Master Turf Management inc

12/25/2024

Kati and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

08/20/2024

Dr. Alejandro Del-Pozo reports Fall Armyworms have been confirmed in several Virginia locations. Scout for these pests and be prepared to act. And make your decision about applying control preemptively.

Below is an excerpt from an earlier email about this pest.
Update from Dr. Alejandro Del-Pozo


Below there is some information that our industry can use to be on top of scouting for fall armyworm

Several people have already contacted me reporting the presence of fall armyworms in lawns, and even in golf courses.

It is highly suggested to start scouting for these caterpillars in our lawns. The sooner you could spot them, the easier will be to manage them.

What do I need to scout for this pest?
03 gallons of water per lawn
Liquid dish soap (our suggestion is to use a lemon-scent soap)
Measuring utensils

How do I start?
Mix 3 tablespoons of the dish soap in one gallon of water
Then pour one gallon of the soap solution over 2 squared-foot area of the lawn

What is next?
Spend at least 5 minutes observing the areas of the lawn where you pour the soap water
Be patient, it takes some time for these caterpillars to move up from the thatch, since the dish is an irritant for them
There will be several insects and other arthropods crawling out from this area
Remember to look for caterpillars with the “Y” suture on the front of their heads to confirm the presence of fall armyworms
Repeat this drench technique in a total of three different spots in one lawn

I found this great video in YouTube, summarizing a soap flush to scout fall armyworms in lawns, made by “DoMyOwn”
The link below will take you to this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOQOvTGlpfE

Also, our colleagues at NC State have great information about soap flushes at the following page:
https://ncturfbugs.wordpress.ncsu.edu/homepage/monitoring-for-turfgrass-insects-2/below-ground-insects/soap-water-flush-v-2/

If you end finding fall armyworm in the lawn you scouted, please plan to manage them accordingly.
Remember that the larger the caterpillars, the harder is to control them.
Information regarding management is summarized in our own VCE publication at
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/SPES/SPES-357/SPES-357.html



Alejandro Del-Pozo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Department of Entomology
Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Turf and Ornamental Insect Pest Management

07/19/2024

Now that the weather pattern has changed slightly, we’ve returned to working on the lawns. The last couple of days we’ve been out spraying fungicides to keep turfgrass diseases from becoming detrimental to our customers lawns.
This is a picture of active disease in a lawn this morning. Its identifying characteristic is mycelium at the tip of the plant. It looks like cotton from a Q-tip and is commonly referred to as Dollar spot.

06/22/2024

I received these pictures this morning from a customer. He was curious of how lines like this would show up in his lawn. These lines are wheel marks from mowing in a drought like weather pattern.
Best I can offer is this, LET IT GO, DON’T MOW!

06/21/2024

Help is on the way!

06/15/2024

It’s getting hot! Ours lawns are starting to struggle! This is the time of year that I like the least
Here are a couple of ways that I try to keep my lawn alive without over watering. 1. Stop mowing weekly. When fescue becomes stressed by the heat it’s best to leave it alone. There is no need to mow weekly whennirs that hot. 2. Don’t over water. Fescue only needs about 1.5” of total watering a week. So don’t mow and water correctly. 3rd. Mow selectively as I tried to show in a couple of my pics. When the grass gets tall and stressed I mow the areas that I know won’t be injured by mowing this time of year. The curb line at my house always dries up and dies off first so I’ve quit mowing.
Finally, the pic of my neighbors across the street is what happens when you mow on a Saturday when it has been extremely hot and you offer no irrigation. 2 weeks ago we were discussing how beautiful his lawn was. I’ll get it back for him 🙂

Stay cool 🙂. John

06/12/2024

06/07/2024

This is what a turfgrass disease looks like. A lot of times this is written off by the home owner as the lawn being dry.

05/24/2024

Some beautiful May lawns.

05/10/2024

05/06/2024

Here is a mix of some residential and commercial lawns that we help our clients take care of.