Here is your Round 3 Newsletter!
TDI Blog
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A guide to selecting the right turf for you First Things First...What is Cool and Warm Season Grass? To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. Helen Keller Cool-Season grass Cool-season grasses typically grow in the North, where winters are cold and summers are mild. Hot summe...
Late August through early October is the best time to aerate and overseed. Before overseeding your lawn, you should first determine what types of cool season grasses would perform best in your location. In North Alabama, a blend of turf-type Tall Fescue generally works best. Blends usually contain 3-5 different varieties of fescue with different qu...
Virginia buttonweed (Diodia virginiana L.) is a troublesome broadleaf weed in turfgrass throughout the southeastern United States. Virginia buttonweed is a deep-rooted perennial with prostrate or spreading branches. It usually proliferates in moist to wet areas and can tolerate mowing heights as low as one-half inch. The species is a member of the ...
Termites date back more than 120 million years to the time of the dinosaurs. Termites cause more than $5 billion in property damage to homes and structures in the U.S. annually. Damage costs that are not covered by homeowner’s insurance. Termites are known as “silent destroyers” because of their ability to chew through wood, floor...
The fall armyworm is a devastating pest in the Southeast and can cause severe damage to turf grass and forage crops. Damage varies in appearance and severity according to the type of grass and management practices. They are most numerous in late summer or early fall. More than 60 plants have been reported as hosts of the fall armywo...
Wild garlic (Allium vineale) and wild onion (Allium canadense) are winter perennials weeds. They emerge in late fall from underground bulbs and grow through the winter and spring. In late spring, aerial bulblets are formed and the plants die back in early summer. The underground bulbs can persist in the soil for several years. While both have...
Shothole fungus also know as Coryneum blight is caused by the fungus Wilsonomyces carpophilus. In ornamental shrubs it is very common on skip laurels. The fungus overwinters in infected buds and in small twig cankers. Infections can occur (via fungal spores) from spring to fall. Rainy weather spreads spores from infected tissue to leaves and f...
Anthills can be annoying, especially when trying to mow the lawn. They can also be a literal pain, depending on the kind of ants you have. Fire Ants are very common in the Huntsville and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, their presence can make parts of your yard a “no-go” area, especially if you have children or pets. Fortunately, ant ...
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is a sparsely hairy winter annual with greenish to purplish, tender, square stems. Its opposite leaves are broadly egg shaped with bluntly toothed margins and prominent veins on the underside. Upper leaves are sessile (directly attached to the stem) and lower leaves have petioles. It has a fibrous root system and can gr...
Wild Hyacinth is a winter perennial turf weed that is actually a flower in the Lilly family and is often confused with onions. It grows from a bulb that emerges when the conditions for growth become suitable. Since it grows from a bulb and not a seed, Pre-emergent weed controls will not stop them. Treating them after they emerge is t...
Wild violets (viola papilionacea, viola sororia) are low-growing perennials that bloom in mid-May. While some people consider them a lovely decorative plant for gardens and landscaping, others consider them a bothersome weed because they display an aggressive behavior that is very hard to control. These persistent perennials have dense, fibrous roo...
Star of Bethlehem is a cool season, perennial weed of the lily family that grows from a bulb. It is often misidentified as a grass, wild garlic, or wild onion. Star-of-Bethlehem has been sold as an ornamental and has escaped to become a weed of landscapes, pastures, hayfields, turfgrass, and lawns. Leaves are narrow with a pale ...
Wild Hyacinth Wild Hyacinth is a winter perennial turf weed that is actually a flower in the Lilly family. It grows from a bulb that is already in the ground and emerges when the conditions for growth become suitable. Since it grows from a bulb and not a seed, Pre-emergent weed controls will not stop them. Treating them after they emerge is th...
Fireweed is a weed that pops up in lawns every spring (April – June) and seems to be increasing over the last few years in North Alabama. Fireweed is more difficult to control that broadleaf and grassy weeds. The roots of the Fireweed plant do not stretch down into the soil. Instead, the plant grows exclusively in the thatch layer. Becau...
Fireweed is a common, leafy, annual broadleaf weed that germinates after April 1 across the Southeast. It grows quickly and can appear in massive amounts that seem to take over the lawn. Fireweed spreads through seeds carried from lawn to lawn by wind, rain, shared mowers, etc. Even if you didn't see any Fireweed in your entire neighborh...
White clover (Trifolium repens), also known as Dutch clover, is a perennial weed that is often found growing in patches along roadsides and in pastures and lawns. It is a low-growing plant with creeping stems (stolons) that produce roots and shoots at nodes (joints) along the stem, which helps the plant to spread. It has trifoliate leaves which con...
Chickweed is a low, spreading, winter annual weed that germinates when we receive lots of cool, wet weather. Its leaves are opposite each other, smooth and elliptical in shape. It is tolerant of a variety of conditions and thrives in moist, shady locations. This weed can produce seeds five weeks after germination and will continue to produce seeds ...
Oxalis, also known as wood sorrel, is a perennial weed. It is easily distinguished from clover by the 3 heart-shaped leaflets found on top of each long stalk (or petiole) and 5-petaled yellow flowers that bloom from spring through summer. Oxalis can grow to be 4 to 12 inches tall and thrives in full sun or shade. The leaves of wood sorrel fold down...
Green kyllinga (Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.) is a warm-season, perennial sedge weed common throughout the southeastern United States. It spreads through seed as well as rhizomes (underground stems) below the soil surface to form a dense mat that can choke out stands of desirable turf species. It is a close relative of yellow nutsedge. Gree...
