I love any excuse to come to New York — when it’s not February. — K. A. Applegate Ahh, February. The Monday of months. Yet even with a foot of snow on the ground over most of New York, you can take steps now for a healthy lawn. First, be grateful for the snow —…
Lawn IPM – Reducing Stress
“It’s so dry the trees are bribing the dogs.” ― Charles Martin, Chasing Fireflies While drought stress might not seem like an IPM issue, it can definitely impact how your grass will respond to pests, both current and future. As Pat Vittum, Turf Entomologist at UMass, tells her students, “Turf can take one or two…
Lawn IPM – Preparing for Summer
“Sopping, and with no sign of stopping, either- then a breather. Warm again, storm again- what is the norm, again? It’s fine, it’s not, it’s suddenly hot: Boom, crash, lightning flash!” – ― Old Farmer’s Almanac What a spring it has been. After a spring drought, the grass is now recovering (or finally coming out…
Lawn IPM—Getting Ahead of the Weeds
“…winter, will be forced to relent, once again, to the new beginnings of soft greens, longer light, and the sweet air of spring.” – Madeleine M. Kunin As spring progresses and temperatures continue to rise, lawns are recovering from the long winter. As the grass grows and the dry tips are mowed off, areas that…
Lawn care and the spring itch
“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” ― William Shakespeare It’s Spring (with a capital S) and the urge to get outside and work in the yard is mounting. When it comes to your lawn, what should you be thinking about and doing as April progresses? Ahhh, spring. Waiting for the grass to…
Putting Your Lawn to Bed
It’s November, too late for fertilizing your lawn. In fact, a new law bans application of lawn fertilizers on turf after Dec. 1. It’s also too late to seed—though recently seeded areas may still benefit from warm temperatures. You can mulch leaves on your lawn now, without hurting the grass. One study even shows that…
Real-World Benefits of Research: Lessons from My IPM Internship
Guest post by Julianna Lee ’24 This summer I had the opportunity to intern with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program. As a student at Cornell, I’ve been exposed to various parts of agriculture but never had gotten very deep into integrated pest management. These past months working with NYSIPM reminded me of…
June “What’s Bugging You?” Videos – Weather & Mowing
Our June First Friday talk is now available on YouTube. During our monthly First Friday events, experts share practical information and answer questions on using integrated pest management techniques (IPM) to avoid pest problems and promote a healthy environment where you live, work, learn and play. Sign up for Future What’s Bugging You First Friday…
Surprising Ways Weather Affects your Gardening
Feature Presentation: Surprising ways weather affects your gardening • IPM Minute: Mowing matters: giving your lawn the edge…
What’s Bugging You? – Messy Gardens
“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” – Mark Twain After so many months of watching the whites, grays, and…