Show Millard County’s Award-Winnin- County - Wide Feature Publication g CAR RT Sort Bulk Rate US VOLUME 26 PO ISSUE 30 July 27 2004 awn With high temperatures drying and drought conditions many lawns once lush and green are looking more like hay fields It is normal for traditional Utah grasses to struggle with the current heat and drought Brown or golden patches may be forming and growing in lawns The good news though is that these grasses possess the capability to recover from extreme weather conditions Consider this information before giving up on your turf Dormancy is the physiological process grass uses to protect itself from heat and drought Usually when winds 609 Delta UT 84624 Newsstand Copy 25 Cents uggling With Heat 1 1 ? Don’t Give Up! grass appears to be dead this time of year it is actually dormant Dormancy is characterized by a complete cessation of growth along with brown or dead grass blades Grass blades are less of a concern than the crown of the grass plant which is at the soil surface and is the point from which the grass blades grow up and the roots grow down As long as the crown remains alive grass has the capability to recover when temperature and moisture conditions improve By entering dormancy grasses are protecting their crowns for future recovery When heat and drought reach a certain level be aware that no amount of irrigation water will coax your grass out of dormancy However as temperatures drop and moisture conditions improve the grass will recover naturally You may find that as your grass becomes more stressed from heat and weeds and insects can drought become a problem This will be less of an issue if your lawn was healthy before the hot weather took over Wait to control weeds until th grass has begun to recover Pulling weeds by hand works well but using herbicides can damage already stressed grass The reduced root growth that occurs when grasses are in dormancy can also increase the injury caused by root feeding insects However it is often difficult to diagnose insect problems when grass is dormant Be certain you are dealing with an insect problem before using insecticides and always read and follabel directions Though it may be tempting completely giving up on grass irrigation is not recommended low Which Fertilizer is Eight For Your Yard Garden? Whether by the bag or truckload d compost and manure are soil amendments Which is for you? right Compost is a more consistent stable product than manure because it has been processed said Dallen Smith Utah State University Extension agriculture water quality coordinator The heat fron this processing is often high enough to kill weed seeds which reduce weed control costs often associated with manure Odor is reduced and in some cases completely eliminated Compost has the added benefit of taking up about half as much volume as the manure it was made of This means greatly reduced transportation costs compared to maribre While compost may contain less nitrogen this could be a good thing depending on the nitrogen requirements of the crop Smith said Depending on the salt content in manure or compost it may be necessary to leach the salt out by watering liberally immediately following application of the amendment With all these advantages the primary benefit of using compost as a soil amendment is to increase soil Recent thunder storm systems green up valley but pose fire hazards to Millard County A Box Postage PAID tilth improves the productivity of our western soils The nutrients derived from compost are an added benefit Be aware that not all compost or manure is the same Smith said Compost is made with a recipe so nutrient content will depend largely on what goes into making the compost and the length of time it is composted Compost can be made of animal waste or green waste such as lawn table or garden waste clippings he for a nitrogen source explained Different species of animals have different nutrients in leaves wood chips shredded newspaper sawdust stfaw etc Since there are so many variables growers should take soil samples and manure or compost samples and have them analyzed at a reputable testing lab Smith said Commercial compost sellers often provide the ingredients and chemical analyses at the point of Continued on page 2 fertility capacity aeration and drainage Smith said In many cases this Local Pioneer Day celebrations honor service men and women celebrate Utah with every oil change at Eqgr's Repairs their manure and nutrient content within species varies depending on what they are fed and the type and amount of bedding used The other part of the recipe is a carbon source which may be brown Phone: 864?9082 p H 279 E Main Delta 95 |