Making amends

I'm not one to dance on someone's grave, but I must admit there was a fair bit of tap-dancing at the Liberal's crushing defeat in the recent Provincial election.

With a blue majority back in town there is hope, (however small), an amendment to the cosmetic pesticide bylaw might be on the table.

Now, before you swing your arms up in protest, I'm not expecting carte blanche for the lawn care industry. I don't advocate a return to the days where everyone and their mother had access to 2-4-D.
I do however, expect equality where the lawn care industry is given exemption under the bylaw and  to be included with the likes of the farmers, the golf industry, sod growers and forestry who already benefit from exemption status.

I would love to be able to offer my customers absolutes and guarantees again and put an end to the creeping weeds that now dominate the home landscape.

In fact, why not make it so only licenced professionals are allowed to apply the products. This would assure an army of students, with one day of training, wouldn't be spraying your lawn.

And if it means I have to fill out an annual report on my usage and operate under IPM protocols only, I am happy to do so. These are concessions I am willing to make.

We are talking a less than 4% increase in pesticides already in use to save a struggling industry, perhaps a decrease in health related incidents from allergies and I can stop watching Fiesta and its iron-base weed control eat my equipment from the inside out.

Maybe I'm dreaming, like when you buy a lottery ticket and think of what might be, but for now, it's a possibility that makes me smile and dream on.

Here comes Spring!

With April on the horizon, we have been fortunate to dodge the bullet of extreme weather other areas have suffered---most notably the east coast---and are simply waiting for more warmth before charging to the great outdoors.

Here is a sample of what we can expect over the next month or so...

APRIL 2018 LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Dates	Weather Conditions
Apr 1-6	Snow showers, cold
Apr 7-12	Sunny, turning mild
Apr 13-16	A few showers, warm
Apr 17-20	Sunny, cool
Apr 21-24	Rainy east, sunny west; cool
Apr 25-30	Rainy periods, cool
April	temperature 5°C (avg.) precipitation 40mm (20mm below avg. east, avg. west)

In all an average April, with the Farmer's Almanac touting the following for the rest of the lawn-care season. 

April and May will be a bit cooler than normal, with near-normal precipitation. Summer will be hotter than normal, with rainfall below normal in Southwest Ontario and above normal elsewhere. The hottest periods will be in early and late June, early July, and mid- to late August. September and October will be warmer and slightly drier than normal.

Not ideal but...

As long as I'm not trudging through soggy slop, or watching lawns whither and die in a crispy golden brown, I'm a happy camper.

So here's hoping with fingers crossed.

Waiting for Goldilocks

With a 2017 lawn season that was mainly too wet and too cool, to the year before which was too hot and too dry, I wonder when we're going to get a year that is just right?

With global warming perhaps those days are over and the age of unpredictability is here? Yet, the Farmers Almanac predicted what we got in 2017...more or less...so, not so unpredictable.

Even with the cooler temperatures and all the rain at the top of the season, we still ran into chinch bug problems in July and the usual outbreak of crabgrass. These are infestations, I believe, are only going to get worse for the average lawn since the tool box in Ontario is scarce of any adequate controls.

So what to do?

Lawn care has always been a team effort, between us, the home owner and the weather. Yet, now it seems the weather has gone rogue, which makes it even more important to concentrate on the health of the lawn to hold back the invasion of weeds and insects.

If a homeowner is not prepared to make sure their grass is cut properly and watered adequately...well, in the long term, it's not going to matter what we do and you are going to be disappointed with the results.

Just remember, that porridge isn't going to make itself and Goldilocks will pass by your property until she finds a lawn where the conditions are just right.

See you again in 2018.

Rust never sleeps

As summer slowly yields to fall and everything slowly takes on an orange hue; the trees, your pumpkin spice latte, your lawn...wait a minute...your lawn?

That's right. There has been an unusual abundance of rust turf disease on lawns this year. The formation of the spores often occurs when there are cool nights with heavy dew and frequent rainfall. Warm cloudy, humid conditions followed by bright hot sun also favor the formation of the spores. 

Basically, anytime the grass is not allowed to dry out after a period of 6 to 8 hours, rust on grass begins to form. Grass rust problems also appear more frequently when thatch in lawns is too thick or mowing is infrequent.

But don't panic. This is a problem that is easily fixed. In fact, most grass rust problems can usually be resolved with good maintenance and healthy practices. A shot of nitrogen fertilizer and removing the clippings when you do you next cut to keep the spores from spreading is an excellent place to start Watering early morning so the grass can dry evenly will also help prevent further issue.

Let the orange stay when it belongs at this time of the year...on a pumpkin, not on your lawn.

Late to the party

But here regardless. The chinch bugs and the crabgrass have arrived.

With all the cooler, wet weather we've experienced this year, I was beginning to wonder if either would make an appearance. Yet, here we are, the end of July and crabgrass has been with us now a few weeks while chinch nymphs are starting to show visible signs of damage as of last week.

So what to do about these two annoyances when your tool box is devoid of essential controls.

In the case of crabgrass, you can pull it out since the root system isn't very deep, although many of you are probably beyond that point with the ubiquitous spread of this weed. The other solution is to wait for this light-green grass to simply die when fall arrives and seed the affected area.

Chinch bug, on the other hand can be more invasive and their damage more evident. The brown areas can spread fast as the weather remains hot and your lawn begins to dry out.

Keeping the affected areas drenched can help limit the spread as this insect is not fond of water and even less if you add dish soap like Sunlight, or Palmolive to the mix. You can also rake the affected section of lawn and shop-vac them out, or place a plastic sheet over the area, irrigate it and remove them when they attach themselves to it.

Still the best way to attack both of these elements is simply create a healthier lawn by cutting (3 inches high), and watering properly, ( 1 inch weekly at least). Annual core aeration, not over-fertilizing and annual fall over-seeding are also essential.

At least in the future, if they do crash your party, the clean-up afterward will be minimal.

What seeds may come...

Weather, demand, production all affect the price of seed. With the year we had in 2016 the demand for seed was at an all-time high to fix the damage caused by the heat and insects. As a result you may find yourself hunting for the bargains, but before you do consider the myths about grass seed.

Myth #1: Spring is the best time to seed- Yeah, not so much.
Fix some bare areas if you must, but annually seeding in the fall is a much better proposition for the following reasons. There is not the competition in the soil as there is in the spring with weeds. The nights are cooler the days are warm creating a perfect environment for germination and a happier you.

Myth #2: Cheap seed saves you money- A cheap seed may be due to an older cultivar. Generally these seeds will require more water, fertilizer and may not germinate at all. When they do, the new grass will be more susceptible to turf disease and other concerns. Less expensive seeds  have a higher concentration of weed seeds in them which will work against your cause. Starting with a product that states, "99% weed-free," on the bag is a good place to begin. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Myth #3: All fescue and perennial rye grasses perform the same. It is true fescue has a better stress and wear tolerance, however, not all fescues contain endophytes which act as a weed  and insect repellent excreting a natural fungus/ herbicide into the soil to repel the germination of crabgrass and broad leaf weeds while limiting root growth. There is also the germination time to consider, fescue- 3 weeks at least, rye grasses- 7 to 10 days. If you need a quick fix, stay with rye seed.

Myth #4: Kentucky Blue Grass is best- maybe for nice deep-green colour, but consider the shorter root system, the lack of endophytes, and it being the top menu item for insects and suddenly KBG doesn't seem so appealing. Anyone who has had to re-sod their lawn usually find themselves in the same situation a few years down the line unless they are dumping  a huge amount of water on the lawn, or are over-seeding annually with diverse species of grass to out-compete the Kentucky blue.

Myth #5: Coated seed is the way to go- Sure if you have absolutely no time to keep the seed moist yourself, but with the recent dumping of rain we've had, I find that difficult to believe. Understand what a brilliant marketing campaign coated seed is. They are selling you half the seed you'd normally get in the bag and you are buying it for more money. Is that worth a little of your time to hose down a seeded area for a week or so?

Leave mythology for the Greeks and stick to the facts when seeding your lawn and watch it flourish.

What weeds may come...

It was an unseasonably cool and wet beginning to May but, you can be sure the weeds will pop overnight once it warms up.

It's like the first snowfall when people suddenly can't drive, the weeds appear and everyone loses their mind.

I constantly wonder why this is? I mean there has been a bylaw in place for what...eight years now? Weeds appear every year at this time, so where's the surprise?

I have come to the conclusion it is due to the constant bombardment of flyers and other media ads proclaiming product/ service that is "guaranteed" to give you a "weed-free lawn." This is simply not true.

I know the big companies are about the numbers and this is an excellent selling tool for them, but once they have your money they've got you. This happens every year when the frustration of looking at a sea of yellow turns to desperation/ panic and you are willing to try anything.

Even Fiesta and Weed-B-Gone state, "weed killer" right on the container, but these products affect the top-growth only and the unaffected root will push up a new weed. Yet, we keep buying this crap although you know from experience it has limited capabilities.  It's the only product, currently available, to remotely control anything. If you are concerned about creeping charlie , or clover, well...just forget about injuring any weed with a horizontal root system, it's not going to happen to your satisfaction.

I've tried discussing this slight-of-hand with both the Ministry of the Environment and the Consumer Protection Agency only to be sent chasing the tail of the other. Please know guys,"passing the buck" accomplishes nothing and the problem remains.

Here's a thought; if all the companies just started to drift away from their antiquated ways of advertising and tried being honest, maybe the consumer would change their way of thinking too and shift to creating a healthier lawn by other practices.

While there is money to be made and suckers willing to bite, I don't see change anytime soon and a "weed-free" lawn will continue to be a hopeless pursuit instead of a thing of the past.