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Don’t Get Fined – Know your Lawn Watering Days
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Managing Heat Stress in Your Lawn|Why is Carpetgrass in my Lawn | Preventing Carpet Grass, Crabgrass and Broadleaf Weeds
Managing Heat Stress in Your Lawn|Why is Carpetgrass in my Lawn | Preventing Carpet Grass, Crabgrass and Broadleaf Weeds
PART 3 0f 6
When a homeowner wants to stop Carpet Grass – Crab Grass from continually re-germinating in their lawn, it is beneficial to first understand a general idea of what lawns go through and what causes the undesired grass to develop in the first place. This will help to successfully guide you either in minimizing, controlling or even ultimately eliminating crabgrass from your lawn altogether. However, achieving a Florida Healthy Lawn can be frustrating for the average homeowner when dealing with Carpet Grass – Crab Grass. This requires the knowledge of an individual that is not only skilled but passionate about maintaining a healthy lawn, look no further for your needs.
Building from Article 2…
1.) With each mowing, Carpet Grass – Crab Grass and broad leaf weed seeds almost immediately are spread throughout your lawn and quickly become lodged within the first two inches of thatch in your lawn. Crab Grass – Carpet Grass seeds will continually build up in your lawn year after year and can lay dormant for thousands of years or until conditions are favorable for the germination of the buried Carpet Grass – Crab Grass seeds. Carpet Grass – Crab Grass typically initially starts growing in any weakened area that has developed in a lawn due to: heat stress, insect damage, traffic areas and even scalping of the lawn.
2.) In just a few seasons you can potentially have millions of seeds within the top inch of your soil per square yard that have built up over time. One needs to also understand that the common Carpet Grass – Crab Grass patch can produce up to 7,000 weed seeds per every 3’ by 3’ area each and every week about 42 – 48 weeks a year depending on the growth rate of your grass. These millions of weed seeds can quickly add up and lay waiting in dormancy for your lush blanket of grass above to experience heat stress creating an open door and allowing for their germination to start.
3.) Looking back over my 20 yrs in this industry things were quite different just 13 yrs ago… when watering a lawn 3 or 4 days a week and up to twice a day was a common occurrence. That kind of watering delivered amazing results with even just a little fertilizer (…and yes water was very cheap then, not to mention the water restrictions of today were unheard of then…additionally that was around the same time the EPA banned ASULOX (more on this in article 6) for residential and commercial use). That said, today’s lawns receive less water, endure excessive heat stress and we no longer have the only herbicide, ASULOX. With these challenges it’s only harder to maintain that better looking lawn you desire. So if you’re still wanting to win the war on weeds, call our office now and request our Pre-Emergent program. If you are currently a customer, your price can be given to you over the phone. If your lawn becomes thinned out from prolonged heat stress…. once this happens, the warmth of the sun’s rays begin to heat up the newly exposed soil where the seeds have laid dormant and hidden from the sun. (This is true for all weed seeds)
LUSH, GREEN, LAWNS REQUIRE WATER, WATER, WATER!
4.) Once your lawn becomes thinned out from prolonged heat stress, the warmth of the sun’s rays will begin to heat up the newly exposed soil where the seeds have laid dormant and hidden from the sun. (This is true for all weed seeds)
5.) In addition, if thinning or death of your turf develops throughout your Florida lawn from an infestation of either Chinch Bugs, Grubs, Mole Crickets, or Sod Web Worms, these newly damaged areas will also be sections where the millions of once hidden and dormant lying weed seeds to now be exposed to the warmth of the sun’s rays. Once exposed broad leaf weed seeds, Carpet Grass, Crab Grass and even Bermuda Grass seeds will almost immediately begin to germinate thus, creating the “perfect storm” environment for a weed farm in the middle of your once coveted lush green lawn.
6.) Keeping your lawn properly hydrated and regularly watered combined with a proper nutrition program will obtain that thick lush carpet look in your lawn. Doing this today is easier said then done, however; if achieved, your thick lawn itself will aid in preventing the germination of Carpet Grass – Crab Grass (and other weed grasses) in the same manner that applying a 3″ or 4″ thickness of mulch stops weeds from germinating and overtaking flowerbeds. Every year I commonly see the typical homeowner working hard at rejuvenating their lawn by removing all the dead thatch from their Tampa lawn or carpet grass sections. In theory, they envision that if they bring their bad lawn areas back to a natural bare soil state it will in some way encourage the good desired grass to spread and develop more aggressively over the newly cleaned soil. Unfortunately, their efforts without the aid of Pre Emergents, will have just exposed millions of weed seeds to the sun’s rays and will be promoting lots of new weed growth. In other words, if you are not going to completely re-sod those areas it is best not to remove any of the dead remaining grasses or thatch. If sodding is not in your immediate plans then leave the dead grass, as it will be your best defense in keeping some weeds buried and prevent germination.
Written by David Nelson
