Your lawn = raccoon grub hub

This year we've seen more damage from digging raccoons and skunks than previous years. As always, they are looking for the protein in your lawn which is the White Grub.

Sure every lawn has grubs. Under normal circumstances that means approximately four grubs per square foot. When that number doubles, you have the damage you see above, and treatment may be recommended.

Another reason for the ubiquitous digging this spring is a milder winter. The ground never had the chance to freeze, and in doing so, would have helped cull the grub population.

The problem now is timing. Grub treatments such as Grub Out, or Grub Terminator, the effectiveness is better realized when you apply the products in late June or early July. With nematodes you have the same issue; too early and the grubs are too big to control effectively. Also with nematodes you must consider other elements like weather. If it's too sunny, you've just sprayed your lawn with dead nematodes.

It can be quite frustrating as night after night critters rough-up your lawn like it owes them money.

In the spring , we feel, the best course is to apply Coyote Urine Pellets (raccoons), or Fox Urine Pellets (skunks.) These products will trick the diggers into believing a larger predictor is near, and (hopefully) avoid your grass. 

Yet, you must understand that these products come with conditions, so make sure you follow the instructions. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait for the appropriate window of application while you replace the divots and pray for the restaurant to run out of food.

Looks like the season of the thatch

 

This year we are getting an unusually large number of calls from people wanting to dethatch their lawns.

Yes, there seems to be a higher ratio of lawns with excessive thatch, but a light raking is all that is needed to remove most of the dead grass and promote new growth.

Going to the extreme and using a Dethatcher is not recommended in our opinion.

Dethatching at this time of the year can be very harsh on your lawn and soil. It dredges up weed seeds that will create massive problems in May, and given the lack of effective weed control in Ontario, you'll be chasing weeds all season, cursing while you do.

The easier way to attack this problem is with, as mentioned, light raking. If it hurts to do this then you're applying too much force. If you seeded in the fall, you must be vigilant not to rip up new growth with over zealous physicality.

Another avenue is aeration to breakdown thatch. However, traditional mechanical core aeration will give you the same weed headaches, and presto, back to square one. We would suggest liquid aeration if you are hell bent on aerating in the spring. (We will discuss the benefits of this application in another post.)

Also, I'm glad people are getting the memo to leave their grass 3 to 3 1/2 inches high when cutting. Yet, this practice does not include the fall. When the leaves start to fall, so should your mower height. The last cut of the season should be roughly 1 1/2 inches in height. 

This way come next spring you'll have less thatch to rake, your grass and your muscles will thank you, and dethatching will be a nasty word from last year.

Early Spring?

 

Wiarton Willie seems to think so, breaking from the ranks of his fellow rodents. He called for an early spring in Ontario.

However, I would rather rely on something else, like the Farmer's Almanac to provide a clearer picture of when we can expect decent weather.

According to Ol' Faithful, we start to run into mild temperatures the second week of March. But expect the battle between winter and all things green to see-saw into April as it does most every other year to be on the safe side. 

To put all your trust in a fury marmot is not an effective strategy. I would suggest to keep an eye on the  weather trends as previously stated, and send the groundhog novelty act back into hibernation.

It's all about that green

 Am I trying to say Happy St. Patrick's Day? Maybe hello to Spring? Perhaps making money or lamenting about inflation and the money it's going to cost us all? Hey, then again, could it be I'm just optimistic about the lawns and their change from winter brown to forest green?

Actually it's all of the above. This will be a year, pleasant in some respects and challenging in others. The rising prices is of concern, and operating a business is definitely more difficult than it was 12 months ago when we enjoyed Covid gas prices, pre-wild fire grass seed, and pre-war fertilizer. Yet, whether you're a home owner or a lawn care provider, one must learn to adapt. That's why Spring is a time to look forward with hope instead of despair, of watching growth, and taking a collective breath. Stop for a moment to appreciate what you have and admire the clover because things can always be worse.

So, Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Tomorrow's a different story.

Betting on D.I.Y..... well, maybe not?

 I hear from many people who say they're going to do their own lawn care in 2022. However, these same people may not be aware that doing it yourself may actually be more expensive when all is said and done.

Prices for fertilizer, seed and Fiesta have seen dramatic price increases over the past 6 months, In some cases they've doubled.

The reasons for the increases are numerous and complicated, but they are global (Supply is way down, global supply chain disruptions, higher overseas freight, higher rail and long haul truck freight, China is not shipping out of country, Russia, higher natural gas costs, higher fuel costs, higher crop prices, shuttered work forces, and Possible collusion and greed among the Major suppliers to name a few).  

The reasons for the increase in Seed are different than the fertilizer and to a large degree can be attributed a very VERY poor growing season in Oregon and B.C in 2021  that virtually wiped out the crop and doubling the price.  Most of the Seed suppliers have very limited supply and are not taking on new customers. 

For the Liquid Iron,  the cost has gone up 30-40%, mainly due to supply issues. 

And of course all these price hikes are being passed on to the consumer. Whereas a Lawn Care Provider may raise your cost a few bucks to cover increases, buying the product for personal use could cost you over $100 and up depending on the size of your property.

Add to that your labour and time, and doing it yourself doesn't seem like such a cost-saving adventure anymore.

Most lawn companies have pre-pay savings, usually before the start of the season, but if you wait until after those deadlines, I would have to say, all bets are off.

The difference in a year

 As the 2021 lawn season comes to an end, I find myself reflecting not only on the season's completion but the 2020 year as well.

Although the two are strikingly different---2020 had record breaking heat and drought. 2021 had excessive rain and frequent fluctuations between cool and heat---the fact remains, the two years were not so far apart by the end.

Crabgrass and chinch bugs were right on schedule, and although the levels of infestation were less in '21, they remained problematic all the same. The new product, Bio Titan for chinch, had little to no effect as a pre or post-emergent, and crabgrass?...It's the same old song and dance with that weed in the post pesticide era---wait for the fall and this annual dies-off then reseed the affected area (rinse, repeat every year.)

2021 also saw an increase in turf disease, most notably rust, due to the flip-flop between cool and humid temperatures, and all the rain made controlling weeds more difficult. 

I can't remember a year where so much work had to be moved to another day due to rain or heat. But this is lawncare. It is a profession that must adapt to the changing climate as much as the degree of difficulty in issues and the seemingly less effective products to address both.

The law of diminishing returns indeed!

The party's over

 

Actually, the party was over a year ago, but with COVID, it came and went without much fanfare. As we approach the 1st anniversary of the date, I would like to clue in those who don't know, to exactly what I'm talking about.

Up until the middle of last July, home owners who wanted Killex could order it online from Western Canada, and a nice, neat package would arrive at their door via Crown Corporation, Canada Post, no questions asked.

If you ever wondered how your neighbour kept their lawn weed-free, chances are he or she has a bottle or two of the concentrate stashed in the garage.

Granted this method wasn't cheap, but a loophole in the Ontario Pesticide Bylaw existed that made this possible same as those who brought back illegals from the States. 

You see, since many of the bigger industries---golf, sod, farming, government owned property, forestry and now cemeteries---were exempt under the bylaw, provisions had to be written into the act, were it wasn't illegal to have a product like Killex of Par III in your possession. You just couldn't use it or sell it without risking penalty unless you were exempt.

So when it became clear that the Ministry of the Environment couldn't police everyone, relying on whistle-blowers and public complaints, the abuse began, and over time increased until the Ontario Government finally went to the source and said "no more."

E-mails were sent to customers informing them, "As of July 2020, Killex was no longer available to customers in Ontario."

Problem solved, right?

Sure, until the Federal Border opens again, and 2 4 D flows across the 49th parallel like Duty Free booze and cigarettes. After all, the Feds don't care about Provincial Band-Aids, they're after bigger fish.

As for the mail-order route, I suppose if you have a friend or family member living out west, they could send it to you? And I'll bet money, Canada Post won't turn away the business.

* insert slow clap*

Well done Ministry . . . well done.