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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-04-16, Page 52Beat the. High Cost - of Small Engine Repair WE WILL TUN! UP YOUR LAWN-MOWER OR GARDEN TILLER For Only $14 (Parts Extra) INCLUDES: Until May 12 Clean and adjust carburetor, check Ignition, change oil, clean air filter, adjust and oil, up all controls, shar- pen and balance blades. PICK-UP AND DELIVERY CAN BE ARRANGED NEW EQUIPMENT IN STOCK Canadian made Grand Prix $125. AuNPD LAWN MOWERS 341P TILLERS • $25 O. 7; 5-HP TILLERS (with reverse) . . . $ Ir 2 NI $1 295 Murray 8 H.P. - Electric Start LAWN TRACTOR - 36" CUT . N • APRIL BUYER'S BONUS! Now till Saturday, April 26, get a 1 % DISCOUNT on any new lawn & garden equipment in stock HANK'S SMALL ENGINE SALES & SERVICE 1 mile north of Lonciesboro 523.9202 HIGHWAY NO. 4 "square 'feet). To determine 4rOcedure can transform the a mount • of actual • thin, poor quality, turf with a nitrogen in the fertilizer, high weed population in to a divide the first number (1,e, thick, weed-free lawn. This 16-4-8 fertilizer) into 100. For is , accomplished without eXample, 100 divided by 16 is cernplete tillage; and approximately 6, so 6 pounds generally involves killing the of the actual fertilizer existing turf and weeds with material is applied to 1000 a contact herbicide, such as square feet of lawn surface, glyphosate, and overseeding -Insects - Watch" for buff, colored moths flying over the lawn in ,'a zig-zag Pattern. The moths lay eggs es they fly over the turf. The larvae. from these eggs are the destrtictive sod webworm which destroy lawns' in September. The larvae live in silken tunnels in the thatch at the soil surface during the day. At night, they cut off the grass blades at the crown. Control with an insecticide, such as diazinen or sevin. Fusarium blight. - This fungus disease causes most' damage when periods of high terrnperature and humidity follow a drought period. Treat with a systerhic., such as benomyl, in late July. Systemic fungicides are appiied to the soil as a drench, or by turning on the sprinkler for 20 minutes after spraying the fungicide on the grass foliage. —Ch in ch b Ugs.. These- -in-- sects are most destructive in August, but are large enough to be found in, the turf in late July. Treat with an in- secticide, Such as , diazinon, in late July, to prevent lawn injury in August. Irrigation - Water lawn§ .at the rate of 2 to.3 centimetre's (1 inch) per week, - August August is the best month for establishing lawns. 'by should require little more seed„ If seeded raid-August,; than mowing and irrigation. seeds. will germinate in, early Fertility In early June,c1 September, under very apply a complete fertilizer of favorable growing eon- a 4:1;2 ratio with the ditions. Sod growers attempt nitrogen.-(N) in the slOw- , Seed as Many of , their release (water-inSoluble) fi as possible in form at a rate of 0.8 August to achieve optimum kilograms N Per. 109 squaro establishment. metres (lyz pound N-1000 'Renovation - This fields mid By LI,. Eggens • Department of Horticultural. Science University of Guelph For the purposes of lawn maintenance -and care, the groWing season from April ay It divided into three main pericids. The division of the growing season is not exact, so maintenance -practices may overlap, Lawns and lawn problems differ con- siderably. Not all lawns have the same problems. It is important to know your soil type and have it tested for nutrients. The maintenance prac- tices suggested in this article are for a typical kentUcky bluegrass lawn in full sun, with a Kentucky bluegrass- red fescue mixture inshaded areas, .as a loam soil. It is also assumed that a tnediurn to " high visual quality is required, April -May Raking - A vigorous raking with , a leaf rake, as_scion, as the turf is dry enough to walk on, .will remove many creeping bent grass and rough bluegrass stolens. It will also help dry the lawn, and reduce snowrnold fungus activity. Thatch control - Thatch consists of a tightly in- termingled layer of living and dead Stems, leaves, and roots, that develop at' the soil surface. Thatch causes grass - plants to develop above the soil surface. Vigorous hand raking in mid-to-late April, is effective for thatch removal in small area. However, for larger area s„,,imechanical removal is more toractical. Rolling Tprf areas seeded the previous fall should be rolled to press the grass plants back into the soil. Rolling can also be used to level the lawn, but it may cause unacceptable com- paction On fine-textured soils. Fertilization - Apply a complete fertilizer of a 4:1:2 (N: P:K) ratio with .a fast- release nitrogen carrier (water-soluble nitrogen) at a, rate of 0.5 kilograms actual nitrogen per 1.00 square metres (1 ..pound N-1000 square feet).. Nitrogen provides early shoot growth and green color and should not be applied earlier than mid-April. Weed Control - Annual grass weeds, such as crabgrass, can be controlled with' a pre-emergent her- bicide, such as Bensulide or dacthal, applied late April. Broad-leaved weed control is most effective in mid- September. However, an broad-leaved weeds, such as prostrate knotweed, and weeds which were `missed the previous fall, In .the bag . The numbers listed on fertilizer bags, for example 5-10-15, refer to the per- centage of the • three main nutrients. The first number is the percentage of nitrogen, the second is the percentage of phosphorus, and the third number is the percentage of potassium. c Chinch cocktail. Early July is the best time to. 'treat for hairy chinch bugs. To check your lawn for these pests, use a large juice Can with the top and bottom removed.. Push the can into the turf, and fill it with water. The chinch bugs will float to the SUrface. Repeat the procedure at random intervals across the lawn. If you see bugs, treatment is necessary. sbenid, be treated with a 2,4- D znixtnre in early,to May. Mowing Mow at a height of fotir centimetres (11 inches), once every 10 days, until late 'May, For heavy- Slade areas, delay mowing 'as leng as, possible Or until the turf has grown to a height a-ill7C'entirIletres (4, inches), Then mow ncrlower than .6 to 7 centimetreS,-(21/2 inches). Do not remove more than40 percent of the leaf blade during mowing. Cultivation - Fine- textured, poorly-drained soils and areas of Con- centrated foot traffic may require' coring er slicing, A compacted Soil condition restricts water and air movement within the soil, resulting in a shallow root system and reduced quality. In small areas, cultivation can be accomplished with a fork. A mechanical aerating machine is required for large areas, Renovation Resodding is much better than 'seeding at this time of year, Spring sown seed is slow to ger- minate because of low soil temperatures. The seedlings do not grow well because of intense weed competition. Disease -The main disease of home lawns in spring is leaf spOt. Definite, dark, purplish-red spots appear on the leaf blades. It is im- portant to control the disease at this stage; If en- vironmental conditions favor disease development (cool, -cloudy weather, h i gh nitrogen, frequent low mowing), root and stem rot will develop in June. To control this disease, apply a fungicide, such as Daconil or Dyrene, raise the mowing height, and reduce the mowing frequency for several weeks. , June and July These are the months to enjoy your lawn. Under normal conditions, lawns with a- disc-over seeder. RennVation should, be Carried cut if selective weed Alikntrol is not practical; the lawn Contains weedy grasses that cannot be' selectively controlled; less t percent • of the lawn is -composed of desirable perennial turf grasses; and --if- -the -soil-, root .zone is favorable for, turf growth. The lawn can safely be overseeded within seven days . of treatment with. ' glyphosate (Roundup) .ap- plied at a rate of 1.68 kilograms per hectare in 90 to-135 litres of water (Ph to 2 pounds (active), per acre in 20 to 30 gallons Of Water). Irrigation - Water at a rate of 2 to 3 centimetres (1 inch) per week, Disease The two: most common, diseases On: home lawns, in, _ugus. are Fuse/juin blight and . dollarspot. Treat with a systemic, such as Benernyl. Chinch bugs--4hese, in- sects are very destructive to hoine laWns in Augtist, and should be treated: with ;an insectiCide, such. as diazinon.. . 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