HAMMERSTONE LAWN CARE




FESCUE LAWNS AND THE SUMMER MONTHS
LATE MAY, JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST

     Well, it is that time of the year again. The temperature is rising above eighty degrees during the day, as well as the night. The rains are less and less frequent, and when it does rain it usually rains less than two inches a week. The days are getting longer and the nights are becoming shorter. Summer has finally arrived and with it come the problems of our Fescue Lawns. Yes, those attractive lawns we have grown accustomed to viewing from last September thru April and early May are now experiencing some dramatic changes on the downside.

     The foremost of these changes is the browning out and thinning of the turf. Sometimes it occurs in small areas of the lawn and sometimes it may occur on a widespread basis. These changes can also occur over a period of several weeks or it may occur in a matter of days.

     We at Hammerstone take pride in not only providing the finest lawn care available to homeowners in this area, but also the finest educational program to go along with it.

     As a homeowner you may experience changes in your lawn that we at Hammerstone are aware of, but have no control over. These changes cannot be reversed by applying to the lawn any one or combination of the following: lime, fertilizer, seed, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.

     The biggest change going on right now is the fact that your fescue lawn is going dormant and there is little or nothing that you can do to stop it. It was blueprinted into the genetics of fescue grass to go dormant in the summer months in order for the species to survive. This dormant state brings with it the following observations: Fescue slows down it's growing habits, it becomes hardier and less tender, it thins itself out - survival of only the fittest individual grass plants within the lawn - and the appearance that the lawn has gone to sleep.

     Now let's ask the question why do some lawns look better and some look worse. or why do only certain areas of the lawn seem to show these changes at a higher degree? To answer this question we must look to those factors which one or more of the following occurs: the light cycle increases with the longer days of summer, wilting of the grass occurs due to lack of water available at the root zone, the temperature reaches the eighty degree mark, and/or the mowing height is below three inches. As you can see there is little or nothing that can be done to stop fescue from going dormant. The two things that can be done are to mow the lawn at a height of 3 1/2 to 5 inches and water the lawn to a depth of six inches once every seven to ten days in the absence of rain. This will not be a cure all for every lawn.

     There is one underlying problem that we observe in some form or fashion in ninety-nine percent of our customers lawns. This problem is the reason for ninety percent of our problems at Hammerstone, so as you can see, it is a serious problem and one that deserves explanation. The problem we will be discussing is "Soil Structure" and it's effect on our ability to grow premium turf on a year round basis.

     Soil Structure will be defined as the amount of sand, silt, and clay in the topsoil. Since the topsoil in this area is approximately eighty percent clay and twenty percent silt and sand, we are presented with our most challenging dilemma. How do you grow premium turf in this soil?

     The answer is not an easy one to find and in some cases an almost impossible task to achieve during the summer months, however, we have experienced a high degree of success in growing premium turf from Sept. thru April.

     So, you ask yourself this question. What does poor topsoil or the lack of topsoil have to do with the way my lawn looks now, or at any other time of the year? The answer is that inadequate topsoil has everything to do with growing premium turf. Under ideal soil conditions fescue will only show slight signs of dormancy and in certain areas of the lawn may not show signs at all. Just look around to observe this in your own lawn, or in your neighborhood. Yes, it is possible for the topsoil to vary from lawn to lawn, as well as from the back lawn to the front lawn. If you look even closer you can observe the topsoil changing every few inches to entire neighborhoods.

     We will now discuss why this happens. With high concentration of clay, the soil is missing it's most important ingredient, Organic Matter, which benefits the soil in several ways. High concentrations of organic matter help the soil retain moisture, which is very important during the summer months. It also keeps the soil from becoming too compacted, a major problem in this area. It also retains those essential nutrients required by all living plants to survive, such as water, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Ideal topsoil is black in color, has a nutrient rich appearance, is eight inches to five feet deep, and can usually by found in low lying areas near bodies of water. Topsoil is formed over millions of years of flooding and depositing of nutrient rich waters and decaying organic matter of plant and animal life onto the land. As you can see, most of the problem areas in the lawn are those areas that have little or no topsoil, or they are the areas that have some topsoil but is missing an adequate amount of organic matter.

     Building a house on a parcel of land has devastating affects to the local ecosystem. Water flow is altered, and topsoil may be lost to the necessity of grading slopes and foundations.

     Look at the areas of the lawn that are experiencing signs of browning out and perform this simple test. Take a screwdriver and attempt to stick it into the soil to a depth of six inches and see what happens. You will quickly find out for yourself that your can't penetrate the hard dry soil, it has the appearance of cement. Now find an area of grass that is doing fine or is not showing signs of stress and try this test again. You will quickly discover that the screwdriver penetrates the soil with relative ease and lack of resistance. This is due to the amount of moisture being held by the organic matter in the soil.

     OK, we've identified the problem so what can be done? It would be too costly to bring in twelve inches of topsoil high in organic matter to every lawn showing stress, but this would be the closest to a cure all solution. Let's be realistic and look at our possible solutions.

     Amending the soil by adding two or three inches of black rich topsoil or peat moss and roto-tilling the soil to a depth of six inches will definitely help, but will probably not be the answer all together since the "Soil Structure" will not be changed significantly in most cases.

     Some areas of the lawn are going to look bad every summer and will need to be reseeded every fall.

     The problems associated with poor topsoil are often compounded by the root systems of trees encroaching into the lawn at various points. If this is the case, natural areas should be expanded to include these areas which are usually located within the drip line of larger trees, and trees that are shallow rooted, such as Oaks, Pines, Maples, Dogwoods, etc..

     No doubt topsoil is not the only thing that causes a lawn to look bad, but it is the single most important thing. The amount and length of sunlight, the degree of slope, the amount of moisture in the root zone, and the presence of insects and diseases can all affect the appearance of a lawn.

     It is our intent at Hammerstone to answer all questions with a knowledgeable answer and work with our customers as closely as possible. We too have a vested interest in seeing your lawn look it's best, and when it doesn't you have a right to know why and what can be done, if anything. Please don't assume that just because it doesn't look pretty in the summer that it is because Hammerstone hasn't done their job. We take pride in knowing that Hammerstone is in a class by itself, just look around and ask a few questions!

     The problem with topsoil and trees is an all too familiar problem in the lawn care industry and it is very widespread. However, we will do whatever is possible to grow premium turf by supplying your lawn with the essential nutrients found in a proper lawn maintenance program. We want our customers to realize that Hammerstone does not offer false expectations to our customers, what we offer is the best possible care known to the turfgrass industry. We do not promise to make your lawn perfect, but to supplement it with the required balanced nutrients on a regular basis. Yes, we do share your goal of the prettiest lawn in the neighborhood, but sometimes there are things beyond our control. Remember, Hammerstone is a partner in your lawn, along with the soil, climate, environment, and homeowner. Anyone of which could cause the lawn to look less than desirable if adverse conditions exist. What you get with Hammerstone is a more personable service, professional attitude, and a commitment to help educate our customers and ourselves in order to provide the best and most economical service in this area.

     Another point to make is that we live in a transition zone between the northern cooler climate, and the southern hot, dry, and humid climate. Although cool season grasses do better than warm season grasses in this area we still have a long way to go in developing cultivated varieties of fescue that will thrive in these adverse conditions. So, until a miracle grass seed is found Hammerstone will continue to use a blend of the top three Turf Type Fescues in order to achieve what no variety can accomplish singly. This blend offers the best heat and drought tolerant, disease tolerant, traffic tolerant, and sun and shade tolerant grass mixture known!

     But still, as stated earlier if you don't have topsoil of adequate quantities and quality your lawn is surely to show signs of stress whenever adverse conditions exist.

     What about those summer insects? We will be happy to apply an insecticide at a cost of your regular application price, just call us at 1-800-756-LAWN. This will help in the fight against ticks, fleas and grubs. We all know the problem with ticks and fleas, but what do the grubs do? Grubs eat the roots of grass plants thus contributing to the problems discussed earlier. Without grass roots, there is no way for the plants to take up water and the other essential nutrients.

     As an added benefit to our customers we have installed a toll free number, 1-800-756-LAWN. Please call us if you have any questions or if you don't understand what's taking place in your lawn.

     We will be scheduling our fall seeding program beginning the later part of August. So, please call us once you have received the "1999 Fall Seeding Information" to schedule your lawn seeding by Hammerstone. Remember, our seeding charge is usually seven times the cost of your application charge and it is guaranteed! We also offer partial seeding at a prorated basis to those homeowners wishing to seed only selected areas.

     Remember, it may make more sense to spend money on seed each fall than to water all summer and end up having to seed in the fall anyway. Due to severe summers and adverse soil conditions seventy-five percent of fescue lawns must be seeded each fall, FACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1-800-756-LAWN