Murray Lawn Mowers Reviews
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Kill Germinating Weeds Now, Before They Have Time To Take Over Your Lawn
Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers' questions each week. To send a question, email Gill at [email protected].
Please advise me on when and what to use to prevent winter and summer weed seeds from germinating in my centipede Lawn. — Gared Genser
I see you subscribe to "the best defense is a good offense" philosophy of lawn weed control. Good for you. Anyone who thinks back to late last winter and spring and remembers lots of cool-season weeds in their lawns should be asking this question.
Pre-emergence herbicides, or weed preventers, are applied before the weeds show up. They kill germinating weed seeds and prevent a bad weed situation from happening. But you must get these out before weed seeds start germinating.
For fall/winter/spring weeds, apply a pre-emergence herbicide the first week of October.
For summer weeds, apply the pre-emergence weed killer the last week in February or first week of March.
Herbicides to use include Sta-Green Crab-EX, Hi-Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed and Grass Stopper, Green Light Crabgrass Preventer and Scott's Halts.
For those with unacceptable levels of weeds growing in their lawn, you may apply a post-emergence weed killer now. Post-emergence weed killers control weeds in active growth.
Be careful. Many lawn weed killers should not be used when daytime highs are still hitting the 90s. However, Celsius and metsulfuron, (MSM Turf and other brands) may be used now. If you do this, you may still apply a pre-emergence weed killer the first week in October.
Roots of mature trees build up above ground, but they need to be protected.
CHRIS GRANGERI have an ash tree that has exposed surface roots. The problem is that they are being shaved by the lawn mower when I mow. Should I do something to protect the roots? — Lloyd
As shade trees age, it is perfectly normal for roots near the trunk to grow larger and gradually become exposed. This is not an issue unless the roots are high enough to get clipped by mower blades or cause problems like tripping. It is not healthy for the tree for those roots to be damaged by mower blades. This causes wounds that may be infected by decay organisms.
You could simply mulch the area under the tree where the roots are exposed. That way you don't have to mow under the tree and won't hit the surface roots with the mower blades.
Use glyphosate (Killzall and other brands) to kill off any lawn grass in the area that will be mulched. The mulched area should extend out as far as it needs to so that the exposed roots will be covered and protected from mower blades. You can make the area circular or a more informal shape easy to mow around.
After the grass is dead, spread about 4 or 5 inches of mulch over the area. Any stray weeds that pop up in the area may be sprayed with glyphosate as needed.
If, on the other hand, you want to maintain a lawn under the tree, spread about two inches of fill over the area where the roots are exposed (enough to come up to the top of the roots). Then lay sod on that. If you decide to do this, lay the sod by the end of September.
I have a large cluster of what I think is fruit hanging from my queen palm. What should I do with it? Is the fruit edible? — Jeffery
These are clusters of fruit hanging from your queen palm (Syargus romanzoffiana). They aren't edible, so there is no reason to keep them. And they will eventually fall and cause a mess. So, cut off the cluster of fruit now.
In the future, watch for the flower stalk when it first comes out. The flowers are small, pale yellow and produced on a large stalk. Cutting off the flower stalk then is much easier than waiting for lots of heavy fruit to form.
The caladiums are nearing their end, so it's time to gather the bulbs.
Jeff Strout 2022 Garden tipsCALADIUM CARE: Evaluate caladium plantings. When the plants begin to look tired and about two-thirds of the leaves have fallen over, it's time to dig the tubers. Caladiums may return the next year if left in the ground, but it is more reliable to dig them and store them indoors over the winter. Dig carefully, leaving the foliage attached. Spread out in a well-ventilated area and when the foliage is dry and brown, pull it from the tubers and store them in paper or net bags indoors over the winter.
CAMELLIA TEASE: Camellia flower buds are starting to swell but generally will not bloom until November or December. Water in October if weather is dry. Drought in the fall can cause buds not to open properly.
BULB TIME: Mail order spring bulbs in time for them to arrive in November. The best selection of bulbs is found at mail order companies online. But be sure to also check out local nurseries and garden centers. You can purchase bulbs now while the selection is still good, but November is the month we plant most spring bulbs here. Tulips and hyacinths bloom best if the bulbs are refrigerated in November and planted in late December or early January.
WATER, WATER, WATER: October is often one of our drier months. Our landscapes have already been stressed by drought this year, so be sure to check lawns, shrubs, flowerbeds, and vegetable gardens regularly. When the soil is dry down several inches and/or plants show slight drought stress, water deeply and thoroughly as needed.
Husqvarna's Latest Mowing Innovation Is To Mow Less
Rewilding Mode will help you reclaim a bit of your lawn for Mother Nature.
HusqvarnaHusqvarna has already turned heads for creating some of the worlds most innovative robotic lawnmowers. More than just "robovacs for the lawn," these mowers are autonomous, tireless, emissions-free workhorses that continuously maintain your lawn morning, noon, and night.
But now, their mowers can do even more with the map that they automatically make of your lawn. Called "Rewilding," your robot mower sets aside 10% of your lawn and just…doesn't mow it.
Now I know what you're saying—if you've spent a few thousand dollars on a robot to maintain your lawn, then it should be maintaining the whole lawn. Right? Well. Not exactly.
Husqvarna ascertains that, if every European household set aside just 10% of their lawn and let it be populated by local plant species, it would constitute an area larger than the largest European nature preserve. Pretty impressive. But rather than have all that land mass in one place, by having multiple, small rewilding zones everywhere, you improve biodiversity in your own backyard, literally and figuratively.
The Husqvarna app creates a virtual rewilding zone on its own, but you can shape it as you see fit (and as it works with your landscaping and HOA needs). Then you can sprinkle in some local flowers and let bees, butterflies, and other pollinators do what they do best.
So are you ready to stop mowing your lawn, maintain healthier grass, and make your yard more eco-friendly? Yeah, I thought so. These are the bots that are making the magic happen.
How to make a rewilding zoneFirst you need a compatible automower. In the US the 415 and 435X AWD have automatic rewilding mode…the catch being that these models also require you to lay boundary wire around your property to create a virtual fence. If you're willing to make your own zone, you can grab a 450X Epos and use Husqvarna's latest technology: line-of-sight GPS (Husqvarna calls it EPOS for Exact Positioning Operating System).
EPOS is pretty impressive technology on its own, replacing the tedious and all-too-fallible ground wire boundary system that most robotic mowers use. They work well enough, but it can take a weekend to install a proper boundary and you have to consistently maintain it to make sure there are no accidental breaks in the line.
You can let the 450XH discover and avoid obstacles or create no-go zones.
Anthony KarczThe Husqvarna 450XH EPOS is a chunky, two-wheeled automower that can handle up to 2.5 acres of lawn on a single charge (more than enough for my postage stamp lot), tackle slopes of up to 45 degrees, and navigates via a local GPS bundle that you install near the outdoor charging station.
Setting up the boundary for the 450XH EPOS that Husqvarna sent me to test was a simple affair. Once the satellite link is set up (you'll need a nice open space on your property that has a good view of the sky) you connect to the automower and drive it around with the Automower app. It's kind of like driving a big RC car with your phone. Then you just walk the robot around your property, making your rewilding zone as you go. Pick spots like under trees with exposed roots or by rough terrain that you'd likely have to rescue the mower from anyway.
Nicer stripes than I've ever been able to make myself!
Anthony KarczA bonus feature of the 450XH is pattern mowing. You know those even stripes that the truly lawn obsessed have? That you always wanted but never had the patience for? Well the Husqvarna automower doesn't mind spending the entire day meticulously pacing back and forth to get a perfect pattern on your lawn. You can even make checkerboard patterns if you want to get really fancy.
The catch is that this isn't a self-installed device. If you want automowing EPOS goodness, you'll have to have a professional Husqvarna installer come and do it for you. "But I'm perfectly capable of installing a pole for the satellite receiver and walking a robot around my yard" you say. Except only Husqvarna reps have access to the software that connects their EPOS, all-terrain, and commercial automowers to the Husqvarna servers.
If you prefer self-service, get the 415X listed above (the 435X AWD is also dealer-installed) and set aside some time for laying a boundary wire. The upside is that those automowers can calculate a rewilding zone for you automatically (you just have to add and adjust it in the Automower app). The boundary wire models also don't rely solely on GPS, which can be finicky at times. One thing I noticed with the 450XH EPOS is that the mowing map looks like my runs used to with my Garmin watch from years ago, where the route would suddenly jag way off the map if the signal was lost.
Should I get an automower?Bonus - it gives your cat something to watch.
Anthony KarczHaving suffered through my fair share of mows this summer already, with the heat index well over 100°, the idea of having a robot take care of my mowing for me is a no-brainer. Paying someone to do my lawn has never been appealing, mostly because I'd feel bad about what they'd have to suffer through. But an automower? I have no problem leaning on a robot that will mow at any time of day in any conditions.
The 450XH EPOS does a good job as well. It's better at maintaining short lawns than mowing tall grass so it has to run more often. But, again, I don't have to be out there mowing, so if the bot needs to run every other day, so be it. It does have to be rescued occasionally if the EPOS signal fails (there are a few spots on my property with dense bushes that partially obscure the automower's line of sight). But that's not every run and it's never more than a couple of minutes of coaxing to get the bot back on task. The result is a well-maintained lawn with practically no effort on my part. It even handles the slope that leads to the lake behind my house with ease.
It also has object detection and will avoid sudden obstacles in the yard. If you're worried about someone walking away with it (which is fair since the 450XH EPOS will run you $5,899) you can set an alarm to go off if someone turns it off or picks it up. It will also lock itself if it's taken out of a geofenced area around your home.
The biggest issue is figuring out what to do with those weekend hours you used to spend on your lawn.
450XH EPOS in action
Anthony KarczFind out more about the 450XH EPOS on the Husqvarna website. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, check out the all-wheel-drive 435X AWD for $2,999 or the 415X for $1,999.
