There is much to see already on our site (June 2021 Newletter) about Japanese Stilt Grass. However, I want to report that I have learned of and tested a magic preemergent product very early this season and it has to date totally suppressed it. The bad news is it needs to be sprayed wet very early in the season and can't freeze. With those limitations, there is a limit to the number of lawns that I can do.  Regardless, it's a first step in management of a real problem in Morgantown..

Every day, I walk on lawns that are cut below 3.5 inches, even as low as 1 inch, and some of these this summer have been clients. There are tons written on the web site about mowing height but I believe I have figured out the problem.  

Mowing is a behavior that we learn at an early age and in our minds, it's imprinted on us to mow weekly. This isn’t made better when we hire a mowing company that only gets paid to cut your lawn. Mowing more often is a result of a survival motive. Please break that habit. Mow when the grass grows, not because your leaving town for two weeks or it's just Saturday and that’s what you do. Also, police your mowing contractors to skip weeks when needed. You need to make that call, don’t leave it up to them based on their need to meet payroll.

Here's what happened to your lawn this summer. June was very hot and July came in similar with many days approaching 90 degrees. Our grasses don’t grow in that heat. Therefore, to survive, they go dormant just like winter and stop growing. Grass is a basal growing plant which means they grow from just below the thatch line in the soil and that growth push’s the top growth higher. Once brown, that grass cell is never green again, just pushed higher and higher until we cut it off.

Your lawn has many different growing situations. Some is in full sun, some shade, some on a bank, etc. When the conditions result in growth, the cause is not universal. Some areas, say those not in the afternoon sun, start to grow while others don’t.  Hence, the crisis.

Question: Do I just cut part of my lawn or do I just set the mower a little lower to nip the rest so I get those nice lines?  
Answer: Skip mowing this week, maybe next, and if you must mow just leave the height up and walk as much as you wish.

It comes to this reality, mow 3.5 inches or higher and your lawn will look better (even if it's not sprayed) than if you mow shorter and I use every type of pestilence I have to make up for it. If you mow at the higher setting and have me spray, I need to use very few medicines and we can have a lawn which we are both proud.

 We want to thank Mike and Lynne Hicks for sharing their new kid with us. The good news is that I have to report they are super pet owners and their kids, dog kids, are their kids. The bad news is they are the cause of our addiction to bird feeding and while that’s a personal joy, it is an expensive addiction.

I’m thinking that they added Maverick to be a buddy for their other lab Sadie. As the photo of Sadie snorkeling for tennis balls in their pool illustrates, he is more a supervisor. This photo is a couple of months old so by now, I’m sure Maverick is doing his share of snorkeling.

Maverick continues to grow and do his puppy thing, helping to relieve any boredom at the Hicks household. It's always amazing how wet and muddy a lab can get. Lynne has her hands full. Thank you so much for sharing your joy with us!

See you next month and thank you for spending a few moments with us!.