Heat & Drought Stress

October 2, 2019 by Micheal Larson

What you need to know about Heat and Drought Stress:

Normally occurs with seasonal high temperatures and lack of rain.
Blades become dried out and turn “ off color”
In extreme cases, lawn will turn brown and mimic dormancy stage. Also, grass will remain matted if walked on and “crunch” under your feet. You will see tracks from lawn mowers or anything driven over the sod.
It can take up to 1-2 weeks to recover, once adequate rainfall or watering occurs.
During drought conditions or if inadequate rainfall occurs, in order to prevent heat/drought stress, supplemental watering needs to be done before yard gets into extreme drought condition. Once this occurs, it is almost impossible to have the sod recover with routine irrigation.
Rule of thumb is to water your sod infrequently but DEEPLY! When watering you need to water each area/zone at least ½” or more (35 min-45min in each location/zone). This keeps the root system deep and the lawn properly hydrated.
If you water a little bit everyday, you are encouraging the roots to stay “shallow” and Increases the change of heat/drought stress damage., especially in high heat and drought conditions.

More information about proper watering can be found at this UGA Extension article Watering Lawns.

URGENT ALERT: We have seen fescue Brown Patch appearing in an alarming number of lawns this spring (2019). It’s imperative that you contact us immediately before your entire lawn is destroyed by this disease. Don’t wait until it’s too late!

Pathogen- Rhizoctonia Solani aka Brown Spot

The beauty of a lawn can be quickly destroyed by brown patch or large patch, which are serious fungal diseases (each caused by different strains of Rhizoctoniasolani). Generally, symptoms of brown patch begin on cool-season grasses (tall fescue, ryegrass, bluegrass, and bentgrass) during the late spring. The disease can develop rapidly when daytime temperatures are warm (75 to 90 °F) and humid, nighttime temperatures are above 60 ºF, and there is an extended period of leaf wetness.

Symptoms of brown and large patch diseases may vary greatly with the type of grass and soil conditions. The diseases usually cause thinned patches of light brown grass that are roughly circular in shape. These areas range in diameter from a few inches to several feet. Often the center of the patch will recover, resulting in a doughnut-shaped pattern. Close inspection of cool-season grass blades reveals small, irregular, tan leaf spots with dark-brown borders. Bentgrass may not show individual lesions, but leaves will turn brown and shrivel. Infected warm-season grasses rarely have leaf spots but instead, have rotted leaf sheaths near the soil surface.

Brown patch is the most common and important disease of tall fescue in the Southeast. In most cases, affected areas are able to recover, but tall fescue lawns less than a year old can be completely killed.

If you see these patterns in your lawn, PLEASE CALL US IMMEDIATELY! Brown patch spreads rapidly and can kill your entire lawn if left untreated!

We have seen Brown Patch appearing in an alarming number of lawns this year. Fungicides are almost always applied on a curative basis for controlling brown patch. Both contact and penetrant fungicides are effective in fighting this disease. It’s imperative that you contact us immediately by either completing the form below or calling our office at 678-840-4449. One of our experts will design a treatment program specifically for your lawn’s condition. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Get An Urgent Fescue Brown Patch Quote:

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Address with Fescue Brown Patch*
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3 Easy Winter Lawn Care Tips

December 6, 2018 by Micheal Larson

Winter is here, and with it comes some unique challenges regarding caring for your outdoor plants and yard. Thankfully, Alternative Environments is here to help with winter lawn maintenance! Here are 3 winter weather lawn care tips to help care for your Villa Rica lawn:

Make sure to mow to the correct height! You may be tempted to mow low so that you don’t have to cut your grass as often, but it’s important to set your mower height to over 1.5 inches during the winter. This length will help keep your grass insulted during the colder months.
Always avoid foot traffic when your grass is dormant or frosted. Dormant or frosted grass is much easier to weaken or damage. If you don’t have a clearly marked pathway to your front door for holiday guests, give us a call to discuss options for walkways and hardscaping. Your lawn will thank you!
Choose the right plants. It’s important to know which plants need to be covered or brought inside when the outside temperature reaches freezing. If you don’t want to have to cover your flowers or bring them inside, make sure to choose flowers that can withstand winter weather.

Of course, the easiest way to care for your lawn this winter is by hiring Alternative Environments to do it for you! We offer top-notch Villa Rica lawn care services to keep your residential or commercial lawn healthy all year long. Contact us today for a free estimate.

Better Together – The Benefits of Overseeding and Aerating Your Fescue Lawn

August 3, 2018 by Micheal Larson

Traditional style home with green lawn and brick-lined walkway

A thick, luxurious fescue lawn is a thing of beauty, but sometimes your lawn needs a little help to grow to its fullest potential. That’s where overseeding and aeration come in! Alone, these services are important for a healthy, vibrant lawn. However when combined, they become a powerful one-two punch of effective lawn care!

Why Are Aeration and Overseeding Important?

Aeration is so much more than just “poking holes” in your lawn! It removes cores or plugs of soil, thatch, and grass, allowing air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots more efficiently, and in turn, encouraging growth.
Overseeding is a solution for damaged or thin lawns, adding seed to areas that have fallen victim to summer heat, pests, or disease. Seeding over areas of established grass helps to fill in the gaps and create a thicker, more robust lawn that is better able to fend off these hazards.

Why Combine Aeration and Overseeding?

Aeration and overseeding are often combined because aeration creates an ideal environment for the new seeds. The holes and cores left behind by aeration ensure that seeds come into contact with soil, rather than getting caught in the thatch layer. When more seeds reach the soil, more of them germinate, and more grass fills in the sparse areas, leaving you with a lawn that is not only thick and attractive, but tougher in the face of lawn hazards like drought, disease, and insects. Combining aeration and overseeding will give you a healthier, hardier fescue lawn with that “make-the-neighbors-jealous” look, but the time to book is now! If you’d like to learn more about overseeding, aeration, or any other landscape and lawn care services, contact us!

4 Summertime Lawn Care Tips for Healthy Grass

July 11, 2018 by Micheal Larson

We’re well into summer, but it’s never too late to start practicing good lawn care. With Georgia’s summer heat, it’s important to take extra precautions to keep your lawn looking lively and growing healthy. Consider the following lawn care tips for beautiful grass:

Mow Your Lawn Correctly

It’s tempting to mow your lawn as short as possible so you don’t have to do this chore weekly. However, grass that has been cut too short is at the mercy of the elements. The scorching heat may brown your green grass and burn any existing water. When you mow, make sure to put the blades to the highest length.

Distribute Your Grass Clippings

Many lawn mowers spit the grass clippings onto the lawn that was just cut. Instead of bagging these clippings, re-distribute them evenly across the lawn. These clippings not only provide shade for your freshly-cut lawn, but they also add nutrients to the soil below.

Water Your Lawn

Grass thrives when it has enough water. If you’re not watering your lawn already, make sure to start. It needs roughly one inch of water on a weekly basis to grow properly. When you water your grass, do so in the early morning hours before the scorching sun is high in the sky.

Remove Weeds Quickly

Weeds and thatch are soil’s worst enemy. When weeds take root, they infiltrate the soil and choke out good plants and wanted grass. When you remove weeds before they spread, you are enabling your grass to have the room it needs to grow and thrive.

If you’re searching for lawn, tree, and shrub care, Alternative Environments is the company for you. We can help make your existing lawn into a thriving, healthy lawn that you’ll never want to leave. Contact us today with your questions.

Serving West Georgia for over 25 Years

Heat & Drought Stress

Spring Fescue Brown Patch