Lawn Care Tips

We have started to see a lot of a fungus called Ascochyta Leaf Blight. This condition occurs during hot, dry periods followed by cool and rainy periods. The good news about this issue is that it is not a root disease, so it is unlikely that any death of grass blades will occur. The problem usually goes away within 14-21 days of the initial appearance, with no recommended treatments. Make sure your mower blades are sharp, and try not to mow when the grass is wet or in the heat of the day. Click the link for more information and management tips – CSU Extension: Ascochyta Leaf Blight

Rake and mow down to get rid of dead grass Aerate Overseed Top-dress with trimix or another nutrient rich soil. ¼-1/2 ’’ Overseed Lightly Cultivate – sew the seed into the soil New seed needs to be watered 2-3 times daily for the first 3-4 weeks. The main goal is to keep everything moist and not let the seed dry out; 3-4 weeks of recommended watering will allow proper germination of the seed. Watering always depends on the amount of sun, wind & shade that the area receives, so please adjust times accordingly. *Another option is to cut out and replace the damaged areas with new sod. We recommend Green Belt Turf Farm for this service.

There are multiple parts to your irrigation system, and knowing what they are will ensure you can completely drain the backflow in your system. If you don’t drain the backflow, you risk broken/damaged pipes and other delicate parts. (Note: parts on your system may look slightly different, but will be this general shape.) This section of piping actually has multiple important parts of your system in it. The two blue handles are both ball valves, and the top right valves are known as Petcock valves. To the right is an example of a standpipe drain . This is the piece that connects into the ball valves and the petcock valve pictured above. The purpose of this drain is to prevent water getting trapped in the system. An inlet drain valve , like this one, helps you avoid damage to the rest of your system. Without this piece, water may get stuck in your pipes. Your Main Shut off valve may be a gate or ball valve. This photo is of a ball valve. It will be at the end of your system, and is used to cut the water from your sprinklers. In Manual Drains, this valve pit needs to be open to ensure gravity can allow the system to drain properly.

That’s the big thing about DIY vs. professional help is being able to save money.

There aren’t very many palm trees and cactus in Colorado. That’s because those plants thrive in different weather. If these plants were brought into Colorado, they would need a lot of attention to thrive, and even then their survival might be questionable strictly based on being in a foreign environment. Most types of grass are the same way. Grass is a plant that needs to be taken care of and attended to but depending on what climate your grass is in will determine how you take care of it. Colorado grasses are considered cool-season grasses. Danny Lipford and his team at Today’s Home Owner, note that cool-season grass has two growing periods, a moderate one in the spring and a huge one in the fall.  So this spring, focus on studying up on what cool-season yards need to really enhance that growth period.

If you look at your lawn and it’s slightly yellow or brown, you might need some help. Being in Colorado, the grass is primarily cool-season grass. This means, even if you think you’re caring for your grass you might not be taking care of it the proper way. You could be experiencing non-green grass for reasons other than misinterpreting your yard’s preferred season, but overall if your grass isn’t green, it’s definitely time to look into professional lawn care services.

Wrap Up

Lawn aeration is the process of poking small holes in your turf to allow air, water, and nutrients to get into your soil and grassroots. This feeds the roots, allowing it to grow and produce a healthier, stronger lawn. Aerating soil curbs soil compaction, which prevents water, air, and nutrients from penetrating the soil. While soil compaction is a major cause for aeration, any lawn or organic debris located under the surface of the grass can also prevent these essential elements from reaching the roots.

Fruit trees may not have peaches, apples or apricots this season. Crabapples: since they bloom over time, some may set fruit and survive. Others may be questionable for fruiting. Successful fruit production depends on the size of the fruit at the time of a freeze. Ash, maple and honey locust whose leaves browned out in an earlier freeze will likely come back with expanding secondary leaves. Make sure trees receive adequate water to avoid drought stress and apply appropriate fertilizer. Perennials that have not yet flowered should move into the season with few effects. Flowers on early-blooming plants, such as lilacs and forsythia, may be lost during a freeze. The weight of snow may push blossoms and petals off many blooming plants. Peonies may have broken stems. Late-blooming stiff-stem iris should survive. While it’s painful to lose showy blooms, the plants themselves should recover and rebound. Tender annual veggies – tomatoes, green peppers and emerging seedlings – are likely lost unless protected from a freeze. You’ll want to keep freeze protection in place if temps hover near freezing. What will plants need after a weather roller-coaster? Veggies and annual flowers that did not survive need to be replanted. Trees and shrubs may need selective pruning to remove storm damage. Splayed plants may need bundling to restore their shape. Perennials are tough, snow storm survivors and will likely recover with some pruning and TLC. Provide adequate water and fertilizer and monitor for pest infestations. The consolation prize in these weather events is that there may be fewer ash seeds falling and sprouting in beds and lawns. And there may be less cottonwood cotton floating in the air. The best plant Rx after these weather events is to keep plants healthy and unstressed. Healthy plants are more resistant to insects and diseases. If you must replace some of your plants, select varieties most likely to survive in Colorado’s challenging climate. This lawn treatment will keep your landscape healthy, even with a wishy-washy Colorado Springs springtime weather.

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