How to Aerate & Seed Fescue Lawns – Atlanta Landscape from sagacious1 on Vimeo.

We have been aerating and seeding fescue lawns in Atlanta, Georgia for the last 20 years. We do a thorough job of aerating the lawn which is the soil cultivation practice just prior to putting the seed down.

What Does Aeration Do?

The aeration helps to break up the compaction of the soil and provide air and nutrients to the root systems of the existing grass. It also provides an ideal seed to soil contact for the new seed to germinate in. If the aeration is not done correctly the results of the seeding will be greatly diminished.

How Much Fescue Seed To Put Down?

Applying the correct amount of seed is a vital part of a successful aeration and seeding. Too much seed can over- populate the turf, increasing the chances of disease and overcrowding of the turf grass. Too little seed will leave the areas thin and next year a further decline in your lawn will occur.

Preparing the lawn prior to the seeding is an important part of achieving good results from the aeration and seeding. Watering and cutting the lawn to a low mowing height prior to the seeding will soften the soil and improve the results of the aeration and allow the seed a better chance of soil contact.

Why Is It Important To Seed My Lawn In the Fall?

This is an important year for aeration and seeding of your fescue lawns.  This summer was one of the hottest on records and the fescues to a beating.  This is the best time to replenish or in many cases replant your lawn.  It is crucial that you get the seeding done in the fall.  If you wait until springtime the seed does not have an opportunity to mature before the summer heat hits and then the new seedlings die and your lawn declines even faster.

It has been a very difficult period of time for the fescue lawns in the southeast over the past 3 years.  The good news is it is not that expensive to replace the entire lawn and once replanted it looks awesome for about 9 months out of the year.  Compare that to the bermuda and zoysia lawns that shut down and in November and stay dormant until May.

If you would like a free estimate, fill out our estimate form online, here on this site or call or email us. We look forward to serving you .

The Arbor & Turf Team.

Are you happy with the results?

The fact is most of the time you never see your lawn care service perform the treatment and then you are left with an invoice with some lawn care jargon that makes no sense to you. 

We do things different at Arbor & Turf.  We are an Atlanta lawn care service that will spend the time with you to explain what we are doing and why we are doing it.  This site is full of videos and information about our service treatments and the accessibility to our staff is unmatched. 

For a Free Estimate Please fill out our lead sheet and we will be in touch with you within 24 hours for a consultation.

I used an insecticide that works very well on these little soldiers but I will be back on this lawn in about 15 days to retreat and make sure we have them under control.

Here are some facts about these little soldiers:

Identification: Armyworms, which attain a length of 1/2 inches, are also caterpillars of moths. Their bodies are greenish when small but become brown when fully grown. Several stripes are usually apparent, extending from the head to the rear. The adult is a mottled brownish-gray moth with a wingspan of nearly l l/2 inches.

Life Cycle and Diagnosis: Moths lay clusters of eggs on grass blades, lawn furniture, white or light colored walls and other objects near lawns. Caterpillars hatch and begin to feed on the turf. Damaged turf appears ragged with individual blades showing signs of chewing damage. When numerous, they may devour the grass down to the ground. Caterpillars pupate in the soil. The moths emerge within a couple of weeks. They are active mainly at night. There are three to six generations a year. As with sod webworms, time insecticide applications to control armyworms during the early evening when caterpillars are feeding on the surface of the turf.

If you have army worms – call us or fill out our information form and we will get on your property immediately.  We will treat your lawn 2 times for $75 each treatment.  This is up to 8,000 square feet of lawn.  $10.00 for each 1000 square feet over 8,000 square feet.

Here is a How-To video on replacing an irrigation system spray head.  I am replacing a 4 inch spray head in an irrigation system that was using some off brand spray heads that had started to malfunction.  The process is simple but call us if you need us.

Trimec Classic – 1 Gallon – $45.95

Trimec is a very effective post emergent weed control.

We have used this product for years and with a mix rate of

1 oz / gallon the product is not only effective but affordable.

Product Information Here

Eagle 20 EW  -  $55.95

Eagle 20 EW is a broad spectrum fungicide that offers exceptional control

of Brown Patch, Zoysia Patch, Dollar Spot, Powdery Mildew and a variety of

other fungus problems.

We have used this product extensively over the past 5 years

and have had great success.

To reduce the cost we sell this product in our own bottles and still

provide all of the label information along with some helpful hints to

maximize your results.

Product Label Here

Today is June 23, 2010.  The temperatures have been in the mid 90’s for about 2 weeks and it has been raining in the afternoon around the city with the hit or miss thunderstorms that are typical in this region in early summer.  In May it was in the mid 80’s with even more rain.  It is hot and humid, a very typical southern summer.  Last year and the year before, we were in a level 4 and level 5 drought in Atlanta, Georgia.  This year, thankfully, the drought is over.

The Brown Patch Fungus Is Always Present

I give you these details to help explain why the fescue lawns, in Atlanta this year, are suffering from brown patch fungus.  The conditions are ideal right now for brown patch fungus in tall fescue lawns.  When we were in a drought the fescue lawns went into a semi-dormant state.  There was less moisture in the air to allow the disease to spread.  The fungus that causes brown patch is constantly present in the lawn.  It can not be eliminated.  When conditions are right and your turf is weak the fungus takes off. 

Why Does The Brown Patch Show Up Now?

Your fescue is weak during the summer.  Why?  Because it is a cool season grass and when it is in the 80’s and 90’s it is stressed from the heat.   The best thing you can do is not water during the evening and mow at the highest setting.  Actually when it is this hot out, it is best to limit watering to one or two times a week for about 15 minutes each at 5a.m. – 6a.m.   This is just to try to keep some water on the lawn so it does not dry out entirely but if the weather persists and gets to a drought type pattern it is best to just shut down watering all together.  We are still in some watering restrictions and probably always will be and watering is not going to produce good results anyway so save your money. 

Can It Be Treated 

Walter Reeves talks about Brown Patch

Walter Reeves is a well known expert in lawn and shrub care for the Southeast.  He has a very detailed article about the specifics of brown patch fungus in Tall Fescue.

Fungicide treatments can be effective on minimizing Brown Patch Fungus but they need to be applied at an interval of about 2 week periods.  This can be costly.  The fungicides can cost about $20 per 1000 square feet.  For a typical lawn size of 5000 square feet that is about $100 every 2 weeks. 

We actually use a product that costs a bit less then the numbers that Walter Reeves was quoting.  It is very effective at controlling brown patch but it does need to be applied every 2 weeks when conditions are favorable for the disease. 

You can purchase this product here.

Cultural Practices To Minimize Brown Patch Fungus In Tall Fescue

Cultural practices play a big role on the development of brown patch.  Nitrogen fertilization, irrigation, and mowing are the most important factors to consider. For best results, tall fescue should be mowed at heights between 2.5 and 3.5 inches. Brown patch activity can be encouraged when mowing heights are either too low or too high. Mowing heights below 2.5" increase brown patch development by reducing the tall fescue plant’s ability to produce energy.  Mowing heights higher than 3.5" create a turf canopy that is dense, matted, and holds moisture for extended periods of time

How Our Service Handles Brown Patch Fungus

Obviously brown patch is a difficult problem to deal with in the southern heat on fescue lawns.  When conditions are right, everyone gets it at the same time.  

We do treat with a fungicide that will minimize the fungus for about 2 weeks.  Just as Walter Reeves has discussed.  We will charge an extra application fee for this treatment.  So whatever your application fee is for your lawn will be the charge of the fungicide treatment.  You tell us how many you would like to have and we will put you into our special fungicide route for treatments.  This fee will usually be much less then Walter Reeves has suggested as a treatment pricing for fungicide treatments. 

The good news is the brown patch is only active during high humid periods when temperatures are in the high 80’s – low 90’s.  Once temps get up into the high 90’s the fescue actually goes into a more dormant state. 

Fall seeding is a must to replenish what fescue is lost during the summer heat stress.  Call the office to get put on the fall seeding schedule now so you don’t have to worry about it later.

We Do Things Differently

- We Utilize Special Products To Handle Weeds Effectively & Keep Them Under Control.

- Our technicians are paid a salary so they are not pressured to get on and off your lawn

so they can hit their quota for the day.  They take their time and do the job right.

- We are “hands on” owners and continuously monitor the operations of our business

- We have a proven track record for producing results in our customers lawns.

- Our Motto is “Kill Em With Service” – Which is exactly what we aim to do.

- We take a soil sample during our first application to test the pH level in the soil.

- Our fertilizers are organically based and we utilize reclaimed water in our spray tanks

We fully guarantee our work.  If for any reason we need to retreat or if you are not happy we will service your property until we take care of the problem at no extra cost.

Remember the special price mentioned above. If this is your first correspondence with our company

Fill out our free online estimate form and become a customer

We will also very competitive with our pricing and can meet or beat any price you currently have – within reason of course.  We have been doing this for a long time and all companies are within a few dollars of each other – unless someone miss measures your lawn.

We Want Your Business – Give Us A Shot.

In some cases it is necessary to add an additional zone to make the irrigation system more efficient or capping off a zone that is no longer needed.  All of these and more irrigation system repair service techniques will be covered in a mini series I will be developing over the next few months, so stay tuned.

One of the biggest areas I will be covering is how to install a drip line irrigation system.  In fact you will watch me install my very own irrigation system throughout my back yard.

In the meantime, if you need any assistance and you live in the Atlanta area, please fill out the form to the right of the screen or call our office. 

If you live outside of the Atlanta area and have some questions please leave a comment and I will be glad to help you in any way I can.   

#1 – Cat Mint

One of the best blue perennials I have found is Cat Mint.  This perennial has it all.  Great foliage color and texture, relatively low growing and spreading.  Beautiful little blue perennial flowers that the butterflies love and a great scent when the leaves are crushed.  This little gem will do well on borders or in areas where you need something to take up some space but not get too crazy. 

Buy Catmint Here

Its hardiness is outstanding as well.  I pulled some of mine out at the end of last year because I needed to do a little clean up and this year it is right back at reclaiming its rightful place in the middle of my perennial experiment. 

#2 – Angel’s Trumpet

Angel Trumpet, Red

The next plant I would like to introduce is a great performer.  The Angel’s Trumpet is just an outstanding shrub perennial to have in your garden.  This tropical plant is a large shrub or small tree in the Columbian and Ecuadorian Andes where it grows and around 10,000 feet.  It is part of the same family as the tomato and potato but unlike them all parts are poisonous.  The blooms are breathtaking as they form a trumpet like flower that hangs down from the plant.

Angel Trumpet, Red

The Angel’s Trumpets were once botanically combined with the Daturas, which includes our native Jimson weed. Botanists seem to have finally agreed that they belong in separate genera. Datura has erect flowers that usually last only one day and a seed pod covered in stout thorns. Brugmansia has a smooth seed pod when one forms.

These plants are incredible and full of mystery and lore. There is some history of usage in shaman and witchcraft rituals and recipes. Here is a great book that details the plants and their history

It takes some time for it to come to life in the South but once it starts to grow you can practically see it getting larger by the day.  As it starts to mature and gain some height it soon starts to add its flare to your garden and becomes one of the centerpieces of the season.   

#3 – Bee Balm

Red is a must have in the garden but in the perennial world it is sometimes an elusive color.  Bee Balm is one of the best red southern perennials available.  It will do well in sun or shade has a great sturdy flower stem that launches its dazzling red high into the summer flower sphere and will grow from fast creeping runners.  The spread will reach 2 – 4 feet and a 2 – 3 foot height so division every 2 – 3 years is possible. These tight heads of tubular, red flowers are also surrounded by a whorl of colored leafy bracts.  The leaves in fact are what give Earl Gray tea its aroma and flavor.  This one is another “must have” in the Southern Gardeners garden.