Final_Tool_logo_trans.gif (11123 bytes)

Turf Tips by Chris Karcher

Get Our Free Newsletter

Home
Current Issue
Previous Issues

Advertise

the Savvygardener Community
~ Gardening Forums, Blogs, Photos, Events and more...

Donations

Site Search
Contact Us

Feature Articles

~ All About Composting
~ Worm Composting
~ Houseplant Care
~ When to Start Seeds Indoors
~ Seed Starting Indoors
~ Seed Starting Tomatoes
~ Vegetable Garden Calendar
~ Shrub Pruning Calendar
~ Pruning Clematis 
~ Gardening in the Shade
~ Summer-Flowering Bulb Care
~ Drought-Tolerant Flowers for KC
~ Peonies - A New Old Favorite
~ Preparing for a Soil Test
~ Changing the pH of Your Soil
~ All About Mulch
~ Growing Herbs
~ When to Harvest Vegetables
~ Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
~ Organic Pesticides & Biopesticides
~ Cold Frames & Hot Beds
~ When to Divide Perennials
~ Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
~ Overseeding A Lawn
~ Forcing Bulbs Indoors
~ Pruning Trees
~ Pruning Shrubs
~ Planting Trees
~ Deer Resistant Plants
~ Trees that Survived the Storm
~ Stump Removal Options for the Homeowner
~ More...

 

Local Sponsors
~ Family Tree Nursery
~ Missouri Organic Recycling
~ Ryan Lawn & Tree

Privacy Pledge


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 2001 Turf Tips

"Now What Do I Do?"

The fall season is half over, and winter is but a mere six weeks away.  Some of you may be asking, "Now what?"  The answer is plenty!  There are several "honey-do's" that need to be done over the winter that will help you prepare for next year, before it is time to begin service.  They are:

Mower Maintenance

Blade Maintenance

Leaf Pick-Up

Sprinkler Check

Hose Check

Winter Watering

Anti-Desiccant (T&S)

Wind Breaks (T&S)

Vermin Protection (T&S)

Snow Guard (T&S)


As you can see, there is much to do although the lawns will soon be brown.

"Well, I am finished for the year. I'm just gonna take my John Deere and park it out of sight and fire it up next year!"

Not exactly.  A few very important items should be done before the mower is stored.  The obvious is to get the engine tuned up and running right for next year.  If you're not going to do this, I recommend you change the sparkplug, check/change the air filter and drain/replace the oil.  If you leave gasoline in your engines, buy Stabil, a gasoline additive that will prevent the fluid from turning into varnish in their tank.

Sharpening and balancing the mower blade should also be done now.  Most hardware stores will only sharpen the blade.  Explain the need to tell the person sharpening the blade to balance it as well.  An unbalanced blade may as well not be sharpened as the cut will not be clean and will promote problems next spring.  If the blade is over two years old, you may consider replacement.

Most mowers can now be fitted with a mulching blade.  Buying this type for a few dollars more has proven to be an excellent way to return moisture and nutrients back to the soil without adding to thatch build-up "…it is like feeding your lawn every time you cut."


"Look at all these leaves. There is no way I am going to pick these up! I'm just going to grab my mower and chop them up and leave 'em!"

A good thing to do?  One has to ask how much is too much.  The major problem with leaves left on the lawn is their tendency to mat down when wet and cause death of the grass underneath.  While it is okay to mulch some leaves into the soil and it does provide some organic matter, we recommend that you allow the lawn to enter the winter leaf-free.


"Honey, did it rain last night?" or "Why are there three inches of standing water on our lawn?"

You may not believe it, but it happens: People will put off having their sprinkler system turned off and blown out. The result?  Water on the frozen lawn.  Don't forget to blow your system out by an irrigation specialist and then turned off for the season!


"Dear, it's time to bring the hose back into the bath tub and thaw it out!"

Have you seen this?  How many times have you tried to roll up a frozen hose? In addition, how many times have you seen the subsequent brown, dead grass under the frozen hose?  Not only is this bad for the lawn, but it will shorten the life of their hose.


"Hey, Ed! What the heck are you doing? Don't you know its January?!"

Yes, studies have shown the importance of winter watering. Water trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and turf, particularly south and west exposures, each 4 - 6 weeks in exposed areas to prevent winter desiccation injury. Do this early in the day when temperatures are above freezing to allow the water to soak in. Do not allow the water to pool around the stems of plants, as this will cause injury. Yes, you may look foolish in January, but your plants will thank you.


"
I can't understand why my shrub is dead on one side…"

One likely cause of injury or death to part of a shrub may be the winter winds.  Providing a wind and/or snow barrier will increase the likelihood of their plants making it through winter.  Plants on the north and west sides will be exposed to colder winds and should be protected first.

The application of an anti-desiccant will provide moisture retention to their winter evergreens such as rhododendrons, juniper, spruce and yews to name a few.  Anti-desiccants can be picked up at the local nursery store.

Providing protection from small animals is important for plant health as well.  The placement of some type of protection around the shrub or around the base of a small tree will prevent vermin from using their valuable plants as a food source.

 

 


Back to Turf Tips Index


Chris Karcher is a local franchise owner of NaturaLawn of America - the leader in organic-based lawn care and the only national service provider to promote Environmentally Responsible lawn care.  "Doing the right thing has never been this easy!"

© 1999 - 2009 Savvygardener.com, Inc. All rights reserved.  If you wish to copy, transmit, or otherwise duplicate any of the material from our website please ask us first.  Thank you.