Got Lawn and Garden Problems?
With proper care and attention, it is not too challenging to grow a yard full of thick green grass or have a successful vegetable and herb garden. Every now and then, though, despite your best efforts, a problem will crop up and you’ll need to figure out what’s going on in order to come up with the correct fix. Over the years, we’ve collected our customer’s questions about their lawn and garden problems. We’ve listed them below along with our answers.
When we first planted our grass a year ago, it was nice and thick. We’ve noticed this year, though, that it seems to be thinning some. What can we do to prevent further thinning or to help restore it to its original look?
A common source of a receding lawn is lack of sunlight—so if you’ve put up a fence recently or planted a shade tree nearby, that could be the source of the problem. However, thinning lawns are also caused by watering issues, fertilization problems, soil compaction, foot traffic, or insects. Check your soil’s moisture levels by inserting your finger into the soil a few inches. If it feels dry, you need to increase your watering; if it feels really wet, even muddy, then you need to reduce your watering. Follow exactly the instructions for the fertilizer you are using. Aerate your soil if it is extremely hard and dense. Reduce foot traffic. Once you’ve determined the cause of the thinning, you can take the appropriate preventive steps and then either re-seed or re-sod your lawn. (PS—lawn thinning is seldom caused by insects—but if you see birds regularly feeding on your lawn, especially in the morning, you may in fact, have a pest problem.)
My Kentucky Blue grass has developed ring spots—yellow rings surrounding a patch of green. What is causing this damage and how do I fix it?
These rings are caused by a fungus that create a condition called Necrotic Ring Spot, which is a very common in Kentucky Bluegrass. So, although the rings are yellow, the problem is not due to under- or overwatering. In fact, Necrotic Ring Spot generally occurs in compacted soil and soils with poor drainage. There are a couple of thing you can to do address the problem. First, aeration works well, and lawns should be aerated twice a year—once in the spring and again in the fall. Second, reseed the affected areas with grasses that mix well with Kentucky Bluegrass—a mix of Fescue and Ryegrass often does well. (Combining aeration and reseeding is very effective in addressing Necrotic Ring Spot.) Finally, you can apply fungicide, but consult with us regarding application timing—successful application depends on soil temperatures, which of course, vary depending on the time of year. Left: Necrotic Ring Spot in Kentucky Blue Grass. Photo courtesy of Colorado State University Extension
I’ve noticed some “frothing” on a few plants around our house and I am wondering what is causing it.
The frothing that you are noticing is from the aptly-named spittlebug. During the nymph stage, these bugs suck the plant’s juices from leaves or from grass blades causing them to yellow and eventually brown. The frothing is actually a protective substance the bugs produce that prevents the nymphs from drying out during their development into adults. Any kind of insecticide is effective in treating spittlebugs.
My tomatoes look like they have developed blossom end rot. What should I do?
Remove all of the affected tomatoes from your plants. End rot is caused by inconsistent watering and calcium deficiency so you will want to make that your plants get a full inch of water each week and add some calcium to your soil. Stick your finger into the soil near the base of the plant, and if it feels excessively wet (mud sticks to your finger), back off on the watering until the soil feels only slightly moist. Then resume water at the rate of an inch a week.