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Lawn Care & Gardening Related Activities at The Minnesota State Fair
The Great Minnesota Get Together is here! Can you believe it? This means summer is almost over and its getting close for school to be back in session.
With all the chaos going on, we would like to bring some attention to lawn care and gardening related seminars going on at the Minnesota Fair to help you get a handle on your lawn and garden as things start to get busy.
Lawn Care Activities
Nilgun Tuna from the University of Minnesota will e presenting Sustainable Lawn Care on August 28th and August 29th.
If you love a nice green lawn but dislike the maintenance demands, come meet University of Minnesota turfgrass science experts to learn about water conservation practices for irrigating your lawn. Discover the benefits of auditing your irrigation system, planting drought-tolerant turfgrasses, utilizing smart controllers, rain sensors, soil moisture sensors and much more! Presented with support from the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services. At the University of Minnesota CFANS booth in the Agriculture Horticulture Building.
On August 31st,Kim Sullivan from the University of Minnesota will be making a presentation on fall lawn care in Minnesota.
Gardening Activities
Do you want a garden but are too lazy to keep up with the demands? If so, Theresa Rooney from the University of Minnesota will be presenting Lazy Sustainable Gardening on August 24th and 31st.
How about a rock garden? One of our favorites you have to check out is the Rock Garden booth. Their featured items include gazebo and playground equipment, pavers, rocks, fairy gardens, fountains, garden tote bag with books, gardening sheds, illuminated garden stakes, landscaping supplies, lawn ornaments, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor wall art, pinwheels, Regal spinners, stepping stones, wind chimes, flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees.
Peer into distinctive garden kaleidoscopes and see gorgeous flowers transform into mesmerizing images of color and movement. These three unique metal sculptures and spinning flower bowls are created by artist Robert C. Anderson of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Fruit trees, shrubs, and vines are a great way to diversify your landscape and an introduction to local food production. We will share low maintenance species that are great starter options, requiring little pruning and being less susceptible to disease. Presented by a Minnesota Tree Care Advocate, Minnesota Tree Care Advocate Program. Located on the Sustainability Stage in Eco Experience.
Learn from master gardeners, talented florists, lawn enthusiasts and other outdoor experts as they offer informative, entertaining demonstrations and question-and-answer sessions all day long on The DIRT Demo Stage located in the Agriculture Horticulture Building. Demonstrations start at 10 a.m. each day.
Tired of mowing the grass? Replace your lawn with a Food Forest! Learn about all the latest growing trends: Native plants, pollinators, healthy soil, seed saving, wise water use, and harvesting food at home! Presented by Russ Henry, Minnehaha Falls Landscaping and Giving Tree Gardens. Located on the Sustainability Stage in Eco Experience.
How To Care For Cool Season Lawns In Minnesota During The Summer Heat
Once temperatures get into the 80s and above, lawns will begin to struggle a little, with cool-season grasses having the hardest time. Growth will slow, color may fade, and lawns will show signs of wear and tear as they are less able to recover from stress and traffic. Some cool-season lawns will even go dormant in the summer, looking brown and brittle until early fall.
Water Wisely
- Lawns need at least one inch of water per week, and more when the heat is severe. Use a rain gauge or straight-sided can to keep track of the amount of water received from rainfall and irrigation.
- Water deeply and less frequently to encourage drought-tolerant roots.
- Water early in the day to reduce evaporation and fungal growth.
- Either water your lawn regularly and deeply, or don’t water at all. Don’t let your lawn go brown and dormant, then try to “water it back to life.” If your lawn goes dormant in summer, it should stay that way until fall – don’t worry, it should recover once the weather changes.
Mowing Tips
- Raise your mower blade in the summer. Taller grass is more drought-tolerant, grows deeper roots, and helps shade the earth to prevent weed seeds from germinating. Cool-season grasses should be mowed at 3”- 4” during the summer, or as high as your blade will go, while warm-season grasses should be mowed at 2”- 3”.
- Mulching grass clippings helps keep moisture levels steady.
- Mow regularly, to prevent cutting more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time. This keeps your grass healthier and prevents the clippings from smothering the grass.
- Keep mower blades sharp. Make sure your mower is cutting your grass, not tearing it, to minimize stress during hot temperatures.
Don’t Over Fertilize
If your lawn is looking straggly in midsummer, resist the urge to fertilize. In fact, it’s best to stop fertilizing about 30 days before your area’s summer temperatures arrive. Applying extra fertilizer in the heat of summer can burn your lawn and create a flush of tender growth that will struggle in the hot summer weather. Never fertilize dormant lawns – wait until they green up in the fall.
High-Traffic Areas
By summer, many lawns begin to show signs of wear, especially in a few popular pathways. Consider installing stepping stones to minimize damage to your grass, and try to minimize traffic on dormant, brittle lawns. If you’re getting plenty of rainfall and your lawn is actively growing, you can apply a bit of fertilizer to these areas to help the blades recover faster.
Control Weeds
Summer is the season to get those growing weeds removed before they bloom and disperse seed for next year. Targeted postemergent herbicides are designed to kill broadleaf weeds without harming turf grass, but they must be applied when temperatures will be below 85° F for a few days. Keep in mind that during the heat of summer, ANY product can be damaging to already-stressed lawn grasses, so use sparingly or hand-pull weeds instead.
Insects and Diseases
- Dormant or drought-stressed summer lawns can be more susceptible to insect infestations, such as chinch bugs, cutworms, armyworms, sod webworms, fire ants, fleas, and mosquitoes. Minor infestations often take care of themselves, but severe problems may require attention.
- Summer is also the time for fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew and brown patch. Apply fungicide if needed, and avoid watering in the evening to keep nighttime moisture at a minimum.
- Grubs will begin hatching in your lawn over the summer. If grubs typically cause problems in your lawn, you can begin applying grub control around midsummer.
A Couple Of Summer Lawn Care Tips That Will Make Your Lawn Be Envied By The Neighborhood
Summer has arrived in Minneapolis which means hotter temperatures and so far, in 2018, a lot more rain than usual. To keep your lawn healthy and green we decided to give you a few tips you can use this summer.
Lawn Mowing
In the summer months it is important to set your lawn mowers height appropriately. With our cool season grass in Minnesota, it is recommended to set your mower height to about 3 and a half inches.
For those of you with a push mower, that means setting your lawn mower height to the highest you can.
Cutting your lawn at about 3 and a half inches will help reduce weed growth and allow your lawn to grow thick and lush. You may even end up becoming the envy of the neighborhood!
Watering
If you have an underground watering system, setting your watering times from 4 to 8 am is the best for your lawn. Watering in the early morning hours allows the water to soak deep into the soil so the roots can absorb the moisture during the heat of the day.
If you do not have an underground water system, 4 to 8 am is still the best, but you can still get good results if you have completed watering your lawn by 10 am.
If you follow the 2 simple steps above, chances are likely you will have one of the healthiest lawns in the neighborhood.
5 Most Common Lawn Care Mistakes
Having the greenest lawn in the neighborhood takes a lot of work and a lot of knowledge to accomplish. To help your lawn get started on the right track, we have provided you with the 5 of the most common lawn care mistakes homeowners make when trying to get their lawn on track.
Cutting Lawn Too Short
Mowing grass too short is very harmful to the plant and can actually put it into shock. Cutting off too much of the grass blade will limit its ability to absorb sunshine, which allows it to perform photosynthesis through its leaves and make food. It also weakens the root system.
Set the mower height to about 2 1/2 inches and never cut off more than 1/3 of the grass blade at any one time. The grass will develop a deeper root system to support the longer blades and need less water.
Watering Wrong Time Of Day
Don’t water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. It is best to water between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. There’s usually less wind, less sun, and your lawn has all day to dry.
In the middle of the day, water evaporates too quickly. And in the evenings, water can cling to the blades of grass overnight, which can cause lawn diseases.
Fertilizing Out Of Season
It is best to apply fertilizer when the grass is rapidly growing, not during the hot summer when the grass wants to go dormant anyway. Fertilizing at this time will require more water to support the increased growth.
Fall fertilization is important for root growth and will give the lawn a boost next Spring. Late spring, late summer, and after the last mow of the year are ideal times to fertilize.
Not Testing Soil
Most homeowners just plant grass willy nilly. Grass thrives in soil with a pH of 6 to 6.5.
Send a soil sample to your local extension service for testing and they’ll tell you what your soil needs to make your grass healthy.
Mowing With Dull Mower Blades
Dull mower blades actually tear grass blades leaving them looking brown on the tips and making them more prone to disease and insect damage.
It is recommended to sharpen your lawnmower blades at the beginning of each season and possibly once more about mid-way through the season.
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