To say that this spring has been “a little wet” would be the understatement of the year. We’ve had abnormally high to near-record rainfall amounts—seven to 15 inches in many areas—across the Great Plains and Midwest this April.
With all the flooding and saturation, you should be prepared for an uptick in disease pressure. Here’s what you need to know—and how to stay one step ahead.
Switch Up Your Mowing Strategy
Improper mowing practices can be just as damaging as diseases. If you offer mowing services, encourage your crews to raise their mower decks to the maximum height. This is the most effective way to keep equipment from clogging while still achieving an effective cut. It’s also best to avoid overly wet areas since a mower’s weight can cause rutting. Instead of mowing these areas, your crews should flag them so they can be mowed later. Clippings should be either spread out or removed from your customers’ yards entirely to prevent disease and allow the yard to breathe.
Make Sure Your Customers Keep Their Hoses Off
Your crews should make it clear to customers that they should not be watering their lawns right now. The soil is already saturated, and overwatering will only exacerbate the situation, opening the door even wider to disease pressure. Overwatering also inhibits root growth, resulting in shallow roots that are more susceptible to stress, which will be a major problem come summer.
Keep an Eye Out for Diseases
Now is the time to scout for diseases, especially red thread. This disease’s causal pathogen likes conditions that promote slow turf growth, and wet weather fits the bill perfectly. Nitrogen deficiencies commonly cause this disease, so a well-timed application of nitrogen (one pound per thousand square feet) should be sufficient to kick off the recovery process.
While red thread is relatively easy to control, preventative fungicide applications will help you get out ahead of other, more difficult diseases. Also, keep in mind that you can enhance your fungicide applications with plant health products. A popular and effective product is Foliar-Pak Colonise Bio LTO, which delivers a vibrant color response and encourages quick recovery, in addition to the control provided by the fungicide. Your customers will likely notice and appreciate all three of those effects.
It’s too early to make preventative applications right now, but it’s not too early to reach out to your ATS rep for product suggestions and advice. Keep your customers’ lawns healthy and give them a call today.
