3 ways to win against weeds this offseason

For novice landscapers, landscapers in need of a knowledge brush-up on weed control, or even landscapers who are contending with a tricky weed in particular – the upcoming fall season marks an ideal time to connect with turfgrass specialists.

Alec Kowalewski, an associate professor and researcher at Oregon State University, recently offered Lawn & Landscape three tips for landscapers to get the right advice for their specific weed pressure problems.

Kowalewski’s teaching and research specialty is in sustainable landscape design, maintenance and installation. He’s joined Lawn & Landscape in the past to talk about the weed pressures landscapers have dealt with in the past.

Here’s how he recommends landscapers spend their offseason to learn more about the weed pressures they’ll contend with in the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

1. Attend a field day: “There’s always opportunity to interact with faculty at field day events,” Kowalewski says. Often, this is where landscapers can visit in person with their local university researchers for a day of education (and earn credits for state applicator licensing). Arborists, lawn care contractors and turfgrass and grounds managers are among the most frequent attendees. In some cases, there’s also tours of the university’s research facilities. For his part, Kowalewski says he doesn’t organize Oregon State’s field days but offers training in lawn and shrub care, getting down to the nitty-gritty on things like using PGRs on landscape plants to reduce the need for shearing on plants.
2. Watch the weather: Kowalewski says there’s no real way for even the experts to predict which weed pressures will be most prominent every year. But closely monitoring the weather and precipitation levels may help landscapers understand what types of weeds they’ll deal with in their regions. For instance, Kowalewski says much of Oregon dealt with a colder spring with more rainfall than usual this year. With that in mind, landscapers there can predict what they might need to prepare for in the fall. “I think a cool, wet spring is really conducive to annual bluegrass,” Kowalewski says. “It usually has two flushes of growth – once in the spring and once in the fall. The fall is the more aggressive flush. I would be prepared with some preemergent bluegrass herbicides.”
3. Attend a national tradeshow: Kowalewski says the education at these events offers landscapers the opportunity to learn from speakers on how they’re handling weed pressures in their area. It also helps folks meet one another and commiserate (and groupthink) on weed pressures they’re dealing with. State associations may also have their own events for an even more localized way to take the pulse on the regional weed pressures. Kowalewski adds that he’ll be doing a lawn care presentation at the National Association of Landscape Professionals Elevate show this November in Phoenix.