August Update: How am I Doing?

Steve came by today to give me an update on how he thinks my quest is going. The lawn does look better than it did last year at this time. I need to do some more work over the next six-to-eight weeks if I hope to near perfection, though.

Perfect Time to Chase the Perfect Lawn

With the days getting shorter and Labor Day around the corner, you might think it's time to stop laboring over your lawn, but you're wrong. Some solid effort between now and the first hard frost can go a long way toward getting a great start in 2009. Here's this week's Turf Tip on preparing for the work ahead.

For the most part, Steve says you should wait to do most of this work until we get out of this current hot spell where temperatures are in the upper 80s. I didn't have time on WDAZ News at 5 to get as in depth as a I wanted, so here are some bonus videos with more information on the topics covered in the above story; weed control, seeding and fertilizing:

Weed Control

Fertilizing

Seeding

Grubs and Worms

Here's this week's Turf Tip on insect control. Grubs and Web Sodworms are two problem insects in North Dakota. For more information, the University of Minnesota Extension office has an extensive page on Japanese Beetles which is what grubs become. Sod webworms get the "more-than-you-care-to-know" treatment on this NDSU page.

While grubs and sod webworms can be controlled effectively with insecticides, there is no chemical labeled to deal with another lawn pest, nightcrawlers. Steve's counterpart in Cass County, Ron Smith, says that an application of Sevin will knock down about thirty percent of the nightcrawler population in your lawn. Here's a link to a page that archives a number of questions he's gotten on nightcrawlers. One thing to remember about nightcrawlers; they are, in moderation, good for your grass as they provide natural aeration. If their hills get to be too much, you can knock them down with a power rake.

New Promotional Spot

We did a new promo for the Turf Tips segment. The first one was dated and I think people have seen it a million times on WDAZ. Here's the new one.

Unlike a lot of the station promos we shoot, I was heavily involved in the writing of this spot. I wrote the script and Promotions Manager Angela Cary polished it up for me. We had a good time shooting it with Production Photographer Jake Tracy and Production Director Mike Derman edited it all together.

Slugs Anyone?

One of my next segments is going to be on lawn pests. Anyone in the Grand Forks area have a problem with slugs in their yard (or garden). I don't, but I'd like to get some video of them. Drop me an email at msmith@wdaz.com if you can share your bug slug problem with the web.