Duble, Richard L.

Texas A&amp;M Repository

, p.J1 7 L-1372Brownpatch. a fungus disease, St. Augus-tine turf.St. Augustine grass tillers. healthy vs.brown patch infected.Lawn culture originally was con-sidered an art rather than a science.Many lawn cultural practicesevolved through experience and ob-servation and were passed from gen-eration to generation. Most of thescientific developments in turfgrassculture such as new grass varieties,specialty fertilizers, persticides andequipment have been developed inthe past decade. Grasses, chemicalsand equipment are continuallychanging to meet the needs of theturf manager. Through experienceand observation, trial and error, orresearch and demonstration, basicprinciples have been developed forlawn culture whether it be for orna-mental, functional or recreationaluse.Mowing Affects GrowthDensity, texture, color, rootgrowth and other measures of turfquality are influ~nced by mowing.Grass species and varieties differ intheir mowing requirements. Bermu-dagrass should be mowed shorterthan St. Augustine grass becauserhizomes and leaf production inbermudagrass are stimulated byCloseup of bermuda grass turf mowed witha dull mower (note frayed leaf blades).LAWNCARERichard L. Duble**Turfgrass Specialist, Texas Agricultural Ex-tension Service, The Texas A&M UniversitySystem, College Station.closer mowing. 8t. Augustine turfbecomes quite stemmy if mowedtoo close because it does not haverhizomes and the stems are muchlarger than those of bermudagrass.The depth of the root system of aturfgrass is proportional to themowing height. The shorter themowing height, the shorter the rootsystem. Thus, unless the use of theturf area dictates the mowingheight, such as a putting or bowlinggreen, the grass should be mowedas high as practical. For example,common bermudgrass should bemowed at 1 to 17i inches high and5t. Augustine grass at 2 to 27iinches. Also, grasses growing inpartial or dense shade should bemowed higher than those grown infull sunlight.Mowing frequency is another fac-tor that affects turf appearance.When a turf is mowed frequently,only a small percentage of the leafarea is removed each time. As ageneral rule, the shorter the mow-ing height, the more often the grassshould be mowed. For instance,berumdagrass mowed at 7i inch re-A lawn infected with St. Augustine decline.St. Augustine grass leaf blades fromhealthy, S.A.D. Infected (Center) and irondeficient turf (Right).quires three or more mowings perweek, while grass mowed at 1 inchrequires mowing every 5 days. 5t.Augustine grass mowed at 2 inchesrequires mowing at 7 to 10 day in-tervals. Another general guidelineis to remove no more than 30 to 40percent of the growth at any singlemowing.Grass clippings contribute valu-able plant nutrients and organicrnatter to the soil when left to de-compose in the turf. Removingthese clippings depletes the soil ofnutrients and organic matter. How-ever, if the mowing frequency is notadequate, large amounts of clip-pings will remain on the surfaceafter mowing and should be re-moved for appearance and to pre-vent smothering the grass. Mowingheight and frequency should betimed so that the grass clippingsmay be left to decompose.Watering Needed in Most AreasWatering is essential to maintaina green turf in most areas of Texas.Thorough and infrequent wateringis the best practice. Lawns wateredthoroughly and infrequently devel-Texas Agricultural Extension Service • The Texas A&M University System • John E. Hutchison, Director • College Station, TexasDALLISGRASSHENBITCHICKWEEDherbicides are suggested for use inmany turf weed situations.Effective and safe use of herbi-cides is dependent on a number ofconsiderations: (1) identification ofthe weeds to be controlled; (2) se-lection of an approved herbicidetha t is effective on such weeds; (3)consideration of possible damage tothe tu rfgrass, trees, shru bs and otherplants; (4) application at the properrate, time and method and (5) ob-serving label precautions for use.Herbicides to control weeds aftergrowth has begun (postemergence)should be applied when weeds areimmature and growing rapidly~Treatments usually are not effec-tive when applied to weeds that arematuring or growing slowly becauseot drought or approaching maturity.Herbicides suggested for preemer-gence control of weeds must be ap-plied before the annual weed seedgerminate and begin growth.DANDELIONDecNovOctSeptCLOVERAugJulyCRABGRASSvigorously enough to competeorably with the weeds.Regular, frequent mowing con-trols many common turf weeds, butdarker color is desired. These guide-lines assume that grass clippings arenot removed following each mow-ing. If clippings are removed, high-er fertilization rates will be re-quired.Healthy Turf Discourages WeedsA vigorous turf is the best con-trol for weeds. Broad-leaved weedsand weedy grasses usually are not aproblem when a well-adapted turf-grass is properly established, ferti-lized, mowed and watered. Weedswill invade thin, weak stands ofgrass. Killing weeds with chemicalswill not keep them out unless fol-lowed by management practicesthat encourage the grass to growJuneNORTH TEXAS LCom pi etE!Jrtertilizer1~ Chinch bug control-JI White grub I Brownpatch Ir control T control -,SOUTH TEXASL Use iron sulfate or iron chelate forJ I ..... Complete JI iron chlorosis "I I" fertilizer --,~ Chinch bug control--!IWhite grub Ir control 1I Brownpatch It- control -iMayST. AUGUSTINE LAWN CAREAprL Complete II fertilizer "IMarCompletefertilizerFebJanop a deeper root system and have alower water use rate than lawns wa-tered lightly and frequently.Lawns with a thatch layer pre-sent a special watering problem.Dry thatch resists water and causeslocalized dry spots. Water tends torun off heavily thatched turf ratherthan move into the soil. Underthese conditions light, frequent wa-tering may be necessary to pre-vent excessive run-off.Fertilize According toSoil Test ResultsNitrogen is the nutrient requiredin the largest amount by turfgrass-es. Turfgrasses respond to nitrogenin a number of ways, includingdensity, darker green color, greaterdrought resistance, faster recoveryrate and greater traffic tolerance.However, too much nitrogen fertili-zation can lead to problems such asthatch accumulation, increased in-sect and disease susceptibility andexcessive mowing requirements.As a general guideline St. Augu-stine grass requires 3 to 4 poundsof nitmgen per ] ,000 square feetper year to maintain desira ble colorand density. Most of the nitrogenshould be applied in the spring andlate fall. Fall fertilization shouldconsist of a complete fertilizer orshould conform to soil test recom-mendations. Bermudagrass requires4 to 6 pounds of nitrogen per yearto maintain color and density.Again, spring and fall applicationsshould be the heaviest (2 pOll ndsp.er 1,000 square feet per applica-tion) with applications of ] poundper 1,000 at 60-day intervals if aI Winter weed II control ...,'I Winter wee~1r control(Reprinted from Texas Horticulturist, Vol. 1, No.4, Winter 1975.)*Trade names are capitalized.Table 2. Chemical Control of Turfgrass DiseasesTable 1. Chemical Control of Insects*Table 3. Chemcial Weed Control in Turfgrasses*Do not use on St. Augustine grass.Use only on dormant turfgrasses.Use only on dormant turfgrasses.Same as above.Same as above.Same as above.Same as above.Begin treatment in early fallonSt. Augustine grass.Several applications at 7-day in-tervals required for control.RemarksSpot treat mounds or nesting areas.Repellants are effective and morepractical when visiting parks andather recreational areas.RemarksSpot treat. Wet foliage thoroughly.Apply in early spring before weedgermination.Apply after weeds germinate. Do notuse in St. Augustine grass or centi-pede.Use spray formulations and wetgrass thoroughly using 3 to 5 gal·Ions water per 1,000 square feet.RemarksEvening ap plications are preferred.Do not water or mow lawn for 48hours.Do nat use on St. Augustine grass.Spot treat dallisgrass in St. Augus-tine grass. Repeat applications in10-14 days.Drench with water after treatment.Treat in June in South Texas, lateJuly and early August in North Tex-as. Chlordane resistance is commonin Texas and control may be poor.Apply when damage appears. Waterbefore and after treatment withgranular materials.MCPP, silvex,'* 2-4-D*cacodylic acidcacodylic acid, endathallAmmonium sulfamate, silvex.Herbicidebenefin (Balan), bensulide, DCPA Apply in early fall before weed ger-(Dacthal), diphenamid (Enide) mination.DSMA, MSMAbenefin, bensulide, DCPA, diphena-midDSMA, MSMAcaptan, chlorothalonil, cyclohexa-mide + Thiram, Dyrene, maneb +zinc ioncyclohexamide (Acti-dione), maneb+ zinc ionbenomyl, chlorothalonil, Dyrenech loroneb (Tersan SP), Dexon, ter-razole (Koban)chlorothalonil, Dyrene, maneb +zinc ionbenomyl, chlorathalonil (Daconil),cyclohezamide + Thiram (Acti·dione Thiram), maneb + zinc ion(Fore), PCNB (Terraclor)Fungicjde*Aspon, carbophenathion (Trithion),diazinon, ethionchlordane, diazinoncarbaryl (Sevin), chlordane, diazi-non, trichlorfon (Dylox)InsecticdesDollar Spot*Follow label instructions and precautions.Pythium BlightPoison ivyWeedsGray LeafspotRustAnts chlordane, diazinon, (Mirex for fireants and Texas leaf-cutting ants)Chiggers (red bugs) chlordane, lindane, sulfur, toxapheneHelminthosporiumBrownpatchPerennial grasses:dallisgrass,carpetgrassSummer annuals:crabgrass,goosegrass,sandburDiseaseBermudagrass mites carbophenothion, diazinon, dicofo:(Kelthane), ethionBroad-leaved weeds:clover, chickweed,dandelion, dichon-dra, dock, henbit,wild onion, sowthistleAnnual grasses:Winter annuals:annual bluegrass,rescuegrass, rye-grassWhite grubChinch bugsInsectArmyworms,cutworms andsod webwormsCultivation Takes Many FormsTo alleviate compaction and in-crease the movement of air andwater into the soil, mechanical aer-ation may be necessary. Coring,spiking and grooving equipment isavailable for aeration of compactedlawns. Aeration in the spring andfall to correspond with fertilizationdates would be ideal from the view-point of root development, thatchdecomposition and water infiltra-tion. However, if traffic is limited,annual or less frequent, aerationmay be satisfactory.Chemical aerators such as wet-ting agents may be practical in spe-cial circumstances. For example,water infiltration in a turf wi th aheavy thatch layer may be increasedby a wetting agent, since a drythatch layer is difficult to wet. Alsogypsum may improve aeration in asoil that has developed a high so-dium content as a result of poor-quality irrigation water. However,these materials are effective onlywhen these conditions exist.Mechanical dethatching of a turfwith vertical mowing units or byscalping the turf each spring is alsoan effective cultivating practice.The material brought to the surfaceby the vertical mower should be re-moved from the turf. Scalping theturf by lowering the mowing unitby ~ to 1 inch at the first mowingin the spring and removing the resi-due also is an effective method ofdethatching.Topdressing with a soil or a soilmixture is another effective methodof cultivation. A sandy loam soil ora soil-organic mixture should beused for topdressing a turf. Gener-ally % to 1 cubic yard of topdress-ing per 1,000 square feet is recom-mended.Pests Must Be ControlledPreventive maintenance to in-clude recommended cultural prac-tice will minimize pest problems.Likewise, the use of recommendedfungicides, insecticides and pre-emerge herbicides before develop-ment of diseases, insects and weedscan prevent many pest problems.However, even with the best man-agement, pests can become a prob-lem because of certain environmen-

Lawn Care.

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Lawn Care.

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Lawn Care.

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