The Top Anticipated Challenges for Turfgrass

As we all know, when the weather is inconsistent, you can certainly count on nutsedge, crabgrass, and even brown patch disease to make an appearance. However, in the past two years, not only has the weather been inconsistent. If you were to go back to 2021, there were turfgrass issues all across North America along with supply chain issues and unemployment problems. These were challenges that we had to face. And, now, these challenges allow us to be better prepared to deal with what may occur in 2022 concerning turfgrass. Summit Turf Services is here to help you get ready for whatever turfgrass challenges may come your way in the upcoming months. 

What Are The Main Top Turfgrass Challenges Anticipated For 2022?

Weathering Challenges

Weather-related problems can present huge challenges related to the development of disease and the appearance of weeds in your yard. Issues related to weather are oftentimes things that we do not have very much control over. Extreme weather in 2021 lead to extremely large downpours, heat waves, cold waves, and a drought. It was because of these imbalances that weeds began to become more difficult to handle, and diseases sprung up rapidly. Treating these problems has led to major implications on the efficacy of what works and what does not.

Turfgrass Weather Challenges in Central United States

In February, back in 2021, a cold wave came across the central part of the United States. Although weed applications had begun, all the way from the Gulf states to Texas, this disrupted the entire process. 

Weed control and killing weeds permanently is very difficult to manage when the weather is extremely cold; the equipment that is being used during this process can also malfunction. The central United States was also inundated with a substantially early summer, and this led to weather systems that were severe leading to hail and thunderstorms. The heavy rain made it almost impossible to mitigate these problems, primarily because of the storms that occurred multiple times. For example, adult armyworms became very challenging due to these unwanted seasonal changes.

During this year, in the months of May and March, specifically in the Southeast and Eastern regions, tornadoes and thunderstorms also appeared. The timing was unwanted, leading to pre-emergent applications that were trying to affect control over broadleaf weeds that would appear.

Turfgrass Weather Challenges in the Northwest

Moving on to the northwest, where the drought was significant, there were also record-breaking temperatures that caused problems. In areas such as Seattle in the state of Washington, and also in Portland, Oregon, temperatures were well above 100°F in both locations. These temperature changes were not just in the Northwest. For example, the continental US averaged about 74°F last summer, which technically made it one of the hottest ever recorded, actually tying a record during the Dust Bowl summer of ‘36. When you have drought -like conditions, combined with extreme heat, summer weeds are almost impossible to control. Using herbicides will not work either.

In addition to this, tropical storms and hurricanes were also wreaking havoc, occurring in the months of July, going all the way through to September. It was disastrous, to say the least. 

Currently, looking back at these very disastrous years, these challenges have led to enhancements in the way that we are able to manage lawn care programs for 2022. Even though experiencing a normal season would be advantageous, normal is something that may never occur again. 

Both of the major weed seasons in which we have battled have led to the formation of: nutsedge, crabgrass, and brown patch.

Crabgrass

Crabgrass control could be problematic when using pre-emergent applications if they are not properly mixed. Herbicides such as Dithopyr or Prodiamine could be used, but there are issues to consider including 1) when to apply them and 2) how much to apply depending upon what you are trying to achieve. Although this can be done in a very cost-effective manner, it would be more helpful if we had a larger budget to work with to get the job done.

Pre-emergent applications, when they are applied, can be affected by soil temperature as this will have an effect on weed germination. The timing is so important. In the South, you would need to utilize pre-emergent on your lawn early. Multiple applications would also be recommended.

Environmental factors can also play a role in how quickly an herbicide will break down, and this can be even worse if there is a wet spring. For example, if there is too much rainfall, or if there is a drought, herbicides will not work as expected, minimizing their effects, leading to germination of the weed seeds which can cause a problem.

Pre-emergent herbicides do need to have an ample supply of water to properly function and prevent the germination of the weeds. This is critical to the potential for success. Applying these herbicides should be done seven days prior to when the weeds will typically appear. Keep in mind that not all pre-emergent herbicides are going to successfully destroy the seeds or prevent the weeds from occurring. They will prevent them from growing, however.

If you do have application issues, or weather related problems, it is possible that crabgrass can appear in abundance. If you are ever in doubt and not sure how to take on crabgrass, call the lawn care experts of Lee’s Summit. Summit Turf Services specializes in commercial and residential lawn care and landscaping services. 

Nutsedge

Nutsedge is certainly a problematic and troublesome weed. It spreads very quickly, using underground rhizomes, which is how it can take over large areas of turf. Using what are called nutlets, nutsedge can spread at a rapid pace. They also serve to bear buds, and they can also store energy, which many people liken to how a potato operates, primarily because of the sprouts that will appear on the plants. There are reports that have shown that rhizome growth can lead to nearly 2000 plants, 7,000 new tubers, all of this originating from a single nutsedge tuber. Essentially, you could expect as many as 90,000 seeds to appear from a single plant in the span of the single-season. 

Nutsedge can only be dealt with by understanding that you will want to minimize its effects as much as possible. You will not be able to eliminate it completely.

Brown Patch

Brown Patch disease can also affect the health of your turf depending upon how severe the infiltration is. There were many regions where the temperatures, which were above average, also were accompanied by below average temperatures, plus larger amounts of rain which made the problem worse last spring. Although this slowed down the effects of the spread of this weed, it did lead to Brown Patch being formed in many different locations.

Rhizoctonia solani is the technical name of Brown patch or large patch, which tends to appear on turf grasses, especially when it is warmer. These are easy to notice because of the large circular appearance on the grass, or sometimes irregularly shaped patches that come out of nowhere. If this is not addressed immediately, it will begin to rot leaf blades, effectively killing them. If the turf isn’t killed, it will still be invaded by many other weeds, and this can cause an even larger logistical problem for your grass.

Overall, Brown patch development tends to prefer rainfall and moderate temperatures in order to replicate. It is not a fall disease, even though many people tend to associate it with this season, since it can also appear during the spring as a result of warm days, cool nights, and also wet weather when the grass is starting to turn green.

Treating Brown Patch Disease

The use of disease treatments or fungicides can be very helpful. However, you need to be very careful of your timing, especially when looking back at last year in the weather conditions that may have led to the proliferation of diseases and the spread of weeds.

Fertilizer applications may not be the only treatment that can be useful. Brown patch may also occur simply because you put too much fertilizer on the grass, and there is much research that comes from North Carolina and Nebraska, directly from the universities, that shows that too much fertilizer on the grass can cause these problems. Slow-release fertilizer was the biggest factor that they focused upon during the study.

Whether you are dealing with soil disease, or root disease, in relationship to Brown patch, you can use fungicides that will perform properly. You must have a large amount of water for this to work. This will help promote water infiltration which is what you must have when using systemic fungicides that are going to specifically target soil borne diseases and the roots.  

Lastly on Turfgrass Challenges

To handle the upcoming turfgrass challenges, it is so important to acquire and understand the different challenges to properly prepare to defend your yard against the weather, crabgrass, nutsedge, and the brown patch disease. 

Summit Turf Services is here to help. Different climates dictate different lawn care practices, and the timing of fertilization, seeding, and more are essential to your lawn’s health and essential to combat the above turfgrass challenges. Contact Summit Turf Services today to learn more about the top-rated lawn care professionals in Lee’s Summit!