It is Hot - Water

Grass is burning up and dying across the Lowcountry. You can really tell if your irrigation heads are not properly turning in this kind of weather. At Possum’s we are getting a lot of calls about dead grass and the people are emphatic that they are watering; however, their irrigation is not hitting everywhere it should be. Once they dig in the area, they realize it is dusty and dry. This past week I’ve been asked by several people “How much water should I be putting on my yard each week?” 

The quick answer is one inch of water per week, including rainfall.  I look at one inch per week as a starting point, and then adjust for other factors.  These factors include soil type, wind exposure, slope in the yard, berms, heat and exposure to the sun. To measure the irrigation water, coffee cups with equal diameter top and bottom or tuna fish cans work well. If your community doesn’t allow this, consider a few rain gauges.

A clay soil is going to hold more water for a longer period of time than a sandy soil.  When watering a clay soil, if you put out too much water at once, it will begin to run off instead of penetrating the soil.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will help water penetrate clay better. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

Water tends to pass through sandy soils quickly.  If they receive too much water at once, the water tends to leach through the soil past where the plant roots can access it.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give sandy soils better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

Wind exposure can also play a big part in how much to water.  An ocean front or lake front lot with a constant breeze will require more water than a land-locked yard in the suburbs that is protected from wind.  Position of trees, fences, houses or other wind breaks can also affect wind exposure.  If your yard is very windy, you will have to water more than a yard that is more protected from the wind.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give windy areas better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

Depending on the elevation change in your yard, you could require more water.  Some houses sit up on hills that slope down toward the road.  These sloping yards require more water.  In the Lowcountry, this is less of a problem than an area in the mountains or hills.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give hilly areas better water holding capacity and allow the water to penetrate the ground instead of running off into the road. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

If you have a lot of landscape berms, be sure these areas are getting enough water.  Many berms are made with landscape grade fill dirt (i.e. sand) that dry out quickly.  Being up on a hill, they have more exposure as well as slope, therefore they require more water. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give these areas better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

Just as we need to drink plenty of water, so do the plants and grass.  Some areas near sidewalks and streets are getting cooked!  The soil surface temperature is often well over 100 degrees.  Give your trees, flowers and turf a drink!  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give hot soils better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

Exposure to the sun also affects the amount of water needed by a yard.  If your yard is shaded by a neighbor’s house or trees, it will require less water than if it is in the wide open sun.  Different areas of the same yard will require different amounts of water based on the exposure to the sun. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give exposed soils better water holding capacity.  Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

Always try to water early in the morning so your landscape does not stay wet too long and encourage fungus. Turf gets wet at night through guttation and dew. By watering early in the morning (3-7 am) you are not extending that wet period. If you water at 9 am and the grass has been wet all night, you could be giving disease the opportunity (moisture) it needs to flourish. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give your soils better water holding capacity and you will be able to reduce your watering and your water bill (and usually your fungicide bill as well). Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

If you have any doubt, just try one quart of wetting agent and or one bag of cotton burr compost and see for yourself the difference these products can make in your landscape.

Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix will also help.

Basidomycetes?, Mushrooms?, a Dancining Fairy?...

After many recent calls about mushrooms the last few weeks, I want to update a question asked to me over 10 years ago.

Bill,

After reading your articles for several years now, I’m going to give you a shot at my problem.  I have these perfect circles in my yard.  Sometimes there are mushrooms growing in the circle and other times they are just green grass followed by a dead area then green grass again.  The circle looks like a halo or a ring around Saturn.  The dead areas are just a little band about six inches around the circle.  These circles are amazing because you could take a compass, and they appear to be perfect circles.

I know you have helped out many people including myself in the past, any ideas on this problem?

Will you be offended if I tell you that you have fairy ring?  It is amazing how nature produces these perfect circles!  There are myths about these rings going back to medieval times.  When I was in college (also the dark ages!), the only control for this fairy ring was to dig up all the soil up to 20 ft. deep and replace it.  Luckily science has advanced since then.

A fairy ring, in the old days, was believed to be where a fairy danced around in your yard.  It is actually caused by decomposing organic matter either in the soil or in the thatch.  There is a certain class of fungi (Basidomycetes) that are responsible for the rings that you see. 

You described in your question the damage very accurately.  You have a band of green grass and a band of dead grass then the center of the circle is usually green, next to the dead area, and then just regular color in the middle.  Under ground, the fungus is sending out mycelium which are root like structures of the fungus that grow in a dense mass.  This mass doesn’t allow water to penetrate it (think of a real pot-bound plant when you water it and all the water goes to the outside edge of the pot and runs down the edges and out of the holes in the bottom, without really wetting the plant).  The mycelium mass is hydrophobic (water hating), this results in the dead ring that you see above ground.  The turf in this area is not getting any water.  Also the mycelium are constantly sloughing off and dying and as they break down in the soil, they release nitrogen.  This nitrogen can be in toxic levels, resulting in the dead areas.  Next to the dead areas, the nitrogen causes the areas to be dark green.  Think of an area where you have seen a dog urinate.  You have a dead area from too much nitrogen, then a green halo where the nitrogen levels are ok for the grass.  The mushrooms are just a fruiting body of the fungus that you see at different times of the year.  It is amazing how they are in a perfect circle. 

To control fairy ring, unlike 20 years ago, you don’t have to dig up your entire yard.  A good cultural practice is to apply a wetting agent, then aerate, and then reapply a wetting agent.  If that doesn’t give you satisfactory results, you can also put out a wetting agent, aerate, drench in a fungicide including a wetting agent, and see how your results are.  It may take several cycles of this treatment to be effective.  Heritage fungicide (derived from a mushroom), Fame and Pro-Star are fungicides that are labeled to control fairy ring.  Always read and follow product label.

It is truly amazing how Mother Nature creates these perfect circles.  However, I don’t believe many golf course superintendents are praising her when these circles show up on their golf green.

Leave on Vacation with Confidence

Indian Hawthorn (AKA Raphs) finished blooming and can be pruned as needed. Watch out for the leaf spot disease that attacks these plants. If your plant’s foliage is thinning and it has spots on its leaves, there is a good chance your plant is under attack.  Honor Guard does a good job of keeping this fungus in check; however, this disease will always be out there so regular spraying is a must. Also, when spraying fungicides, it is important to switch chemical classes to avoid resistance. If they do not need pruning hold off, because pruning encourages new growth and the disease likes new growth. The wet fall really increased the favorable disease conditions.

If you are taking a vacation this summer and have St. Augustine grass, be sure to put out an insecticide to protect your lawn from ‘the nasty rascal, the chinch bug’. Chinch bugs can do serious damage in a very short period of time. Chinch bug damage is often confused with dry spots or fungus. The hot dry areas of your lawn is where the chinch bugs are going to attack first (never in the shade). They thrive and multiple greatly in hot, dry weather, so this year has been a very bountiful year for them. Bug Blaster, Sevin, or Allectus should help you manage this lawn terrorist.

As the temperature and humidity rises, St. Augustine grass will also get a leaf spot disease called gray leaf spot. Even though I usually try to avoid scientific names, I have to use this one because there are different leaf spot diseases that are controlled with different products. Look for the name Pyricularia grisea on the label to get control of this leaf spot. Several years ago, I picked up a customer from another store (and he still shops with us) because the other store was selling him a product that was labeled for the leaf spot (Helminthosporium spp) and after repeated applications the customer was not getting any control. The product was not labeled for the gray leaf spot (Pyricularia grisea) that the customer was trying to control in his clients St. Augustine grass. Some products that are labeled for this disease include Prophesy, Cleary’s 3336, and Fame.

Azaleas are getting ready to set their flower buds for next year, so it is very important to do any pruning on these plants right away. Even if you pruned them hard right after they bloomed, you can still do any touch up pruning to manage any growth that might have occurred since the last pruning. An application of KeyPlex or 18-18-18 Mighty Plant should help them set more blooms for next year. Watch out for lace bugs sucking on your plants.

Any of the repeat blooming azaleas (Encore, Red Slipper) should be pruned right after they flower. If you prune fairly hard, you will likely lose some of the next flush of blooms; however, they should get back in sync fairly quickly, providing you multiple blooms.

Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.