As temperatures get warmer, our thoughts quickly turn to spending time outside, walking barefoot on the grass and enjoying lazy days on lawn chairs, sipping lemonade. Those daydreams are always colored by perfectly green grass.

How can you bring those dreams of a lush lawn to life this year? We have four tips for invigorating your lawnscape, many of them taken directly from a page in agriculture’s book.

It all starts underground

Farmers know the importance of soil testing to ensure that the soil and plants are getting the right nutrients to help their crops. While this practice is not widespread in the home lawn area, running a soil test in early spring can be a great tool to create a strong basis for a healthier lawn. Knowing what type of soil is in your lawn will guide you to plant a type of grass that is hearty for your geographical location, alert you to possible watering concerns due to your soil type and notify you what nutrients may be lacking in your soil.   

You should also aerate your soil to allow for oxygen to circulate around roots and break up any compaction. The type of soil in your lawn will dictate how often you should aerate.  Clay soils should be aerated at least once a year because they are prone to compaction.  Sandier soils can be aerated less often. 

Nutrition, inside and out

Once you know what kind of nutrients should be supplemented and have planted the appropriate turf mix for your lawn, you can choose what kind of fertilizer to apply. A good place to start is usually an NPK fertilizer, which is made up of nitrogen to encourage growth, phosphorus to aid in expanding the root system and potassium for plant vigor, like Alltech Crop Science’s amino acid-based Nature’s Basics®. By providing the soil and grass with essential nutrients that improve organic matter, stimulate growth and promote a healthier, more balanced plant, a home user can experience results similar to what growers around the world see in their crops. 

Trimming the verge

To maintain grass health and decrease competition from weeds, the rule of thumb is to not mow more than one-third the length of your grass blade. Cutting the grass too short can weaken the root system and leave the grass more susceptible to stress from drought and increased temperatures. Shorter grass also exposes areas in the ground where seeds can easily take root and thrive. Taller grass, on the other hand, will have a deeper, more developed root system with wider and thicker blades that help shade the soil and minimize water evaporation during times of high temperature. 

Dressing for the weather

In the late fall, it’s time to prepare your lawn for falling temperatures and provide a good starting point for the following spring. Apply a top dressing, spreading it in a thin layer over your lawn and working some of the material into your aeration holes. This will help encourage the decomposition of thatch and help keep the area from drying out due to winter weather.

These four simple steps can go a long way in transforming your lawn from simply average to a lush landscape that you can enjoy long after the fireflies have gone for the year. 

I want to learn more about how I can improve the look and quality of my lawn and garden with Nature's Basics^®

Almería in southern Spain is known as the “sea of plastic” due to the numerous greenhouse structures that cover the area. In fact, the agricultural area under plastic continues to grow in the province, currently reaching over 64,000 acres according to the latest report from Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment. 

The vast number of greenhouse acres in AlmerÍa enables agriculture to remain one of the fundamental pillars of the province’s economy. Its central location provides the additional benefit of being able to supply fresh produce to markets throughout Europe year-round.

The importance of healthy soil to maintain the viability of a greenhouse is evident in the care that growers in AlmerÍa have taken to increase organic matter and nutrient availability through the incorporation of manure and naturally based products.

Raquel Martinez, Alltech Crop Science sales representative, recently conducted a trial in one of the greenhouses in the region that routinely incorporates soil management practices. The customer was looking to maximize yield and profitability, while enhancing crop quality and plant health.  

“By incorporating the Alltech Crop Science products, an improvement in soil and plant health and nutrition was observed,” said Martinez, “which resulted in greater yield and improved fruit quality in terms of weight and color.

“The grower harvested more first-class fruit and noticed a decrease in second-class and rejected fruit,” she continued. “This translates into higher profitability for the grower.”

I want to learn more about the health of my soil. 

The sun is shining and the skies are blue, but there is a palpable anxiety in the Florida orange groves.

A menace is lurking, evading citrus growers’ best attempts to keep it at bay and preserve their livelihood and the world’s favorite breakfast beverage.

The perpetrators are small, no bigger than an eighth of an inch, but they are mighty. The Asian citrus psyllid is responsible for transmitting a bacterial disease called Huanglongbing, better known as citrus greening.                                                                                                                   

What is citrus greening?

As the Asian citrus psyllid feeds on the phloem sap of the citrus trees, the Huanglongbing (HLB) bacteria can be injected. Phloem cells are responsible for transporting nutrients, sugars and metabolites throughout the plant, thus providing the bacteria with a carbon-rich food source.  

Typical citrus greening symptoms include blotchy mottle characterized by random patterns of asymmetrical yellowing on the leaves. In addition, the fruit are often reduced in size, fail to color properly, are misshapen, abscise from the tree prematurely and are bitter in taste. As the disease progresses, root growth is suppressed, there is twig dieback and, eventually, tree mortality occurs. 

Although some varieties of citrus show tolerance to the disease, there is no real resistance. Mature trees that become infected can take years to show symptoms, adding to the complexity of disease management. 

Citrus greening is one of the oldest and most serious citrus diseases. While the disease was first reported in China in 1919, it did not appear in Florida until 2005. 

Why should citrus greening concern you?

All commercial citrus species are susceptible to greening, and it has been reported that over 80 percent of citrus in Florida is infected.

Florida accounts for over 49 percent of citrus production in the U.S. and is one of the world’s largest contributors to the citrus juice industry. As the top agricultural sector for the state, Florida’s citrus industry provides over 76,000 full- and part-time jobs.  

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that citrus production in Florida decreased by 16 percent during the 2015–2016 season over the previous year. This is in addition to the continual decline in year-over-year production, with decreases ranging from 4–16 percent on any given year, that the state has been seeing since 2005. 

With the decrease in citrus acreage and the loss in number of production trees, Florida’s economy is being threatened. This decline could mean more sparse grocery shelves for orange juice and higher prices for consumers. 

How is the citrus industry fighting citrus greening?

In an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease, the U.S. government has placed a federal order on the quarantine of citrus plants and plant parts, excluding fruit, from leaving Florida without specific approval and proof of treatment against the Asian citrus psyllid.   

The USDA is also investing millions of dollars into research against the disease. The research spans several studies, including those that look into possible bactericides and finding resistant citrus varieties.

Currently, growers are using scouting, tree removal, nutrition and pesticidal programs to manage the disease. 

Alltech Crop Science is working with growers in Florida, investigating possible ways of combating citrus greening. Research is being conducted to investigate the impact of nutritional inputs as well as to identify how this disease impacts defense genes within infected trees.     

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