A few tips from the professionals at Turf Team
 

1. Summer time is the time for foliar diseases. Apply fungicide spray as needed to prevent these diseases.

2. The hotter and drier it gets, the larger the spider mite populations become. Spraying plant foliage will provide relief from this pest.

3. Expect some leaves to yellow and/or drop, a normal reaction to drought. Water young plants well.

Summer Time

4. Mowing heights for cool-season turf grasses should be 3" during hot, dry summer months. Gradually raise the mowing height of Bermuda grass.

Evergreens

Discoloration and shedding of needles

In the latter summer months and continuing into the fall, mature, interior needles fade in color and fall off reducing their numbers. This will occur in subsequent years, from one to several, depending on the variety of evergreen. This progression is completely normal. Certain species such as Arborvitaes, discard small branches, and normally become brown as they mature. Often, needle evergreens such as the White Pine’s needles, will yellow and then brown as they mature, eventually dropping off with age. Pines may display extreme yellowing during the autumn months due to a distinctly dry summer. Generally, more needles than normal will discolor and shed themselves in this instance. Evergreens such as the Spruce and Fir also retain these characteristics, yellowing and dropping over the course of years. This is a gradual occurrence and may proceed completely unnoticed. Customers often consider this cause for alarm, but as long as the newer and more vibrant growth stays green, the trees will continue to subsist, enduring hot summer months.

Easy Gardening Tips for Winter

Winter is considered a low maintenance season, but important gardening tasks should be provided to insure a beautiful spring.

The following are some winter gardening tips you should employ:

Watch the extended forecast on local news channels. Be sure to set your sprinkler system to come on during the daylight hours to avoid icing on foliage. In many cases this could permanently damage your plants. During sub-freezing temperatures turn your automatic sprinkler system off. Use your system manually on warm afternoons.

During absence of rain, water twice weekly. Because surface moisture is nature’s anti-freeze – water 1 to 2 days before a hard freeze (20 or below). This will freeze the surface and insulate the root zone.

New sprinkler systems have backflow prevention valves. Be sure your sprinkler contractor installs a hot box or heat tape so the sprinkler is not turned off for winter. Zone times should be set to ½ of their summer setting

Winter is an excellent time for trimming trees and shrubs before the spring flush.

Good watering and fertilization programs during winter will provide maximum growth and a beautiful spring.