Summer Heat Stress is hitting lawns across the Northern Illinois hard this week.  Summer months bring warm temperatures and sometimes periods of dry weather to the lawns of Northern Illinois.  Grass lawns across Antioch-Gurnee-Waukegan and Lake Forest enter survival mode to withstand the stress associated with this time of year.  Even after a great spring of cool temperatures and excess rain made lawns green and grow fast, they are quickly turning to mid-summer appearance of splotchy brown and dormant patches in just a few short hot days this summer.  Proper mowing height and watering practices are two of the most important things to do properly as summer begins. With the forecast of multiple 90 degree days ahead and no significant rain in well over a week, begin watering now to prevent or assist with heat stress on the lawn.   A bluegrass-based lawn needs about 1-2 inches of irrigation per week to keep adequate moisture levels and to prevent the full on...

April showers bring May showers?  Yes, in the case this year, a wet and snowy April led to one of the wettest Mays on record for most of the Northern Illinois area.  The rain was great for any seeding jobs performed in Spring, at least the ones that were able to get performed due to the soft and wet ground conditions all Spring.  The rain in May was great for germinating grass seed, making grass grow and keeping weeds under control for the most part.  However, the worst scenario for too much rain is yet to come.  Excess Spring rain will most likely lead to a mosquito population explosion once the temperatures rise into the 70's and 80's.  High water levels allow for eggs left from previous high water levels to hatch along with providing plenty of nesting opportunities for mosquitoes this year. Mosquitoes have been hindered so far this season due to the lower than average temperatures.  Mosquitoes generally don't like sub 70 degree weather...

Spring 2018 has had it ups and downs this season for the lawn care service industry.  However it has mostly produced many "ups" or positive results across the Antioch- Gurnee area.   A very slow to warm up spring kept lawns brown and with no growth through early April followed by a nearly two week cold and snow on the ground period of early to mid-April.  Although the cooler temps and snow cover  were a little abnormal, the moisture left behind allowed for good green up and new leaf tissue growth in the warmer weeks that followed.    Late April 2018 Snow cover on April 15, 2018 May brought many additional challenges as it was warm but very wet.  This caused some delays again including many spring seeding services.  Seeding in spring is a great opportunity to thicken up some shady areas however the moisture and temperature swings can create a lot of difficulties in scheduling and perfo...

We have recently noticed a few instances of a somewhat rare phenomenon in the lawn care industry that we would like to point out in an effort to better communicate to both our customers and those interested in lawn care.  Along with the previously posted summer stress issues for the lawn in this blog, we wanted to bring up a more recent issue which is very rare but is currently a potential for lawns across the Antioch, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Gurnee, Lake Forest and Waukegan area.  This recent phenomenon is referred to by some in the industry as heat tracking. Heat tracking occurs when pressure is applied to the lawn from foot traffic, lawn mowers, fertilizer spreaders or anything else that can compress the leaf tissue down to the ground below.  When  this pressure is applied at the exact time frame (usually early afternoon at the peak heat of the day) that the turf is at its wilting point or entering dormancy stage it breaks the leaf tissue at the base o...

Lawn Early April 2016 The spring of 2016 has brought just as many surprises and challenges as any in the past few years since we began writing this blog.  The spring began with a lot of early sunshine in March and no snow cover, which resulted in little to no snow mold on the lawn this spring.  The early sunny days allowed for the grass to begin greening up as the sun began slowly rising higher in the sky.  Although the temperatures did not rise early the sunlight allowed for the first phase of the lawn to begin waking in spring.  The lawn goes through two stages in spring, greening up- which allows for sunlight absorption to begin producing food for the plant through photosynthesis.  The second stage of spring lawn is growth which comes after photosynthesis begins and soil temperatures rise with warming temperatures.  Various weather conditions each spring is what causes varying spring green up and growth.   Lawn Early April 2015 ...

There are many tasks involved in caring for a lawn throughout the year that often get overlooked.  Winter preparation is one of them.  Preparing your lawn properly for the oncoming stress of a Midwest winter is a very important task that shouldn't be forgotten.  This involves clearing as many leaves, limbs, landscaping debris, mulch and any dead plant material that may have found its way onto the lawn from an landscaping projects throughout the year.  This is commonly referred to a fall cleanup and is currently being performed daily across the county.  The lawn should also be trimmed back to the minimal height as possible without removing more than a third of the leaf tissue or scalping the lawn down to the crown.  A late fall fertilizer should have been or being applied that consists of a high Nitrogen fast release form.  This allows for immediate uptake as the plant is still alive and before going dormant.  The turf will absorb the fertilizer...

Dull blades cause browning of leaf tissue tips There are many cultural factors that can influence the appearance of the lawn in addition to irrigation and fertilizing.  These consist of proper mowing practices such as proper mowing height and sharpening your mower blades regularly.  Commercial lawn mowing companies sharpen their blades daily and or weekly.  This insures that the blades make a smooth clean cut to the leaf tissue.  Most homeowners fail to keep up with this practice and as a result their lawns can suffer.  As a homeowner mowing your own lawn you should insure that your blades are sharpened every 4 to 5 mowing's or monthly throughout the mowing season.   Shredded leaf tips from dull mower blades Dull mower blades can create damaging effects on your lawn.  A dull mower blade shreds the leaf tissue instead of cutting it clean.  This shredding causes damage to the leaf tissue and can leave your lawn with a light brown have c...

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  Summer stress affecting a lawn in Antioch August 2013 Every summer brings stress to the lawns in Antioch, Gurnee, Waukegan and Lake Forest.  This stress comes from heat, dry soil and compaction from foot traffic.  The result is usually a weaker thinner lawn in Mid- August than earlier in the year in May with cooler temperatures and adequate rainfall.  Late summer and early fall is the perfect time of the year to repair your lawn with over seeding.  This time of the year brings cooler air temperatures at night and warm soil conditions perfect for grass seed germination.  This combination also produces heavy morning dews to help irrigate the seed for germination. Over seeded lawn results fall 2013 Depending on your grass type, your lawn may need over seeding to help repair or an ideal organic nutrient mix to induce rhizome production. Bluegrasses and some tall fescues can thicken up naturally with the help of fertilizers by producing new rhiz...

Immature crabgrass growing  in late spring on golf course in Gurnee Late July and August brings hot and dry sunny days which are perfect for the development and growth of ugly crabgrass.  Crabgrass is an annual weed (or undesirable grass) that is native to the Antioch-Gurnee-Waukegan-Lake Forest area and grows every year from seed left behind or blown onto the lawn during the previous summer.  The germination of the seed begins in late spring as soil temperatures reach about 55 degrees.  This is usually around mid-April.  Crabgrass is best controlled through a pre-emergent application of herbicide (dithiopyr or pendimethalin) in early spring before the soil temperatures get to 55.  These products generally stay active in the soil for about 60 days giving the lawn a good defense against annual weeds when applied early in the season.  Unfortunately they also prevent desirable bluegrass and rye grass to germinate so be careful in scheduling seeding ...

Lawns need water too on these hot sunny days. Lawn beginning to show signs of heat and dry soil stress We have had a great spring and summer for lawns across the Antioch, Gurnee, Waukegan, Lake Forest area this year.  However, the typical mid-summer weather has returned to the area bringing very high day time temperatures, high humidity and lots of intense sunshine.  These harsh conditions quickly lead to high soil temperatures and dry soil conditions.  Bluegrass, ryegrass and fescues that are found in most of the area lawns are cool season varieties that do not tolerate soil temperatures above 85 degrees.  At these temperatures and without water the turf refrains to its natural survival abilities.  This includes the closing of stomata which makes the turf look thin and lose color and a significant reduction in leaf tissue growth. Watered lawn on right with 3" mowing height Watering the lawn before or during these hot and dry conditions will si...

The importance of “Winterizer”   Gurnee lawn 10/24/13   Lawn Doctor Lawn on left, competitor on right 10/24/31 Most people already know the importance of a late season fertilizer as part of their lawn care program.  This is often referred to as “winterizer” and applied during the late fall months of the year as the leaves are falling or have already fallen.  I would like to explain a little about why the late fertilizer or “winterizer” s so important.  It provides quickly available nitrogen, allows for root growth and greatly influences the lawns ability to green-up and grow with the first warm days of spring.   Lake Forest lawn 10/24/13 Our late fall fertilizer is a high source of nitrogen fertilizer with a very low percent of slow-release. This allows for most of the fertilizer to be immediately available for turf root uptake with the typical normal moisture levels and dews found this time of year.  Moisture allows th...