Posts Tagged ‘weed control’

Having trouble getting rid of that pesky and super invasive GARLIC MUSTARD?
Here is what you CAN do:
-   IDENTIFY – Be sure to properly identify that the plant is garlic mustard – it is a biennial which means that it only has leaves the first year and flowers the second.  The first year plants have kidney shaped leaves with scalloped edges and a wrinkled appearance.  The second year plants have more of heart-shaped leaves with similar edges and appearance.  The flower stalks can reach 1-4’ and bare small ¼” white flowers with 4 petals.  The leaves will also give off a garlic scent when crushed.
-   HAND PULLING – For smaller infestations hand pulling is always recommended, plus it is better for the environment.  The pulled plants should be placed in plastic bags and either deeply buried in an area that will not be disturbed or placed in a landfill – labeled ‘Invasive Plants – approved by DNR for land filling’.  The plants can also be burned after drying inside a plastic bag.  If NOT placed in plastic bags after pulling, the plants can still continue to grow in a moist environment, and the seeds can ripen, spread, and germinate.
-   HERBICIDE – Use only as a last resort or for extremely large populations.  Use a non-selective herbicide, such as a 1% or 2% solution containing glyphosate.  Apply to the foliage of the plants when native plants are dormant, but still green, ideally before they go to flowering and seed.
-   CUTTING – Cutting back stalks of flower plants may kill the plant and will stop seed production, but the plants may also send up new flower stalks so the plants need to be closely monitored for treatment.
-    BMP (Best Management Practices) – Be sure to clean all tools, shoes, pants cuffs, gloves, pockets, and any other equipment after working in an infested area.  Seeds can easily be carried off on clothes and mud.
-     MONITORING – Periodically check previously infested area for new sprout s – the seeds will stay in the ground and germinate up to 3 or more years after you pull or spray existing plants.

Now that it’s officially spring, you might be thinking about lawn maintenance and fertilization. Before you know it the grass will be growing so fast that it will need to be mowed every other day. For most lawns 3 or 4 fertilizer applications per growing season are sufficient.

When should you apply your first treatment?

Look for the Forsythias in bloom. Actually, we saw them blooming last Friday, so now is the ideal time to apply.  Usually we have to wait until mid-April — Global Warming one might think.

Preemergent Crabgrass Control Treatment

If you need to apply a preemergent crabgrass control fertilizer, now would be a good time to do that, as well. The soil has to reach 50 degrees, and it’s probably there or pretty close.

Have you been on a seasonal fertilization schedule?

If you fertilized last fall, mid-to-late October, (and don’t need to apply preemergent crabgrass control now) then you can wait until the second half of May to make the first fertilizer application.

The next application would be around Labor Day. At this time, grass is often coming out of summer dormancy and the fertilizer will help perk it up. The final fertilizer application should be made mid-to-late October, around the time of the last mowing. Turf roots are still active for a short time after leaf growth stops. The grass will convert the fertilizer to carbohydrates and store them until needed the following spring.

If you plan on irrigating the lawn during the summer, an additional application might be needed around the 4th of July.

Annual Lawn Maintenance Contracts

Let us keep you on schedule with your fertilizer applications, so you don’t have to remember when you last applied. We also offer seasonal contracts for mowing services.