Preparing Your Lawn for Spring Minnesota

Da Garden” If you have a personal garden, ‘tis the season to till it up. Consider doing a soil test yourself for best results. Here’s a little secret: Why does Miracle Grow grow 700 pound pumpkins? I know you don’t actually want a 700 pound pumpkin this fall, but if you want to give your garden every chance of providing pleasure or juicy tomatoes, then the secret is this: Most fertilizers carry 3 ingredients. Even if you ask the U of M, they’ll say. “Buy a 10-10-10”! This is the standard response for anyone in the industry, and it usually works Ok. BUT, there are 16 minerals needed for every plant to survive. Miracle Grow provides all 16! They might not be needed, but if just 1 or 2 are missing or weak your plants will suffer.
“Da Trees” Make sure that the tree wrap is removed from trees, look for split trunks or damage that might’ve happened from the early snow storm or from wind damage. If you know you have Ash Trees, which almost everyone has, there is a terrible menace out there this year. The Emerald Ash Borer. Once it’s on a property, can kill all the ash trees on a property in 1-3 years. There are links on http://www.townhome.pro/.
“Da Water” Irrigation system startups need to include replacing broken heads, and resetting the direction of heads so they cover the lawn, making sure they don’t blow over the freshly washed car and into the bedroom window. If you don’t have a system, I would be happy to recommend a professional, or design one myself..Finally, work with your contractor. It’s in his/her best interest to have a wonderful, living landscape too. If your association does a lot of work itself, or if you’re just curious, call or write a Master Gardener volunteer. It’s free, and the link is on your website that is just being created; http://www.townhome.pro/. This article written by Steve Hoogenakker of Taylor Made Landscape.He has 20 years experience in landscaping.

This article may be reprinted as long as the contact information is left in the new article

Preparing Your Lawn for Spring Part I

YOUR LANDSCAPE – WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW COULD KILL MILLIONS

That’s right. As a homeowner, you’re responsible for millions of living organisms. You’re the “Jack Bauer” of the show “24” protecting millions of innocent lives!Grass plants, ornamentals, trees, annual flowers and shrubs. Your decisions also affect insect and biotic populations. Most importantly, you’re in control of how your landscape affects you and your family personally. The best way to make the most of your living investment is knowledge and of course, action!

At the end of this article, I’ve included a link to www.Townhome.Pro, where I’ve added links for your lawn, landscape, trees and garden. This website is dedicated exclusively for MHA members at this time.

Let’s get started!
“Da Lawn”
We’ll start with the lawn. It’s very important to have a thick, healthy lawn. Why? My daughter plays soccer and I shudder everytime she gets knocked down. (I never cheer when she knocks someone else down.) When kids play on your lawn, or when elderly residents walk in it, a thick lawn protects their skin and joints. A thick lawn also prevents weeds from coming up, reducing the need for pesticides. So, what can we do in the spring to get there?
First, write down your thoughts about last years’ turf. What improvements would you like to have seen? Then “spring” into action. If you have a lawn contractor, discuss fertilization options with him/her. Are they applying 2-3 pounds of Nitrogen per year? Nitrogen has a direct relationship to the color of the lawn. If the lawn isn’t thick and green, ask them to do a soil test, or you can do one using the easy instuctions on the website. (Cost $15.00 plus postage) Do they use slow release or fast release fertilizer? Quick release fertilizers give the lawn a quick greenup and are cheaper, but they lose their color after 2-4 weeks. If you’re getting 3 applications per year, with normal release fert, you get 4 weeks of food and rapid growth followed by 4 weeks of partial starvation. Using slow release feeds gradually, and keeps the lawn growing at a more regular pace. Ask your contractor if he likes double cutting and bagging grass clippings, if he says yes, I owe you a $5.00 gift certificate to Caribou Coffee. When he says no, tell him that using slow release will cut down on rapid flush growth, and cut down the need for a lot of extra labor. Everybody wins!
There is bound to be some winter salt or plow damage too. These areas need to be seeded or sodded right away. I recommend bringing black dirt in if needed and if using seed, use blends, such as kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye for sunny areas, and fine fescue, perennial rye and bluegrass for shady areas. If seeding, expect weeds. Crabgrass control can’t be applied to these areas unless you use Siduron (Tupersan), but broadleaf controls can be used after the seeded area is mowed twice. Seed or Sod, water a couple of times per day for short periods of time.

Steve Hoogenakker provides a solid, common sense approach to solving problems and answering questions relating to business management, leadership, consumer loan products and landscape and lawn problems and solutions. Steve has 20 years in the landscaping and leadership field. He can be reached by email at Steve@Landscape.Pro. Steve Hoogenakker, MHA, CAI, CIC Midwest, MNLA, PLANET, MTGF, Showcase Landscape, Minnesota, Delano Steve loves his wife Teri Hoogenakker and their kids, Paul Hoogenakker, Kirsten Hoogenakker and Gerrit Hoogenakker very much.

Publisher’s Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author’s information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included. Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. Steve Hoogenakker will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.

MNLA hoping to renovate football field at Minneapolis South High School

We enjoyed meeting with you and discussing the primary and practice fields at South High School.
We’ve discussed the situation and developed the following recommendations:
1. Practice Field
a. The field is uneven, has rocks, glass, and even chunks of concrete in it, causing an extremely unsafe environment for athletes and students who use the field regularly for phy ed classes. There is little bluegrass or desirable grasses to work with. The field is mainly knotweed, which will need to be killed off prior to seeding. Without an irrigation system, new grass isn’t likely to live therough a hot summer. The field is very uneven with mud and standing water in many locations making it unusable on most days. On our second trip to the site, there were 30 Canadian Geese feeding in the standing water, leaving plenty of droppings that no student would want to play in, not to mention carrying this material into the school or ruining clothes. The field needs to be leveled to promote grass growth, allow rain to runoff, and keep geese off. We can save money by seeding, which will provide just as high quality field as sod, but students will need to stay off for 4 weeks. The seed will need to be fertilized regularly, and broadleaves need to be sprayed 2-3 times per year to get the grass established, thick and green.

b. The Irrigation system has been removed. Since all sprinkler heads but one have been taken out, and the system hasn’t operated in 10+ years, water has almost certainly leached into the pipes and frozen, causing the pipes to break lengthwise, making them impossible to repair. There is an irrigation controller and a 2 ½ or 3” backflow that could probably be used, and looks like hooking up to the existing line might be relatively easy, although we’ll have to dig and test the connection to know for certain.
c. The cost for a new irrigation system using the present hookup should be under $10,000 depending on the pressure and gallons per minute available to use in the system.
d. The weeds need to be sprayed prior to installing the black dirt. Cost for application is $450.00
e. The field needs about 80-100 yards of screened black dirt. We discussed grading the present field. The field was used as a dumping ground while the school was being buit, so grading might just expose more waste and concret. Adding dirt, and creating a crown that allows the water to runoff, will make for a long lasting solution. Cost $4,800
f. The next step is to seed the field. We’re suggesting a tall fescue-bluegrass blend that can withstand heavier traffic than bluegrass alone. Cost for seeding $2,150
g. Fertilizer for starting the new grass seed. Cost $425
h. 2 more applications of fertilizer and weed control Cost $650

Total Cost for Practice field renovation: $18,425

Primary Field.
This field is in relatively good shape. There are 2 problems with the field, which is used 3-4 times per week for varsity football and soccer games. We agree with Tom Wassman and Mark Sanders that the practice field needs attention now. The primary field can wait until the practice field is in good shape.
a. There is a sprinkler system, but it doesn’t have adequate pressure or enough gallons per minute to diffuse the spray and provide an acceptable level of irrigation. The present system basically creates 40’ green rings with the first 20’ receiving a lower than needed amount of water. The system needs to be separated into 3 zones, with a new controller, and 3 valves installed.
b. The other problem is the grade of the field. The grade of the crown is high on the west site, but really high on the east side. The crown is so high in the middle that a soccer player on one side of the field can’t see the soccer ball on the other side of the field. This field needs to be re-graded.
c. As for the stands and facilities, there are no lights, there is no bathrooms, and there is a need for a concessions trailer where chocolate, chili, and even tickets can be sold. This will certainly raise more than enough money to pay for the trailer and make the experience more enjoyable for athletes, fans and visiting teams.
Please call me to discuss any or all of these options. We look forward to working with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Steve Hoogenakker, Tom Connors and Tom Polak
763-213-2410 – Steve@Landscape.Pro
Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association