Current Turfgrass problems in the Pacfic Northwest

As we enjoy the sunshine a mild temperatures in the first half of February here in the Pacific Northwest, we wanted to update everyone on the problems we are seeing and hearing about in the area.

With the snowstorm and cool wet weather that we experienced in January, snow mold has been a common problem, especially in Western Washington. 

Pink Snow Mold damage

In most home lawn situations fungicide treatment in unnecessary. Once the area had dried out , lightly rake the area and overseed severely damaged areas.  Broad spectrum fungicides can be used to prevent and treat snow mold, but should only be used as a last result.

 

As in every year around this time you need to be scouting for cranefly damage.  With the drier fall in 2011 the European Cranefly populations should be down from last year.  As mentioned in a previous post in January 2011, the methods for scouting for Cranefly and options for dealing with them are explained in detail.  But be on the lookout for the larva living in the soil right now.

Sometimes the damage from animals digging up the Cranefly larva is ten times worse than the actual damage inflicted by the Cranefly feeding on the grass.

These are a couple of things to keep and eye out for this Spring.  If you have any problems with your lawn and need some questions answered post them here or on the JB Instant Lawn Facebook fan page. Also follow us on twitter @JBInstantLawn for updates and tips through out the year.

JB shade seed test trials

Earlier today (8/12/2011) some test plots were planted at the JB Instant Lawn Headquarters in Silverton.  These test plots were planted to show wear and shade tolerence in a dense shade situation.

Three JB Instant Lawn retail seed blends were planted at 7 lbs per 1000 square feet,  in test plots 10′ x 25′.  The blends used were JB signature sun blend, sun & shade blend and the dense shade blend.

Half of the plot was covered with peat moss and the other half with turf mulch.

Keep track of this blog to follow the progress and see the results of our tests.

 

 

Sod for Manchester United

Last week JB Instant Lawn transformed Century Link Field in Seattle, WA from an artificial surface to a temporary natural grass field.  The need for this process is due to an international friendly match with Manchester United visting the Seattle Sounders FC. 

The existing field was covered with two layers of plastic tarping held down by buckets filled with water to help keep the tarps in place.  Special thick cut sod was then installed by JB Instant Lawn.  The sod has a 1 1/2″ thick sand base and is 4 feet wide by 50 feet long.  The rolls can weigh up to 2500 lbs!  The sod is cut thicker to help survive the time it is on the tarps and to make it heavy enough to not allowing sliding on the tarps during game play.

The installation took 3 days to complete and covered 92,000 square feet.  The Sounders will play 2 games on the temporary surface.  The first game will be on July 16th against the defending MLS champions the Colorado Rapids.  And the main event against Manchester United on Wednesday July 20th.  If you can’t make it to see the games in person the July 16th game is being televised by Fox Soccer Chanel and the Manchester United game has not announced any televison yet.

Check out the pictures from the installation http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h355/JBInstantLawn/Qwest%20Field%202011/?start=all.

More pictures will be added before and after the games.

Natural Knit Lawn Day 23

The first mowing was completed on June 30th, 2011.  I used a rotary mower for the first mowing so I could bag the clippings.  From here on out a push reel mower will be used to provide the cleanest cut possible.

Stay tuned to see how the lawn handles the summer.

Natural Knit lawn update day 8

We have germination!  Tiny tillers started poking up from the soil on June 11th (only 6 days after seeding!) and the picture bellow show the newly germinated grass about 3/4″ long on June 13th.  The Natural Knit is beautiful dark green color and is thickening up every day.  Fertilizer will be applied to encourage further growth and vigor sometime later this week (week 3 after seeding).  New pictures will be published after the first mowing.

Natural Knit for home lawns part 1

Welcome to a new series on the JB Instant Lawn blog.  We will be following a Natural Knit Perennial Ryegrass lawn from seeding through germination, a season of growth, vernalization (over-wintering), and then knitting together of pseudo-stolons the following Spring.  The test lawn is located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon at the home of our Contractor Services Manager.

The site was sprayed with round-up twice to provide a thorough kill of all unwanted grass varieties.  Then scalped as low as possible with a rotary mower, roto-tilled to a depth of 6 inches, raked smooth, rolled twice and raked again to a final grade.

On June 7th Natural Knit Perennial Ryegrass seed was applied at a rate of 6 lbs per 1000 sq ft,  20-14-14 Hydroseeder Pro starter fertilizer from Wilco was applied at 10 lbs per 1000 sq ft, Verde-Cal (also from Wilco & Aqua Aid) enhanced calcitic limestone at 5 lbs per 1000 sq ft, and then covered with a thin layer of Turf Mulch from OVS.

The existing irrigation system is being utilized to keep the seed moist to promote germination, but a careful watch is being to kept to avoid areas of standing water.

If the weather cooperates and provides temperatures in the low 70′s then germination should appear around June 17th.

Another update and pictures will be posted after the first starts appear.  Stay tuned to follow along and feel free to comment or e-mail JB for advice on your own projects.  Natural Knit will be available soon in sod and contact JB for locations near you to purchase Natural Knit seed that is available now.

Natural Knit Perennial Ryegrass

The new age of Perennial Ryegrass has arrived!  This next generation grass takes Perennial Rye to a whole new level with the ability to self repair and form such a tightly knit dense stand of turf.  While retaining all of the positive characteristics of classic  Perennial Rye such as; quick establishment, dark green color and fine leaf texture, Natural Knit brings a density never before seen by any variety of Perennial Rye. 

Natural Knit is  “self-repairing” using pseudo-stolons to fill in areas that are worn or damaged.  After vernalization (over-winter) the pseudo-stolons form such a dense stand of horizontal tillers that you really have to work your fingers in to touch the soil below the canopy.  Another benefit of Natural Knit is  the more horizontal growth habit that allows you to maintain your lawn at a shorter mowing height, most Perennial Rye lawns perfom better at  1.5″ cut, while Natural Knit can be maintained at 3/4″ height.  Natural Knit is the only “spreading” ryegrass that holds a U.S. patent.

In sod production Natural Knit allows JB to grow the sod without the plastic netting that older varieties of ryegrass require, making Natural Knit more enviormentally friendly. 

Natural Knit in sod form is available from JB Instant Lawn starting in June and the Natural Knit seed (7 lb bags) is available now.    Be sure to check out the “tag” feature on the bag using your smart phone for more information.

Natural Knit sod and seed is available for purchase  from JB Instant Lawn, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Jerry’s Home Improvement Centers, and other select retailers in your area.  Please call JB to find a retailer near you!

 For aditional information please visit http://naturalknit.com/index.htm and http://www.jbinstantlawn.net/

Follow the progress in our sod fields by checking out the monthly updates on the JB Instant Lawn fan page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/JB-Instant-Lawn/140071352699361.

Shade Tips

One of the biggest issues for a healthy and full lawn is shade competition.  The root system and canopy cover from trees offer a huge challenge for the capture of the much needed sunlight, water and nutrients for the lawn.  Because of the decrease in sunlight allowed through the canopy it decreases the level of photosynthesis produced by the grass.  Shallow rooting trees will out-compete the grass for water and nutrient up-take.  Shady areas also provide a breeding ground for turf disease.  Over the course of a year the lawn will begin to thin out and leave patches of uncovered earth.

Here are a few tips to help provide the best growing conditions in a shady area. 

• Prune branches up to the 8 foot level if possible to allow for better air circulation and for light infiltration.
• Thin out the canopy to help with the light flow.
• Collect the fallen leaves as soon as possible.
• Use grass varieties that perform better in shade conditions like fine fescues (hard fescue, creeping red fescue or Chewings fescue).
• Keep the mowing height a little higher (2″ to 3″ range).
• Water infrequently (once or twice a week) to help force deeper root growth and to avoid water saturated disease conditions.
• Cut back on the fertilizer to application to 1 to 2 lbs of nitrogen per year, applied in small amounts frequently through the growing season.
• Overseed in fall after all the leaves have fallen and have been collected.

While it will also be difficult to have a showcase lawn in shady conditions, these tips will greatly increase your chances for success.

The JB Instant Lawn Dense Shade mix is very well suited to perform in shade areas.  This mix is 20% Perennial Ryegrass, 40 % Chewings Fescue, 35% Creeping Red Fescue and 5% Hard Fescue.  It comes in a 3 lb bag and is available at Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers in Oregon and Washington.

European Cranefly

Now is the time to start “scouting” for European Cranefly larvae to help judge if you will have a problem this spring or not.  Currently the cranefly is in its third instar larvae form commonly refered to as  ”leatherjackets” because of their appearance.  This is the time of year that damage will start to appear because of the larvae feeding on the shoots and crowns in the lawn.  Sometimes causing widespread damage to the lawn depending on the  level of infestation.  The adult stage is what most people commonly observe, does not damage your lawn other than laying eggs that will eventually become larvae.

A common sign of problems to come is if you start to see damaged areas and increased bird activity.  You may want to treat your lawn if you find 25 to 50 or more larvae per sq foot in a sampled area of your lawn.  To observe this cut a 6″ x 6″ square in your lawn 1 to 3″ deep and look  for the cranefly larvae.  Use the number you have counted and multiply it by 4 to get the number of cranefly per square foot.  Then replace your sample piece back in the lawn.

There are three common treatment options.  The first is to do nothing and let the birds feed on the cranefly and then overseed or sod over the damage.  Second is if you do have high levels of cranefly present is to apply an insecticide like Talstar to your lawn by a licensed professional.  The third option is the most green friendly choice, turn off the irrigation water shortly after Labor Day.  The cranefly eggs need a moist environment to hatch in the late summer and early fall, so turning off the water is usually your best defense.

More often than not cranefly damage is very mild, but if you do end up with elevated populations hopefully the tips listed above will help.  As always feel free to contact JB if you have any turfgrass problems or questions.

Introduction to JB Instant Lawn

Welcome to the first blog posting from JB Instant Lawn in Silverton, OR.  We are a sod, grass seed and nursery stock producing company covering almost 2500 acres in Oregon and Washington.  Since our founding in 1968 JB has become a green industry leader for providing the highest quality products and services to wholesale and retail customers. 

JB sod and grass seed is available in Home Depot and Lowe’s on a retail level in Oregon and Washington.  Sod is always available for delivery to homeowner and contractors.  The contractor services division provides an array of services from golf course and athletic field construction and renovation to hydroseeding and big roll sod installation.  The wholesale nursery division produces some of the highest quality shade trees and shrubs in the industry.

The purpose of this blog is to keep everyone up to date with our company and to provide a place to post responses for all of your turfgrass questions and needs.  Feel free to leave a comment or question and we look forward to continuing the discussion.

More information about JB Instant Lawn can be found on our website www.jbinstantlawn.net or follow us on our facebook fan page JB Instant Lawn and on twitter @JBInstantLawn.