Our goal is to provide balanced applications of the key nutrients your turf needs to flourish. The key nutrients are nitrogen, important for growth and color; phosphorous, essential to the photosynthetic process; potassium, important to the metabolic processes of plants and the maintenance of the water status of the plant. We apply controlled release products in nearly all circumstances. In addition to the macronutrients described above, we can apply certain micronutrients, like iron, depending on soil conditions verified by soil tests.
While people usually associate the term “pest” with insects, it is really a broad industry term used to describe insects, vertebrates, and weeds as well. We will apply products that can assist in the control of all of these pests.
Weeds are any plant material growing where you do not want them to grow. They can be of the grassy variety, crabgrass, as one example, or the broadleaf variety, like dandelion-everyone’s favorite. The best defense against weeds is a healthy stand of dense turf. To assist in the prevention of certain weeds, we will apply products pre-emergently. Other weeds require post-emergent application to obtain control. We will use the most cost-effective products available to us to obtain the optimal level of control.
Grubs, sod webworm, and cinch bug are examples the common insects that we will find in our growing region. Grubs are usually everyone’s chief concern, and we apply a product as a part of our regular application cycle to control for them. We have good success with the product we use.
Moles have become a significant pest over the last few years. Newer products have made their control more practical and easier to accomplish.
Given our climate, fungus, in one or more of many forms, is a recurring problem for some turf. Proper mowing, thatch maintenance, adequate irrigation and fertilization are keys to controlling fungus. If necessary, apply fungicide before disease onset. Repeated applications are common in order to prevent the onset of disease. Post-onset applications can and do achieve levels of control, including eradication, depending on the disease and/or amount of disease present.
As soil temperature, not the ambient temperature, approaches 55 degrees in the spring, we will begin applying the first of our two pre-emergent products, chiefly targeting crabgrass. These products are typically a fertilizer-pre-emergent combination, but the pre-emergent product can be applied without fertilizer. These applications are generally four to five weeks apart, beginning in early April.
The third application of the year is the insecticide for insect control. We begin this application in mid-June. The product may be straight insecticide or it may be an insecticide-fertilizer combination.
The fourth application, a fertilizer, occurs in late August. The type of fertilizer may change depending on whether or not the client is doing any over seeding.
The fifth application, occurring in September, is a fertilizer plus iron product.
The last application of the year is the one with our heaviest nitrogen component, designed to help the turf over the winter.
With each of these applications, we will examine the lawn for weeds and insects and treat with appropriate products as necessary.
In whatever we do, we will use the best practices for the achievement of our mutually identified goals. Whether it is problem diagnosis, product use, or application techniques, we rely on experts to validate our processes. We work closely with vendors, the Extension Office, and the University of Nebraska, reviewing their research and publications to better serve you.
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