Turf Connections Grass Maintenance Tips on Zoysia, Bermudagrass, Fescue Sod Featured in TURF magazine

Who knows more about growing grass than a sod producer? Turf Connections, a sod producer of natural grass throughout North Carolina and South Carolina, has launched a redesigned website at TurfConnections.com with educational year-round calendars on the care of zoysia, bermudagrass, and tall fescue turfgrass.

Here’s advice* from the Maintenance section of the site on the treatment of tall fescue in the upcoming months of June and July:

• Mowing: Mow to 31⁄2″ and mow before the grass gets taller than 5″.
• Fertilization: DO NOT fertilize tall fescue at this time.
• Watering: Either water as needed to prevent drought stress, or allow the lawn to go dormant. Dormant lawns must be watered once every 3 weeks during a drought.
• Disease Control: Tall fescue is highly susceptible to brown (large) patch disease, which appears as irregularly shaped patches of dead or dying turf. Brown patch likes high humidity and temperatures above 85°F. It becomes extremely severe during prolonged, overcast wet weather with evening air temperatures above 68°F and daytime temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer when the disease is active, keep the mowing height above 3″, and water between 2 and 8 am. Apply fungicide during severe brown patch outbreaks. (See Diseases of Cool-Season Grasses, AG-361.)
• Weed Control: DO NOT use herbicides at this time.
• Insect Control: Check for and control white grubs in July and August.
• Aeration: DO NOT aerate tall fescue lawns at this time.
• Renovation: Western region only! Overseed thin, bare areas as weather cools (August 15 to September 1). Use a blend of “turf-type” tall fescue cultivars at 6 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet, and apply a starter-type (high phosphorous) fertilizer. Keep the seedbed moist with light watering several times per day. Do not let the seedlings dry out.

Turf Connections grows four varieties of natural turfgrass sod at its four sod farm locations:

1. Low-Mow Cavalier Zoysia: Fine textured and beautiful, yet low maintenance.
2. Palisades Zoysia: A medium-textured and durable grass, it’s great for families with kids and dogs.
3. TifWay 419 Bermudagrass: Great for sports fields, golf courses, and home lawns, it has a fine texture and stands up to wear.
4. Tall Fescue: Turf Connections Tall Fescue blend stays green all year, and creates a thick, dense lawn that stands up to drought and disease.

Turf Connections ships grass nationwide.

*Location, terrain, soil type and condition, age of lawn, previous lawn care, and other factors affect turf performance, so adjust the following management practices and dates to suit a client’s particular lawn.

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