Lawn Brown Spots

I mentioned earlier this week that all the rain may lead to lawn disease when the weather warms up. This weekend Kansas City is supposed to be a toasty 87 degrees. This means we may see a flare up in lawn disease. (Warm nights + moisture = a breeding ground for fungus.)

Brown Patch, the most common Fescue lawn disease, causes thin patches of light brown grass that are roughly circular in shape. Sometimes, the disease skips the circular phase and presents as large, thin, brown areas. To determine if disease is causing your brown spots, look at an individual leaf blade for lesions.

This, my friends, is what the lesions look like.
I know, because this came from the lawn of yours truly.

Ryan Lawn & Tree can take care of your lawn disease. Request a free estimate. (We can also prevent disease.)

Vegetable Garden

Victoria recently sent in photos of her first vegetable garden. She built raised beds and filled it with rich soil. Many plants were started indoors from seed.

Photo courtesy of Victoria.

I can't wait to see how the garden progresses! If you would like me to feature your lawn and garden projects, send the details to tarapatty at ryanlawn dot com.

Bermuda Lawns Slow Coming Out of Dormancy

Weather in the Kansas City Metro has been hard on Bermuda lawns. The cold, long winter led to more than normal winter kill, and the cool, wet spring is keeping them from greening up on time.

Winter kill occurs when large areas of grass die off during the winter due to low temperatures, too little precipitation, or excessive foot traffic. It is very common in Kansas City, because we are in the Transition Zone. (This simply means we are on the border of areas where warm-season grasses, like Bermuda, and cool-season grasses, like Fescue, thrive.)

Because temperatures have been milder than usual, and we have had more rainfall than normal, Bermuda lawns have also been slow to break dormancy. This means the grass is still brown, rather than the deep green we're used to seeing this time of year.

Rain and Your Lawn

Photo from Galyna Andrushko - Fotolia.com

We have been getting a ton of rain in the Kansas City Metro area recently. Initially, I was grateful to skip a day of watering my container plants; then I started to worry they were getting a little too wet.

Containers aside, what does all of this rain mean for our Fescue lawns?

Because the weather is cool and the rain has stopped for now, it may simply mean we get to enjoy our lush, green spring lawns free from drought or heat stress. However, yards with drainage problems or standing water can pose a threat. Waterlogged soil has less oxygen available for plant roots and may lead to wet wilt, a fairly rare condition.

Another possible complication concerns temperatures. If they heat up too soon, it will make our currently wet lawns more susceptible to fungal disease. These diseases can potential kill grass, especially in Fescue lawns planted in the last two years.

For now, though, I think we can safely enjoy the new life that the rain has brought forth. If conditions change, you know I'll keep you posted.

Sick Sycamore

Tom pruning our Sycamore last spring.

If you have a sycamore tree in your yard that is dropping its leaves, it may be suffering from anthracnose. This is an aesthetic disease, and won't affect the health of your tree. However, as a Sycamore owner, I know first-hand how annoying it is to clean up after these trees, especially when "fall" comes twice a year.

Ryan Lawn & Tree can treat Sycamores in August to lessen the affects of anthracnose in following years. The treatment is good for two years, although you may have some leaf and twig drop the first year.

Ryan Lawn & Tree featured in The Referral Engine

John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing, featured Ryan Lawn & Tree in his new book, The Referral Engine.

The book centers on the idea that small businesses can grow almost entirely by referral. The catch? Your company/product/service must BE referable.

Thanks, John, for including Ryan Lawn & Tree in your book!

Thick Lawns Prevent Weeds

Thick, healthy lawns have fewer weeds. Why is this? The density and health of the grass will out-compete weeds for water and vital nutrients.

To test this idea, find a thick healthy lawn and walk along the driveway and sidewalk. These areas, where the turf is ending and not as thick, may have a weed or two. Now, walk in the lawn - no weeds. Likewise, look at thinner, unfertilized lawns. You will find weeds all over. Compare this to the thick lawn.

Of course, it is possible the thick lawn owner has used something to kill the weeds. However, we all know how fast weeds pop up, so the likelihood that the thick lawn is only weed-free because of weed control is slim.

Do you have thoughts about this? Leave a comment below.