Battling Bermudagrass

Bermudagrass… you either love it or hate it, depending on what type of turf you are cultivating. While it has many positive attributes, if you are trying to grow a cool season lawn like fescue, bermudagrass can become a very invasive weed. Since Bermudagrass is a warm season turf that grows naturally in the soil in this area, it thrives in the summer months when fescue is typically struggling due to the heat. Because it grows on rhizomes and stolons, it runs like a vine straight into your garden beds or through your fescue turf. It can wiggle its way under stones and barriers.

Now (in the late summer months) is the time to think about getting rid of it. If left untreated, bermudagrass will fill in areas where the fescue has failed due to summer heat stress. While this is not as noticeable in the summer months, when the fall hits and the bermudagrass goes dormant, you are left with unsightly brown patches in your cool season lawn. By getting rid of the bermudagrass, you create more seed to soil contact when you overseed in the fall. This will allow better germination of the seed, thereby creating a nice, uniform look for your turf.

How do you go about removing it? It's not easy.  We strongly recommend having the bermudagrass patches sprayed with a non-selective herbicide at least twice.  The second spray should take place a couple of weeks after the first to get any stubborn stragglers as it is hardy and hard to kill. Spraying a second time will increase your chances of getting it all. However, you want to be sure to spray only the affected areas as a non-selective herbicide like Round-up will also kill the desired turf. Once the bermuda is dead, it needs to be removed so that the soil is showing. This way when you overseed, there is no thatch to hinder seed germination. At AA Tex Lawn, we do this in different ways depending on the landscape:  we either scalp the affected area with a mower, rake out the dead bermuda, or de-thatch it.

Taking these steps does not mean you will never have to deal with bermudagrass again. The purpose is to help increase your fescue density, which in return decreases the likelihood of bermuda returning. As we've said before, the best defense against weeds is thick, healthy turf! 

If you take on this process yourself, be prepared for a battle.  We're happy to help.  If you’d like more information  or our rates, contact our office at 704-821-0708. Treatments will be done in late July/early August and then again two to three weeks later.  Thanks,

The AA Tex Lawn Team

Playground Mulch: How Safe Are Your Children?

When you are young, imagination is a wonderful thing.  Slides aren’t simply slides, they are mountains to be scaled or to rappel; swings are not just swings, they are planes that fly you to the sky so that you can parachute down to earth.  Even the parents of the tamest kids will eventually find them scaling the outside of the playground equipment.  It’s inevitable.   But as the mind dreams up these wonderful adventures, sometimes the body is unable to carry them out and pays the price.  So as parents, what can we do to keep our kids safe on their playground adventures?

The Blue Max website says that on average, more than 200,000 children are treated in US Emergency Rooms for playground injuries.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying we should stop kids from playing.  With childhood obesity rates on the rise in the United States, it is more important than ever to get our kids outside and away from “screen time”.  However something as simple as mulch can do much to help prevent and reduce injuries incurred from falls from playground equipment.

While most public parks and playgrounds have equipment installed over some sort of mulch, the majority of residential backyard playgrounds are installed over grass and dirt.  There are a variety of playground surface options available.  Anything from sand to mulch to rubber products all provide some level of protection from critical falls.  We recommend and install Tumblesafe Playground Mulch.  This is an engineered wood fiber that is 100% natural.  It is cut at an angle to prevent sharp points and helps absorb the impact from a fall from playground equipment.  We feel it is the best value for the money.  It meets and exceeds the head impact criteria set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and is the product that state regulated daycares use.

While Tumblesafe Playground Mulch holds up well, any type of mulch can become a casualty of spring and summer storms.  If you have already installed mulch under your backyard playground, make sure the wind and rain we’ve had recently have not washed it away.  We recommend a minimum of 4-6 inches installed.  If you have not installed mulch, it is something you should consider.  My neighborhood has already seen two broken bones from playground accidents this season.  Here’s to an imaginative, but safe summer.

Thanks,

The AA Tex Lawn Team

July is Proclaimed Smart Irrigation Month for NC

For the second consecutive year, Governor Beverly Perdue has officially proclaimed July as "Smart Irrigation Month" for North Carolina. Water is a precious resource. With the ever-growing population and the droughts of recent years, it is even more important to make sure we are conserving where we can and getting the most of the water we are using. Here are a couple of tips to help with that:

Water at the Right Time – ideally, you will water your lawn during the hours that the lawn is wet from dew. As it is cooler, it will minimize evaporation.

Don't Overwater – different plants have different needs. One size does not fit all when it comes to irrigation. Here are some stats from savingwaternc.com: On average:

• small shrubs need 5 gallons water/week
• large shrubs need 10 gallons/week
• trees need 2 gallons per inch diameter (measured at 4.5' above the ground)/week
• flower beds need 5 gallons of water/10 sq. ft. (1 minute of water at medium pressure)
• lawns require about 1/2-1" water per week, depending on the grass type. High-use turf areas may need more frequent irrigation.

Install a Rain Sensor – there is nothing more inefficient than a sprinkler system running in the rain. Besides manually controlling your irrigation system timing, (and who wants to schlep out in the rain to do that?) what can you do to stop your sprinklers from coming on during or after rain? Install a rain sensor. It monitors rainfall and turns your system off when Mother Nature has provided enough precipitation. There are other "smart" controller options that take into account plant requirements and local weather. We can help you know your options.

Hand Watering – Drip systems use 50% less water than a typical sprinkler in addition to applying water directly to the root zone where it is needed. If drip irrigation is not available, use a water breaker (the attachment for your hose that acts like a shower head) on the end of your hose to deliver an even, gentle flow to the base of the plants. It's interesting to note that a typical garden hose delivers 5 gallons of water per minute. You can also use a 5-gallon bucket with small holes in the bottom to slowly water your beds and prevent run-off.

Think Ahead when Planning your Landscaping – Group plants with similar water and soil needs. Then you can use drip irrigation or zoned irrigation to most efficiently water your plants. The use of native plants, trees, and shrubs helps, too. Since these plants occur naturally in our area, they are adapted to local conditions including climate, soil, and rainfall.

Audit Your Irrigation System – Have your system audited by an irrigation tech to check for leaks, adjust the heads, and make any necessary repairs. (Make sure you're not watering the pavement!)

Even with our summer storms, most of our state has had below average rainfall this summer. If you use water-wise habits, you'll have a healthier landscape, conserve water, and reduce your water bill. Let's make every month Smart Irrigation Month! For more information on this topic, check out http://www.savingwaternc.com

Thanks,

The AA Tex Lawn Team