A very special childhood memory for me is when my mom would take me to the Huntley Bank. The bank was located on Main Street in the building just west of the Village Inn. She would set me up on the counter while our bank tellerāher good friend, Marlene Mankeāwould process her bank deposit. Marlene was always very kind to me and probably found a candy treat for me to enjoy while I was there.
I get to relive, in small part, that wonderful childhood experience each time I visit Coon Creek Sod Farm. Marlene greets all customers warmly and has a wealth of information regarding sod and lawn care. Coon Creek Sod farm is located in Hampshire and is owned by Marlene, her husband Rick Pump, and their son, Ricky. When considering writing a column about lawn care, I thought it best to seek the opinion of these third- and fourth-generation sod growers. Due to their wealth of knowledge, this will be a two-part column.
Q: What do you recommend that homeowners do in the spring to care for their yards?
A: Rake out any dead grass and thatch and overseed if necessary. Fertilize with a complete fertilizer, such as 20-10-10 or 19-19-19. If crabgrass was a problem last year, put down a 13-0-5 with Dimension or 22-0-5 with Dimension to prevent the germination of crabgrass, goose grass, and foxtail seeds. If applying a fertilizer with Dimension chemical, you cannot overseed with grass seed.
Q: What do you recommend homeowners do in the summer to care for their yards?
A: Apply a 12-0-2 with Trimec or 22-0-5 with Trimec to feed the lawn and kill the broadleaf weeds. Set your mower height at 2.5ā to 3ā in height.
Q: What do you recommend homeowners do in the fall to care for their yards?
A: Fertilize with a 19-19-19 fertilizer in October to winterize the lawn. This improves disease resistance and cold-weather tolerance.
Q: Are there any lawn diseases that people should be aware of this year?
A: Rust. If your shoes turn orange when walking across the lawn, use a fertilizer high in nitrogen and water to grow the grass out of the disease.
Q: In this area, which insects do the most damage to lawns in this area?
A: Grubs. To handle these, treat with Imidacloprid as a preventative/curative in the spring or use Dylox as a curative in the fall.
The next column will include information on helping your lawn recover from the drought. It will feature information regarding slit-seeding and Rickās advice on when to consider having your existing lawn removed and new sod laid down.
Coon Creek Sod farm is located at 48W679 Allen Road in Hampshire. They sell sod, grass seed, fertilizer, erosion control blankets, and many other lawn and soil products. You can visit their website at www.cooncreekfarms.com or call them at 847-683-2700.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by phone at 815-923-7322 by email at tgsinc12@msn.com or by mail at 17015 Harmony Road, Marengo, IL 60152. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She will address it in an upcoming column.
