I went out of town for a week...now my lawn is brown

Recently, we have had a lot of customers stop in and ask what to do about brown spots in their lawn (see an example photo below).

There are usually two common Summer problems that cause this symptom:

1) Fungus Damage
2) Insect Damage (mostly chinch bug and sod webworms)

The correct diagnosis is key.

Time is not on your side. If I had a dollar for each person that came in and starts by saying "I was out of town for a few days and I came back to a huge brown spot in my lawn"

If you mis-diagnose and use an insecticide when you need a fungicide...guess what? You just lost 100 sq ft of lawn. These problems progress very fast...one of the reasons it's difficult for a monthly lawn spray service to be very effective.

If this sounds familiar stop in for a diagnosis. Bring us a 6" x 6" square of turf that is at the edge of the damaged area (it should have grass in transition...going from green to brown). Also bring the soil with it....that's where the insects hide!

What to do with my Brown Grass???

Many of customers are inquiring as what to do with their grass now that the freeze/frost is gone (this weekend cold spell should have no effect on your grass)

1) Check the grass for areas of crabgrass and other weeds that were frozen....this is the good news story of the frost....many of these weeds are annuals and freeze back. Now is the time to remove the dead areas/weeds and plug with new sod. This is also a very good visual cue as to what is crabgrass and what is St. Augustine.

2) Now is time to put down a "pre-emergent" weed control for the lawn. We recommend either an Atrazine in liquid form or a new product called Dollar Weed Control Plus in a granular form. Many people ask whether now is the time to "weed and feed"....the answer...it depends. It depends on how many weeds you have....if you have heavy weed coverage...follow the direction above (use a weed control only product first..liquid or granular). If you have only a few weeds we generally recommend using the "weed and feed" product in the 1st or 2nd week of March. Its weed control chemical is Atrazine...the same chemical that we have available in the liquid form....but when you "weed and feed" the fertilizer is released to the weeds as well as the grass so you don't want to feed the weeds if they are heavy.

3) Check your irrigation. The grass is still not actively growing yet...so don't apply more water than needed...generally once/week is sufficient. Any excess water is just helping the weeds grow. Also check for leaks and damaged heads...poor coverage...get these fixed now before you really need it this summer.

4) Fertilizing.....if you have the weeds under control with the directions in item 2) above then the first or second week of March is a great time to put down a fertilizer only product (if you weed and feed this suffices). We recommend Lawn Food plus Iron...the iron will get the green color back in the yard quicker.

5) Relax....enjoy your grass...Spring is the best time to be out in the garden so make the most of it.

Now that the Cold Temps are Gone....What to Do?

Frost Damage to a Dipladenia in the Garden Center


After last week's temperatures that dipped into the 20s with a hard frost and freeze in some areas...many of your plants may now appear burned or brown. This is simply a reaction to the cold weather....think of it like frost bite for your plants. Don't despair....we had a relatively short period of cold....many of the plants will be fine with a little patience and care. Here is what I would suggest:

1) Wait a week or so to trim away the dead or brown portions....this is the hardest thing to do because we all want to get rid of the ugly parts...but the plant needs some time to adjust and you will see that in many cases the leaves will drop on their own and the stems are still healthy and will begin to re sprout new leaves saving the basic shape of the plant.

2) Don't over fertilize...stay on your normal schedule....I always utilize a slow release product like Espoma's Organics or Osmocote when I fertilize to help.

3) Don't over water....you won't make the brown turn green or the plant grow faster with more water...again stick to your normal schedule...which can be as little as once a week this time of year.

4) Take notes for next time....In many cases the exact same plant could have damage that varied from near death to no damage depending on their location and proximity to the house. So take notes as to what areas of your garden got hit the worst and make sure you restrict your tender or tropical plants to other areas.

5) Don't be too complacent....we can get another cold night or two....mid-February is typically the time when frost and freezing temps become limited....

If you have any questions email us at info@apenberrys.com or stop in.....we would be glad to help.