As we welcome June, many of us are dealing with the ramifications of all of the cool, cloudy, wet weather this spring has brought our way. While it’s nice to have a moderate transition of seasons, the rain and dampness has wreaked havoc on grass and plants alike by promoting diseases. Many lawns have red thread, perennials, shrubs and annuals are showing signs of leaf spot and botrytis. Luckily, most are cured with fertilizer, sunshine, drier weather and proper clean up. Some plants, like roses and zinnias may require additional care with an application of a fungicide to cure the disease and bring them back to full health.
Another result of the wet weather is that we have to mow our lawns more frequently. All the rain has promoted a LOT of growth. Thus, prompting many of us to mow twice a week to keep clumps left by mowing to a minimum. NEVER leave clumps of mowed grass on your lawn, as it can smother the growing turf. The last thing you want is to have to repair areas that have died due to this when we’re heading into the hot summer weather. Weeds, too have been problematic because of these same great growing conditions, particularly in yards that didn’t have weed management applications last fall. And as we enter the summer, we want to remind all of you who mow your own lawns to raise your mower decks to 3 ½ – 4 ½ ” for as long as the weather is hot. Our lawn grasses are all cool weather grasses; they cease producing roots when the soil temperatures exceed 80 degrees, and are vulnerable to heat stress. By raising mowing height, you leave more leaf surface on the above-ground portion of the plants, thus protecting the crowns of the turf.
Lawn Depot Garden Center is in full bloom now, both inside, where you’ll find all the seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, tools, and gardening equipment you’ll need for your lawns and landscapes, and out in our Nursery Yard, where we have a vast selection of annuals (flowers and vegetables) in several sizes, perennials in full bloom and/or foliage, shrubs and trees you’ll surely want for your beds, pots, window boxes, and planters. And, whether your questions are lawn or garden related, we’ve got the friendly and knowledgeable staff to help you find the best solution. The store is open every day, M – F 8-6, Sat. 8-5, Sun 9-3 through the end of June. Be sure to check our website for hours changes in July & August.
Lawn Depot Turf Management continues to be very busy this month, with our regular late spring feeding, weed control and grub prevention activities. In addition to the continued spring activities, our Turf Management group will be doing lawn evaluations and making recommendations for fall seeding of lawns in need of upgrading, and we’ll continue to evaluate new customers’ lawns for both regular maintenance applications and special applications (core aeration, liming, seeding, etc.). Either give us a call (215-358-5553) or look us up on the internet (www.lawndepotinc.com) and we’ll be out within a few days to look at, evaluate and quote you a price for the service(s) you’re seeking.
There’s still plenty of work to do in our yards at this time of the year; we hope you’ll all approach these projects with energy and fortitude. We wish you all a wonderful summer, with a family vacation or two during the next couple months. The weather’s lovely, this area of our country is gorgeous, and the outdoor activities are endless. Be sure to keep us on your list of places to frequent this summer as we continue to promote many great sales during this, our 50th Anniversary year! We look forward to seeing you all often this summer.
Bob Button, Ken Button and Carolyn Pfaff