Fungus is starting

Fungus in lawns is caused by warm or hot days with high humidity and/or excessive rain. Fungus causes areas of turf to turn yellow or brown.

Countryside has a fungicide treatment available for this. Fungicides can be effective at stopping fungus from spreading into any surrounding turf.

Fungicide applications are only effective for about 14-20 days. Therefore, if weather conditions remain favorable for fungus, there is a chance that it can reappear in previously affected areas. Additional fungicide applications may be necessary in those cases.

* Things you can do: water only in the early morning hours, more heavily, but less often (2-3 times a week to the equivalent of 1”-1.5” total per week) Raise your mower height and bag/remove your clippings from the lawn. Make sure to clean your mower wheels and keep the mower blade sharp. In periods of heavy rain or high humidity with high daytime temps, it is recommended to turn your sprinklers off for 3-4 days to give your lawn a chance to dry out if fungus is present.

Fall Seeding,
Start Planning Now

If your lawn is like most, it probably has a few thin areas. Countryside can help! We use special techniques to prepare the proper seed-bed and we use only the finest seed available.

We are getting closer to the best time to seed lawns when more favorable weather conditions for newly seeded lawns will be prevelant.

Or if you would like to convert your lawn to a more uniform grass type, now is the time to start thinking about lawn renovations as well.

Tree Trimming

Countryside has experienced trimming and cleanup crews on staff to help you with any of your damage or cleanup needs. Whether the damage is from recent storms or from the ice storm that hit Wichita a couple years ago.

Our tree specialists can perform a tree diagnosis free of charge. We can check any damage and let you know if a tree or shrub is salvageable or not before any other service is performed.

We can then provide corrective prunning and minor wound repair for damaged trees and shrubs on your property as well as general debris cleanup as needed. This helps to improve the health and appearance of your property for the rest of the season.

Perimeter Pest Control

With the warmth of the summer weather approaching, the usual insects and other pests will start making their annual appearances around and inside your home.

Crickets, Ants, Spiders, Silverfish, Ticks, Fleas, Earwigs and Chiggers are just some of the insects that can be controlled with our Perimeter Pest Control applications at this time of year.

Up to six applications can be applied around your home to set up a barrier against these insect intrusions.

Please contact our office to see how Perimeter Pest Control can benefit you and your family.

Your shrubs could be under attack

Now is the time of year when your shrubs can be infested by two seasonal pests, Bagworms and Spidermites.

Bagworms are a leaf/needle eating caterpillar named for the way they form a coccoon (bag) from the needles of the shrub or tree they feed on. They can begin defoliating a shrub fairly quickly if they are not controlled or picked off shortly after detection. They can cause large dead looking areas to form in a short amount of time.

Spidermites are very hard to see and are found on the underside of the leaves of an infested shrub. They extract fluids vital to your shrubs survival, leaving noticeable traces of yellowish white spots on the top side of the leaves. They may also leave tiny spider webs on areas they are infesting.

These insects can be controlled with one or two applications of insecticide during the late spring/summer months.

Grubworms

Grubs are turf damaging insects that live and feed in the roots of your lawn. They are the larva or infant stage of the May Beetle or June Bug.

Grubs are difficult to detect and if left untreated, can cause severe damage in a short period of time. When infestation is heavy, the turf can actually be rolled back like a carpet.

Most lawns have grubs! It is only when there is a high population of grubs in your lawn that teatment becomes necessary. Unfortunately, spot checking your lawn for grubs is not usually very reliable. Grubs live in the soil where they cannot be seen, and could very well be active in the areas that were not checked.

The simplest and least expensive way to deal with grubs is to take our “Grub Control” treatment.

Do you have a sprinkler system?

If you already have your system checked and certified annually, you should not receive a notice.

However, if you have a system with a backflow connected to the City of Wichita water supply that has not been inspected recently, you may be receiving a notice from their office soon.

The City of Wichita requires that all backflow systems connected to the City water supply be checked annually and also rebuilt or refurbished every five years. They are also tracking down backflow systems that are connected but not yet listed on City records.

Countryside can provide backflow certification and backflow system rebuild, as well as adjusting and repairing your system for proper coverage. We can also renovate or improve your system if necessary.

Contact our office if you need your system certified or for any other of your irrigation needs.

As always,

Be sure and call us if you have any questions.

838-3375