Saturday, April 27, 2024
No menu items!
$0.00

No products in the cart.

Home Blog Page 8

When Should I Tune-up My Mower?

lawn mower maintenance schedule
Source: Briggs and Stratton Engines

As a lawn mower owner, you want to make sure that your mower is always in good working condition. One way to do that is by performing regular tune-ups. A tune-up is essentially a set of maintenance tasks that are designed to keep your lawn mower running smoothly and efficiently. In this post, we’ll go over when you should tune up your lawn mower to ensure that it stays in top shape.

  1. Before the start of the mowing season: The beginning of the mowing season is a great time to perform a tune-up on your lawn mower. This will help ensure that it’s ready to handle the workload ahead.

  2. After 50 hours of use or annually: It’s generally recommended that you perform a tune-up on your lawn mower after every 50 hours of use or at least once a year.. This will help keep your mower running smoothly and extend its lifespan. We always like to get our mowers ready for the year at the beginning of the mowing season.

  3. If you notice any issues: If you notice that your lawn mower is running poorly or not performing as well as it used to, it’s a good idea to perform a tune-up. This will help identify and fix any issues before they become bigger problems.

  4. Before storing your lawn mower: Before storing your lawn mower for the winter, it’s a good idea to perform a tune-up. This will help ensure that it’s ready to go when the mowing season starts up again.

So, what exactly does a lawn mower tune-up involve? It typically includes tasks such as changing the oil, replacing the air filter, replacing the spark plug, sharpening the blades, and inspecting and tightening all the bolts and screws. Some additional tasks may include replacing the fuel filter and cleaning the carburetor.

By performing regular tune-ups on your lawn mower, you can keep it in good condition and avoid costly repairs down the road. And, of course, a well-maintained lawn mower will also help keep your lawn looking healthy and beautiful all season long.

How to Get Rid of Wild Garlic (Ramps)

0
Introduction:
Wild garlic (Allium vineale) is an odiferous, perennial weed found in various turfgrass areas throughout Tennessee. Wild garlic infestations are most prevalent during fall, winter and early spring. While regular mowing will not control wild garlic, it can reduce plant vigor and hamper bulb production. Although similar in appearance to wild onion (Allium canadense), wild garlic is far more prevalent in Tennessee than wild onion.
How to get rid of wild garlic?
How to get rid of wild garlic?
How to get rid of ramps
How to get rid of ramps
 
Wild Garlic Life Cycle in Tennessee:
Wild garlic is a cool-season perennial that emerges from bulbs in the fall and grows throughout the winter. It will flower and produce aerial bulblets that can survive for several years after they are incorporated into the soil profile. After these bulblets are formed in the spring, the plant will senesce and remain dormant throughout the warm summer months.
 
Wild Garlic Identification
Wild garlic often grows in clumps of several individual plants (Figure 1). Leaves are slender, hollow, cylindrical and have a waxy appearance. Wild garlic produces underground bulbs (Figure 2) and flowers that produce bulblets rather than seed. The foliage of wild garlic produces a distinct odor when crushed. Wild garlic is similar in appearance to wild onion, but the leaves of wild onion are flat and not hollow. This is the easiest way to distinguish between the two species. Wild garlic is also similar in appearance to Starof-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum); however, the leaves of Star-of-Bethlehem have a distinct white mid-rib and do not produce an odor when crushed.
 
Wild Garlic Control Options
There are no effective preemergence herbicides that control wild garlic in turfgrass. Postemergence control is difficult and often requires repeat applications of postemergence herbicides. Use products containing 2,4-D alone or in combination with dicamba (Table 1). Some ALS-inhibiting herbicides (Corsair, Monument, etc.) can also be used to control wild garlic.
 
Herbicide applications should be made in the fall after re-growth of wild garlic has occurred following the first hard frost. However, early-spring applications can also be effective. Optimum control can be achieved by repeating either fall/winter or early spring applications annually. After any herbicide application, if sufficient re-growth of wild garlic occurs, a second application will aid in long-term control. Mowing should be delayed for 10 to 14 days after a postemergence herbicide application to control wild garlic.
 
Final Thoughts
Numerous herbicide options are available for control of wild garlic in established warm- and cool-season turf. Mowing can help weaken plants, but mowing alone will not control wild garlic. Always read the product label before applying an herbicide and follow use directions carefully. For more information on turfgrass weed control, visit the University of Tennessee’s turfgrass weed science website, https://tennesseeturfgrassweeds.org.