A healthy, dense lawn offers numerous benefits to the environment and community. It provides play areas, filters pollutants from air and water runoff, cools the environment, prevents soil erosion, adds oxygen to air, increases property values and much more. University of Wisconsin – Madison Division of Extension publications and fact sheets provide the information you need to establish and maintain a healthy lawn.
Bees and other pollinators provide invaluable ecological and economic services, which is one reason the alarming decline in pollinating insects is of great concern. Through two simple practices, homeowners and professional landscape managers alike can maintain aesthetically pleasing turfgrass landscapes in environmentally responsible ways. Learn the current best practices for improving pollinator habitats and using insecticides correctly in this handy fact sheet.
More and more people wish to move in the direction of creating an organic lawn, or what some people call a natural lawn. This publication helps them decide which route to follow: organic lawn care or reduced-risk lawn care.
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A serious insect pest of turfgrass, the European chafer beetle was first reported in Door County, Wisconsin in 2016. European chafer grubs voraciously feed on turfgrass roots and cause thinning, wilting, and irregular patches of turf that can easily be pulled back or rolled up from the soil. This fact sheet details the life cycle of the European chafer and offers insecticide recommendations for grub control.
Typhula blight, also known as gray or speckled snow mold, is a fungal disease affecting all cool season turf grasses grown in areas with prolonged snow cover. These grasses are widely used in residential lawns and golf courses in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the Midwest. This factsheet describes how to manage this common fungus.
Micro irrigation has numerous advantages over sprinkler irrigation and can be used in greenhouses, orchards, vineyards, fields, lawns, and gardens. Learn about the components that comprise a micro irrigation system along with the benefits (reduced water usage, reduced potential for foliar diseases, reduced energy costs, etc.) and drawbacks these lower pressure systems provide.
Fairy rings are circular areas of abnormal turf growth that are most commonly found on lawns and golf courses where soils have high levels of organic matter, and in areas where trees have recently been removed. Due to their mysterious, circular appearance, medieval lore described them as caused when a band of fairies had danced in an area. Learn what to do if fairy rings appear in your lawn in this concise factsheet.
The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is a significant pest of landscape trees and shrubs, vegetable and fruit crops, and turfgrass in the eastern United States. This factsheet describes the lifecycle of this destructive beetle along with management and control options.
Stinkhorns are mushrooms that are found from the tropics to more temperate regions such as Wisconsin. They can suddenly appear in mulch, lawns, and areas with bare soil. These visually-shocking fungi get their common name from their characteristic, unpleasant odor. Stinkhorns do not cause plant disease, and can actually be beneficial, as described in this factsheet.
To grow grass in the shade, you’ll need to use different management practices from those you use for growing turf in the the full sun. This publication outlines recommended management strategies and suggests alternative for areas where grass just won’t grow.
May/June beetles or “Junebugs” (Phyllophaga spp.) are beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. These native insects are common throughout Wisconsin and can often be seen flying near lights or heard hitting window screens on early summer evenings. Learn more about these large beetles and their larva, found in the soil, in this factsheet.
This publication can help you identify some of the most common lawn problems you may encounter, and how to manage them.
When it comes to digging in the garden or pruning trees and shrubs, having high quality tools that are cleaned, lubricated, sharpened and otherwise properly maintained, makes any outdoor job simpler and more efficient. Learn how to maintain your garden tools in this useful factsheet.
Increased interest in organic, sustainable gardening, has grown to include a variety of lawn care practices, including use of organic fertilizers derived from natural sources such as plant or animal wastes. As use of organic fertilizers becomes more widespread, understanding ways in which they differ from conventional, inorganic fertilizers is important.
Wisconsin is prone to dry spells during the summer months, causing our lawns to suffer. This article describes ways to help your lawn survive and recover from these periods of drought.
