Lakehouse owners are meticulous about their lawns. One LKA resident in the turf care business is, too. Lake Anna Green’s Steve McCormick shares insight on how important a healthy lawn is to the lake and environment this edition.
“Properly maintained, healthy lawns perform invaluable aesthetic and environmental functions including sequestration of carbon which in turn cools surface temperatures, incredible efficiency in the production of oxygen: one 50 square foot section of lawn enough oxygen per year to meet the needs for a family of four and lastly, the dense root system of healthy turfgrass provides the best possible buffer to protect the lake and its tributaries from nutrient and sediment runoff.”
Here are some seasonal turf tips form McCormick to help maximize your lawn’s performance: 1) be sure and remove of any remnant fall leaves, sticks, and acorns/hickory nuts. This tree debris robs turfgrass of sunlight, and the decomposition of this material leads to undesirable acidification of the soil, 2) Apply lime. The soils in the Lake Anna/central Virginia Piedmont are inherently acidic, meaning soil PH levels are too low for optimal turf health. Lime is the most efficient means of properly raising soil PH levels, 3) Apply crabgrass preemergent products before soil temperatures consistently reach the mid 50s at a 2” depth. This normally occurs between mid-March and mid-April. 80% of crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees. These products set up a barrier in the soil which prevents crabgrass plants from germinating from the seeds that are already present in the top half inch of the soil. Crabgrass pressure is intense in the mid-late summer months in our region and, if left untreated, it will outcompete desired turfgrasses such as Turf-Type Tall Fescue, 4) resist the urge to seed lawns in the spring. Hold off until September if possible. A long, hot Virginia summer brings with it weed competition, heat and drought stress, and disease pressure that ultimately wipes out much of what initially appears to be promising results from spring seeding.
“Come down to the lake to relax and enjoy your property and leave these details to the professionals at Lake Anna Green. We are local, we are super passionate about turfcare, and we are committed to our clients’ success.”
