Pruning, the Scary Truth about Rejuvenation

It happens slowly over time… Shrubs sneak, creep, and skulk until they've consumed an area of the yard. You look out to notice the small shrub that you planted 5 years ago has become a behemoth that is threatening to take over your lawn or keep you from getting to your front door! But maintain hope! Short of battling the goliath with a chainsaw and a metal chain to rip it out by the roots, there is an easier solution. A severe pruning or shrub rejuvenation could be the answer…

Here are some pictures of a successful shrub rejuvenation that was done at our office. These steeds hollies that we inherited outside our office had grown too big for the space and needed an infusion of air to the inside branches to increase airflow and maintain plant health. Our solution was to rejuvenate them by doing a severe pruning. Directly after the pruning, the shrubs looked scary enough to strike fear into the heart of the common man… They were scraggly, nubbly, full of sheared off limbs and bare branches. But time heals all wounds. Given a couple of months of growth, the shrubs are back to their leafy, green ideal and healthier than they were last year. All in all, it was a success.

Steeds Holly 2 months later with new growth

Steeds Holly directly after pruning



Timing is important. You want to prune spring flowering shrubs directly after they bloom since they bloom on last season's growth. Whereas shrubs that bud on new growth should be pruned in late winter. For more information on shrub rejuvenation, see Rejuvenating an Old Shrub at http://aatexlawn.blogspot.com/2011/01/rejuvenating-old-shrub.htmlThanks,

The AA Tex Lawn Team

Summer's Here with a Vengence (Heat and your Landscape)

Look out!  Summer is here with a vengence!  The Charlotte area has had 100 degree record-breaking temperatures recently.  Ice cream sales will skyrocket, pools will be crowded, and air conditioning units will be at full power.  But as we all look for creative ways to keep cool, we thought you should be aware of what this type of heat will do to your landscape. 

1. Fescue turf WILL stress.  This cannot be avoided.  Since fescue is a cool season grass, it's just not made to handle the hot temperatures.  This grass type grows best in the moderate climate of fall and spring.  What can you do to minimize the damage from the heat?  Avoid over-mowing.  Heat stress causes fescue to enter a dormant state, with the hopes that it will perk back up when the soil temperatures decrease.  Mowing too often can break the weakened blades off at the crown instead of cutting the blades cleanly.  This leaves you with a probability that it won't be able to recover come fall.  Since the grass is not growing as quickly, it is best to lengthen the time between mowings.  Some lawns can move to an every other week mowing schedule without issue.  If you have an abundance of weeds in the turf, you may need to mow to cut down the weeds (i.e. crabgrass seed-heads).  If this is the case in your lawn, perhaps you should consider a lawn maintenance program like our 7 Step program to promote healthy turf and limit weed growth.
2. Established shrubs should be able to take the heat unless they are diseased or stressed.  Is it important that newly planted  shrubs or trees get sufficient water.  With our hit and miss rainfall this summer, regular watering will help.  The key is to water less often, but longer to limit runoff and ensure a deep soaking to promote deep root growth.  Shallow watering encourages shallow root growth.  Deep watering encourages deep root growth.  Make sense?
3. Flowers need to be watered.  Different varieties have different needs, so it's best to know the requirements for your specific varieties, but unless you are growing a succulent garden (think cacti), they are going to need water.  It's best to water in the morning hours when the lawn is wet with dew.  The cooler morning temps allow the moisture more time to absorb down to the roots.  Watering done in the hot afternoon may evaporate too quickly.  Watering done at night may increase the likelihood of disease because the plant stays wet for a longer period of time.

Those are the facts, folks.  Our landscapes will struggle through the heat.  Keep an eye on your pets when they are outdoors and check on your elderly neighbors.  The extreme heat will not last forever.

Thanks,

The AA Tex Lawn Team

Warm Wet Weather and Fungus in Your Lawn

Closeup of Brown Patch

It has been a wet, warm start to the spring and summer season in the Charlotte region. With recent nightly storms, we wanted to inform you about the earlier than normal turf fungus outbreak. Our technicians have been seeing fungus this week which is several weeks earlier than normal. We want you to be aware. You should inspect your turf to see if it is being affected. Although some lawns won't have turf fungus, many already do. Here is some more information about lawn disease and what to do about it.

For fungus to flourish, you need three components: a disease organism (like a fungus), a host (your turf), and environment (temperature, moisture, and humidity). When these three components are present, brown patch

Brown Patch Fungus in turf

and dollar spot (the two diseases we encounter most) run rampant. Dollar spot is considered a foliar disease while brown patch is both a foliar and root disease. Left untreated, these two turf diseases can do a lot of damage to your lawn.

Disease is most commonly found in thick lawns, where moisture sits on the plant for more than twelve hours without drying out. However, it can still attack your lawn even if you don't have thick turf. If you have shady areas of your lawn that the sun cannot reach to dry out, or if air flow is limited in areas of your lawn, disease will attack quickly. Disease can spread through your lawn in many different ways, including mowers, traffic, and even rain. It can commonly be confused with drought stress in the latter part of the summer.

So how do you go about preventing fungus? Here are some best practices:

• The best time to water your lawn is early in the morning, so that you are finished by 7:00am
• Let your turf dry out between waterings for at least 1 full day. 2 days is better. Your turf only needs watering 2-3 times per week.
• Keep your mower blade sharp
• Treat your lawn with a fungicide

But just like your car, the best maintenance is preventative maintenance.

 

We at AA Tex Lawn want the best for your lawn. We strongly recommend a seasonal fungicide protection and that you receive three applications at 28-30 days apart. The product we apply has a residule date of 28-30 days. If not reapplied after one application fungus can creep back into your lawn, which is why we strongly recommend three applications throughout the summer months. We encourage you to get these applications sooner rather than later. Remember "PREVENTION IS THE BEST MEDICINE".

 

While you can buy products to treat for disease yourself, keep in mind that most of the products that you can buy from a retail store only have a residule for 14 days. That means you would need to apply it every two weeks during disease season.

 

Here's hoping for beautiful, disease free lawns!

 

The AA Tex Lawn Team

What a Difference Mulch Makes!

Check out the before and after pictures from a playground mulch install we did in Huntersville this month. Not only does this playground look better, it is safer for the kids who use it!


Community playground before (mulch washed away over the winter months)



Community playground after mulch is "refreshed"



What a difference mulch makes!  For more information on playground safety, see the blog at:  http://aatexlawn.blogspot.com/2011/07/playground-mulch-how-safe-are-your.html

Thanks!

The AA Tex Lawn Team



Grasscycling…

No. Grasscycling is not something that would get you arrested. Nor is it the latest fitness craze. It's the term we use in the landscape industry for not bagging your clippings when you mow your lawn. It's a good idea for many reasons. The following info is taken right off the NC State TurfFiles website at:

http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/Turfgrasses/Default.aspx#MC000016

It's good information to keep in mind when you are maintaining your lawn…

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GRASSCYCLING...
an ecologically and financially sound program for your lawn.

Facts About Grass Clippings

• North Carolina state law prohibits disposal of yard wastes, including grass clippings, in landfills.
• Using grass clippings as a nutrient source for your lawn can save time and money and protect the environment.
• Grass clippings don't cause thatch.

The Grasscycling Concept

Leave grass clippings on the lawn! Grass clippings are 75 to 85 percent water and a good source of nutrients. When left on the lawn after mowing they quickly decompose and release nutrients. Through grasscycling, you can supply up to 25 percent of the lawn's yearly fertilizer needs, which means saving money and time. (And it means you do not have to rake and bag for hours.)

By following the management guidelines in this turf calendar and adding grasscycling to your routine, you will no longer need to bag clippings and your lawn will grow at an acceptable rate, retain a green color, ands develop a deeper root system.

For more information on grasscycling, contact your county Cooperative Extension Center.
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There are times when you'll want to bag your clippings. For instance, if the grass is tall and damp when you mow or if it is overly long…. In those conditions, we recommend mowing once without bagging and then after the heavy clippings dry, mowing a second time with the bag to even out the cut and pick up any excessive clumps. But usually grasscycling is the way to go.

Thanks,

The AA Tex Lawn Team

Vinca, a Versatile Plant

You know when you drive through a neighborhood and see that house that just stands out from the rest? It's bursting with color and looks like a professional landscaper lives there? It makes you think WHY DOESN'T MY LANDSCAPE LOOK LIKE THAT? Well, most of the time the people in those houses use annual flowers in their landscape beds. The term annual means that they only live for one growing season. Although short lived, annual flowers come in all sorts of colors, textures, and sizes which allow you to put together a really showy landscape! We've done several articles on annuals because we feel they make such a difference to the look of a garden bed. And because you change them out in spring and fall, you can change the look of your yard frequently. This year, we're using more Vinca in our beds.

Here's why we like it: The new and improved varieties of Vinca that we are using tend to be drought tolerant which makes them a good choice for the south. They come in a variety of colors. They look great planted en masse in groupings. Unlike the older varieties which were susceptible to fungus and required deadheading of spent blooms, these new varieties are low maintenance. But even though they don't require much maintenance a well prepared bed and fertilization throughout the growing season will produce the best blooms.

For more information on bed preparation, see this blog from last year: http://aatexlawn.blogspot.com/2011/05/planting-annual-flower-beds.html

Mixed Vinca (one of our favorites)

Wishing you many blooms!

The AA Tex Lawn Team

PLANET Day of Service… It feels good to give back…

On April 20th, landscapers from across the nation will band together to make our communities a nicer place to live. PLANET, The Professional Landcare Network holds an annual Day of Service on (or near) Earth Day. Members of PLANET are organizing volunteer lawn and landscape projects in communities across the country. We at AA Tex Lawn are proud to be participating again this year in Charlotte, NC. We're going to provide the Lois' Lodge maternity home a free "face-lift".

Lois' Lodge is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help women and families experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. Residential services are provided through a family-style home in Charlotte, NC and non-residential services are provided through the Lois' Lodge Mom Shoppe Program. Families are provided with: counseling and support, education, life preparation skills, and enrichment experiences. If you have children, you know how overwhelming it can be to find out you are pregnant, even if you are have planned for it. People who find themselves surprised with pregnancy can be left with a lot of doubt, questions, and choices to make. That's where Lois' Lodge comes in. They provide the resources and opportunities to guide and prepare these perspective parents for the new world they are entering.

Employees of AA Tex Lawn feel privileged to be able to do something to brighten the surroundings for these people going through such life-changing experiences. We'll be planting flowers, adding pine needles, trimming shrubs, limbing up trees, and hauling off debris. It feels good to be able to give back to an organization that is "doing good".

For more information about:

• The national PLANET Day of Service: planetdayofservice.org
• Lois' Lodge: www.loislodge.org
• AA Tex Lawn: www.aatexlawn.com

Thanks,

The AA Tex Lawn Team