OKLAHOMA OUTSI DE Keeping It
• Most maintenance free boatlift in the industry
• Lifetime warranty on polyethylene tanks
• Designed for durability in rough water.
1-888-294-5253
www.Boatfloater.com
MOBILE HOME STEEL ROOFING Leak
* Ha ving Expensiv ing * R umb e Utilities Permanent Steel Re-Roof
SOLVES THE PROBLEMS! 2” and 3” Insulation 26 and 29 Gauge Steel ANY color choice 12” overhangs
LIFETIME WARRANTY Serving Oklahoma
Efficient Metal Roofing 1-855-788-6171
Women in Agriculture & Small Business Conference
Oklahoma’s Statewide ling By Allan Storjohann
ummer is here and my annual fi xa- tion with the lawn is in full obses- sive-compulsive mode. The lawn is growing fast, requiring more frequent mowing than I like, but trouble signs are starting to appear. As I trudge behind the mower, I am noticing numerous areas where the grass is no longer growing. You might have a similar situation, where only a few weeks ago you had a healthy and thick lawn, but now it has gone brown or died out completely. I thought it would be timely to offer some suggestions for resus- citating the grass in these dead zones and give some tips to reduce the recurrence of summertime turf decline.
S
My yard has areas of full sun, light shade and dense shade, so I grapple with a dizzying number of lawn issues. In the shade I try to maintain a healthy stand of turf-type tall fes- cue. Every fall between mid-September and mid-October, I spread a locally approved blend of tall fescue varieties to reestablish my lawn. But without fail by this time the fol- lowing summer, the fescue is already showing signs of stress from low light and high tem- peratures. When I increase the water to help out my grass, it’s almost a sure thing that in the most shaded areas the lawn gets attacked by water mold fungi and melts away for the season.
What seems to help a great deal is to thin
August 9-10, 2012 Moore Norman Technology Center
13301 S. Penn Ave. in OKC
The 2-day conference offers a variety of sessions to assist participants in successfully managing risk for their families, farms and/or businesses. Concurrent sessions are offered for three tracks: agriculture, alternative enterprises and business & finance.
For registration and conference information, visit
www.OKWomenInAgAndSmallBusiness.com or call OSU Agricultural Economics at (405) 744-9836.
out the canopy of my trees to provide more sunshine on the turf and open up areas around the lawn to facilitate better air move- ment. The faster the grass dries after irriga- tion or a rain, the less chance it will have to contract the dreaded brown patch disease. At least once a season I apply a lawn fungicide product for added protection. I also reject the temptation to fertilize my fescue in the summer, no matter how bad it looks, because invariably, this will hasten disease problems. Out in the full sun, my bermuda grass has had a great spring so far, but it won’t be long before insects, disease and weeds could cause that part of my lawn to nose dive. So, it pays to spray with the same fungicide I used on the fescue and to make another application of a crabgrass control product. Fertilizing every four to six weeks makes a huge difference in the quality of bermuda grass. I recommend a commercially prepared turf fertilizer, not a garden fertilizer, with relatively low nitrogen and added sulfur and iron. If you can fi nd
10 OKLAHOMA LIVING Green All Season Long
one at a good price, get a combination prod- uct with weed control ingredients and/or an insecticide added to the fertilizer. I have talked to many folks who are about ready to give up trying to keep grass alive in the shaded areas of the lawn. The grass seems to die out every year regardless of how much spraying, watering, fertilizing and reseeding is done. If you fi nd yourself in this situation, it might be time to consider how you can re- duce the lawn area and plant groundcovers where grass will not grow. This will cut back on your mowing time and the cost for water and lawn care products. Some great groundcovers for the shady areas include English ivy, vinca, moneywort, liriope (monkey grass), and ophiopogon (mondo grass). These groundcovers will not do well if they get more than four to six hours of direct sun, so study the area a bit before you plant them. I use an old garden hose to locate the border of the new groundcover bed and then spray paint along it to mark where the new metal edging will be installed. It’s a good idea to have a hard edge between the lawn grass and groundcovers for easier maintenance as time goes by. A shallow til- ing of the new groundcover planting bed, just one or two inches, should not harm the tree roots, and will loosen the existing turf for re- moval. After you plant the new groundcover I encourage you to sprinkle the area with a pre-emergent herbicide to keep weeds at bay until the groundcover thickens and covers the bare ground.
Hopefully these suggestions will help you grow a lawn that is the envy of the neighbor- hood this season—green, thick and beautiful!
Handy Tips
✓ Thin out tree canopy to facili- tate air movement
✓ Apply lawn fungicide once a season
✓ Fertilize once every four to six weeks with a commercially prepared fertilizer
✓ Reduce lawn area and plant more groundcovers OL
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148