TurfMutt

Lessons from Drought

Lucky — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:20:35 +0000

It’s that time of year where we notice what plantings work, and which don’t. A good article came out that pointed out that drought highlights if and where you’ve planted the right plant, or the wrong plant. According to Rick J. Lewandowski, in a column in the Delaware News Journal, look around and learn from what is surviving, and what is not. Some “take home lessons” he describes are:

• Always assess your site conditions and put the right plant in the right place. If you do this, particularly in sites prone to drought, you’ll have less maintenance. A little research goes a long way before putting a plant in the ground.

• If you must water, only water the soil at the base of your plants — never the leaves — in early morning or evening.

• Don’t plant during dry periods. You’ll waste water and effort trying to help these plants establish.

For more tips and information on drought resistant plants, read the entire article.

Taller Grass Fares Better in Heat

Lucky — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:31:17 +0000

The dry, hot weather continues, and some lawns may be taking a beating. One recent Boston Globe article re-emphasizes an important tip for keeping lawns healthy, growing and protected from drought harm. You should cut your lawn on a higher mower setting. According to the story, “Your grass should be 3 inches high. Grass needs to stay that tall to absorb moisture and shade its own roots. By cutting it shorter when it’s already turning brown, you’re drying out the soil around the roots and stressing the grass more.”

And it points out the bottom line – you have two options: Tolerate the brown period as a natural dormancy stage that grass plants go through to protect themselves from drying out at the roots. Or keep watering, but do it the right way — deeply, 1 inch a week — while obeying local watering rules.

How Much Carbon Do Plants Soak Up?

Lucky — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:11:30 +0000

For the first time, scientists have calculated exactly how much CO2 vegetation soaks up.

Researchers from 18 scientific institutions used observations and calculations to determine the amount of CO2 exchange between global vegetation and the atmosphere. The new results are the most accurate to date. They have concluded that the total terrestrial vegetation captures 123 petagrams of carbon annually (in other words, 123 billion tonnes per year). The research team also discovered that precipitation played an important role in the amount of carbon that plants capture by means of photosynthesis. Precipitation plays a key role in more than 40% of the vegetated regions.

For more on this study:

http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/10070755-role-plant-life-global-climate-accurately-determined.html

Animals and Heat

Lucky — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:07:55 +0000

It’s always good to remind yourself and your friends to make sure pets stay cool and out of intense heat situations. Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding reminds us that high temperatures can cause livestock and pets to suffer from heat-related stress.

The department offered tips for helping livestock animals including cows, horses, pigs, sheep and others deal with the heat:

Provide shade – move them to shaded pens if possible.
Provide water – as temperatures rise, animals need to consume more water. Spraying animals with water can also help them to cool down, using a sprinkler that provides large droplets.
Avoid overworking animals.
Avoid unnecessary transportation – if you must, try to do so in the late evening or early morning hours.

The full release is here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agriculture-secretary-warns-high-temperatures-can-cause-heat-stress-in-livestock-pets-97949519.html

Rainfall and Lawns

Lucky — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:06:51 +0000

In many parts of the country, there has been little rain mixed with intense heat. One sure sign might be brown lawns. However, lawns can go dormant, and you might be better off watering plants that can’t take any lack of rain. As a matter of fact, turning brown is grass’s way of conserving moisture. It’s a natural response, according to George Weigel, a lawn expert published in Harrisburg’s Patriot-News. Weigel says, “grass can be fully brown and dormant for a good 4 to 6 weeks and still come back fine once rain returns.”

If no rain for more than 6 weeks? Weigel says “The only time I’d think about watering would be if the lawn goes beyond that 6-week cutoff of dormancy. That’s when the crowns (the growth points) can become so dry that they die, leaving nothing to recover even after it rains. If drought drags on to that stage, I’d do a light watering of about one-quarter of an inch. That’s just enough to give some moisture to the crowns without triggering active growth. Once or twice a week of that should be enough to maintain survival mode.”

Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.

Green space good for men’s health?

Lucky — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:54:26 +0000

A study from the UK shows that men who live near green spaces are less likely to die from heart or lung problems. Why? One suggestion is that men were more likely to use green spaces to exercise vigorously. Published in the Journal of Social Science and Medicine, this is part of an ongoing look at the link between green space and health across all urban areas in the UK. More information here.

Take Your Dog to Work Day

Lucky — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:38:29 +0000

Last week, June 25, was ‘Take Your Dog to Work Day’ – a holiday created in 1999 to celebrate what good companions dogs are. The holiday is also meant to encourage the adoption of dogs from humane societies, animal shelters, and breed rescues. Take Your Dog to Work Day also calls on employers to open their offices to employees’ furry friends for the day.

Here is a photo of Lucky, a.k.a TurfMutt, enjoying the office setting. Send us a picture of your pooch at the office and we’ll post it.

Office for the Day

Dog Parks in Your Area

Lucky — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:18:41 +0000

Dog parks are picking up steam across the country – areas in local communities where you can take your dog, let them run around and be care free. This search engine will help you find a dog park in the U.S. or Canada, and you can even register your dog park here. There is also some Dog Park etiquette you may want to learn such as:

Never leave your dog unattended.
Always clean up after your dog.
Make sure your dog is current on her shots and has a valid license.
Don’t bring dogs younger than 4 months to a dog park. They won’t have had all the necessary inoculations that allow them to play safely with other animals.
Don’t bring more than three dogs.
Keep your dog on-leash until you get to the off-leash area. This is not just respectful to other park users, it’s much safer for your dog.
If your dog becomes unruly or plays rough, leash him and leave immediately.
If you must bring children to a dog park, supervise them closely.

Mowing Lawns a Work of Art?

Lucky — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:17:57 +0000

This article caught our eye. While for many mowing a lawn is exercise or perhaps relaxing, we’ve never known that mowing lawns could be turned into a work of art!

Fast Company magazine spotlighted an artist that turned his lawn mowing in England into works of art on display at a gallery in London. Check out the lawn mowing art at: http://www.fastcompany.com/1662261/eye-candy-mowing-the-lawn-made-beautiful

Oil Spill and Impact on Pets

Lucky — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:58:50 +0000

Not only are wildlife being impacted by the spill, but shelters are seeing an uptick in drop-offs as people struggle to make ends meet as fishing jobs continue to dry up along the coast. This story reminds us of the importance of shelters to take in animals, and the importance of looking for your next pet at your nearby shelter.