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It is that time of year once again. The snow has melted and the ground temperatures are beginning to warm. That means crabgrass germination is not far behind. Crabgrass germinates when our soil temps reach 55-60 degrees. That typically correlates to mid-April or right around the time the red bud trees are in bloom in Kansas.

 

That means the time is short for putting down a crabgrass barrier in order for it to be effective. We offer the crabgrass preventer as part of our fertilizer program and are currently out and about getting this application put down.

 

If you have questions regarding crabgrass prevention or need a quote for our fertilizer program, give Justin a call today! 785-539-1799 ext. 107

The common Dandelion is a broadleaf perennial weed. It harbors a massive tap-root, up to ten inches long. This root anchors the plant deep into the earth, making it nearly impossible to remove entirely when pulling by hand. Any fraction of the taproot left in ground regenerates. We see Dandelions coming up in early spring and may think it’s the time to spray while the plant is in flower. WRONG. Spraying a Dandelion while actively growing does not offer much more than temporary relief and an unnecessary use of chemicals. The Dandelion, being an herbaceous perennial, dies back every winter. When going into dormancy, the dandelion directs all of its energy that was spent growing leaves and flowers, back down into its roots. This enables it to survive and come back aggressively next spring. With this being said, Dandelion control must be implemented at the right time -in the right way- to be effective. Here are several ways to control these common weeds:

How to Kill Dandelions:

1. Pulling Them: Despite the difficulty just mentioned, it is an option:
   1. Water your lawn first (weeds are more easily extracted from wet soil)
   2. Use a spade (or something similar) to make an incision alongside of the tap root
   3. Wiggle tool to loosen taproot
   4. Use the ground as a fulcrum to pry up the weed.
   5. Tug the taproot using the leaves as a “handle”     
2. Herbicides: Our recommendation.
   1. There are a wide variety of herbicides on the market- Selective and Non-selective
      1. Roundup (for example) is applied directly to the leaves of a plant and is non-selective. This will kill anything it comes into contact with, including your lawn.
      2. Weed-B-Gon is an example of a selective herbicide, and won’t harm your grass. This is a popular choice for killing dandelions in a lawn.        
      3. Vinegar is a non-selective and organic option- the acetic acid in vinegar gives it herbicidal potential. Culinary vinegar can be boiled down to increase strength before application.
   2. Early fall is the best time to kill dandelions with herbicides. In early fall, while their nutrients are transferred from the leaves down to the roots. This transfer continues until the first hard frost. This presents you with an opportunity to really knock them out. Herbicides applied during this time are absorbed by the leaves and passed on to the roots, following the same path down as the nutrients.
   3. For at least two or three days before applying herbicides, don't mow the lawn. The bigger the surface area of the dandelion leaves, the more effective your application can be. Likewise, following the application of herbicide, wait at least two or three days before mowing, to allow time for the herbicide to be transferred to the roots.              
3. Prevention: Lawn health is the best method of weed control.
   1. Leave a layer of grass clippings in your lawn to help prevent the germination of weed seeds.
   2. Don’t mow to low: 2-3” will allow your lawn to protect the soil surface, blocking light from the weed seeds, which allows germination.

Do yourself a favor; be proactive and control Dandelions this fall! Avoid these ruthless weeds haunting your lawn this spring. You’ll be happy you did.  

 

Looking to make a career change?

Do you know someone who is?

Come grow with us!

Rothwell Landscape, Inc. is a growing company with great opportunities.

• Are you looking for a long-term and secure career? More than just a job?
• Do you currently work outdoors or wish you did?
• Do you have good work ethic?
• Do you enjoy living in the Manhattan area and would like to continue to be part of the community?
• Do you wish you did live in the Manhattan area and seek an opportunity to allow you to do so?

Join our company and become a landscape foreman. It’s a rewarding career; seeing your hard work come to fruition. Build patios, retaining walls, outdoor living spaces and install amazing landscapes as a installation foreman. We will train the right person.

-LANDSCAPE INSTALLATION FOREMAN:

• Install landscape for a mix of commercial/residential properties     
• Oversee and work with a 2-3 man installation crew in an efficient manner
• Manage the job site. Organize different components of the job      
• Communicate effectively with the property owner/homeowner/sales team

-COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

As the weather turns in favor of fall we drift to memories of nights around a firepit and look forward to 
the beauty of the turning leaves. We also look forward to the jack-o-lanterns adorning your neighbor's 
porches and the cooler nights. Broadleaf weeds also enjoy the cooler nights. They germinate as the days 
shorten and turn into small, healthy plants we can easily overlook. 
Perennial weeds, like dandelions, start the overwintering process by transferring the carbohydrates 
from their leaves to the root system for storage during the winter. That is why we recommend a spray 
treatment for them in the fall, even though most homeowners won’t realize they are a problem until 
spring when they begin to grow more aggressively. Our treatment adds a liquid herbicide to be carried 
with those carbohydrates down into the roots to kill the plant now. A blanket spray application targets 
the real root of the problem, as it will kill the entire plant instead of just the leaves.
Winter annual weeds, like henbit, chickweed start the germination process in the fall. They emerge as 
small rosettes of foliage and will spend their winter that way. They begin growing again very early the 
next spring. We target the small rosettes while they are still young, getting rid of them before you even 
realize they are there.
The best time to win the broadleaf weed war in your lawn is now. From early September to late October 
these plants are secretly sneaking onto your lawn in wait for the warm days of rapid growth in the 
spring. An application of our broadleaf weed control plus fertilizer can help stop those pesky weeds 
now. And remember, your best line of defense against turf weeds is a strong, healthy stand of grass. Call 
us today and let us help you win the war.  

Bagworm Treatment

As the calendar turns June and July, one pest to be on the lookout for is bagworms. Bagworms hatch out in late May or early June each year, slowly feeding and building a bag around themselves for protection. You may not have noticed them yet but they are certainly out there. They start very small(1/4”-1/2”) in length but by the middle of August, they will grow to between 2-3 inches.

We see bagworms on lots of varieties of trees, shrubs and groundcover, deciduous and conifer alike.  The major threat they pose is to evergreens. A heavy infestation may strip a blue spruce, arborvitae or cedar in a couple of weeks. A lighter infestation may appear as a brown spot on a tree or shrub, possibly mistaken for drought conditions but by the time the bagworms reach the end of summer, could defoliate large portions of an evergreen.

It is important to either pick off the bags when they are small (usually June) or have them treated to kill the bagworms present. We are able to treat trees 30+ feet and below and usually one treatment will suffice for the season. Call us today if you have sensitive trees or shrubs that might be susceptible to bagworms. 785-539-1799 or 785-238-2647