Bermuda and Zoysia grasses should receive a balanced granular fertilizer to promote growth and color. Fescue grasses should receive an application of Chelated Iron to maintain color. Add Broadleaf Weed Control for summer annuals.

Mid Summer

Bermuda and Zoysia lawns should receive a balanced fertilizer to encourage root development for summer drought tolerance. Limestone supplements can be applied to Fescue grasses to condition the soil. This allows the lawn to use  fertilizer efficiently. Apply Broadleaf Weeds Control as needed.

Late Summer

To maintain the color and feed the roots  balanced fertilizer is applied to Bermuda and Zoysia lawns. Root development fertilizer is applied to Fescue lawns to aid in the germination of newly seeded lawns.

Late Summer – Provide protection against piercing/sucking and chewing insects, as well as plant damaging diseases.

So-called Fall Armyworms (Spodoptera frugipeda) are really caterpillars. They’re typically one and a half inches long and have a distinctive series of white stripes on their heads, culminating in single line to form a “Y.” Armyworms particularly delight on dining on St. Augustine grass and Bermuda grass, but also feed on cool-season lawns of fine fescue, ryegrass, bentgrass, and bluegrass.

Detecting and Treating Armyworms in Your Lawn
Since these caterpillars hide by day, you may be challenged in detecting them. Consider calling in a local lawn service for an assessment. You may find birds eating the worms in small sections of your lawn. One method for drawing the worms to the surface is to apply soapy water (between one half ounce and an ounce of dishwashing liquid to one gallon of water) to your lawn. The gray-green worms should come to the surface right away.

Treat any infestation at night or late afternoon when the worms are eating. It’s a good idea to mow your lawn and wet the grass with soapy water to draw the bugs to the surface where they can be eradicated. Don’t mow again for at least three days.

by Gabby Hyman, All About Lawns Columnist

In North America, three fungi have been shown to cause SDS: Leptosphaeria korrae, Ophiosphaerella herpotricha, and Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis.

The symptoms of SDS are small circular dead areas of bermuda-grass 6 inches to several feet in diameter in the spring as bermuda-grass resumes growth from winter dormancy. The bermudagrass roots and stolons in affected spots appear dark and rotted. The grass recovers very slowly during the summer months from stolons creeping in from the border of affected areas. Bermudagrass stolons that grow into the affected areas usually produce short, stubby roots. In Texas, it is usually mid-summer before the affected areas are covered by bermudagrass, and the areas are visible throughout the summer because of thin turf and weeds. The disease develops again the following year in the same areas. The spots enlarge each year and after 2 to 3 years may develop into circular areas where bermudagrass survives in the center. At this stage the symptoms can be confused with those of fairy ring.

All varieties of bermudagrass are susceptible to SDS. Hybrid bermudagrasses such as Tifgreen appear to be the most commonly affected. The disease does not usually develop until 3 to 4 years after establishment and may be associated with moderately thatchy turf.

In California and Australia the disease has been controlled by repeated applications of fungicides such as Banner, Tersan 1991, and Rubigan. The applications must begin in late summer or early autumn when the fungus is thought to be the active. Judicious use of nitrogen fertilizer helps to reduce disease severity. Ammonium-based nitrogen fertilizer combined with potassium helps reduce SDS over time.

Annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) is a troublesome winter annual weed in residential turf. Compared to most turfgrasses, annual bluegrass has a lighter green color, coarser leaf texture, and produces unsightly seedheads.

Annual bluegrass seed germinates throughout the late-summer and early-fall once soil temperatures drop below 70° F. Seedlings grow and mature in fall, overwinter in a vegetative state, and produce seed in spring. A second germination can occur in late-winter as soil temperatures rise and the days become longer. Annual bluegrass is a prolific seed producer and individual plants may produce hundreds of viable seed, even when closely mowed. Annual bluegrass flowers over several months in spring and produces seed that may remain dormant in soil for years before germinating. Annual bluegrass often dies from summer stresses but may survive in protected sites that receive irrigation. Controlling annual bluegrass in mid- to late-spring in residential lawns can be difficult.

Up until mid-February (when the bermudagrass was fully dormant) applying a glyphosate containing product (e.g. Roundup) was an option for postemergence annual bluegrass control. Even then, care must be taken not to “overdose” the weed and harm the bermudagrass. It is too common that homeowners over-spray the weed with glyphosate and some herbicide moves deep into the bermudagrass canopy where it contacts green bermudagrass stolons near the ground. Any green part of the plant in the bermudagrass can absorb the glyphosate which can damage the plant. It is now too late and risky to consider spraying glyphosate to control annual bluegrass in dormant bermudagrass. While bermudagrass may still look “completely” dormant it is starting to greenup and the application of glyphosate during greenup can damage the turf.

Unfortunately, there are few selective herbicidal options for homeowners to control annual bluegrass at this point in the season. In bermudagrass and zoysiagrass, if the annual bluegrass population is bad enough the best option is to consider hiring a professional lawn care operator and request the annual bluegrass be treated with either Revolver (foramsulfuron) or Monument (trifloxysulfuron). Both herbicides are applied at a low use rate and are expensive. For the homeowner, this makes them difficult to correctly mix and cost prohibitive. Although they are not restricted use pesticides, these herbicides are available through professional lawn care outlets and are not found in retail “big box” stores or in ready-to-use (RTU) formulations.

Neither of these herbicides is labeled for use on centipedegrass or St. Augustinegrass. In centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass, atrazine containing products (e.g. Scotts Bonus S) are an option but large annual bluegrass grass plants are difficult to control with a single application.

The weed is an annual cool-season grassy weed that will die-out in a couple months as temperatures warm. For now, having patience and tolerance maybe the best option. Plan for next winter and spring. Begin with good turfgrass cultivation this summer. For example:

• Deep and infrequent irrigation encourages turfgrass root development which improves the ability of the lawngrass to compete with weeds.
• Identify and alleviate soil compaction since annual bluegrass prefers compacted soils. For rapid recovery and improved vigor, core aerifications should be performed during the active growth period of warm-season turfgrasses.
• Mow the lawn at the appropriate height for the grass species. Lower mowing heights may stress turf and reduce its ability to compete with annual bluegrass. For proper mowing height recommendations, visit www.GeorgiaTurf.com.
• Lastly, implement a preemergence herbicide program in late-summer to help control the seed that were deposited this season.

Treatment for lawn diseases is also recommended. Learn more about Lawn Disease»

Late Spring – Apply Pre-Emergent Crabgrass Control to extend the life of the barrier established in the Early Spring application. Broadleaf Weed Control to control winter annual weeds. Fertilizer to encourage spring green-up on warm season grasses and to encourage growth of fescue.

Pre-Emergent and Broadleaf Weed Control is applied to prevent Poa Annua and winter broadleaf annuals in Bermuda and Zoysia lawns. Fescue lawns should receive a granular fertilizer to provide the nutrients needed by the developing new grass to mature over the winter. This application will help established Fescue recover from summer stress.

Late Fall

Limestone supplements are applied to Bermuda and Zoysia grasses to condition the soil. This allows the lawn to use our fertilizer efficiently. Fescue lawns receive a granular fertilizer to provide the nutrients needed by the developing new grass to mature over the winter. This application will help established Fescue recover from summer stress.

Late Fall – Apply slow release fertilizer to strengthen root system and aid the plants recovery from summer stress.

Late Spring – Apply an insect and disease application designed to protect your ornamental trees and shrubs during the growing season.