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Tree Cavities
Posted on August 12, 2016 at 2:04 PM |
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In this blog post, I’m
going to put my arborist hat on again.
I’m going to discuss something that I’m sure just about everyone has
seen; a large hole in a tree. Sometimes
it is call a hollow. In arborist
language, we refer to these as a cavity.
In many cases, these are a result of some sort of damage, whether that
damage is from lightning or high winds or animals. Many times, trees in an urban or suburban
setting may have a cavity or a wound due to something caused by people. These injuries are usually inadvertent. Someone strikes a tree with an automobile,
construction equipment or a lawn mower.
It could also be as a result of improper pruning. Trunk wounds that
penetrate the bark will damage the cambium layer, a thin layer of vascular
tissue, which is vital to movement of water and nutrients. If less than 25% of the bark around the trunk
has been damaged, the tree will probably recover. When fresh wounds occur on the trunk, the damaged
bark should be removed carefully, leaving healthy bark that is sound and tight
to the wood. A wound dressing (tree
paint) is not necessary. Sometimes I do
use a spray “pruning tar” when I prune away larger branches. Theoretically, it seals the area where the
branch was removed. For wounds, you will be
able to observe the wound closing from the edges each year as the tree grows. When an older wound is discovered, remove the
dried and loose bark back to the area where the new wood can be seen along the
edges of the wound. Trunk wounds that
are not addressed could potentially be a hazard in the future. Once a wound occurs,
decay-causing fungi can enter the heartwood and the decay process begins. Trees have a unique defense. The wood around the injury begins to produce
special compounds in the wood cells that set up a wall or barrier to isolate
the infected area. This is called compartmentalization. In a vigorous tree, new growth continues to
form and add to the sound wood. Once
compartmentalized, discoloration and decay will spread no further unless one of
the barriers is broken. Storm-damaged
branches should be properly pruned to expedite the healing process. Avoid pruning directly against the trunk since
flush cuts can lead to extensive decay. Remember
to prune away from the branch collar, as I said in an earlier post. (“Tree Care
for Turfgrass Warriors”) Prune hazardous
branches immediately. Years ago, filling
cavities was an accepted practice. The
wound would be cleaned and scraped down to sound wood and filled with cement,
mortar, or bricks. These practices
frequently penetrated the tree’s natural defensive barrier, allowing decay to
spread. Fortunately, this practice has
decreased, along with flush cuts and tree wound paints. If the tree ever had to be removed, having
cement or bricks in a tree could be very dangerous for the arborist crew. Your mission is to help the tree heal
those cavities/wounds. If we can't get
them to heal, we can try to get the tree to compartmentalize those cavities. The cavity in itself is not important
unless it is a very large one (like half the diameter, or more, of the tree),
but it is the breeding place which it affords for enemies such as insects and
fungi that is highly important and worthy of the most serious consideration in
the care of trees. The accumulation of moisture and the
exclusion of light, which are characteristic of every cavity, are the ideal
conditions which the spore of a fungus disease seeks. You want to make sure this does not become a
major health issue for the tree so it doesn't become weak, then come down on
your house, automobile or loved ones in a storm. Having cavities near the base is worse
than having one up high. If decay sets
it in at the base, the tree could become unstable. Here are some courses of action: 1.
You want to keep critters and other stuff out of that hollow area in
that tree, get some screen material (metal or plastic screen is fine - like the
material from a screen door or porch).
Cut it to size for the entire area.
Tack it up around the area. Use
short nails (like tacks, not thumb tacks, but those might work). Do not use long nails that will penetrate
through the bark into the cambium. A
screen will allow air flow. 2.
Do not spray more water into the openings to try to clean it. You want this area to get as dry as
possible. 3.
Using your air hose attached to an air compressor to clear it out is
fine. 4.
Try to clean out or pull away any loose material. But don't pull away any
"good/healthy" bark or wood.
Cut off any ragged bark edges with a sharp knife or saw. You could even use a hammer and chisel. If you can take the surface down to healthy
material, that's fine. Take care not to
remove any healthy bark and expose more live tissue than necessary. If possible, the wound should be shaped like
an elongated oval, with the long axis running vertically along the trunk or
limb. All bark around the wound should
be tight. 5.
If you are feeling really industrious, get some lime sulfur solution and
spray it (lightly, with a pump sprayer, not something attached to your garden
hose or a hose attachment) all over the inside of the cavity - after you
manually clean it out. Lime sulfur is
very caustic. It can mess you up. Wear protective clothing, a mask and eye
protection. Lime sulfur also may be hard
to find. Or, use copper fungicide. Same procedure. Copper fungicide can be found at Home Depot
or Lowe's. Do this, then install the
screen. 6.
As I said, in the old days (actually not too long ago), they used to
fill tree cavities with concrete. They
thought it would strengthen the tree. It
is now known that it causes more injury. 7.
Once you have treated the cavity, and have covered it with the screen
for a while, some say you can fill the hollow with spray insulation. Not sure about that. I think that could possibly still retain
moisture, or trap moisture behind it.
The point is to get that cavity clean and as dry as possible. The screen allows for airflow and keeps out
any animals. 8.
This tree needs TLC now. It is
under stress. Make this tree the top
priority for tree trimming/pruning. Get
rid of the deadwood up top. If possible,
or if there is a bed around the tree already, get some good mulch around it. 9.
If there are insects in the vicinity, it is okay to spray insect killer/pesticide
around that area. Just on the surface of
the soil. Do not get it on the tree. 10.
This tree will need SLOW watering if you get in a bad drought at some
point. 11.
Also think about fertilizing the tree.
Having a professional arborist fertilize it would be great. If you can’t go with a professional, do it
yourself. Fertilizer stakes are
okay. Getting a root feeder and using
that with your garden hose would be even better. Remember to fertilize out along the drip edge. Below is a photo of a tree in my
yard. I’ve done what I could. The screen material I used is something used
to cover a gutter on a house. It was
attached with some very small and shallow screws which did not penetrate the
bark. The bad news is, this cavity is
right at ground level, at the base. Is
does get wet. But, the screen allows it
to dry out well. Guess we’ll have to see
how this works. Seems okay for now. |
Tools and Equipment – Mine and Yours
Posted on January 29, 2016 at 2:13 PM |
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I’ve been wanting to do this for a
long time. I want to post some pictures
of my equipment, machines and tools I use for having the best lawn and
landscape in the world. And, maybe at
some point, you will post or send me pictures of your stuff. Do you have a special tool or piece of equipment
you want to show off? Email me at: Explain what it is. Get as detailed as you want. And, tell us why you love it so much…or maybe
why you hate it. My first love is my tractor. I have 4 implements I tow behind it (I will
get in to those later). Many of my friends
know the story behind my tractor. When I
first bought it, I told my wife it was a surprise birthday gift for her. I brought her out to the shed so she could see
what I got her. That joke did not go
over well. There was an actual gift so I
lived to tell about it. But, this
tractor has been a BIG help and is an awesome piece of equipment. In May of 2016 she will be 6 years old (the
tractor, not my wife). She has a little
over 200 hours on it (again, talking about the tractor). My wife now says that she is so nice because she
lets me ride “her tractor” to mow the lawn any time I like. The tractor is a John Deere, X300, with a 42inch/107cm
(“Edge Extra” Cutting System) mower deck.
She has a dry weight of 704 pounds and is powered by an 18.5 horsepower
iTorque Power System; V-Twin, air cooled engine, that is 36.8
cu in./603 cc. The transmission is a Twin Touch hydrostatic,
K-46. The electric system is 15 amps and
requires a battery with 340 cold crank amps.
The fuel tank holds 3.3 U.S. gal/12.5
L. And, she has an incredible, mind
blowing, top speed of 5.5 mph/8.9 km/h. Brand new, this
mower costs about $3,000.00 to $3,500.00.
I estimate the current value of my mower about $2,700.00. These mowers retain their value well. Here’s a few pics
of this work horse: As you can see, I
added some features to this tractor.
Besides the flames, the hub caps, the camouflage seat cover and the
skull & crossbones; she has some additions that are quite important. The first addition you really cannot
see. It is the mulching kit. The kit comes with a plug or a block that
covers the side discharge chute. And it
comes with two mulching blades. So, every
time I switch out the blades, I use the “mulching” blades, not the “side
discharge” blades or the “rear discharge” blades. (Rear discharge blades are
for when you have one of those bagging devices mounted on the rear of the
tractor and the clippings are shot up a tube from the side of the deck into the
bags in the back.) The mulching
attachment was easy to install and cost a little over $100.00. Here’s a pic of what it looks like with the
mulching attachment installed, a view from the bottom of the deck: Another good idea
was to install the “Front Brush Guard”.
This thing is pretty strong. It
has come in contact with my trees, my fence, my fence posts, my house –
everything. The hood of the tractor is
some fairly light weight plastic/fiberglass.
The first time the front of my tractor would have come in contact with
anything listed above, it would have destroyed the hood. A new hood costs @ $580.00. The brush guard costs @ $130.00. Here’s a picture of the front brush guard: Safety dictates that you always
walk your turf area before you mow. You
want to make sure you identify and remove anything that you don’t want your mower
to hit or go over – sticks, stones; any sort of debris. Some things in the turf area can either cause
damage to the mower or be propelled some ways away – hitting a vehicle, a glass
window, of maybe even a person.
Sometimes I miss things in the turf area and I do not want to shut down
mowing operations by having to walk to the trash can with items all the time. So, if I see something, I just shut down the
moving blades, put the mower’s parking brake on, go fetch whatever I see in the
turf area, put it in the cargo bucket mounted on the rear of the tractor, and
then drive on with the mission. This
bucket is also good for holding shears, gloves, shovels – any other tools or
gear you may need while you are running around the property. Besides, it looks cool. That was @ $40.00. Here’s a picture of one up close: My next topic was gonna be about
maintenance. But, before I get into
that, here’s a picture of one of my Turfgrass Warriors in Arlington, VA. This is Rick.
Rick is a very special TURFGRASS WARRIOR because he uses a self-propelled
(No Engine!), reel mower. Most of us are
familiar with a “rotary” mower that is powered by a gas engine (some are
electric). On a rotary mower, the blade
rotates parallel to the ground like a helicopter. It cuts the grass by impact. Sometimes (especially if your blade is not
real sharp) the grass can be torn or shredded.
With a reel mower, the bands of blades are rotated perpendicular to the
ground and the grass leaves are cut like using scissors. Reel mowers (powered ones) are what is used
on golf courses and other high quality sports turf areas. Reel mowers like Eric’s are quiet, cut very
well, and do not emit pollution. Reel
mowers are also cheap, easy to maintain and provide excellent PT (Physical
Training). Rick’s yard is maybe 4 to 5
thousand square feet. That’s real good
PT. (Maybe I should say “REEL” good
PT.) Rick, you are my hero. Okay. Now back to maintenance. If you have spent any amount of money on your
tools and/or equipment, you need to keep those things maintained. Especially if you’ve gone out and spent a few
thousand dollars on a large mower. I
told you how much I paid for my tractor.
Some real high end mowers can be upwards to 8 or 10 thousand
dollars. The commercial mowers cost even
more. Even a pair of manual hedge
trimmers need to be serviced; sharpened, lubed, etc. My mower has a digital display
that shows the number of hours it has run.
Most equipment like this does not have an odometer. And, just like your automobile, there is a
service schedule. Always read the owner’s
manual! My X300 has lubrication
intervals every 50 hours – that’s basically injecting the grease fittings with
a grease gun. Those are around the
bigger moving parts – steering assemblies, mower spindles, foot pedals. Of course, I use authorized John Deere
grease. The tractor also has a service
every 100 hours or annually. That
service includes: change engine oil and filter, replace spark plugs, replace air filter
elements (it has 2 elements, a foam pre-filter and a paper cartridge primary
filter), replace fuel filter, clean
engine cooling fins, check mower belt, sharpen
/ replace blades, clean bottom side of deck, check tire pressure.
And then, there is a service every 200 hours. That’s when the valve clearance has to be
checked or adjusted. I do all my
annual/100 hour maintenance after my last cut of the season in the late fall,
before I store the tractor for the winter.
I’ve posted a picture here of the maintenance kit that I purchase every
year. It is the “LG256” kit and costs
about 48 dollars (without shipping). So,
every fall, I not only service the mower, I clean it real well, take the
battery out of it (bring that inside the house) and put a cover on it. Even though the tractor stays in a shed, I
still cover it. I’ve also got a picture
of my mower with the cover on. This is the home maintenance kit. Here are some pics of the tractor cover I use in the winter. There are two more
facets to my winter storage routine. I
put in the fuel tank a few ounces of fuel stabilizer, then I fill the fuel tank
as full as I can get it. I run that fuel
stabilizer through the engine for about 5 to 10 minutes. Also, when I pull the two mower blades off of
it, I keep those blades off during storage.
I put the sharp blades back on in the spring. So, in the
spring I’m fairly ready to go. Pull off
the cover. I put the battery back in,
install fresh (SHARP) blades and I’m ready to go. Let’s talk
about blades. I cannot stress enough the
importance of having sharp blades. And
replacing blades yourself is a critical operation. Whether you have a rotary mower or a reel
mower, sharp blades are very important.
Some turfgrass warriors sharpen their own blades, or they have the
blades sharpened by someone else.
Whether you sharpen them or someone else does, you or the other guy
really need to know how to do it properly.
If too much blade material is shaved off on one end, the blades can be
out of balance. Out of balance blades
can damage equipment or be a safety hazard to personnel. Balancing
mower blades on your own is not rocket science, but, again, you really need to
know what you are doing. To
balance the blade, sharpen it first. Many
turfgrass warriors have good luck just hanging the blade from a horizontal nail
sticking out of the wall of the shed or garage.
Put the blade on the nail through the center spindle hole and watch the
heavy end drop. Remove material from the
heavy end until the blade hangs level. For
5 bucks you can buy a blade balancer which consists of a vertical nail that a
cone rests on. Your blade sits on the
cone as you watch the heavy end drop.
Here’s a picture of a good 5 dollar balancer. Here’s my solution: I buy new mower blades for each mowing season
(spring and fall in this region). I take
the old blades and throw them in the recycle bin. New blades (a set – my mower takes 2 blades)
cost about 48 bucks a piece (without shipping).
The set of new blades comes with fastener nuts and even some written
instructions. Here’s a picture of my blades when they come out of the box: Some final “safety” thoughts on blade replacement. New or re-sharpened blades can be
dangerous. They can be VERY sharp. I always wear some good thick leather gloves
when handling the blades. Before you do
anything, disconnect the spark plugs!
Because while you are underneath, you don’t want the mower to
start! I can loosen the mounting hardware with a socket and a long “breaker
bar”. You will need leverage. You do not necessarily need an impact
wrench. Do not lube the spindle or the
nut. On my mower there are two “cupped”
washers. I put those back between the
blade and the nut – with the cupped side facing up. Here’s a “breaker bar”: Another good tool to have is a “mower blade holder”. You have to get the mower blades to hold
still when you are installing or removing the blades. Some say shove a block of wood in there. That is a good “field expedient” method, but
it never worked well for me. A blade
holder costs about 10 bucks. Here’s 3 pictures of one: Now, above, I
mentioned the valve clearance. That
maintenance activity is a little beyond my capability. So, I get the local dealer involved. There are two dealers in my vicinity. One in Maryland will come pick up your
tractor and take it back to their shop. Unfortunately, that takes a long time in my opinion – and you are without
your tractor for that period. A
different dealer in Virginia will come to your house and do the maintenance
right there, on the spot. It is not
cheap. But when you need an expert for
something, you sometimes gotta suck it up.
Here are some pics of the maintenance guy doing the maintenance on my tractor
in my front yard/driveway. They have
some real cool trucks, completely outfitted w/ welders, lifts, cranes,
generators, spare parts – everything.
These pictures are when he did the valve clearance about a year and a
half ago. I had him do all the fall
service I usually do myself. I figured –
why not – he’s here anyway. But, I did
hand him my LG256 kit I had. Saved some
money on parts. Afterward, I just drove
the tractor into the shed and got her ready for winter storage. That's about it for now. I'm still waiting for you all to send me pictures of your stuff. |
Fall Leaf Removal
Posted on January 28, 2016 at 12:02 PM |
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Native, Alien and Invasive Plants
Posted on July 20, 2015 at 1:34 PM |
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I always advise my customers to use “native” plants in their landscapes. Nothing makes me crazier than when a customer wants to use some palm tree native to Borneo in their landscape here in DC, MD or VA. Although I’m writing with my horticulture hat on right now (versus my turfgrass hat), this concept goes back to what I’ve said all along. You must choose the correct type or species of turfgrass based on the region in which you live. But, with larger shrubs and trees, that gets a little more complex. If you want mission success in your landscape, you need to know a little bit about where you live – what are the conditions; the soil, the amount of sun, the weather, moisture…all sorts of considerations. In Virginia, we make it easy. You live in one of three regions – the coastal plain, the Piedmont or the mountains. Each one of these areas has specific considerations and therefore has specific plants that will do well in each of those regions. Why use native plants? What’s the big deal? Well, in this blog post I’m going to discuss some of the issues surrounding native, alien and invasive plants. Native type plants have evolved within a specific area and are dispersed throughout that area without human intervention. They could be called “indigenous” to a geographic area. Native plants form the primary component of the living landscape and provide food and shelter for native animal species. Native plants co-evolved with native animals over many thousands to millions of years and have formed complex and interdependent relationships. Our native fauna depend on native flora to provide food and cover. Many animals require specific plants for their survival. How long must a plant species be located in an area in order for us to consider it native to that place - two hundred years, since colonization, since before agriculture began? For example, for those who consider two hundred years sufficient, Queen Anne's lace would be native - yet we know from historical records that this plant has a European origin. We usually depend on local plants, the uncultivated plant life of a given region, to tell us which plants are native. However, these inventories are sometimes inconsistent and are subject to repeated debate. I guess only fossil records can really prove that a plant evolved in a particular place, but even fossils can be misinterpreted. If we randomly pick a spot in time and say "plants here before this date are native," we may not be acknowledging that for centuries, indigenous peoples, traders, explorers, and botanists have had an impact on local floras with their activities. Geopolitical and environmental boundaries also play a role in defining native plants. To say a plant is "native to North America" or "native to Virginia" implies that it is suitable for growth throughout North America or Virginia, when in fact it may only occur naturally in limited microclimates or sections and thus only be suitable for growth in equally limited scenery situations. Using native plants in your landscape means using plants that are better suited for that region. Native plants use less water, require less fertilizer and less pesticides. As I alluded to earlier, native plants also increase the presence of desirable wildlife. Ecotypes (sometimes called ecospecies) describe a genetically distinct geographic variety, population or race within a species, which is adapted to specific environmental conditions. Typically, ecotypes exhibit phenotypic differences (such as in morphology or physiology) stemming from environmental heterogeneity and are capable of inter-breeding with other geographically adjacent ecotypes without loss of fertility or vigor. Basically, ecotypes are the same species that are found in different habitats and have evolved specific adaptations to their differing environments – taxonomically equivalent to a “sub-species”. Red maple, for example, is native from Florida to Canada, but some sub-species have adapted to dry or wet sites, cold or warm climates. Although technically red maple is native to a large section of North America, one ecotype will not necessarily perform successfully in another site because it is not adapted to the site's conditions. The larger the geographic range of the species, the more occasion there is for dissimilarity. Exotic plants, also known as non-native, introduced, “non-indigenous” or alien plants, are species that occur in cultivation or in the wild. These plants may have been transported across boundaries by people and their activities. Sometimes they are species introduced intentionally or accidentally, into a new region by humans. Over time, many flora and animals have expanded their ranges slowly and without human assistance. As people began cultivating plants, they brought beneficial and favored species along when they moved into new regions or traded with people in distant lands. Humans became a new pathway, enabling many species to move into new locations. According to The Flora of North America, one-fifth to one-third of the plant species encountered north of Mexico had their beginning in other continents. Several exotic plant introductions, such as lily-of-the-valley, day lilies, and daffodils, have become naturalized, meaning that they have succeeded in reproducing and spreading to a restricted extent on their own. Unlike invasive plants, most naturalized plants are not a severe threat to other species or to an ecosystem. In fact, the ability to naturalize is often considered an advantageous feature in horticulture. Wildflowers can be true natives or introduced plants that have been naturalized for over two hundred years. A small percentage of naturalized exotic plants become invasive. Invasive plants are those that reproduce quickly, displace many of the other species in their domain, and are difficult to eradicate. Invasive plants are species that cause health, economic or ecological damage in their new range. More than 30,000 species of plants have been introduced to the United States since the time of Christopher Columbus. Most were introduced intentionally, and many provide great benefits to society as agricultural crops and landscape ornamentals. Some were introduced accidentally, for example, in ship ballast, in packing material and as seed contaminants. Of these introduced species, fewer than 3,000 have naturalized and become established in the United States outside cultivation. Of the 3,500 plant species in Virginia, more than 800 have been introduced since the founding of Jamestown. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation currently lists more than 100 of these species as invasive. In the United States, invasive species cause an estimated $120 billion in annual economic losses, including costs to manage their effects. Annual costs and damages arising from invasive plants alone are estimated at $34 billion. Purple loosestrife in the northern US and kudzu in the southern states are classic examples of invasive plants that profoundly affect the landscape. In Fairfax County Virginia, bamboo is an extremely damaging and problematic invasive plant. Invasiveness can range from the minor nuisance of garden plants, such as Lamb's ears, that tend to edge out their neighbors, to the other end of the spectrum, where the melaleuca tree from Australia is literally drying out Florida's marshes to meet its high water requirements. Melaleuca is an example of an exotic species that is considered a serious invader because it enters disturbed lands, colonizes them and changes the ecology of them in detrimental ways. One of the main reasons people promote native plants is to avoid the devastation that invasive plants may bring on landscapes and forests. Exotic introductions that do become invasive, like kudzu, multi flora rose, and honeysuckle are a costly menace nearly impossible to control, much less eradicate. Why do a small percentage of plants exhibit invasive tendencies, while the majority of plant introductions are benign or beneficial? The answer lies in the combination of two factors: traits that invasive plant species share and traits of the site that make it susceptible to invasion. No plant is inherently invasive under all circumstances. Although more often it is exotic introductions that invade, native plants can also become invasive pests. Native grape vines like fox grape form suffocating thickets over shrubs and rapidly climb trees, threatening to out-compete their hosts for light. Though native to eastern and central North America, wild grape is an indisputable pest. Other native plants that are often invasive include blackberries, poison ivy, wild onions and cattails. Just as with exotic introductions, it is a small percentage of native species that cause problems. Native plants have an important role to play in modern landscaping. Arguments that are made in favor of native plants include lower maintenance, regional uniqueness, biological diversity, and wildlife habitat. One theory holds that native plants are easier to care for because they have evolved in a place over many years, developing resistance to climatic extremes, insect feeding, disease pathogens and other stresses of the local environment for which non-native plants may not be prepared. This may be true in some cases; however, it is important to note that native plants placed under stressful conditions fare no better than exotic ones if the plant is not carefully matched to the site. Some exotic plants actually perform better and require less maintenance because of the qualities they were selected for, and because their insect predators and disease pathogens are frequently not imported with them. Another factor to consider is the interaction of native plants with the “built up”, urban or suburban non-native environment. In an urban setting, for example, there is no planting site that approximates what would have been there prior to urbanization. The original landscape in both cities and suburbs often has been changed so completely that the microclimate, soil type, soil hydrology, and insect populations no longer are what they were when the native plants of the area evolved. To put a native tree, for example, in a median strip planting on a downtown street because it is native to the surrounding countryside would be foolish unless the tree is known to tolerate the heat of the asphalt, car exhaust, salt from the snowplows, a limited root zone, intermittent flooding, and periodic drought. If native plants are used simply because they are native, without proper regard to site conditions, the results may be insufficient. The most critical issue is not native plants versus exotic plants - it is appropriate versus inappropriate plant selection, given the constraints and opportunities of the site. The more closely a plant's characteristics match the site's characteristics, the better chance for the plant’s survival and vigor. If a native plant meets those requirements, by all means use that plant. While we can and should strive to use plants long found in our region, perhaps the term native plants should be used with some modesty. Using diverse plantings will create beauty and prevent the susceptibility to disease that can come from large scale single-species plantings, avoiding disasters such as that of the American elm in the mid-twentieth century. In the quest for a diverse, healthy landscape, which may be a mix of native and exotic species, references are available both to help find the right plant and to avoid the trouble makers. A little research before selecting plants can save time, money, and aggravation. Or, you can consult with someone like me. Reference guides may warn that a plant is invasive under certain circumstances, but they may not, and nursery catalogs frequently won't. Phrases like "a very vigorous grower" can be euphemisms for potential invasiveness. Don’t be fooled. Treat such phrases as red flags. Be sure to look in more than one plant reference to gather more than one perspective on any species you have in mind, especially if you suspect it may be invasive. After invasive potential is ruled out, the physical limitations and possibilities of the site should be the first and most important consideration in the exciting process of selecting new plants for our landscapes. |
Wild Onion & Wild Garlic
Posted on May 6, 2015 at 2:03 PM |
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In the early spring here in the mid-Atlantic region, I started to see some common weed activity. What is very visible this time of year is wild onion and wild garlic. Wild garlic (Allium vineale) and wild onion (Allium canadense) are winter perennials. They emerge in late fall from underground bulbs and grow through the winter and spring. In late spring, aerial bulblets are formed and the plants die back in early summer. The underground bulbs can persist in the soil for several years. While both have thin, green, waxy leaves, those of wild garlic are round and hollow, while those of wild onion are flat and solid. Oddly enough, the garlic smells like onion and vice versa. Mowing will not kill wild garlic or wild onion. However regular mowing can weaken the plants and prevent them from setting seed. Unfortunately, there are no pre-emergent herbicides that will control wild onion or wild garlic. They must be treated with post-emergent herbicides. Perseverance is the key. These plants will need to be sprayed more than once and for more than one season. One trait that makes control difficult is that both have a slender, shiny leaf to which herbicides don't readily adhere. Unlike most weeds, mowing wild garlic or wild onion immediately before applying an herbicide may improve uptake. After application, do not mow for at least two weeks. Treat wild garlic and wild onion in November and again in late winter or early spring (February or early March) before these plants can produce the next generation of bulbs. However, be careful not to apply most weed killers onto Centipedegrass or St. Augustinegrass during their spring “green up” period. Inspect the lawn again in the spring and the next fall, and treat if necessary. Imazaquin, the active ingredient in Image Nutsedge Killer, will provide control for wild garlic and wild onion. N.B - This product should not be used on fescue and should not be applied to warm season turf during green up in spring. Wait at least 1 & 1/2 months after treatment before reseeding, winter overseeding or plugging lawns. This product is not for use on newly planted lawns, nor on winter over-seeded lawns with annual ryegrass. Three-way broadleaf herbicides containing 2,4-D, dicamba and mecoprop (look for any or two or all three in a spray) will provide control of wild garlic and wild onion with repeat applications. Examples of these products are Bayer Advanced Southern Weed Killer for Lawns, Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns – for Southern Lawns, Lilly Miller Lawn Weed Killer, Southern Ag Lawn Weed Killer with Trimec, and Ferti-lome Weed-Out Lawn Weed Killer. These products can be used safely on most turfgrasses, but reduced rates are recommended when applying to St. Augustinegrass or Centipedegrass. Apply during November, very early spring, and again the next November for best control. N.B. - Do not apply these herbicides during the spring green up of warm season turfgrasses, or over the root zone of nearby ornamental trees and shrubs. Do not apply these products to newly seeded grasses until well established (after the third mowing). Treated areas may be reseeded three to four weeks after application. Always check the product label for rate of application and to determine that it is safe for use on your species of turfgrass. Metsulfuron (such as Manor and Blade) is an herbicide which is packaged for landscape professionals and gives very good control of wild onion and garlic. Due to the cost of these selective herbicides, it may be more economical to hire a landscape professional for weed treatment. Metsulfuron can be used on Bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, Centipedegrass, and Zoysiagrass. The addition of a non-ionic surfactant (such as Southern Ag Surfactant for Herbicides) may be a good idea too. It is required at 2 teaspoons per gallon of spray mix for best control. Read my blog post on "Wetting Agents". A non-ionic surfactant will help the herbicide adhere to the leaves for increased penetration. Do not apply Metsulfuron to a lawn if over-seeded with annual ryegrass or over-seed for 8 weeks after application. Do not plant woody ornamentals in treated areas for one year after application of Metsulfuron. Do not apply Metsulfuron herbicides within two times the width of the drip line of desirable hardwood trees. Glyphosate, the nonselective herbicide found in Roundup Original, Eraser Systemic Weed & Grass Killer, Quick Kill Grass & Weed Killer, Bonide Kleenup Grass & Weed Killer, Hi-Yield Super Concentrate Killzall Weed & Grass, Maxide Super Concentrate 41% Weed & Grass Killer, and Southern States Grass & Weed Killer Concentrate, will also provide control of wild garlic and wild onion. If you are unable to prevent glyphosate from getting on desired actively growing grasses, a selective herbicide should be used. To do the least damage to your turfgrass, apply glyphosate only to warm season grasses during winter, when they are completely dormant. However, during mild winters, the turfgrass may not be completely dormant. I recommend not messing with a non-selective herbicide like glyphosate. One answer to these weeds in flower beds and high-quality lawns is some smart pulling. Sometimes they are tough to pull. The entire clump should come out easily when pulled gently but firmly after a good, soaking rain. This is one of the many benefits of improving your soil — weeds that sprout out of nice, loose, rich soil that contains a lot of organic matter practically pull themselves out. Conversely, weeds that grow in lousy, compacted clay are usually firmly anchored. Pulling from wet soil is always more productive than pulling from dry soil. So go out after a rain, reach down to the soil line and tug gently; that's how you get the underground bulb out completely. If you only snap them off at the soil line, the plant is not harmed; you spend the same amount of time and energy as someone who does it correctly, but get no benefit. Personally, I have about a 50% success rate each time I go after these weeds by pulling them in wet soil. But, over time, they will be eradicated. You can also remove tight clumps with a sharp, long-handled “poachers spade”, which is also a very useful tool for transplanting bulbs, plants and rabbit hunting in Merry Old England. Single sprouts are the most annoying and time-consuming to deal with. If you have a large area with mostly single plants, clear small sections at a time, being sure to pull slowly and get the bulbs completely out. Start with highly visible areas and give yourself several seasons to do it all; if you've been cursing them for the past five years, you can't expect overnight eradication. And don't let the un-pulled plants in other areas set seed while you're doing this; mow or weed-whack the tops off those miscreants before they can procreate. I really don’t see wild onion and wild garlic as a great threat to the safety and security of your turfgrass. I mean, it can get out of control. Just like everything else, if you stay on top of it, little by little, it will go away. You know how I am about consistency. These weeds do violate my consistency standards. And, you have to be careful about any applications. See where I underlined a couple things. Stick to it and you will be victorious. |
Sod
Posted on March 9, 2015 at 12:14 PM |
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In this blog post, I will be discussing SOD. Sod is a good thing. It is turfgrass that has already germinated and is growing, like a living carpet. And it already includes a layer of some decent topsoil. For the most part, it is some mature turfgrass plants that have been professionally grown. It is usually harvested into slabs, then the slabs are rolled up. If done correctly, it can be a readymade lawn. If done incorrectly, it can be a huge waste of time, money and other resources. As usual, my blog post here is geared toward the “do-it-yourself” turfgrass warrior. Many sod farms will do delivery, site preparation and installation. Sometimes, that’s the bulk of the cost…not just the price of the sod. But, if you did well on your last physical fitness test, installing sod will be no big deal. I have not yet had a customer who has installed a complete yard or lawn of sod. But, I do use sod quite a bit for repair, filling bare spots, etc. In some cases, areas where I’ve used sod have been quite large. I’ve also used sod in areas where there was an infestation of some sort. Of course, in that area, before any preparation, one must kill or mitigate whatever the problem was in that area. For example, if you have an area in your cool season turf infested by Bermudagrass or Poa Annua, all that stuff has to be decisively engaged with an herbicide before you start site preparation, much less installation. Old, dead sod needs to be removed or tilled into the soil. I’ll get into that. Let’s say for argument’s sake, in the case of this blog post, that there are no real serious problems and you are just sodding an area because you feel like it. A Few Words About Sod Sodding provides many advantages over seeding: § Creates an instant green lawn or recreational surface. § Gives immediate erosion control. § Eliminates dust and mud. § Eliminates weed control during establishment. § Can be used quickly. § Can be established almost year round. § Can get the best turfgrass varieties from producers. § Can be used for total installation or repair of smaller areas. Selecting the Type of Turfgrass This goes back to my earlier blog posts on turfgrass selection. A quality lawn results from using the right grass species and/or variety, proper planting and establishment, and sound management. Planting the right turfgrass for your site reduces the need for pesticides and other amendments. This goes for any method of establishment – sodding, seeding, sprigging, etc. The most important step for the Turfgrass Warrior is selecting the proper turfgrass for the environment. Turfgrasses are perennial, so turfgrasses are expected to live indefinitely with proper management. Because of this, choose cautiously from among the various species and varieties. Turfgrasses that provide winter lawn color in most areas of mid Atlantic are known as cool-season grasses. Grasses which go dormant after the first hard frost, and stay brown through the winter months are known as warm-season grasses. The warm season grasses generally need less maintenance as their water requirements are lower, and their shorter growing season requires less mowing per year. Turfgrass species will not perform equally in the different climate, soils, and management programs that are found in the mid Atlantic region. What type of sod do you need? Most types of sod being grown in the mid Atlantic are Kentucky bluegrass blends, tall fescue or tall fescue-Kentucky bluegrass mixtures, Bermudagrass, and zoysiagrass. Each type is best suited to particular uses and geographic areas in mid Atlantic. Most states in the US have their own organizations that “certify” turfgrass (and sometimes crop) seed. At the national level, we have The National Turfgrass EvaluationProgram (NTEP). NTEP has expanded to the evaluation of seventeen turfgrass species in as many as forty U.S. states and six provinces in Canada. Information such as turfgrass quality, color, density, resistance to diseases and insects, tolerance to heat, cold, drought and traffic is collected and summarized by NTEP annually. In Maryland, it is the state Department of Agriculture that certifies seed. Sod in Virginia is grown in the Virginia Crop Improvement Association (VCIA) sod certification program. This sod must meet established standards of quality, which also qualifies the sod to be marketed under the Virginia Department of Agriculture’s "Virginia's Finest" program. VCIA certified sod or "Virginia's Finest" is sod of high quality, meeting rigid standards requiring pre-planting field inspections, prescribed varieties and mixtures, periodic production inspections, and a final pre-harvest inspection. Quality sod contains excellent turf varieties with good sod strength and has no serious insect, weed, or disease problems. Before Contacting Growers What’s the first thing you need to do before you do anything in your lawn or landscape? You should have a soil sample taken. Give me a call. Get that done at least one month prior to preparing the soil so you can follow the lime, sulfur or fertilizer recommendations prior to sod installation. Measure the area to be sodded in square yards or square feet. Sod isn’t cheap. Don’t get more than you need. Here’s some conversions: 1 square yard = 9 square ft. 111.1 sq. yds. = 1,000 sq. ft. 1 acre = 43,560 sq. ft. 1 acre = 4,840 sq. yds. With regard to safety, make sure you have the proper vehicle to transport the amount of sod you need and how many trips you will need to make. The safe carrying capacity of vehicles varies (in square yards): Medium Size Car: 5 to 10 Half Ton Pickup: 25 to 50 One Ton Truck: 150 to 200 Two Ton truck: 300 to 350 Tandem (10 Wheel): 500 to 600 Tractor Trailer (18 Wheel): 1,000 to 1,100 If the sod is wet, it is real heavy. Less sod can be carried when it is wet. Dry sod weighs about 20 to 25 lbs. per square yard whereas wet sod can weigh 30 to 40 lbs. per square yard. A pallet of sod will contain 50 to 75 square yards (450 to 675 sq. ft.) of sod. When Contacting Growers You need to know how many square yards or square feet of the particular type of sod you want to purchase. Remember that some sod comes with netting to aid in harvest. I hate that stuff. If you ever have to work that area again, that netting is terrible. Asking about netted sod is an important question. Netted sod may not be desirable if you anticipate cleated traffic on the sodded area (e.g. athletic fields). Determine what services each grower you contact can provide and the cost of those services (e.g. pallet charges). Sod-farm services vary and can include any of the following:
Once you select a grower, call as far ahead of installation time as possible to ensure the sod will be available when you need it. And, you want to make sure that the sod was harvested just prior to installation. Get fresh sod. Site Preparation There are no shortcuts to soil preparation when sodding. Normally, site preparation for sod is almost identical to preparation for seeding to ensure transplanting success. Remove existing grass and/or till the soil down to a four inch depth. Allow time for the soil to settle and then establish the final grade. To greatly improve the chances for long-term success, incorporate fertilizer and lime/sulfur according to the soil test/lab recommendations. Rake the area until smooth and be sure to remove stones and other debris. When the Sod is Ready for Pickup or Delivery Prepare the site for installation prior to pick-up or delivery. If the soil at the installation site is extremely dry, lightly water it 12 hours prior to installation. Sod is perishable and should be installed within eight hours of harvest! Wear work clothes you don’t mind getting real dirty. If you are buying sod by the roll and are concerned about keeping your vehicle clean, bring something on which to lay the sod. Do not overload your vehicle. On hot days, when sod will be transported for an hour or more use light, vented covers to reduce drying and heat buildup. If buying VCIA Certified Sod, request the certification labels with each load you purchase. In fact, if you buy sod from anywhere, see if they have the certification labels. That’ll teach ‘em you mean business! Installing Your Sod Lightly rake the area to be sodded just prior to installation. Sod survival is greatest when installed on relatively loose and moist soil that is cool. Do not install sod on grass, debris, or rocks. Lay the first line of sod along a straight line such as a driveway, sidewalk, or use a string stretched between two stakes. Then stagger the sod pieces in the adjacent rows in a "brickwork" fashion. Since sod pieces may shrink after installation, push the sod pieces together tightly. Try to minimize soil compaction in the installation area by using wheel barrows to move the sod. Plywood boards laid in heavy tracking areas will minimize compaction. Roll the sod with a heavy hand roller after you lay it to press roots to the soil. Saturate the sod with water immediately after installation, wetting the soil under the sod to a four inch depth. Examine the soil under several pieces of sod to ensure proper wetting. You might need to water it as deep as 6 to 8 inches. Maintaining Your Sod Begin mowing the sod with sharp blades as soon as it is rooted. That might take a couple months. Mow frequently enough so that you never remove more than one-third of the existing green tissue. Mow it high. Mow Kentucky bluegrass and tall Fescue sods at least two to two and one-half inches and Bermudagrass and Zoysia at one-half to one inch. From October through April, apply water every second or third day for three weeks, even if it rains. The rule is to make sure the soil is wet to a three to four inch depth. In hot weather (above 80 degrees F) water the sod daily, wetting the soil thoroughly until the sod is well rooted. After the sod is well rooted, irrigate to prevent drought damage. Sod can be installed almost anytime of the year. The best time to lay sod, however, is in late summer and early fall when temperatures are cooler but grass continues to grow. Spring is the second best time to lay sod and is the preferable time for warm-season grasses such as centipede, zoysia, Bermuda, and St. Augustine that become dormant in the winter. Avoid installing sod in summer as the extra water required for establishment could result in blight and disease. Sod can be a super resource. But, you shouldn’t just throw it down and expect it to be beautiful. Just like anything else, if you just throw it down, it will probably look like you just threw it down. You don’t want mission failure in this type of operation. You need to PLAN, PREPARE then EXECUTE. If you do that, it will pay off in the long run. |
Wetting Agents
Posted on February 3, 2015 at 2:38 PM |
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Here’s
another “high tech” blog post. Like my
last blog post, this topic may be out of reach for the standard turfgrass
warrior. But hey, if you’ve read my blog
posts from the beginning, you will see we are past the 100 or 200 level
courses. We are now in advanced
studies! As I’ve said before, I think it
is good to know about some of the many issues out there when it comes to turf
care and maintenance. You can never know
too much! In
this post, I’m going to discuss soils that are resistant to water. Soils that are difficult to “wet” (wet – used
as a verb in this case) are branded as hydrophobic soils. The
soil repels water. The soil is difficult
to wet because it resists penetration by water. The infiltration of water into this type of
soil can often be enhanced by applying a non-ionic surfactant, more commonly
called a wetting agent. Wetting agents
are detergent-like substances that reduce the surface tension of water,
allowing it to infiltrate and wet the soil more easily. Soap is one of the most common
surfactants. And a “SURFace ACTive
AgeNT” causes change to the soil at the surface. Understanding how wetting
agents work will give you a better idea of the situations for which they are
best suited. There are three “forces”
that act upon the movement of water into the soil. The first is gravity. Gravity is a
constant force that pulls the water downward. The second force is cohesion, the attraction of water molecules to each other. Cohesion is the force that holds a droplet of
water together. It creates the surface
tension, which causes the droplet to behave as if a thin, flexible film is
covering it, keeping the water molecules apart from other substances. The third force is adhesion, the attraction of water molecules to other materials. This force causes water molecules to
adhere to other objects, such as soil particles. The chemist on my staff, Jake, says I
should mention that the forces discussed above are actually electromagnetic
forces. And, Jake says I should be more
precise by explaining the properties of cohesion and adhesion, specifically
detailing hydrogen bonding and capillary action. Okay, Jake looks at everything down to its
molecular structure. If he gets real
excited, he’ll start seeing atomic valences. That’s what chemists do. That’s
why I engage the best minds in the business to ensure you have flawless
analysis. Hydrogen bonds form between the
hydrogen of one water molecule and the oxygen of the neighboring water
molecule. In ice, all the molecules of
water are held in their places by a network of hydrogen bonds. In water, only some molecules at any given
time will be attached, in a constantly changing process. The hydrogen bonds have to be broken in order
for ice to melt, and more for water to become steam, and because this takes a
lot of energy we see a higher than expected melting and boiling point. Capillary action is caused by the water
molecules pulling one another along via the hydrogen bonds. Surface tension is caused by the water
molecules on the surface holding onto one another in a network, like giving
enough support for a small bug to walk on the surface. If the
bonds within a liquid are strong enough, then the liquid will have a large
surface tension. Since hydrogen bonds
are one of the strongest intermolecular forces known (apart from covalent and
ionic bonds) liquids with large surface tensions tend to have hydrogen bonds.
With regard to capillary action, there are two forces (Watch Jake tell me it is
an electromagnetic force.) acting on a molecule of the liquid: an attractive
force exerted by other liquid molecules, and another attractive force exerted
by the walls of the capillary. (A
capillary is like a small tube or straw inserted in the water.) Hydrogen bonds are an example of the
attractive forces that can be exerted by the liquid molecules (e.g. between
water molecules, or between ethanol molecules), or the attractive forces that
can be exerted by the capillary walls.
By considering the strength of the hydrogen bonds between the molecules in a
liquid and the strength of the attractive forces between the capillary wall and
the liquid molecules, one can determine whether capillary action can take place
with the liquid being observed. The effects of these forces
can also be simply illustrated by placing a drop of water on a paper towel and another
drop on a piece of wax paper. On the paper
towel, the force of adhesion between the water molecules and the paper
molecules is greater than the force of cohesion that holds the water molecules
together. Therefore, the water droplet
spreads out and soaks into the paper towel. On the wax paper, the water "beads
up" - that is, the droplet remains intact. The water molecules are not attracted to the
wax that coats the paper's surface. Instead,
the water molecules stick to each other. When the adhesive forces between water
molecules and an object are weaker than the cohesive forces between water
molecules, the surface repels water and is said to be hydrophobic. Most wetting agents have
polar and non-polar distinctiveness. These characteristics allow the water to cling to, or even soak into
certain organic matter. In hydrophobic
soils, the soil particles are coated with substances that repel water, much
like the wax coating on leaves. In
studies of localized dry spots in turfgrass, the soil particles were found to
be coated with a complex organic, acidic material that appeared to be similar
to the mycelium of a fungus. My blog
post “Turfgrass Diseases” discusses funguses a little. Nearly
all of the soil wetting agents used in turfgrass management are non-ionic
surfactants. Non-ionic surfactants, or
surface active wetting agents, decrease the surface tension of water, allowing
the water molecules to spread out. When
applied to water-repellent soils in high concentrations, surfactants can
improve the ability of the water to penetrate the soil surface and thus
increase the permeation rate. Remember,
I’m talking about water penetrating soil, not water penetrating the surface of
leaves on plants. Hydrophobic soils can cause
problems on golf courses, playing fields and other turf areas. Water repellant soils can also be found in gardens,
shrub beds, nurseries, greenhouses, and in open fields. Golf course greens keepers commonly report troubles
with localized dry spots on their greens. Nursery operators sometimes encounter
hard-to-wet soil in pots and greenhouse beds. And, some farmers who work soils high in organic matter complain that
the soil wets too slowly, reducing crop output. Problems with hydrophobic soils are also
commonly associated with citrus production areas down south. In some locations where mine wastes have been
deposited, and with burned-over forestland and grassland, there tends to be hydrophobic
soils. If water cannot readily enter
and wet the soil, the availability of moisture to plants is reduced, decreasing
the germination rate of seeds, the emergence of seedlings, and the survival and
productivity of plants. Lack of water
penetration in the soil also reduces the availability of essential nutrients to
plants, further limiting growth, health and productivity. In addition, water that cannot penetrate the
soil can run off the surface and increase erosion. Water repellency often occurs in localized
areas. As a consequence, the soil wets inconsistently
and dry spots occur. In the majority of
situations, low water penetration rates are caused by factors other than water
repellency. Water naturally moves more slowly
into fine-textured (clay) soils because the spaces between the soil particles
are just too small to allow rapid water movement. Cultural practices that promote good soil tilth
and particle aggregation can improve the infiltration rate on these soils. On the other hand, activities that lessen soil
tilth and aggregation make problems worse. Tillage pans (an induced layer of soil which
has high bulk density – see my blog post on “High Traffic Areas”) and
compaction by personnel and/or machinery also reduce infiltration. In these circumstances, wetting agents will
have little or no effect. Remember what
I’ve said about soil compaction. There’s
not much you can do about it except physically manipulate the soil. There’s nothing you can dump out of a bag or
a jug that can reverse soil compaction. How effective are these
wetting agents? Research has been conducted on hydrophobic soils and on the effectiveness of wetting agents. Some of these studies have focused on
localized dry spots in turf grown on naturally sandy soils and on formulated
materials high in sand content. As one
would expect, these dry spots become a grave turf management dilemma during the
summer months, especially during periods of drought. In spite of frequent irrigation, the soils in
these spots refuse to give in to wetting, resulting in patches of dead or
severely wilted turf. The water applied
wets the turf but does not adequately penetrate the soil surface to reach the
root zone. This is another key – not
penetrating leaves (like I said before), but penetrating the soil AND
penetrating the soil deep enough to reach the root zone. In one study of dry spots
in turfgrass, it was found that the hydrophobic condition was restricted to the
top 1 inch of soil. The infiltration
rate in the dry spots was only 20 percent of that measured in normal areas. In other analysis, the hydrophobic layer was
from 5 to 18 inches thick. Keep in mind,
many different species of turf, crops, shrubs – all kind of plants have varying
root zone depths. Applying wetting
agents reduced the severity of the condition, but the most effective solution
was to use wetting agents in combination with core aeration. Also, keeping the soil consistently moist
seemed to be the best protection against the increase of dry spots. Allowing the soil to dry out intensified the predicament. Many agronomists and other specialists
in the management of turfgrass, range land, and forestland have tested the
effects of wetting agents on the rate of water infiltration into disturbed and
undisturbed soils. Undisturbed soils are
like soils in their natural state, whereas disturbed soils are soils where the
soil structure is not in its natural state. Somebody has messed with it – either through farming, construction, etc. In general, the results have shown that
the extent of improvement in infiltration rate is affected by the type of
wetting agent used, its dilution, earlier use of wetting agents on the soil,
and the water content of the soil at the time water is applied. Numerous studies have shown that the permeation
rate of a hydrophobic soil, once it has been wetted, remains higher than it was
before it was wetted, even if it is allowed to dry out again. Studies have also been
conducted to determine whether wetting agents have any toxic effects on plants. In tests on barley shoots grown
hydroponically (that is, in a nutrient solution rather than in soil), a wetting
agent concentration of 300 parts per million (ppm) in the solution caused a
reduction of about 70 percent in the dry weight of the shoots. However, the same concentration in water
applied to barley shoots growing in soil or in a sand-peat mixture increased
shoot growth only slightly. When wetting
agents are applied to soil, the concentration would have to be much higher than
300 ppm before plant growth would be impaired. Just like many of the
products I have discussed in earlier blog posts, you have to take a hard look
at what producers or manufacturers are saying. Occasionally advertisements for wetting agents and the labels on these
products claim or imply that they are universally effective under all soil
conditions. These claims are not always truthful. Tests in which wetting agents have been
applied to normal, “wet-able” soils have failed to substantiate these
claims. Some of these exaggerated claims
are that these products will increase water infiltration, plant population,
nutrient uptake, and crop yield. They
are effective only on soils that are at least somewhat water repellent. A number of techniques can
be used to determine the extent to which a soil is water repellent. The most precise methods require laboratory
facilities, but several tests can be conducted in the field. The one real simple and most useful test is
simply to place a drop of water on the soil surface and observe how long it
takes to penetrate the soil. On a “wet-able”
soil, the water drop will flatten and move into the soil within a few seconds. On more water-repellent soils, the drop of
water will stand more upright and will move more slowly into the soil. As stated
before, water infiltrates more slowly into fine-textured soils than into most
coarse-textured soils. Poor tillage
practices can also reduce penetration rates. Before spending money on a wetting agent, be
sure that slow infiltration is being caused by water repellency, not some other
factor (Like soil compaction!). Wetting
agents will improve infiltration rates only in soils that have water-repellent
properties, regardless of their texture, tilth, and aggregation. |
Biostimulants
Posted on January 5, 2015 at 4:06 PM |
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This
blog post may be somewhat “high tech”, or, as a minimum, a little odd. I don’t think it is one of your more common turf
topics. This topic may be out of reach or
not feasible for many homeowners. This
topic may be more suited for commercial turf managers, like those who manage athletic
fields and golf courses. But, I think
its good to explore these topics for three reasons: 1. It
is good training for a homeowner / turfgrass warrior. 2. This post may discourage some homeowners / turfgrass warriors from trying something
crazy and wasteful with these materials or methods. 3.
And, lastly, I can try to impress you with my extensive knowledge. In
this post I will discuss biostumulants. What
are biostimulants? They are not
fertilizers. They are NON-NUTRITIONAL growth
enhancers. They are basically plant
hormones. Sometimes these are referred
to as PGHs (Plant Growth Hormones).
Hormones (in plants, we often refer to them as phytohormones) are
chemical messengers regulating normal plant development as well as responses to
the environment. They stimulate root and
shoot growth and increase plant tolerance of certain stresses. Biostimulants can possibly improve photosynthetic
efficiency, increase tolerance of drought, heat, UV light, salinity and even
diseases. There
are five groups of plant hormones. They
are: Auxins Cytokinis Gebberellins Ethylene Adscisic
Acid Each
of these hormones has a different influence on plant growth. Some actually inhibit growth, some enhance
growth. That also depends on what the
concentration is of these hormones in the plant. In many cases, normal levels of hormones
enhance growth but higher concentrations, above normal levels, inhibits
growth. So, its fairly safe to say, if
you try to make up for a shortage of hormones, like you are trying to offset
some environmental or cultural stresses, you may get results. But, if you use too much, there may be no
effect, or, growth may halt. If
my understanding of how biostimulants impact plant physiology is correct, it is
probably better to use a biostimulant with more than one (of the 5) hormone and
apply it prior to the stress taking place.
And, I mean it needs to be applied 4 to 6 weeks prior to the
stress. Repeat applications may be
necessary. Applications would have to
continue throughout the entire stress period.
Most biostimulants are formulated as a liquid. So, dilution in water and conventional
spraying are the application methods. Now,
here’s the rub. Although much of what
I’m saying here has been in my studies and research, I first learned about this
from Drs. Xunzhong Zhang and Richard Schmidt. They are professors of turfgrass ecology at
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA; also known
as VA Tech). My certification in
Nutrient Management was taught by the faculty at VA Tech. I
think the jury is still out regarding biostimulants. Although the VA Tech professors have written
about and discussed many of their successes, there really is not enough
empirical evidence, in my opinion. There
is lots of “anecdotal” evidence of success out there on blogs and such. And that anecdotal evidence also includes
failures. The universities and
manufacturers will even mention “mixed” results. I have not heard of or seen consistent
results anywhere. Anyone advertising
with boastful claims about biostimulants, well, should be taken with a grain of
salt or ignored entirely. Industry and
academics need to do a little more work before I’d stand up and say, “This
stuff is awesome! Go getcha some!” The
good news is that turf managers and university professors all state rather
unanimously that biostimulants do not harm turfgrass. There is no evidence of any harm to any
species of turfgrass. I guess the worst
thing that can happen is…..nothing. Or,
as I said, it may inhibit growth. I
guess maybe that’s bad enough. So,
if you are really high speed. You want
to try something out of the ordinary. You
can predict the future with regard to upcoming stresses. You have a big wallet. You have the right equipment. And, you got the time – go for it. Let me know how it works. But,
remember what I’ve said about some “soil conditioners”, “dethatchers”, “all
natural root stimulators”, “soil additives” and all that sort of stuff, usually
sold out the back door of a horse drawn wagon by the same guys who sell snake
oil. Be cautious. I’ve seen jugs of different biostimulants
(they say BIOSTIMULANT in big letters on the label) that had no biostimulants inside
of it. I’m not kidding. They have MAYBE some micro-nutrients….or some
other goofy stuff; fermented soybean, cottonseed meal….other
minerals, vitamins, and enzymes....dehydrated water….please. Reading
the label would be another invaluable lesson here. Listen,
I’ve been there. I’m speaking from
experience. I’m the guy several years
back that sprayed ground up fish guts on my lawn. Yep; I fell for it. Results?
There were no results. I’m too
embarrassed to tell you how much I paid for that stuff. My neighbors were not happy with the smell but
I did make friends with a lot of neighborhood cats and some other fish eating
critters out in the woods. Biostimulants
are “doable”. They can provide some
assistance. You just gotta be smart
about any “program” for your landscape that is not tried and true. Being a squared away turfgrass warrior means
not falling for fads or gimmicks and not blowing your hard earned money on….some….some….snake
oil. |
Spills
Posted on December 10, 2014 at 4:12 PM |
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Okay, so you are an over achiever. Obviously you are if you read this blog. You do everything yourself. Not only are you a premier Turfgrass Warrior, you are a do-it-yourself mechanic too. You do a great majority of the work on your automobiles, ATVs, boats and lawn tractors out in your turfgrass. A nice, thick stand of turfgrass feels good against your back while you are doing preventive maintenance. And a big part of that preventive maintenance program is draining and filling fluids. But, this Saturday in particular is not your day. You’ve managed to spill a petroleum product on your turfgrass. You kicked over a bucket, dropped a hose or just didn’t place that collection pan in the exact, correct spot. Now you’ve got some serious problems. Dr. James B. Beard and Mr. D. Johns, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University, have done some fascinating research on the mitigation of spills on turfgrass. Believe me; information like this is posted in and around all the equipment and maintenance shops at a golf course. When you have a high number of sophisticated equipment all over a golf course on any given day, this becomes a critical subject and a major training topic. And, if you are pulling equipment maintenance out on or adjacent to your lawn, you need to probably have this information close by or committed to memory. A spill of a petroleum product on your turfgrass is going to do something. Something’s gonna happen and the impact to your lawn will not be favorable. There will be some sort of impact. And, there really is no easy way to “remove” a spill from your lawn. The best you can hope for is to somehow mitigate the impact. In fact, that’s kind of the goal of the research that those Aggies I mentioned earlier were doing. Those Aggies developed some ways we can alleviate these stresses, mitigating some of the impacts, and maybe even lessen the “Recovery Time” of the turf. In many cases, the Aggies were able to cut the recovery time in half. Let me list the fluids that I’m talking about: Gasoline, Motor Oil, Hydraulic Fluid, Brake Fluid and Grease. These items can do horrible things to your lawn and your landscape shrubs and trees as well. Leaf burn in your lawn begins almost immediately when gasoline is spilled on your turf. Gasoline can completely kill the turf in the area in less than an hour. Motor oil has a shiny appearance and takes more time than gasoline (maybe up to 48 hours) to do damage. Hydraulic fluid is more like gasoline but the leaf kill is not as quick as gasoline. Most hydraulic fluids also have an odor. Brake fluid has an odor but turns the turf into a grey color then a yellow color but total leaf kill occurred within 24 hours. Luckily, grease is usually deposited in small spots and can be removed…to some extent. Grease has real high viscosity. Grease does not flow (or percolate) as well as the other petroleum products. The first thing you must do is REACT QUICKLY. You need to do your activity within the first 20 minutes after the spill. That’s why in some places you will see materials always standing by for immediate use in case there is a spill. You need to be able to start working on the spill immediately. Do not wait for any length of time because the fluid will percolate into the soil and be sucked into the stomates of the plants very quickly. Both plants and soil are impacted. All spills, regardless of type, must be dealt with immediately. Next, the question is: What material do I need to use? Again we turn to our Aggie researchers. They discovered that granular detergent is a good active ingredient to offset the effects of a spill. It was able to reduce the recovery time from 8 weeks to about 4 weeks. The turf still got messed up. But, the turf did not stay messed up for 8 weeks and was able to recover in about 4 weeks. Turf managers were able to take further action (tilling, seeding, sodding, plugging, etc.) in a much shorter period of time. The Aggies said that the detergent needed to be thoroughly drenched with water once the detergent was applied. They also said the recovery was even better if the suds that were created were removed. They recommended using a vacuum to remove the suds. In some of my research, I’ve seen authors refer specifically to “dish soap” versus some other types of detergents; like maybe for laundry or vehicles. Now, detergent will “disperse” the fluid. It may reduce the severity of the spill but it may also increase the spread of the problem, over a larger area. Unfortunately, detergent is not that useful against gasoline or grease. Another “disclaimer” – nothing is really effective on gasoline or grease. But, detergent is very helpful against motor oil, hydraulic fluid and brake fluid. Some other materials used on the spills were activated charcoal and calcined clay. The activated charcoal and calcined clay were not very useful on motor oil and brake fluid spills. Using activated charcoal and calcined clay on hydraulic fluid is fairly effective, but not as good as detergent. But, like I said, neither detergent, activated charcoal or calcined clay works well against gasoline or grease. Well, while I’m on the topic, might as well discuss some other spills on turfgrass. Perhaps spills which are more likely to happen to a homeowner. How about a fertilizer spill? Treating a fertilizer spill would be somewhat the same as treating your lawn if you “over fertilize”. I advise homeowners all the time when they have burned their lawn with too much fertilizer. There’s not much you can do; except water and wait. All fertilizers may burn lawn grasses if improperly applied. Fertilizers are made up of mineral salts. Those salts can literally suck the moisture out of the plants and the soil. If you’ve spilled granular fertilizer on your lawn, see if you can scoop it up, vacuum it up or rake it out as much as you can. Physically remove as much as you can and/or spread it out as much you can. Then drench the area. Soak it the first day. Then water it every day for a week. If you’ve spilled (or over applied) a liquid fertilizer, water and wait. If your spill is with liquid or granules, you may be done for the season. Live to fight another day. Remember, like I said above, you’re probably not going to fix it. You’re trying to mitigate the damage. How about an herbicide spill? Or a pesticide spill? Just like above, if its granular, try to physically scoop up and remove as much of the spill as possible. If its liquid, watering is good to dilute it. But, that will also make it spread. I also spoke about activated charcoal earlier. Some gardeners say activated charcoal is like using a “de – tox” (detoxification) material for your soil. It can remove toxins and other bad stuff from the soil. Using activated charcoal for an herbicide or pesticide spill is a good idea. Apply it at 5 to 7 pounds per 1,000 square feet. You need to water that too. When that operation is complete, you’ll need to scoop up what is left and dispose of it properly. Here’s the bottom line: If you spill something, its gonna hurt your lawn. Don’t just stand there and scratch your head. Take immediate action. Try to be prepared to execute some of these tips. Doing some of the things I have laid out in this blog post will not make the area look like nothing happened. Get real. But, these activities should MINIMIZE the damage to a certain degree AND cut some of the recovery time. The level of effectiveness of these actions depends on what you spilled, how much you spilled, what species of turfgrass you have, how quickly you take action and how you try to treat the area. If there is no chance any of these bad things will ever happen in your lawn, then you didn’t need to read all this. But, if there is a chance these things could happen, you didn’t waste your time reading this. |
High Traffic Areas
Posted on November 4, 2014 at 2:31 PM |
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Do
you have an area of your lawn where personnel are constantly walking? Maybe not just personnel, but you also have
equipment going through that area all the time?
Are there all sorts of personnel walking in the same areas…personnel
coming in and out of the house, in and out of automobiles, delivery personnel or
postal personnel? Does your mower or
other equipment have to go a certain route on your turfgrass every time? This is what I call a “high traffic” area.
For
example, at the gate to my backyard, there is an area that has a difficult time
growing turf. Any person or piece of
equipment (mostly my lawn tractor) that has to go in to or out of my backyard
has to pass through that gate. That turf
is always beaten down. And, it looks
even worse in the summer, especially during times of drought stress or heat
stress. And, that area happens to be
under a great deal of shade. So, I’m out
of luck on many counts.
When
your turf is being trampled, there are basically two things going on. First, there is direct, physical damage being
done to the turf plants. Second, the
turf may suffer the consequences of soil compaction. The kinetic effects on the turf leaves are
self explanatory. The soil compaction
may not be so self explanatory.
Compacted soil hinders root growth, water penetration and the take up of
necessary nutrients. Compaction occurs
when soil particles are pressed together.
That pressing together of the soil particles eliminates the pore spaces
in the soil that are required for air and water. As many of us know, soils high in clay
content are more susceptible to compaction than soils higher in sand or silt.
What
causes soil compaction? In agriculture, it
is usually rain, improper tillage, minimal crop rotation and wheel
traffic. Those all contribute to
compacted soil on the farm. In your
yard, it is usually foot or wheel traffic.
Real hardcore pedologists (Like me!) use the term “bulk density”…the
bulk density of soil. Bulk density is a
measure of a soil’s mass per unit volume of soil. It is used as a measure of soil wetness,
volumetric water content, and porosity. Factors
that influence the measurement include organic matter content, the porosity of
the soil, and the soil structure. A soil
that has a well developed structure will become less dense as porosity
increases; as a result the bulk density of the soil will decrease. Soils which show massive structures and less
porosity will show higher bulk densities.
This blog post will go full circle.
More on soil density later.
As
I’ve said several times throughout this blog, species selection should be the
first consideration if you want to take on this problem. Different types of turfs vary in their
ability to tolerate wear. Now, I’m here
to tell you, if an area has real excessive (and I mean a whole lot) of foot and/or
wheel traffic, no turf is going to stand up to it. What is real excessive? Well, I’d say that would be constant movement
over an area. Not a turf on this planet
can handle huge amounts of traffic. Yet,
if there is a moderate amount of traffic, there are some species that are
better than others. The most tolerant
warm season grasses are zoysiagrass and bermudagrass. Of the cool season grasses, perennial
ryegrass and tall fescue are pretty tough.
Kentucky bluegrass is fairly tough but rough bluegrass and colonial
bentgrass are terrible.
Here’s
a quick, final thought on species selection.
My lawn is primarily tall fescue.
In fact, you could call my lawn a “cool season blend”. Remember – a mix is comprised of more than
one species of turfgrass; a blend is when there is more than one cultivar
within a species. One of my goals for my
lawn is consistency. I would not want to
plant, say, zoysia in that area on each side of my backyard gate. It would look different. It would ruin my lawn’s consistency, and
possibly spread. So, planting a patch of
a different species in that area is not really desirable for me. There
are some management practices one can do to enhance your turf’s tolerance to
traffic. One thing I say all the time –
for many reasons, now this one - mow your turf high. We know that longer turf leaves have more
leaf surface exposed to the process of photosynthesis. And, mowing higher encourages deeper
roots. Also, mowing is always a
stress. Perhaps mowing that area less
goes hand in hand with allowing the grass to be longer and will help it deal
with traffic better.
Small
amounts of thatch are acceptable. If you
read my blog post titled “Thatch”, you know I have said you should not have
more than half an inch of thatch. That
still holds true. But, having a small
(less than 0.5 inch) layer of thatch can provide a cushioning barrier. It keeps the turf leaves from actually getting
crushed.
From
a fertilizer perspective, another thought is to reduce your nitrogen
application. An excessively thick and
lush stand of turf is more susceptible to damage. Increasing your potassium application will
also increase the wear tolerance of your turfgrass.
The
only way to alleviate soil compaction is to core aerate. Like many golf courses, core aerating more
than once a year is an excellent thing to do, even if you don’t have compacted
soil. Those compacted cores are removed
and replaced with holes that allow greater air and water movement. Turfgrass roots grow into those holes and are
exposed to air, nutrients and water. If
I could, I’d aerate my lawn at least twice a year – once in the fall and again
in the spring. Although most compaction
is found in the top two inches of the soil, the deeper the cores, the better
the results. Read my blog post on
“Aeration”.
Finally,
some (other) experts say a light topdressing of sand after the aeration will
change the soil texture. I’m not a big
fan of that. Why? Because most homeowners don’t do that
correctly. Golf course superintendents
get it right…most of the time. It must
be a VERY LIGHT topdressing. And it
should only be done in certain circumstances and in certain locations. Messing up your soil texture is very
difficult and very expensive to reverse.
As I said in my “Establishment” blog post, just putting down 1 to 2
inches of sand can cause “layering” of the soil. When soils have these layers, the layers can
become impermeable. When you have
impermeable layers in your soil, that is another different set of
problems. Having compacted soil pales in
comparison to the problems posed by layered soil. If you have layered soil, might as well rent
that bulldozer with the huge soil ripper attached to it. You want to add something to your soil after
aeration? Add organic matter like humus,
peat or other soil conditioners or soil amendments like that. While
I’m thinking about it; let me say this.
Gypsum will not break up compacted soil.
It will increase the calcium content of your soil and the salt content
of your soil. The use of sulfur has also been incorrectly acclaimed to break up
compacted soils. Sulfur has an
acidifying effect on a soil. Adding
sulfur to a calcareous soil (soil mostly
or partly composed of calcium carbonate) only creates gypsum
(calcium sulfate). All of this will mess
with your pH level. Don’t use any of
these things for compacted soil. Really,
the basic solution for compacted soils is to physically manipulate the
soil. There are no short cuts when
dealing with compacted soil. There is
nothing you can just pour out of a bottle or dump out of a bag to fix it.
I
guess I’ve said enough about dealing with high traffic areas in your
turfgrass. This sort of turned in to a
block of instruction on compacted soil. If
what I’ve laid out here doesn’t really apply or does not work, well, perhaps
this is one of those battles you should withdraw from and live to fight another
day. I hate to say it. Maybe you should do something to manage
traffic flow. Raising your garden beds,
establishing a walk way, installing a fence or garden wall (like a "hard scape" solution), mulching…these can all be
alternatives to having a hard soil bare patch in your beautiful lawn.
|
Categories
- Introduction (1)
- Heat Tolerance (1)
- Cold Tolerance (1)
- Shade Tolerance (1)
- Some "After" Pictures (1)
- Horticulture (1)
- Tree Care for Turfgrass Warriors (1)
- Poison Ivy (1)
- Mulch (1)
- High Traffic Areas (1)
- Spills (1)
- Biostimulants (1)
- Wetting Agents (1)
- Sod (1)
- Wild Onion & Wild Garlic (1)
- Native, Alien and Invasive Plants (1)
- Fall Leaf Removal (1)
- Tools and Equipment – Mine and Yours (1)
- How Turfgrass Benefits Us and Our Planet (1)
- Ducks Unlimited (1)
- Turfgrass Physiology (1)
- Turgrass Adaptation (1)
- Soil (1)
- Establishment (1)
- More on Establishment (1)
- Maintenance - Mowing (1)
- Lawns We Are Working On....... (1)
- Turfgrass Insects (1)
- More on Mowing.... (1)
- Irrigation (1)
- Aeration (1)
- Thatch (1)
- Leadership By Example (1)
- Weeds (1)
- Diseases (1)
- Memberships & Certifications (1)
- Pesticides (1)
- Tree Cavities (1)
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