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1. Lawn Calendars
By Kathleen Cue, UNL Extension Associate
If you have zoysiagrass, Kentucky Bluegrass or tall fescue, you'll find UNL Cooperative Extension's lawn calendars most helpful in offering the best
information on mowing heights, irrigation amounts, timing of
overseeding, and much more.
Check with your local extension office to
get these NebGuides or access on-line:
G517 Kentucky Bluegrass Lawn Calendar, http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/horticulture/g517.htm
G558 Tall
Fescue Lawn Calendar, http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/horticulture/g558.htm
G877 Zoysiagrass Lawn Calendar, http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/horticulture/g877.htm
These
and other educational landscape NebGuides can also be accessed through the University's publications
website, http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/.
Other NebGuides with great
lawn care advice include:
G751 Thatch Prevention and Control, http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/horticulture/g751.htm
G1045 Turfgrass Weed Prevention and Management, http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/weeds/g1045.htm
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2. Seeding Bare Spots In Your Lawn
By John Fech, UNL Extension Educator
The recent winter may have caused some areas of your lawn to be
quite
thin. Dogs and kids can wear out a lawn, especially in spring due to
excessive pent up need for exercise after a long winter indoors. Pests
such as grubs and webworms can also cause lots of injury. Whatever the
reason, your lawn may be in need of some fill-in work.
Now is a good time to start the repair. First, rake out the
spot
thoroughly. I suggest a Kavex or thatching rake. This device is quite
imposing, with long stiff tines on it, designed to rip out thatch and
dead
grass plants.
Next, fill in low spots. Mix the newly added soil with the
existing soil
to avoid any problems with soil drainage. If you don't, a perched water table will be created, making the water puddle in the newly filled area.
Avoid this undesirable development by simply spading the two layers
together.
Now, the seeding part. If it's a very small area, reach into
the bag and
sprinkle seed over the area until it looks like a seasoned roast, you
know
like Emeril and Rachel Ray would do on the Food Network. You want lots of
seed,
and lots of soil showing. If the area is a bit larger, use a drop
spreader.
After the seeding, rake the area lightly to ensure good seed to
soil
contact. Water it lightly each day to germinate the seed. Actually,
water
the area several times each day during the first week after seeding.
You
can gradually reduce the frequency in weeks to come. Apply some starter
fertilizer when the new sprouts appear.
Using a drop-spreader |
New grass seedlings emerging |
Images from John Fech, UNL Cooperative Extension |
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3. Buffalograss- The Other Green Grass
By Don Janssen, UNL Extension Educator
After turf becomes well established (up to 4 months for plugged areas;
4-8
weeks for sodded areas), a reduction in management inputs can be
realized.
The mowing requirement for vegetatively established buffalograss ranges
from approximately every 2 weeks to once per year, depending on
management
level and aesthetic requirement. The recommended mowing height, when
mowing
is practiced, is 1 1/2 to 4 inches. Shorter mowing heights will require a
greater
mowing frequency. Avoid removing more than one-third of the turf height
(i.e., for a 2" mowing height, mow when the turf reaches 3") at any mowing.
Removing clippings is optional and normally not required or recommended.
Excessive nitrogen fertilization promotes weed populations in
buffalograss.
Exceeding the following recommendation defeats the low management
concept
of buffalograss and promotes weed invasion. Apply 1 to 3 lbs N/1000
ft2/yr in two applications (mid to late May and late July). On sandy or
low-fertility soils, and/or in high rainfall areas, use the upper end of
the recommended rates. Use a slow release N carrier such as sulfur-coated urea (SCU),
ureaformaldehyde or a natural organic fertilizer. For phosphorous,
potassium and pH adjustments, test the soil every 3-5 years.
The water requirements of established buffalograss are considerably
lower
than the commonly used turfgrasses. Excessive irrigation, much like
overfertilization, promotes weed invasion. Irrigating buffalograss in
many
areas is not required. If natural precipitation is inadequate or
untimely,
supplemental irrigation may be required.
Once established and properly managed, weed pressure in buffalograss is
minimal. If herbicides are required, follow label directions explicitly
to
maximize weed control. Ronstar G, Dimension, Dacthal, and Surflan are
preemergence products currently labeled for use in buffalograss. Except
for
Dacthal, their use is restricted to certified applicators. A spring
application for control of summer annual weeds, such as crabgrass,
goosegrass and spurge, should be applied when soil temperatures reaches
50
F. A second preemergence application in late summer or early fall will
control winter annuals, such as henbit, chickweed, and annual bluegrass.
Postemergence control of annual grasses is best achieved with arsenical
compounds (DSMA, MSMA). Broadleaf products cleared for use in
buffalograss
include a number of 2,4-D containing products. Do not apply products
containing 2,4-D if temperatures are expected to exceed 80E F on the day
of
application. Dormant buffalograss can be sprayed with Round-Up to
control
winter weeds. Fall applications can be applied after the first frost or
when the buffalograss turns straw-brown.
Spring applications of Round-Up should not be applied to buffalograss if the dormant turf is showing any green color. Round-Up applications
applied
to semi-dormant buffalograss will significantly delay green-up and could
severely injure the buffalograss.
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4. Bluegrass Billbugs
By John Fech, UNL Extension Educator
Yuk! Bugs. These bugs - billbugs, that is, can literally destroy major
sections of your lawn. They feed inside the plant, which is unique.
Most
insects feed on the outside parts - the leaves, the roots, etc.
Billbugs
hatch out, then immediately bore into the stem of the grass plant.
This creates two problems.
- They disrupt the transport of water and nutrients throughout the plant, and
- They are protected inside the stem from any control methods that you might try.
Both of these features of the billbug cause damage. Yowsa.
Billbug adult
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Larvae |
Damage Symptoms: You'll know the damage. The feeding starts in mid to late May, and by mid June, large round to oval sections of the lawn are pale, and thin. It looks like someone put the grass plants on a starvation diet!! The frustrating part is the diagnosis. You can water and fertilize all you want, but it won't help that much. The plants are dying from an insect problem.
Lawns infested with billbugs can be diagnosed by grabbing several turf plants and giving them a quick tug. If billbugs are present, they will break off easily. This is due to the inside of the plant being eaten and hollowed out. If they don't break off easily, chances are you have some other turf malady.
To prevent this lawn scourge, apply granular carbaryl (Sevin) to the affected areas in mid-May. After application, water the area with about half of an inch of water. This is especially important in the areas affected in previous years. Billbugs will tend to re-infest the same areas year after year. Be sure to read and follow label directions.
Not much can be done after the damage is evident in June.
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5. 2005 Great Plants for the Great Plains
By Sarah Browning, UNL Extension Educator
Each year the Nebraska Nursery & Landscape Association chooses a tree, shrub, perennial, and grass of the year. These are new or underutilized plants that merit wider use in Nebraska. Working in cooperation with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, the plants are brought into large-scale production and made available to the public through garden centers and nurseries. Four great plants promoted by this program in 2005 are Gingko biloba, Korean Spirea, dwarf Blue Indigo, and Sideoats Grama. Try one of these ‘Great Plants’ in your landscape this year!
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Gingko biloba, commonly known as Gingko, is undoubtedly one of the most distinct and beautiful of all deciduous trees with bright green, fan-shaped leaves. Gingko is one of the oldest species of trees, growing on earth for over 150 million years and native in North America at one time. Pyramidal in youth, a well-developed mature Ginkgo is an impressive sight, with large picturesque branches and handsome bark. The leaves can turn a brilliant golden yellow in the fall. Gingko is a durable tree for difficult landscape situations! Female trees produce a malodorous fruit after about 20 years, and for this reason, male trees are selected for landscape use. We recommend these male selections 'Autumn Gold' and 'Princeton Sentry.' Height 50-60', width 30-40'. Hardy to Zone 4.
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Gingko, Maidenhair tree
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Korean spirea |
Korean spirea, Spirea fritschiana, is an exciting little spirea and, although not very common in the landscape, it offers dark green foliage on a dense, rounded shrub and large clusters of flat-topped, white flowers in May and June. The creamy white flowers contrast nicely with rich green foliage that turns a good yellow color in fall. Used as a filler plant or as a low massing plant, Korean spirea will perform in a variety of tough conditions. If pruning is required, remove flowers after they fade for a second flush of growth. Height 2-3', width 3-4'. Hardy to Zone 4. |
Dwarf Blue Indigo, Baptisia minor, is an exciting plant for the hot, sunny border, and looks like a miniature version of Blue False Indigo, Baptisia australis. The pea-shaped, indigo blue flower spikes appear in spring, displayed nicely above the blue-green foliage. The showy flowers are reminiscent of lupines and are a favorite of bumble bees. In late summer and fall interesting seedpods develop from the flowering stalks, changing from a soft green to a rich black in autumn and persisting into winter. A tough, durable plant for the hot, sunny border that looks good all season long! It is only 15-24" tall and hardy to Zone 4. Great Plains native!
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Dwarf blue indigo
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Dwarf Blue Indigo seedheads |
Sideoats Grama |
Sideoats grama is a durable native grass with delicate, oat-like spikelets that hang to one side of the inflorescence, arching to 3' above the basal mound of gray-green foliage. Numerous seedheads are purplish when they first appear in June and July, then bleach to straw color as they age. Autumn foliage is generally bronze-purple to orange and red, to straw-colored in winter. It is particularly handsome when backlit by the sun or combined with little bluestem and prairie wildflowers. It spreads slowly to form a dense mat of foliage that is ideal for erosion control, choking out weeds or mass plantings. Hardy to Zone 4. |
Source: Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Lincoln, NE |
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