Is your grass looking brown this summer? If so, you may be able to make some changes so that it will be greener and healthier.

The foundation for a healthy, competitive lawn starts with an understanding of photosynthesis. You may have forgotten, but you probably at least heard this word in high school biology. It is the process by which plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sunlight and then produce carbohydrates and oxygen. Just as plant carbohydrates are a critical part of the human diet, plants also use these carbohydrates to maintain growth.

When turf grass is mowed too closely, we limit the ability of our turf to manufacture carbohydrates. A lack of plant food results in a weaker and diminishing root system. The above ground portion of a plant, such as turf grass, and the root system mirror each other. A shorter grass height will only support a shallow root system.

A higher cutting height will also encourage a denser stand by preventing weeds. Less sunlight that makes its way to the soil surface means less weed competition. While it may be a small difference, the soil surface temperature will be lower when a turf grass is mowed higher.

Fescue is by far the best turf grass for Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia as we live in an area where warm season grasses like bermudagrass often are killed by our colder winters. Fescue is a cool season grass and performs best at a mowing height of three inches. During the dryer and hotter part of the summer, a grass would survive better at a mowing height of 3 and to 4 inches.

Competitive summer weeds such as bermudagrass, crabgrass, goosegrass, and dallisgrass tolerate close mowing. When a lawn is mowed at two inches and below, these grassy weeds are more likely to become established as they take advantage of the open areas in the turf.

Many lawn management strategies such as fertilization, chemical weed control, dethatching, aeration, and over-seeding all cost you money. The goal for turf grass weed control should be to maintain a competitive, dense turf. The first step in this process doesnt cost anything. Just raise the deck.

Chris Ramsey is an agriculture extension agent in Sullivan County. His office is at 3258 Highway 126 in Blountville. You can reach him at 423-279-2723 or cwramsey@utk.edu.

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Easy way to keep lawn green during dry spells

Heartleaf pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata var. cordata) is put to good use along a ponds edge at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

By Tom Glasgow / N.C. Cooperative Extension

Aquatic herbicides are available to control most any aquatic weed we might encounter in our ponds and streams. However, good cultural practices can greatly reduce the opportunity for these weeds to develop in the first place, and should be our first line of defense.

For starters, in her July/August Environmental Update, Diana Rashash of the Onslow County Extension office reminds us that planting grass all the way to a ponds edge is not recommended. Not only can mowing be difficult, many of the cut grass blades invariably make their way into the water, adding nutrients and supporting the development of aquatic weeds. In addition, mowed grass maintained down to the waters edge does nothing to reduce wave action, and this can result in increased slumping or undercutting along the waters edge.

Rashash suggests instead that we utilize well adapted aquatics such as pickerelweed, Joe-Pye weed, and various rushes and sedges. These plants will do a nice job stabilizing the soil, reducing wave action, providing shelter for juvenile fish, and utilizing any nutrients that do make it into the water. She does caution that some aquatics can be very invasive, and care should be taken in what you decide to plant. (Visit http://www.weedscience.ncsu.edu/aquaticweeds/ for information on what to plant, what to avoid, and lots more on aquatic weed and pond management. )

Rashashs comments are echoed in a May/June 2014 article found in North Carolina Turfgrass (a publication of the Turfgrass Council of North Carolina). Brad Harris, a forestry biologist and aquatic specialist with SOLitude Lake Management, writes Having an aquatic vegetative buffer around the perimeter of the pond can reduce erosion and sedimentation issues, as well as help the uptake of excess nutrients that would otherwise enter the water column, which can lead to potentially severe aquatic weed and algae issues.

If you have a private or community pond with some level of aquatic weed presence, and for aesthetic reasons neatly mowed grass surrounds the entire perimeter of the pond, this summer would be a great time to reevaluate your planting and maintenance practices.

Recently I checked with Craven County Master Gardener volunteer Sheila Weibert for an update on plans for the fall and winter vegetable garden that is maintained on the grounds of the Craven County Agricultural Building.

Weibert tells me that volunteers will starting seeding red beets, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, collards, spinach, rutabaga and turnips in late August. She expects to see collard, spinach and maybe kale plants in the garden centers by late August. Check with your favorite local garden centers for information on when they expect to start bringing in fall and winter vegetables.

Craven County Master Gardener Volunteers will lead an irrigation presentation at the Craven County Agricultural Building on Saturday, July 19, beginning at 10 a.m. Topics will include plant selection, water sources and drip irrigation. This event is free and open to the public, and no preregistration is needed. The following Monday at 5:30 p.m. well hold our usual third-Monday plant selection program, also free and with no preregistration needed.

Read the rest here:
Tom Glasgow: A natural balance can reduce acquatic weeds

As part of its participation in the New Jersey Audubons Corporate Stewardship Council (CSC), Trump National Golf Club has completed its second phase of habitat restoration at its Bedminster, property with additional native grass seeding and riparian plantings to benefit migratory bird and pollinators.

In May and June 2014 an additional 320 native trees and shrubs were installed by Trump staff, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and NJ Audubon as part of Trumps enrollment into the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program through the CSC.

These plantings bring the total of native trees and shrubs installed through the program up to over 650 plants at the site. Native plants have certain characteristics that make them uniquely adapted to local conditions, said John Parke, Stewardship Director of New Jersey Audubon. They are not only atheistically beautiful and provide habitat, but they are a practical and ecologically valuable alternative for landscaping. With the incorporation of more native plants at the Trump property, Trump National is helping to showcase a growing and positive trend across the nation that using native plants in landscaping is not just for residential properties, but for commercial businesses as well. Basically, using native plants can get great looking landscapes that fit in naturally with the local area, while saving or improving natural resources.

Because they are so well adapted to regional fluctuation in temperature and rainfall typically native plants use less water, are more drought tolerant and resistant to disease and pests so they are used to taking care of themselves. So additional irrigation, pesticide use or fertilization needs are less likely needed or a concern at all.

As far as habitat value, native vegetation is one of the most important features of an animal's habitat because it often provides most, if not all of an animal's habitat needs (i.e. food, cover and raising young). The wildlife in-turn helps those plants to reproduce through the dispersal of the plants pollen or seeds. Therefore, plants and animals are interdependent and certain plants and animals are often found together because they have evolved together.

Though the installation of native plants at the Trump property, a variety of bird, amphibian and butterfly species have been documented to be actively utilizing the property as breeding grounds.

Our partnership with the USFWS and NJ Audubon has been a tremendous success on many levels.

They have consulted on transforming vast acres of our property with native plant species which has enhanced the beauty of the course and increased wildlife habitat. The process has been both fun and educational for staff and membership. said David Schutzenhofer General Manager, Trump National Golf Club.

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Habitat enhancements continue at Trump National Golf Course

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Q: My neighbor suggests that I paint the trunk of the new apricot tree I just planted. Really? A.R., North Valley

A: Fruit tree trunk painting is a time-honored process thatll keep your trees healthier. So, yes, I agree with your neighbor, and there are several reasons why this helps.

In these parts, during the winter months, we have those spectacular days when the sun shines bright and most anything with a southern exposure gets warmed by it. If the tree trunks get too warm, they sort of thaw and can move sap. Then, inevitably, well have a brutal cold snap soon after.

Its that thaw/freeze action that can cause internal damage in the blood vessels, if you will. With the warmth of the sun they expand, then rapidly contract with the cold. That action can cause wee fissures or cracks of the vessels causing the sap to pool internally. Eventually the pooling works its way out of the trunk. You notice the damage as a sticky, sometimes smelly, weeping up on the tree trunk during the growing season. Painting helps prevent sunburn on the trunks during the summer months, too, especially on younger, newly planted fruit trees.

Next, think of the paint as a pest preventer! Bunnies wont want to nibble on your tender young tree if its painted because it wont smell yummy. Then, too, the paint will help to keep your trees from being attacked by borers especially, if youve painted the whole trunk starting at just below ground level.

Scooch the soil away from the base of the tree and you should notice a gentle swelling or collar at its base. Start your painting just below that collar, remembering to push the soil back to the trunk once the paint is dry, and continue up the trunk to the first branches. You can use latex paint (be sure to use latex) for this process since itll allow the tree trunk to breathe, so to speak. Also, you can find tree paint at most nurseries and certainly online, too. I even found a couple of homemade tree paint recipes while poking about the Internet. So your neighbor really is correct. Paint your young fruit tree trunks; theyll be glad you did!

Q: There are a few bare spots in my lawn that I want to reseed. Can I do that now? N.F., Albuquerque

A: I think itll depend on the type of grass you plan on seeding with.

In the heat of the summer, seeding with a warm season grass such as Bermuda or tiff green you should be able to succeed. Rough up the spots and rake them smooth, being sure to remove any old thatch in the spots. If the spots are below grade fill them with a mixture of topsoil and finely milled compost, making sure to tamp it down. Just before seeding, very gently rough up the topmost layer of the spots so the seeds have a way to grab onto the soil. Spread your seed, and then retamp the spots so the seed gets held firmly in place.

See the article here:
Paint on trunk helps fruit trees

Brandon Sun - ONLINE EDITION

By: Jessica Botelho-Urbanski

Friday, Jun. 27, 2014 at 7:53 AM | Comments: 0

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Evan Rasmussen, who farms west of Headingley, supplied grass seed to this year's World Cup.

World Cup soccer players getting their kicks in Brazil are doing it on grass from Manitoba seeds.

And even if you didn't make it to Brazil, you can grow a similar lawn. The Manitoba blend has some tough Kentucky bluegrass mixed in for our harsh climate.

Canadian company Pickseed was plucked as the official grass seed supplier for this year's World Cup. The company provided Manitoba-grown perennial rye grass seeds for each of the World Cup's 12 stadiums.

Pickseed also provided seeds for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2012 UEFA European Championship in Ukraine and Poland.

"We have a World Cup blend we sell that is designed for soccer pitches and other playgrounds, which germinates quicker than regular grass," said Terry Scott, the western Canadian vice-president of DLF Pickseed.

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World Cup using Manitoba grass

Will Roger Federer grab an eighth Wimbledon, after lifting the Halle grass court trophy for the seventh time this year?

Tennis grand slam players have had only two weeks to transition from clay at the French Open to the grass surface at the ongoing Wimbledon (till July 6). This gap will be increased to three weeks from next year to help players adjust better to the surface change.

Grass, once the mainstay of tennis courts everywhere but increasingly rare, is the fastest surface with the ball bouncing to knee-level. On hard courts, it could be between the knee and the shoulder, and on clay courts it is above the shoulder. This makes the play technique on grass different from that on other surfaces it is relatively more aggressive.

Slowdown on grass

Points in Wimbledon were scored quickly in the past. Champions Boris Becker and Pete Sampras, for instance, would win a point with four or five shots. Now long rallies are seen more often. TV channels flash the number of shots when a rally is long. The slowing of the games with longer rallies is meant to promote the entertainment value of the sport. Eminent commentators, once leading players themselves, have said the grass is different from how it was in the past and the balls are heavier, contributing to the slower pace. Many are calling it the homogenisation of surfaces faster courts becoming slower.

In tennis history, only six players have made a successful transition from clay to grass, winning the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back Rene Lacoste (1925), Fred Perry (1935), Budge Patty (1950), Bjorn Borg (1978, 1979 and 1980), Rafael Nadal (2008 and 2010) and Roger Federer (2009). It is called the Channel Slam.

Warm-up to Wimbledon

In the fortnight between the two Slams, there are four grass court warm-up tournaments for men, of which the ones at Queens Club, London, and Halle in Germany are especially patronised by leading players. But the probability of these finalists winning the Wimbledon is not high as happens in the Rome Masters vis--vis the French Open. All the top players participate in the Rome Masters, played on clay.

In the warm-up to Wimbledon, however, the high-ranked players are divided between London and Halle. Since 2000 only Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Murray have won back-to-back at Queens Club (called Aegon Championship) and Wimbledon. This year, Grigor Dimitrov was the champion in London, while it was Roger Federer in Germany. Dimitrov became a sensation after beating Alexandr Dolgopolov, Stanislas Wawrinka and Feliciano Lpez Daz-Guerra.

According to the draw, and going by the seeding, the quarter-final line-up in Wimbledon is likely to be: Novak Djokovic-Tom Berdych, Murray-David Ferrer, Wawrinka-Federer, and Milos Raonic-Nadal. Till a few years ago, Djokovic, Murray, Federer and Nadal constituted the quartet in Grand Slam semifinals. That quartets grip has loosened in more recent times.

Excerpt from:
A long shot on grass

Rusty Caldwell, parks foreman for the city of Westminster, bleeding air out of irrigation lines in Kensington Park on June 19. Kensington is one of three city parks in a pilot program replacing Kentucky bluegrass with a water saving native blend. (Austin Briggs, Your Hub)

WESTMINSTER The new grass coming up on the west side of Kensington Park isn't replacing a die-off it's replacing grass that was killed off.

Parks officials this year used an herbicide to kill the Kentucky bluegrass that had been there prior to planting native seeds including fescue, rye and Canadian bluegrass.

The new ground cover will conserve water and save the city money, said Jessica Stauffer, the community outreach coordinator for the city's Parks, Recreation and Library department.

"We went $200,000 over budget last year in watering costs for our parks," Stauffer said. "The native grass being seeded stays greener longer and means fewer taxpayer dollars used for maintenance."

In addition to Kensington, England and Oakhurst Park II are also being re-seeded in select spots totaling 8.4 acres away from playgrounds and high-traffic areas.

The new blend, which will grow between eight to 10 inches tall, won't need to be mowed because it will follow a natural cycle of dormancy and growth, said parks supervisor Jerry Magnetti.

"We'll do a second seeding this fall," Magnetti said. "It's a low-grow, low-maintenance seed mix that will fill in and look beautiful, especially in the fall and cooler months."

While it'll take another year or two for the grasses to establish, the goal is to see how this experiment works and perhaps apply it to a citywide program amid a long-term drought and rising water costs.

In 2005 the Department of Parks, Recreation and Libraries used 216 million gallons of water at a cost of $863,675 and in 2012 this grew to 319 million gallons and $1,362,975.

More:
Westminster parks eliminating Kentucky bluegrass in favor of native seeds

Serena Williams, who won Wimbledon in 2012, will likely open on Centre Court on Tuesday.

GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

A quick pre-Wimbledon mailbag...

First, we're starting to get questions and tweets about Wimbledon's seeding. We can debate whether tournaments should depart from rankings and take surface aptitude into account (I think it's fine), but let's be clear: this is NOT subjective. There are no conspiracies. It is a transparent formula. In fact, here it is:

Men -- The seeds are the top 32 players on the ATP Ranking list, BUT then rearranged on a surface-based system. Since 2002 a seeding committee has not been required for the Gentlemen's Singles following an agreement made with the ATP. The seeding order is determined using an objective and transparent system to reflect more accurately an individual player's grass court achievements: The formula is:

Take the ATP Ranking points at June 16, 2014 Add 100 percent of the points earned for all grass court tournaments in the past 12 months Add 75 percent of the points earned for the best grass court tournament in the 12 months before that.

Ladies -- The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee, a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw.

NGUYEN: Can Murray repeat? Will Nadal make it past round two? More Wimbledon burning questions

Since Marion Bartoli retired, who will open play on Centre Court the opening Tuesday? Serena, because she was the 2012 champion? -- @pacopowell

To rephrase: The defending women's champ christens play on Centre Court on the first Tuesday of Wimbledon. However this year, the defending champ, Marion Bartoli, is retired, busy commentating, being her pleasant self, selling crafts on Etsy and generally living the good life. Who gets her slot? The good folks at the All England Club explained to us that they have a few choices: the slot can go to the champion two years ago, the current top seed or most recent finalist. Given that Serena Williams meets two of those three criteria, the guess is that she gets the call.

Visit link:
Jon Wertheim: Reviewing Wimbledon's seeding procedures, more mailbag

Ana Ivanovic has historically struggled on grass courts, but she's off to a strong start this season.

Tom Dulat/Getty Images

BIRIMINGHAM, England (AP) - Ana Ivanovic's winning start to the grass-court season was healthy enough to raise hopes that she will at last remedy her Wimbledon ills.

The former world No. 1 from Serbia looked worth her top seeding as she hurried past Mona Barthel, a tripwire opponent in the past, and into the third round of the Aegon Classic on Tuesday.

Ivanovic's hard-hitting 6-4, 6-1 win over the German had such a high ratio of winners it was hard to believe she has only once reached a Wimbledon semifinal and five times failed to reach the last 16.

''I haven't had the most success on grass,'' admitted Ivanovic, who has two weeks before Wimbledon to adapt herself to the vagaries of this surface.

''I really hope I manage to turn that around. On grass courts it's a lot about mentality and also the gameplan, because everything happens so fast.

''It's the first time I am working with my coach (Nemanja Kontic) on grass, so hopefully he can bring some innovations that will help me make that change.''

If he did, they certainly succeeded against Barthel, against whom Ivanovic had lost two of their three previous encounters. She worked hard to get lower on the green, lush surface, to hit flatter through the ball, and to move forward more often.

She also took more risks. These helped avoid going 3-0 behind, to recover well from 3-1 down, and take eight of the next nine games.

See original here:
Ana Ivanovic hoping to find success on the grass this season

Updated JUN 10, 2014 8:15p ET

BIRMINGHAM, England

Ana Ivanovic's winning start to the grass-court season was healthy enough to raise hopes that she will at last remedy her Wimbledon ills.

The former world No. 1 from Serbia looked worth her top seeding as she hurried past Mona Barthel, a tripwire opponent in the past, and into the third round of the Aegon Classic on Tuesday.

Ivanovic's hard-hitting 6-4, 6-1 win over the German had such a high ratio of winners it was hard to believe she has only once reached a Wimbledon semifinal and five times failed to reach the last 16.

''I haven't had the most success on grass,'' admitted Ivanovic, who has two weeks before Wimbledon to adapt herself to the vagaries of this surface.

''I really hope I manage to turn that around. On grass courts it's a lot about mentality and also the gameplan, because everything happens so fast.

''It's the first time I am working with my coach (Nemanja Kontic) on grass, so hopefully he can bring some innovations that will help me make that change.''

If he did, they certainly succeeded against Barthel, against whom Ivanovic had lost two of their three previous encounters. She worked hard to get lower on the green, lush surface, to hit flatter through the ball, and to move forward more often.

Excerpt from:
Healthy Ana Ivanovic looks sharp in Wimbledon tune-up