Category: Maintaining a Home Lawn

As crabgrass grows larger and larger this spring into summer, you'll need to know just how big it is before selecting the right product for postemergence control. Read my recent article to turf professionals at Turf Republic: Just How Big...

There are a lot of wet areas out there right now as pockets of Indiana have received more than double their monthly expected rainfall. Rain is a good thing but as we know it is possible to have too much...

It is not uncommon for me to receive questions regarding whether it is OK to aerify an area when you’ve already applied a preemergence herbicide to control crabgrass. Will aerifying break the herbicide barrier and reduce my crabgrass control? The...

Last year I posted a turf tip on why it is so difficult to manage turf around sidewalks and driveways. I encourage you to read that post (Weed Management Next to Sidewalks and Driveways) as it provides recommendations for weed...

Fall is an important time to fertilizer our cool-season turfgrasses. Fall nitrogen promotes good root development, enhances storage of energy reserves, and extends color retention in cool-season lawns. Most of the benefits from late fall nitrogen will be seen next...

It is that time of year when leaves are falling faster than you can rake them in many places. It is important to rake leaves when there are many leaves on the ground (so many that you can't see the...

Tips for Mowing Wet Turf Sharpen your blades if you have not yet this spring. Mow in the afternoon when the leaf blades are dry if possible to reduce clumping of the grass blades. However, it is fine to mow...

I was recently forwarded a video from one of our Extension educators in Vanderburgh County, Larry Caplan, that I thought I would share with you. The video chronicles the “misadventures” of a homeowner who simply wanted to control the weeds...

  The first day of summer/longest day of the year for 2012 has come and gone and just this past week a new National Drought Monitor Map was published (see below).  The city of West Lafayette in Tippecanoe County has...

A new turf publication has been posted on the Turf website: Facts About Phosphorus and Lawns - AY-334 https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ay/ay-334-w.pdf

As the “un-winter of 2011-2012” rapidly winds to a close golf course managers are already bringing their playing surfaces into peak form. For those managing putting surfaces containing annual bluegrass (Poa annua) this means addressing concerns that seedheads are affecting...

Although the Purdue University Turf Program publishes information about how to fertilize your turf with nitrogen (N)-based fertilizers including standard rates and timings, there are many factors that influence these rates and timings. It is important that each turf area...

Cool-season turfgrass species should be fertilized mainly in the autumn. September and November are the two best times to fertilize a lawn in Indiana. Fall nitrogen promotes good root development, enhances storage of energy reserves, and extends color retention in...

Many in central Indiana are coping again with drought a second year (See drought monitor images for Indiana (current and fall of 2010). While many pockets of Indiana have had sufficient moisture in the second half of summer (including Lafayette)...

Many areas in Indiana have received recent rains to their lawns. Some lawns have greened-up and others are still brown leaving many wondering whether their lawns are dead or alive. Below are some images that illustrate the process of determining...

For those in the Indianapolis area, customers of the Department of Waterworks – City of Indianapolis are “asking residential and business customers to not water lawns through Friday, July 29 in the wake of continued lack of rain, high heat,...

Extreme heat is stressing turf areas quickly! High temperatures cause turf decline There are many causes of turf decline in the summer, but three primary physiological causes are 1) low photosynthesis rates at high temperatures, 2) lack of sufficient moisture,...

Last summer and fall we experienced some widespread drought throughout the state which we documented with turf tips in July, September, and November as well as tips on reestablishment this March (click here for an archive of these tips). Most...

No you are not imagining this. The specks are actually moving. That is because they are actually tiny mites called clover mites. Clover mites can become annoying household pests, especially in and around homes where new lawns have recently been...

Fertilizer loading Fill spreaders over a hard surface such as a driveway, sidewalk, or other hard concrete or asphalt surface. This will allow easy clean-up if any material is spilled. Fertilizer spills over turf usually result in turf death to...