Search found 441 matches

by Billy
November 14th, 2017, 1:14 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Rust - theories
Replies: 11
Views: 556

Re: Rust - theories

All I can think of, is the Rust-causing fungus was already in the lawn and the conditions were optimal for development. YES!!!! This is EXACTLY how rust (and all other turf diseases) works! All plant pathogens live in the soil and are present all the time. You can't kill them all off with fungicide...
by Billy
September 22nd, 2017, 9:32 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Propiconazolefor brown patch
Replies: 9
Views: 572

Re: Propiconazolefor brown patch

1) If you're using a liquid formulation, don't compare the percentages -- they can be misleading. Compare the amount of active ingredient on a weight basis, since that's how use rates are calculated. There was another post this week where we showed that two glyphosate products each with a 41% label ...
by Billy
September 22nd, 2017, 9:22 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Lawn Novice
Replies: 68
Views: 3263

Re: Lawn Novice

In 44 years of studying soil, the only thing I have ever seen that was "premium" about a particular soil was that you paid a premium price for it. The status could be a bit subjective, I suppose. Often, dirt sold for a premium will be run through smaller screens to have fewer rocks in it (or smalle...
by Billy
September 20th, 2017, 10:28 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Peatmoss or compost top dress overseeding
Replies: 9
Views: 14804

Re: Peatmoss or compost top dress overseeding

I don't think it's makes much difference at all which one you use. The purpose of topdressing seeds is to improve seed to soil contact and help with moisture retention. Both sources would do quite well with that, as would a simple soil topdressing. If you've got irrigation that you can easily contro...
by Billy
September 19th, 2017, 12:24 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Amine vs. Ester... NIS vs. MSO
Replies: 1
Views: 3700

Re: Amine vs. Ester... NIS vs. MSO

To think of animes and esters as being water-based vs oil-based is a misnomer. Amines aren't water (they're salts formed from a parent acid) and esters are formed by reacting the parent acid with alcohol. When describing their solubility, we can say that amines are highly soluble in water, while est...
by Billy
September 18th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Converting Pounds of A.I. of Glyphosate
Replies: 2
Views: 479

Re: Converting Pounds of A.I. of Glyphosate

Was it Cole Thompson's work form 2014 that you were reading? I remember seeing some talks about this a few yrs ago. Anywho, the math for this is easier than what you have here. But, first, we need to get the terminology straightened out. The percentages don't matter for determining ai content from l...
by Billy
August 18th, 2017, 3:48 pm
Forum: Warm-season grasses
Topic: Please Help! Fungus?
Replies: 16
Views: 785

Re: Please Help! Fungus?

Next time, before you spend a lot of money on stuff you probably don't need, write in here. He did write in here. Nobody was strong enough in disease identification to respond with any specificity. Of all the things that he did, the fertilizer and water were probably responsible for the recovery. W...
by Billy
July 31st, 2017, 2:46 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Using Prodiamine (Barricade, Guardrail)
Replies: 31
Views: 3225

Re: Using Prodiamine (Barricade, Guardrail)

Regarding how months of control you'll get from a prodiamine application (or any other PRE, for that matter), there are several factors that go into that number. When Syngenta published the first prodiamine label, they used theoretical models -- computer guesses. They didn't conduct field studies on...
by Billy
July 31st, 2017, 9:40 am
Forum: Warm-season grasses
Topic: Please Help! Fungus?
Replies: 16
Views: 785

Re: Please Help! Fungus?

What specific disease do you guys think you're seeing? Diseases are a different game than most things we're used to. When we see weeds, we can get pretty good results just by generalizing. For example, for most broadleaf weeds, a phenoxy three-way works pretty well. If you don't know the difference ...
by Billy
July 27th, 2017, 8:49 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Brown spot or dead grass?
Replies: 20
Views: 1971

Re: Brown spot or dead grass?

One last question. Do I apply the headway to the whole lawn or just the areas that are affected by the current brown spot? Thanks Rich What is 'brown spot'? In 30+ yrs, I've never heard of a turf disease called 'brown spot.' Do you have scientific name for what you're seeing? It always helps to hav...
by Billy
July 25th, 2017, 1:10 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Pre-emergent mode of action
Replies: 7
Views: 198

Re: Pre-emergent mode of action

This general concept has been used by golf course superintendents and sports field managers for many years. But, the reason is a bit different. Because the soil seed bank is so diverse and so prolific, it's almost impossible apply PRE for enough years to expend all seeds that are in the soil. But, P...
by Billy
July 24th, 2017, 3:18 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn
Replies: 31
Views: 1179

Re: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn

Ok so we figured out "elite". What about dwarf? Is that different from compact? And what's double dwarf? Which cultivars fall in these classifications? A lot of these terms come from plant breeders, so they're used to describe how a plant behaves in spaced plantings (usually 12-18" apart), instead ...
by Billy
July 24th, 2017, 9:43 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn
Replies: 31
Views: 1179

Re: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn

I was wondering if different cultivars were creating by genetic engineering. I am not familiar with all of horticulture techniques. Genetic engineering is a broad term, so it covers a lot of different techniques. Most of the time, when people talk about genetic engineering, they refer to gene inser...
by Billy
July 21st, 2017, 6:15 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn
Replies: 31
Views: 1179

Re: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn

Right. We're going to stop using a term that's been in general use for a long time because someone says it lacks criteria. Not so much. And Kevin didn't say that there is no such thing - he said it lacks criteria. The blogger said it didn't exist (and he is entitled to his opinion). The point is th...
by Billy
July 21st, 2017, 1:01 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Leaf spot, Rust, or Heat stress?
Replies: 29
Views: 1298

Re: Leaf spot, Rust, or Heat stress?

I did some research this spring to find out what the various states in the transition zone recommended for spring fertilizer. The more southern ones were rather adamant about no fertilizer after March. The more northern ones said none until the end of May. Fertilizer for fescue in spring is optiona...
by Billy
July 21st, 2017, 12:47 pm
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn
Replies: 31
Views: 1179

Re: Elite vs Scotts for Lawn

Oops, Here is the link that I was referring to: http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2012/07/elite-grass-seed.html Interesting article. Here's an important quote from it: There really are no criteria for the elite designation. The company [or breeder] may have a variety that is superior in one or more way...
by Billy
July 20th, 2017, 9:36 am
Forum: Lawn Renovations
Topic: Too warm for roundup?
Replies: 8
Views: 262

Re: Too warm for roundup?

That could help, but remember that Milorganite is a slow-release product, so you may not get the boost you were hoping for in time for your Roundup app. For years, my complete kill recommendation for cool-season grasses was 2 apps of Roundup 1 week apart, with a quick release fert app (1#N/M if appl...
by Billy
July 19th, 2017, 2:43 pm
Forum: Lawn Renovations
Topic: Too warm for roundup?
Replies: 8
Views: 262

Re: Too warm for roundup?

Like the other posters said, there's nothing about the temperature that influences the chemical, but temperature might have an influence on how the plant responds to it. Everyone here has already said that healthy, actively growing plants take up and metabolize herbicides better than those that aren...
by Billy
July 19th, 2017, 10:59 am
Forum: Cool-season grasses
Topic: Supercharging Tenacity against P. Annua
Replies: 8
Views: 386

Re: Supercharging Tenacity against P. Annua

The goal is to get every weed seed to sprout, so that you can then kill them off before sowing seed. Personally, I think fallowing needs to be done for a minimum of 3 weeks, with a final application of glyphosate on the (dead) lawn no more than 24 hours before seed-down. If one fallows for too shor...
by Billy
July 19th, 2017, 10:49 am
Forum: Soil management and compost forum
Topic: Applying phosphorus and potassium
Replies: 3
Views: 195

Re: Applying phosphorus and potassium

Broad statements like "usually sufficient in most soils" are hard to make, since it's hard to know what's happened in past years on most soils. If a piece of land was used as a livestock pasture or has P-rich rock underneath it, it will probably have different nutrient amounts in it than a soil that...