Turf Connections

Who knows more about growing grass than a sod producer? Turf Connections, a sod producer of natural grass throughout North Carolina and South Carolina, has launched a redesigned website at TurfConnections.com with educational year-round calendars on the care of zoysia, bermudagrass, and tall fescue turfgrass. Here’s advice* from the Maintenance section of the site on the treatment of tall fescue in the upcoming months of June and July: Mowing: Mow to 31⁄2″ and mow before the grass gets taller than 5″. Fertilization: DO NOT fertilize tall fescue at this time. Watering: Either water as needed to prevent drought stress, or allow the lawn to go dormant. Dormant lawns must be watered once every 3 weeks during a drought. Disease Control: Tall fescue is highly susceptible to brown (large) patch disease, which appears as irregularly shaped patches of dead or dying turf. Brown patch likes high humidity and temperatures above 85°F. It becomes extremely severe during prolonged, overcast wet weather with evening air temperatures above 68°F and daytime temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer when the disease is active, keep the mowing height above 3″, and water between 2 and 8 am. Apply fungicide during severe brown patch outbreaks. (See Diseases of Cool-Season Grasses, AG-361.) Weed Control: DO NOT use herbicides at this time. Insect Control: Check for and control white grubs in July and August. Aeration: DO NOT aerate tall fescue lawns at this time. Renovation: Western region only! Overseed thin, bare areas as ...