My property backs on to a ditch and some railroad tracks. I’ve tried everything to stop the thistles from coming into my back lawn. Is there anything you can suggest to stop them?

weeds

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My property backs on to a ditch and some railroad tracks. I’ve tried everything to stop the thistles from coming into my back lawn. Is there anything you can suggest to stop them?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
weeds

Thistles are probably the most difficult weeds to control in Manitoba. The Canada thistle can grow to over 6 feet tall! Just imagine the root structure that supports something like that. That’s where your problem lies. Thistles reproduce in two ways; through seeds, and through rhizomes. Rhizomes are shallow roots that run close to the surface and eventually sprout new plants. Thus, where you find one thistle, you will likely find a whole family of them. They will spread into your lawn from a neighbour’s unkept flowerbeds as well. Unless the entire family of weeds is wiped out, they will continue to be a constant problem. Treating the few small thistles on your side of the fence will not solve your problem since you will only be poisoning a small segment of the cluster. You may weaken the root mass, but not enough to kill it. It will continue to…

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What should I do with the old weed and feed product I have in my garage?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
herbicide

Use it for what it was intended for. Much of the active ingredient(s) will have dissipated within the container, but your lawn will still likely benefit from what remains of nutrients that are still lingering in the product. This is certainly the best alternative. Whatever you do, do not throw unused fertilizer or weed control products into the garbage since it will inevitably end up in the landfill, which is not where these products belong. If you have some other type of fertilizer or pesticide you need to dispose of, give it away to someone who might use it or you can call an environmental agency that properly disposes of petroleum products and other chemicals that pose a potential danger to the environment.

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Should I mulch or bag my clippings?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
mulch

The answer to this question depends on how much time you have to dedicate to your lawn. Mulching is the better way to go. Mulching returns nutrients to the soil regularly and evenly. However, mulching must be done properly! During periods of excessive growth, your lawn may need to be cut as often as three times a week! If you are mulching your lawn and notice the clippings on the surface of the lawn, you are well on your way to a mess of problems. To mulch correctly you must cut the clippings into small enough pieces that they fall into the lawn. You should not see any clippings on the lawn. If you do, the clippings are not being cut into small enough pieces. They will not break down fast enough, and will begin to accumulate in the lawn and form a thick layer of thatch very rapidly. These…

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Every once in a while I get mushrooms in my lawn. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
weeds

Not really. Mushrooms usually emerge during periods of excessive moisture. They will most often grow in a cluster, accompanied by darker grass in the shape of a crescent moon. Lawn care professionals call this “Fairy Ring”. You will often find more than one of these crescent moons lined with mushrooms in an average lawn. The mushrooms occur as a result of decomposing organic matter, such as a tree stump or branch below the surface of the lawn. A stray piece of wood left behind during the construction of the home might also be the cause. Thus, fairy ring tends to be more prevalent in newer suburbs. While removing the dead piece of wood might seem to be the obvious solution to this problem, finding it is another story. You may dig up your lawn only to find a giant tree stump. You may dig up your lawn and find nothing…

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I am a dog owner. I let my dog out to do his business in the back yard. Is there anything I can do about all the dead spots caused by his urine?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014

I’m afraid there isn’t much you can do to repair the damage once it’s done. Given enough time, any dead spot in the lawn will fill in eventually. Your dog’s urine is acidic. Female dog urine is more acidic than males. Of course the bigger, and more energetic your dog is, the more water it will drink and the more it will urinate. The urine, being acidic, changes the pH of the soil. Grass requires a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 to thrive. The more acidic the soil, the greener the lawn. You’ve probably noticed that around the very edge of the dead patches that the grass is usually darker green. This dark ring of grass around the dead spot is growing in acid soil that has improved the colour but isn’t acid enough to kill it. Whenever the pH of the soil becomes too acidic, or too alkaline, the…

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There are a lot of little white moths flying out of my lawn. What are they up to and should I be concerned?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014

Most people refer to these moths as “paper moths” because they look like a light piece of paper blowing erratically in the wind. They are cause for some concern since these are sod webworm moths. As the moths flutter about, they drop eggs onto the lawn as they fly. Southern Manitoba can see as many as three generations of sod webworm beginning in early summer. These eggs will hatch and turn into the sod webworm larvae. Sod webworms are white in colour with an orange head. They are about half an inch long. They chew off the roots of the grass plants in a layer between the soil and the thatch. The first symptom of serious damage is the appearance of small, dead, fist sized patches. The lawn in these damaged areas peels up quite easily when gently tugged. Peeling back the turf, several sod webworms are likely to be…

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I have a lot of trouble with moss in my lawn. What can I do about it?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
weeds

Moss occurs in the lawn as a result of constant, excessive moisture and shade. Over time, the moss spreads and the lawn thins. To correct the problem you must change the conditions. Constant excessive moisture may be the result of poor drainage or too much shade. Correcting a drainage problem may be as easy as bringing in some topsoil. Correcting a shade problem may prove to be more difficult if the shade is being caused by a house or large trees. In any case, the first thing to try would be a shade tolerant grass cultivar. This is a type of grass seed specifically designed to grow in shady areas and is available from Brett Young Seeds which is located on the South Perimeter Highway.

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I have an orange powder on my lawn. When I walked across my lawn it got all over my shoes. What is it?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
rust

Your lawn is infected with a disease called “Rust”. Rust usually develops very slowly, over several weeks. It is fairly rare in Manitoba although there are a few severe cases each year. The disease strikes lawns that are excessively dry and nitrogen deficient. The orange powder is actually microscopic spores that spread quite easily in the wind. The disease is contagious. In one instance, an entire street in Whyte Ridge was infected by someone delivering flyers who walked across the lawns all the way down the street. Their orange footprints were dramatically visible leading from the infected lawn to all of the others. To treat the disease, begin watering the lawn daily with up to half an inch each day for one week, then every other day until the disease dissipates. Begin fertilizing with a high nitrogen fertilizer to correct the nitrogen deficiency. Perform one application every seven days until…

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I have a white powder on part of my lawn. What is it?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014
general grass

You have a harmless fungal growth commonly referred to as “powdery mildew”. Here in Manitoba it rarely becomes severe enough to damage the lawn. Powdery mildew is usually most prevalent during periods of high humidity and cool nights. It is also indicative of a lawn that has high nitrogen content. While a fungicide is available to treat severe cases, I have never seen a case severe enough to warrant a fungicide treatment. Given a few days, weather conditions usually change. The grass blades will continue to grow and the infected blades will simply get cut off by your lawn mower. Powdery mildew is also a common problem in many tree species.

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How do sports fields and golf courses do that striping effect?

By charity | Published: February 26, 2014

The striping effect is achieved using a weighted roller mounted behind the mower. The roller simply flattens the grass. Each row the mower cuts is flattened in alternating directions. By flattening the grass, more of the green part of the blade is exposed. When looking at the lawn, the grass that has been flattened away from you appears as the greener stripes because you are seeing more of the blade side on. The grass that has been flattened away from you appears lighter because you are seeing more of the tips of the blades. The effect is far more dramatic from the air which is why golf courses on T.V. look so amazing when you see them from the helicopter fly over, or when you see sports fields from the Goodyear blimp. Where artificial turf is used, a metal broom is used to comb the turf in one direction or…

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