SLICE SEEDING
Why Slice seed? The lawn you depend on to enhance your home’s beauty, to
give your children a place to play, to create a healthier environment
needs special attention.
Throughout the years, established turf can
deteriorate from the presence of weak varieties, disease, drought,
insect damage, poor soil conditions or thatch build up. Renovation
can bring new life to your lawn.
What is Renovation?
Renovation replaces deteriorated turf with new, improved, better adapted
grasses. By seeding improved varieties into the existing lawn, the
stand is improved without the inconvenience and greater cost of
re-establishing a new lawn.
Steps for a Healthier
Lawn:
1. Eliminate undesirable
vegetation.
When weeds or objectionable grass varieties exist in the lawn,
vegetation control may be applied to begin renovation. The control
has no residual soil activity and will not leach into desirable
vegetation.
2. Prepare for seeding.
When vegetation control is not necessary, or 7 to 10 days
following control application, vertical slicing or aerifying is
necessary to penetrate the thatch and establish a seedbed. This
process allows seeds to make a direct contact with the soil and avoid
seeds germinating on top of dead organic matter. Soil pH problems
may also be corrected with application of lime or sulfur. Starter
fertilizer will be applied to insure nutrient availability to the
developing seedlings.
3. Seeding.
Improved turf-type varieties will be selected to assure a
uniform, healthy, disease-resistant lawn. Only premium quality
seed will be used to insure superior results.
4.
Keep soil moist.
Until seedlings are also well-established, they need moisture
daily for two to three weeks. You should understand that your part
in the renovation, the daily watering, to maintain moisture at a depth
of two inches, is vital. The renovation cannot be successful
without adequate moistures.
5. Watch the
grass grow.
You will see continued improvement in the lawn for four to five
months following renovation.
To keep turf healthy and
to prevent problems from re-occurring, you need a regular, continuous
program of fertilization, watering, mowing, weed and insect control
following renovation. Our company can provide those services.
Advantages to Renovation
Reasonable cost. Although the cost of renovation depends
on the condition and size of your lawn, renovation is often the most
cost-effective procedure for long-term improvement. Ask us for an
estimate.
Minimum erosion. Since old
turf remains in place, soil erosion is minimal.
Less disruption. Since soil is not turned over,
fewer rocks and weeds will be brought to the surface. Since new
turf is protected by the old turf, light foot traffic can be supported
on the area, immediately following renovation.
Healthier turf. With the elimination of weeds and
undesirable grasses and the introduction of improved turfgrass species,
as well as establishment of a stronger strand of grass, your
newly-renovated lawn will be healthier, and more resistant to
infestations of weeds, insects and diseases.
Grub Preventative
There are several types of white grubs that feed on the roots of lawn
grasses. All of them can cause severe damage if left untreated.
OUT OF SIGHT...OUT OF MIND
Grubs live and feed in the soil. It's easy to miss them as they
gradually cut the roots out from under your lawn until brown patches
begin to appear and the grubs are finally discovered. Pull back
the turf if you suspect grubs. If the lawn pulls up easily ( like
new sod), you may find white grubs in the top inch or so of the soil.
Spring and Fall feeders
Grubs are the larval ( or worms) state of many types of
beetles. The beetles lay their eggs in your lawn, and the newly
hatched worms work their way through the thatch and into the soil, where
they feed on roots of grass plants. Most beetles lay their eggs in
mid to late summer, and the young grubs do their greatest damage during
the fall months.
As the weather cools, most grubs
burrow deeper into the soil for the winter. They then return to
the surface to feed again as the soil warms in the Spring. After
this Spring feeding, the grubs pupate into adult beetles and begin the
cycle again.
DON'T WAIT
Grubs don't disappear on their own. They should be
treated before damage begins to appear, or as soon as they're
discovered. When discovered early enough in the year, a preventive
treatment can be applied. When damage appears in the fall, a
fast-acting curative treatment is needed.
SURFACE FEEDING INSECT CONTROL
Surface feeding insect control is not a normal part of our lawn care
program. Please call if you suspect your lawn has an insect problem and
our technicians can diagnose and recommend treatment.
DISEASE CONTROL
Disease control is not a normal part or our lawn care program. To many
factors such as weather, thatch, soil compaction, soil type, moisture,
and improper mowing can contribute to disease problems. Please call if
you suspect your lawn has a disease and our technicians can diagnose and
recommend treatments.
Leaf Spot
Description: Scattered to general yellow, tan or reddish-brown
discoloration and thinning of turf. Individual leaves with
circular to elongate purplish, dark-brown, reddish-brown, to black spots
often surrounded by a yellow halo. Centers fade to brown, tan then
white. Favored by prolonged cloudy, moist weather, moderate
temperatures, lush turf growth and shady conditions.
Dollar Spot
Description: Bleached spots 4-6" in diameter coalesce to form
large irregular areas of sunken dead turf. Spots have white mycelial strands in the early morning when turf is wet. Leaf
lesions more or less round, bleached white to light tan with reddish
brown to purplish border, often girdling leaf to form characteristic
hour-glass shape. Moderate to warm temperatures
( 60-80 degrees),
excess humidity, moisture and thatch, nitrogen-deficient turf favor
disease incidence.
Necrotic Ring Spot
Description: Scattered
light green patches, 2-6" diameter enlarging to form light-tan to
straw-colored sunken, elongated streaks, crescents or rings up to three
feet or more in diameter. Tufts of healthy grass appear in patch
center giving "frog-eye" appearance. Favored by cool to mild
temperatures, and wet then dry conditions, spring through fall, and by
stressed turf due to mowing, excess thatch, compacted soils, nematode or
insect damage.
Brown Patch
Description: Roughly
circular light-brown patches up to several feet in diameter. New,
but thinned grass can eventually appear in patch center resulting in
"frog-eye" appearance. Dark purple to grayish-black "smoke ring"
sometimes noticeable at perimeter. Dark purplish green leaf spots
turn light brown with straw-colored or ash-brown centers surrounded by
dark border. Promoted by high temperature (75-95 degrees), high
humidity, wet soils, extended periods of moisture, excess thatch and
excess nitrogen fertility.
Red Thread
Description: Irregular
shaped patches (2-15" diameter) of tan colored grass with reddish-brown
cast. Dead leaves interspersed with healthy leaves give turf
ragged, scorched appearance. Patches merge to form irregular areas
of blighted turf grass. Infected leaves shrivel and die rapidly
from tip downward fading to bleached tan. During wet weather
leaves form conspicuous coral-pink, orange to red masses of branched
appendages. Favored by cool ( 65-75 degrees) prolonged damp humid
weather and slow-growing nitrogen deficient turf.
Rust
Description: Turf reddish-brown, yellow to orange with
weakened, thin appearance. Leaves with small light-yellow flecks
which enlarge and rupture to expose round, oval or elongated powdery,
reddish-brown to bright orange or lemon yellow spore-filled pustules.
Powdery spores rub off easily on shoes, clothing and animals.
Conditions favoring disease include, moderate to warm temperatures (
70-85 degrees), heavy dew, light rains, slow leaf surface drying, low
fertility, low soil moisture and soil compaction.
GOOSE CONTROL QUESTIONS
QUESTION: How does your product work?
ANSWER: The product we use effectively takes the
feeding area away from the geese by rendering the turf inedible. If they
can’t eat it, they have no reason to stay.
QUESTION: Will I have to spray my entire property?
ANSWER: No, we can just spray the areas where geese are
actively feeding.
QUESTION: Will I have to re-spray every time it rains?
ANSWER: No, the product we use has an active ingredient
that is a very fine solid particle that is insoluble in water.
QUESTION: Do I need it re-sprayed after I cut the
grass?
ANSWER: No, not normally. The product we use disrupts
their feeding pattern conditioning them to move on to another side.
Therefore, you’ll have good control even after the compound has been
mowed off. If you’re just starting the goose control program on your
property it may take a second application on frequently cut turf to give
the geese enough exposure to the compound to get the conditioning
effect.
QUESTION: How many applications will I need?
ANSWER: Depending on the intensity of your goose
problem, it may take anywhere from 4 – 8 applications per year for
complete control.
