YELLOW NUTSEDGE

 

Do you have a lime-green grass that pops up in your lawn faster than the rest of your grass? Is this lime-green scourge the bane of your lawn? If so you are not alone. Different from crabgrass or foxtail, nutsedge is not an annual weed grass but a perennial sedge. Yellow Nutsedge is a challenging weed to eliminate from your lawn and flower beds. Planning and persistence is the key for success to win the battle with this weed. Many people unknowingly make the mistake of pulling the plant when they see it in their lawn or flower bed. As the name implies this plant has nutlets (underground storage structures similar to an onion bulb) and when you pull the plant you only get a portion of the roots and never the nutlets. Each plant can have anywhere from 6-12 nutlets per plant and they will activate or break dormancy when the plant is pulled. So by pulling one plant you make up to a dozen more. Mid May through mid June is the best time of the year to use chemical treatments to eliminate Nutsedge successfully. Currently, there is only one product available that eradicates the weed and that is Sedge Hammer. By applying the chemical control when the plant is young, you increase your rate of success in eliminating the weed. Immature plants do not form their nutlets until around the first day of summer. After the first day of summer the chemical control will burn and get rid of the foliage of the plant but the nutlets may or may not be eliminated as well. Nutlets can remain dormant in the soil for years then activate giving rise to new plants. Nutsedge can be pulled in the immature stage (nor more than three leaf stage) without the threat of increasing the population of the plant. This summer take a picture of where the Nutsedge is so you can spray mid May to early June before you see the plant. Keep in mind you will kill the plant but there still could be a large population of nutlets in the soil that can pop up later. This may give you the feeling that you are fighting a losing battle or chemical treatments are not working. They are. Stay persistent, schedule your plant of attack now, and remember this is a multiple-season battle.

CRABGRASS

Along your driveway and sidewalk are you seeing a wide leaf grass that is low to the ground and almost hairy in appearance? Do you have areas in your lawn where the grass has died and this fat looking grass has taken over? If yes, you probably have crabgrass. Crabgrass is an annual weed grass that takes over once lawns start to struggle in hot weather. The nice thing about crabgrass is it will die with the first frost, however that's months away from now. There are a few options that you can do to eliminate the existing crabgrass. You can use Ferti-lome Crabgrass Killer or Ferti-lome Weedout Plus. Both products are a concentrate that you will mix with water and spray. Use a spreader sticker to increase the effectiveness of both products. Another option is applying a second round of a pre-emergent first part of June then again in July (pre-emergent with out a fertilizer) to give you season long control (Hi-Yield Dimension). Crabgrass is an opportunistic weed that will take advantage of a stressed out lawn. Remember to mow your lawn at 3” and water every three days at the rate of ½” per watering. The best weed control is a healthy lawn.

PLANTS FAILING TO FLOWER

During the heat of the summer many plants stop flowering. This can be very frustrating after all the hard work that you devoted to arranging and planting. Some general reasons why plants fail to flower are the following:

• Too much Nitrogen and not enough Phosphorus. The plant will usually have lots of green leaves but no flowers. Apply Hi-Yield's Super Phosphate to help correct the problem.
• Hibiscus, bougainvillea, gardenia, jasmine, oleander that fail to flower - try using an acid fertilizer such as Miracid by Miracle Grow. These plants are tropical and our alkaline water can inhibit flower production.
• Deadhead annuals to encourage more flowers. Plants will put energy into making seeds after they flower. By removing the flowers, you trick the plant into making more because the purpose of the flower is to proliferate.
• Not enough sun - many plans such as a shrub rose, perennial hibiscus, day lily, saliva are full sun plants. If they receive less than 8 hours of direct sun they may not flower as profusely as they could.
• Fertilize - plants make their own food, but they need vitamins to thrive and be healthy. Fertilize with an appropriate fertilizer for that plant to encourage flowers. Some great general fertilizers for plants are Ferti-lome Gardeners Special, Ferti-lome Blooming and Rooting, Alaska More Bloom, Fish Emulsion, Osmocote, and Miracle Grow.
• Immature plants - newly planted perennials often fail to flower because of their age. Give them some time and they will reward you with flowers.

What's Bugging You written by Scott Evans, Mulhall's garden shop manger, is a bi-weekly post that provides solutions to local lawn and garden issues. The column will run as long as you have problems that you need help with.

We encourage you to tell us what's bugging you in your garden or lawn. Please submit your issues along with a picture of your problem and your contact information to whatsbuggingyou@mulhalls.com.

If we use your submission we will send you a $10 Mulhall's gift card!