I have a lot of trouble with moss in my lawn. What can I do about it?

weeds

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I have a lot of trouble with moss in my lawn. What can I do about it?

weeds

This is a result of constant, excessive moisture and shade. Over time, moss spreads and the lawn thins. You must change the conditions. The constant excessive moisture may be the result of poor drainage, or too much shade. If it’s drainage, all you may need to do to fix it is to bring in some topsoil. If it’s shade, fixing it may be more difficult if the shade is being caused by a house or large trees. In any case, BAM! Green recommends the first thing to try would be a shade tolerant grass cultivar. This is a type of grass seed specifically designed to grow in shady areas. Contact us for more information and where to purchase. Additionally, the application of iron will also reduce the amount of moss in your lawn. Your local hardware store will likely carry iron in a liquid form that you can easily and…

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I have an orange powder on my lawn. When I walked across my lawn it got all over my shoes. What is it?

rust

Your lawn is infected with a disease called “rust”. Rust is a very rare lawn disease that usually develops very slowly, over several weeks. There is no way to predict if your lawn will gets rust. It strikes lawns that are excessively dry and nitrogen deficient. The orange powder is actually microscopic spores that spread quite easily from foot traffic, mowing, and even by the wind. The disease is very contagious. The good news is that the damage in NOT permanent and your lawn will recover within just a few weeks. How To Treat Rust: Water the lawn daily with up to half an inch each day for one week, then every other day until the disease dissipates. Begin fertilizing with a high nitrogen fertilizer to correct the nitrogen deficiency. Keep traffic away from the infected area. When mowing, cut the infected areas last. Bag and dispose of the clippings….

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I have a white powder on part of my lawn. What is it?

general grass

That’s a harmless fungal growth commonly referred to as “powdery mildew”.  It’s most prevalent during periods of high humidity and cool nights. It also tells you there is a high nitrogen content but it is completely harmless to your lawn. While a fungicide is available to treat severe cases, we at BAM! Green have never seen a case severe enough to warrant a fungicide treatment. What to do? Give it a few days — weather conditions usually change. The grass blades will continue to grow and the infected blades will simply get cut off by your lawn mower. Powdery mildew is also a common problem in many tree species.

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How do sports fields and golf courses do that striping effect?

The striping effect is achieved using a weighted roller mounted behind the mower. The roller simply flattens the grass. Each row the mower cuts is flattened in alternating directions. By flattening the grass, more of the green part of the blade is exposed. When looking at the lawn, the grass that has been flattened away from you appears as the greener stripes because you are seeing more of the blade side on. The grass that has been flattened away from you appears lighter because you are seeing more of the tips of the blades. The effect is far more dramatic from the air which is why golf courses on T.V. look so amazing when you see them from the helicopter fly over, or when you see sports fields from the Goodyear blimp. Where artificial turf is used, a metal broom is used to comb the turf in one direction or…

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Here comes the sun. Will your lawn beat the heat?

general grass

By now, your lawn growth will have started to slow. Slower growth means slower recovery and repair when damage occurs. It also means less resistance to stress from insects, diseases and heat. On the other side of this brochure, we’ve recommended a cutting height of 4 inches. Proper cutting is the single, most important key to maintaining a healthy lawn. Mowing right helps the lawn to thicken up, increase in density, thrive while other lawns are suffering, reduces the need for watering, and increases stress resistance. Mowing incorrectly, even once, stops all of this from happening. Poor mowing practices don’t simply stress the lawn, it actually damages it. There is a difference. On the front of our lawn sign that you’ve been keeping near your front steps, is a handy ruler for your convenience whenever you cut your lawn.

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