Lawns

Hot, sunny and dry conditions are facts of life for Nebraska gardeners. If your lawn has suffered in recent years from drought, it might be worthwhile to consider buffalograss as an alternative to your current Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue lawn. Buffalograss is a native grass, so it's well adapted to Nebraska growing conditions and soil types, growing particularly well in clay soil.  It's also very drought tolerant and low growing, so watering and mowing are reduced once it's established.

Picture-perfect lawns under the shade of mature trees - it sounds nice, but is often not realistic especially for trees which produce very dense shade like oaks and linden. Acceptable lawns in partial shade are possible, however some modifications in lawn care are needed.

Caring for a lawn and landscape is a lot of work! Mowing, fertilization, seeding and weed control in a lawn, along with planting, pruning and pest management in trees and landscape areas requires more time than many homeowners have available or the equipment to accomplish. Plus, the identification of weeds and pests often needs a professional's knowledge.

Late summer and fall are an exciting time in the garden. Harvest is in full swing, perennials can be divided, lawns can be overseeded, and so much more! It’s a shame to miss this window of opportunity to “upgrade” your landscape. There’s work to be done – that’s for sure – but focusing on the most important tasks first and tackling them in the right order will save work in the long run.

Last week, we looked at the best time and methods for controlling yellow nutsedge and summer annual weeds. Next up, let’s discuss broadleaf perennial and winter annual weeds. Examples of broadleaf weeds include dandelions, violets, ground ivy and poison ivy; from a very simplified perspective, broadleaf weeds are any weed which is not a grass or sedge.

About this time every summer weeds begin to drive us crazy; they love the heat of mid-summer! Here are some tips to help maintain your sanity and create the best long-term strategy to minimize weeds in your landscape.

Even though weeds are most problematic now, this is one of the worst times of year to get good control. Weeds don’t translocate herbicides into their roots well at this time of year, which limits effectiveness. In mid-summer when a systemic herbicide is used, it often kills only the weed's leaves, but not the crown or roots. So they quickly recover and grow back.

What happened to our April showers? The Lincoln area received only 0.59 inches of rain – measured at the Lincoln Airport - instead of our normal 2.69 inches for April. May is not looking good either – only 0.49 inches so far, compared to our normal 4.91 inches. I cringe to think what the rest of summer bring!

We ended 2022 with a serious rainfall deficient – 11.90 inches below normal, measured from January 2021 through December 2022. In 2023, that deficit has gotten even larger. We’re now 15.22 inches below normal (January 2021 through April 2023).

After waiting all winter for a new growing season to start, when spring finally does arrive it seems to hit us hard and fast. Then before we know it, spring is gone and we’re in the middle of summer.

There are many tasks to accomplish in the spring landscape. To help you develop a plan and not get behind or miss your “window of opportunity”, here’s a quick rundown of common landscape projects listed in order of attack.

While you may not think of it much, mathematics is an important part of yard and garden care. Planning for planting, fertilizing, mulching, and pest control all involve some math, yet it is often overlooked.

For example, do you know square footage (sq.ft.) of your planting beds, vegetable garden or lawn? Once these figures are known, record them so they are readily available when needed.

Weeds are usually the most visible lawn and landscape pest, and can be a major problem for homeowners. Weeds are opportunistic, taking advantage of thin areas in your lawn or openings in your landscape beds to grow and thrive. They compete with desirable plants for space, light, water, and nutrients, and detract from the appearance and function of your lawn or landscape.

One of the most easily recognized insects in the home landscape is the white grub. Almost every gardener has seen white grub larvae in the soil, while installing new plants or tilling the vegetable garden. The term "white grub" actually encompasses the larval stage of several scarab beetles, the most common, and most damaging, being the June beetle or masked chafer, and the Japanese beetle. Less well-known are the May/June beetle and green June beetle. All have a white grub larval stage that can cause damage to turfgrass.