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 Keep mowing when the grass or weeds dictate mowing. Many lawns
are in what I refer to as the “buckhorn” phase, where the
grasses and going dormant from temperatures and lack of rain,
but the plantains have the seed heads growing. Grubs are active
where there were Japanese beetle populations. The insecticide
must get to where the grubs are, so make sure to water the
liquid formulations in as soon as they are applied. The two
widely available products are GrubX (halofenozide) and Merit (imidacloprid).
Carbaryl (Sevin) granules are an option for Japanese beetle
grubs, but they don’t work on the other species.
Fall seeding of grass should be done between August 15 and
September 10. This is a tried and true date, but the end of the
world won't come about if you are a week later. The goal is to
give the seed enough time to germinate and become established
before bad weather arrives. Seed at the rate of 4 pounds of seed
per 1000 square feet on bare spots, or half that rate on
overseedings.
If you have a compacted yard, or have a deep thatch layer, these
seeding dates also define ideal times to dethatch or aerate.
Thatch layers should not be over 1/2 inch deep for optimum
growing conditions. When aerating, make sure you use a core type
aerator.
Fall fertilization is also a good practice. If you haven't
fertilized in the last month, consider applying a fertilizer
treatment around September 1. Use about 8 pounds of 13 13 13
fertilizer per
1000 square feet of lawn. Try to avoid the high nitrogen
fertilizers this late in the year. It's hard enough to keep up
with the mowing as it is, and nitrogen promotes top growth. The
even analysis fertilizers will also promote root growth, which
is what we want going into the late fall and winter.
Crabgrass and other annuals grass weeds can be seen about
everywhere. They will die with the first frost, so treatment is
not available, or recommended, in the fall. Make a note of where
these grasses are, and an overseeding to thicken up the grasses
you want there may help crowd out the annuals. Preventative
treatments may also be applied in the spring (around April 1
depending on soil temperatures) to kill the germinating seeds.
As many have found out, a second treatment about June 1 is also
necessary since the products only last six to eight weeks.
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Last, but not least, is broadleaf weed control. Fall is a
particularly good time to treat problem perennial weeds since
they are sending food down to the roots to overwinter. A spray
about the 3rd or 4th week of September (making sure to use the
appropriate product) can do a world of good on the perennial
weeds.
Remember to be very careful with herbicides around perennial
plants since they are also getting ready to overwinter. Also,
waiting this late in the season reduces drift potential for the
neighbor’s garden. Dicamba is particularly prone to vapor
drifting, for up to two weeks, with hot, sunny conditions. It’s
hard to get a good weather forecast for two weeks, let alone the
week we are in.
Teasel
Another invasive plant, teasel, is easily noticed along highway
and railroad right-of-way. The plant looks like a thistle, and
has gone gangbusters since the spray programs have been
curtailed due to budget restrictions.
The plant behaves like a biennial in that it has a small rosette
stage the first year, then bolts to the tall, flowering plant
the second year. This life cycle is similar to another invasive
plant: poison hemlock. The best controls listed are triclopyr
and glyphosate (Roundup). The trichlopyr is a broadleaf only
weed killer, and is often used to help with control of violets.
The glyphosate will take out both broadleaves and grasses, so is
most effectively used by wiping on a few isolated plants. The
idea is control this weed in the rosette stage, which is present
now.
All you have to do is look in the vicinity of one of the
standing stalks that have gone to seed, and you will see the
smaller plants close to the ground.
[By JOHN FULTON, COUNTY EXTENSION
DIRECTOR SERVING LOGAN, MENARD, AND SANGAMON COUNTIES] |
