Belated Happy Independence Day!
As you may recall, in an earlier post we explained some of the turf issues that we are experiencing and gave a broad outline of our plans to correct those issues. We have begun implementing some of those measures.
Last week we had a visit from Josh Fuder, the gentleman from the UGA Extension who did a walkabout with Scott and myself, not only of areas with problems that we are aware of, but the Grace subdivision as a whole. His first and immediate observation was the dryness of the soil. The current lack of rain compounded with high temperatures have dried the soil extensively and put major stress on the Bermuda grass that adorns our lawns.
In the process of addressing that issue, we discovered discrepancies with the watering schedule. These require the reprogramming of the clocks that control irrigation. That reprogramming is slated to happen early next week. Josh’s suggestion is to substantially increase irrigation, not how often but fewer watering periods each of longer duration and to increase the grass height. Accordingly, the lawn will not be mowed next week. As soon as the new schedule goes into effect, each homeowner will receive a copy to compare against the actual workings of the sprinkler system at their home and be asked to notify the Landscape Committee of any discrepancies.
Earlier this week Josh was back to take soil samples from representative areas around the subdivision for testing. It’s impossible to implement fertilization or application of fungicide or pesticide without knowing what we are dealing with. There is a good probability that either one, or both, of two fungi species may be present; Rhizoctonia Large Patch and Sclerotinia Dollar Spot. Lab results should come back within a week or so.
These are just a couple of several changes that will occur gradually over the near future and which will address issues that have been ongoing for some time. We ask for your patience and urge you to contact the Landscape Committee with any questions or concerns. We will keep you posted as things evolve.
For the Landscape Committee, July 4, 2024
Len Sanchez