St Augustine – Liming

An important factor in plant growth is the soil acidity level. This is measured in terms of a pH scale which is graduated from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Any number below 7.0 is considered acid with 5.0 being

St Augustine – Mowing

Every lawn grass has a height at which it should be mowed for best health. The rule is that only one-third of a grass plant should be removed in one mowing. As an example, if you intend to mow your St. Augustine

St Augustine – Planting Sod

Kill all weeds by spraying the area with a non-selective weed killer two weeks before planting. • Till the soil thoroughly to a depth of six inches, mixing in the recommended amount of lime and fertilizer (1-800-

St Augustine – Weed Control

BASIC INFORMATION: General Turf and Weed Info Lawn Care Calendars THREE METHODS There are three primary methods of controlling weeds. Any one method, when used alone, will not usually control all of your weeds. T

Lawn – Dog Urine Spots

Q: I have two female dogs which immediately head for our front yard to relieve themselves when I let them out. Needless to say, there are plenty of yellow patches of dead grass throughout. Is there a chemical I c

Take-all Patch – Control with Manganese

Take-all patch has become a problem for St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass and bermudagrass lawns. It seems to be related to soil pH (acidity) problems as well as manganese deficiency. I asked Alfredo Martinez, PhD,

Importance of Soil Temps

The following is a partial list of soil temperatures (°F) at the 4-inch depth that are associated with certain biological events. Check your soil temperature here Cool Season Grasses: Fescue, Ryegrass 90°F Shoot

Brown Patch Control – N.C. State trial plots

Control of brown patch in tall fescue with monthly fungicide applications in Raleigh, NC. L.P. Tredway and E.L. Butler Department of Plant Pathology North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695 Fungicides

Lawn – Fall Chores

For the first several months of new fatherhood I frequently felt like an idiot. Every time my son spit up a little cereal his mom and I assumed it was projectile vomiting and fearfully called our pediatrician. If

Lawn – Beer for Fertilizer

One of the most ill-informed decisions of my life was to major in chemistry in college. Sure, I had excelled in the subject in high school. I could make my own gunpowder from ingredients bought at the pharmacy in

Thermal Blue – Installation Photos

It's not often that we get to see the process of renovating a home lawn from start to finish. A garden friend recently sent these shots. See his notes at the end too: —————R

Lawn – Choices Before You Plant

I was recently asked by a writer for Publisher's Weekly what trends I saw in the local gardening arena. I replied that I sensed homeowners are beginning to realize that they don't have to have the big

Violet Control – in Lawns

Violets are tough to control in a lawn. They grow from perennial roots, so the plants come back each year if the roots aren't removed or killed. Furthermore, the flowering weed produces copious seeds that a

Reveille bluegrass

When a radio listener asked me about a new bluegrass for Georgia, I had to admit I'd never heard of it. Fortunately, I rely on scientists, not marketers, to help me make judgements on whether a grass will g

Chamberbitter (Mimosa Weed)

In order to respond to the many garden questions I receive, I've assembled a crack team of Master Gardeners to help me. Theresa, Stacy, Caryn and Shannon have myriad different garden skills and interests an

Brown Patch – Diagnosing

You have brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Is it the common lawn disease ‘brown patch' or is it something else? The answer is important: if it is brown patch you probably need to spray with a

Mushrooms in Lawn – Fairy Ring Disease

Rain in summer is appreciated but some folks receive unexpected lawn visitors as a result. T. S. writes that his lawn is in excellent condition – green, thick and low. "In the middle of my lawn, howev

Lawns – Diagnosing Dead Grass

I regularly drive by a church that has a nice zoysiagrass lawn in front. Knowing that zoysia is usually the last lawn grass to green up in spring, I use the church's lawn as my indicator of when to recommen

Bermudagrass – How is it Spelled

I have long fought editors of my books and newspaper articles about the correct spelling of turfgrasses. Here are the thoughts of Dr. Clint Waltz at UGA: "Bermudagrass is one word and only capitalized at th

Lawn – Basic Maintenance

The sweet young couple seated in front of me at a recent home show appearance wore matching worried looks. "We just moved into a house in a gorgeous neighborhood and we know NOTHING about landscaping. What