Lawns
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We’ve had numerous calls this season about mushrooms popping up in lawns and landscapes. When the “fungus among us” forms a circle or arc pattern, it’s commonly known as a fairy ring. In some cases, fairy ring mushrooms can cause a discoloration or abnormal growth of turfgrass in lawns. According to medieval folklore, they were […]
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In late summer, almost every year, caterpillars invade pastures, hay fields, and home lawns throughout the state. Particularly in pastures and hay fields, damage may be severe before the worms are noticed. The grass is usually not killed, but hay yield and forage can be reduced to almost nothing over whole fields in extreme cases. […]
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This is the time of year that everyone is asking about how and when to fertilize their pastures, lawns, and gardens. My favorite request is “could you come out to my house and look at my lawn or pasture and tell me why I can’t grow anything?” I’ve looked at many pastures, lawns and gardens […]
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The local Extension office has received numerous calls in recent weeks about warm-season lawns that are struggling to green-up this spring. Based on conversations with my colleagues, this appears to be a wide spread issue throughout North Georgia. What we are observing is that some lawns are very patchy and thin as well as being […]
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Moles are insectivores that are closely related to shrews and bats. In the fall, there is a lot of mole activity because white grubs are starting to hatch out near the soil surface. This is one of the mole’s favorite snacks. Moles tunneling under the lawn can be a symptom of a grub problem, especially […]
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Every year, local county Extension offices receive hundreds of phone calls from homeowners with questions about “when” to do this or that to their lawns. When do I fertilize? When do I plant grass seed? When do I core aerate? When do I apply pre-emergent herbicides? These are just a few examples of the many […]
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With the recent dry weather encouraging the use, and possible overuse of irrigation systems, and then the recent tropical conditions (high rainfall and humidity), we have had several pictures and questions about a jelly-like substance growing in lawns. The jelly-like “stuff” is a Nostoc algae, a type of cyanobacterium formerly classified as blue-green algae. It […]
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This presentation is geared toward certified arborists, landscapers, master gardeners, and home gardeners that commonly use phenoxy herbicides for lawn weed control. This particular presentation focuses on the potential for phenoxy herbicides to affect non-target trees and woody ornamentals in landscape settings due to poor application choices by professionals. This is an issue that is commonly encountered in the landscape and arboriculture industry, as seen by numerous plant samples submitted to local Extension offices diagnosed with phenoxy herbicide injury. One focus of the training details a case study example showing the potential for tree injury from root absorption of phenoxy herbicides and highlighting possible liability if not used appropriately. The purpose of this presentation is to raise awareness in the industry about this important issue and provide practical tips on avoiding potential damage and liability.
