be soil roots

16
Sprigs Plugs

• Most common Bermuda Bentgrass
• Sold by Bushel
• 1 Bushel 1 sqft of sod
• Home Lawn Sprig 4-5 Bushels per 1000 Sq ft
• Trays of 1-2 Dozen (4pots)

17
Sprigs Plugs

• Time of Year
• Early Spring to Late Summer
• Spacing
• 10-12 apart, checkerboard
• Planting
• set root systems completely under soil surface
• Soil Contact
• Roll area after planting

18
Water

• Sod Plugs
• Heavily soaked so that soil underneath is
  completely wet

19
Establishment

• Mowing
• as soon as grass gets high enough to cut at its
  optimum height
• Weed Control
• 1st year chemical weed control is discouraged

20
Converting Old Lawns

• Grass selection
• Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede conversion
• 2 year for conversion
• Steps
• 1. Cut Lawn Closely
• 2. Dethatch / Aerification
• 3. Correct pH / Nutrient Level
• 4. Sprig / Plug / Seed
• 5. Roll Water Thoroughly

21
Maintenance of Established Lawns

• Fertility
• Major Nutrient
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Minor Nutrient
• Sulfur
• Magnesium
• Iron

22
Maintenance of Established Lawns

• Fertilizer Application
• Type of grass
• Soil Analysis
• Fertilizer Burn
• Salt Toxicity
• Check spreader calibration

23
Spreader Selection Application

• Low quality spreader can leave streak or patches
  in the lawn
• Causing unsatisfactory control of weeds, insects,
  as well as poor fertilizer performance

24
Drop vs Rotary Spreader

• Drop Spreader
• meter out fertilizer and drop it directly on
  lawn
• Small lawn
• Doing job as precisely as possible is important
• dont mind taking a bit longer

25
Drop vs Rotary Spreader

• Rotary spreader meter out the fertilizer and
  throw granules in a swath
• very large lawn
• want to get the job done w/speed
• don not have flowerbeds nearby

26
Best Results Apply header strip along edge
27
When to Fertilize

• Cool Season Grass
• Fescue
• Sept, Nov, Feb, April
• Warm Season Grass
• Bermuda April, May, June
• Centipede June
• Zoysia April, June
• St. Augustine May, June, July, Aug

28
FESCUE ALERT!

• Fertilize fescue with caution.
• Too much will make it disease prone and drought
  sensitive.
• If you haven't fertilized in six weeks, apply
  now at half the rate recommended on the bag.

29
Maintenance of Established Lawns

• Lime
• Amount Based on Soil Test
• Slow Release Lime
• Apply Fall

30
Irrigation
General Rule 1 water per week
31
How to measure ?
32
Water when dew is on the ground
33
Lack of Water Stress Signs

• Grass turns a silvery blue in stress area
• Footprints in lawn, does not spring back

34
Mowing

• Avoid Scalping
• Never cut more than 1/3 of leaf blade in one
  single mowing

35
Mowing too low

• Decrease grass ability to develop food reserves
  for stress dormant periods
• Expose growing point to heat/cold
• Larger leaf cut the longer period root will not
  grow shallow root system

36
Mowingrecommended heights
remove no more than 1/3 total leaf area
37
Blade Sharpness
38
Mowing Equipment

• Rotary Mower vs Reel Mower
• Chemical Mowing
• Growth Regulators reducing leaf growth

39
Reel Mower
40
Aerification

• Clay Soil
• Benefits
• Decrease compaction
• Improves water movement
• Increases irrigation efficiency
• Increase oxygen exchange
• Increase nutrient availability

41
Aerification

• Equipment
• Solid Tine
• Hollow Tine (Core Aerifiers)
• Slicing / Vibrating Aerifers
• High Pressurized Water Air
• (depths from 1/4 - 16)

42
Aerification
43
Thatch Management

• Organic material produced faster than it can be
  decomposed
• Problems
• Decrease water movement
• Decrease soil aeration
• Decrease root growth
• Increase insect/disease problems
• Creates barrier for fertilizer movement

44
Thatch Management

• Look For
• Spongy Turf
• Cut section of turf measure
• No more than 1/2 thatch
• Remove Thatch
• Vertical mowers
• Power rakes
• Dethatching mowers

45
Problem Solving

• ID Problem
• Select Treatment Specific to Problem

46
WeedsBroadleaf Grass-Type
47
Weed Control

• Pre-emergence
• Apply Feb -March Sept - Oct
• Balan, Surflan, Dacthal, Ronstar
• Post-emergence
• Apply Summer during Early Weed Growth
• MSMA, Trimec, Acclain, Weedar, Banvel

48
Disease Control

• Brown Patch Dollar Spot
• Banner, Tersan, Maneb, Topsin

49
Disease

• Pythium Blight / Root Rot /Fairy Ring
• Alliette, Captan, Sudbue, Banol

50
Moss Problem

• Shade
• Compact Soil
• Poor Drainage
• Low Soil Fertility
• Poor Air Circulation
• High or Low pH

Raking and Copper Sulfate Change Conditions
51
Insects

• Feed on Roots
• White Grubs / Mole Crickets
• Orthene, Sevin, Diazion
• Milky Spore Doom
• BT Powder
• Jap. Beetle Grubs

52
Insects

• Feed on leaf
• Army Worms/Chinch Bugs
• Dursban, Diazion, Sevin
• Damage results when chewed foliage dehydrates and
  turns brown

53
Fire Ants

• Drench Dursban , Sevin
• Granular Dursban, Diazion
• Dust Orthene
• Liquid Fumigant Earthfire
• Bait Amdro, Award, Affirm

54
Low Maintenance
thamlin_at_doe.k12.ga.us