Page 44 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— March 2-March 15, 2016
With winter becoming a dis-
tant memory and the promise
of spring inspiring us, I’ve list-
ed common questions and my
answers in hopes to provide
property managers with informa-
tion they can use for the seasonal
transition.
What are some watering tips
for turfs early in the season?
The start of the season always
is stressful. Activating irrigation
systems often is done later in
the season when turf begins
to green up. And while early
watering is important, you
don’t need to activate your
sprinkler system to be effective.
I always pay close attention to
areas that are south and west
facing (especially if the land is
sloping) and around evergreen
trees and shrubs.
Turf mites are one of the most
damaging turf pests, and they
damage turf in these south- and
west-facing areas of the lawn.
South sides of structures with
brick or stucco facades also tend
to dry out more easily. Watering
these areas of your grass with
a hose-end sprinkler or hand
nozzle will mitigate turf mite
damage, not allow turf roots
to desiccate and provide much
needed moisture to the ever-
greens. A short 5- to 10-minute
watering of these areas pro-
vides enough moisture early in
the season.
Why is a spring aeration
important? What about
power raking?
Aeration is critical in the
spring because root growth
tends to accelerate at this time
of year. Turf also grows quickly
during the April-June period, so
it makes sense to aerate because
the turf roots need oxygen and
nutrients that aeration can facil-
itate.
I never recommend power
raking to my clients. Going over
your turf with mower blades set
to their lowest setting will help
remove the dead grass blades
without ripping out healthy
new growth, which often is a
result of power raking.
Following aeration, do not
remove the plugs from the
landscape. While they can be
unsightly, it’s best to let them
dry out and then mulch them
back into the grass when
mowed. Clay soils are predomi-
nant in most areas of the Front
Range. By nature, these are low-
oxygen soils so aeration rein-
corporates oxygen into the root
zone.
Is snow mold a problem in
Colorado? How can I prevent
it from killing the landscape?
I’ve had snow covering most
of my lawn since mid-Novem-
ber. In the 35 years I have been
caring for Colorado grass and
landscapes, I have yet to see a
serious or costly problem result-
ing from snow mold. In this
area, we typically don’t see the
more damaging snow molds
found on golf courses and in the
mountains. Snow molds dam-
age bentgrass turf more than
bluegrass, ryegrass or tall fes-
cue turf.
The most significant dam-
age seems to be found on bent-
grass turf in the mature areas
of the metro area. Fungicide
treatments for snow mold are
expensive and not really neces-
sary along the Front Range. Golf
courses with bentgrass greens,
tees and fairways do require
proactive (late fall) applications
of fungicide to prevent snow
mold outbreaks that can be
costly to repair.
I recommend when all the
snow melts away, lightly raking
the matted areas – that is all that
is needed.
Will a dull mower blade
damage the grass over time?
While commercial lawn mow-
ing services typically maintain
their equipment, it’s best to ask
how often they change their
mower blades.
Dull mower blades are an
invitation for some grass dis-
eases to rapidly spread, and a
dull mower blade leaves ragged
cuts. While you won’t always
see these ragged cuts, they often
allowdisease spores to penetrate
the blades and cause the grass to
loose moisture faster, which then
requires additional watering.
When is the best time to
fertilize in the spring?
I typically recommend the
first round of fertilizer sometime
in March after the landscape
clears of snow and then again
in early to mid-May. Most of
the turf grass lawns in the Front
Range are “cool-season” grasses,
which grow best and quickly
from April through the end of
June. To have high-quality, thick,
healthy turf that is ready for
the hot summer months, fertilize
when the grass grows quickly.
Providing key nutrients at the
right time will thicken turf and
promote deeper root systems.
Thicker turf allows fewer
weeds to germinate (important
for every property manager)
and deeper root systems benefit
the lawn come July and August.
While it’s important for com-
mercial properties to have per-
fectly manicured grass, remem-
ber that short-mowing practices
completely defeat the idea of
thick turf keeping weeds out
and deep-root systems, which
enables the grass to survive the
hotter and drier months.
s
responsible stewards of taxpay-
er dollars to deliver a vision we
can all be proud of. We owe it
to the Denver community, the
state of Colorado and our criti-
cal partners to be accountable
for this collective investment
that will help Denver thrive for
generations to come.”
The Mayor’s Office of the
National Western Center will
assist in the formation of a gov-
ernance entity and moving the
work plan forward with guid-
ance from the existing Execu-
tive Oversight Committee. The
new office will work indepen-
dently of other departments and
agencies and will be responsible
for budget management, main-
taining existing partnerships,
recruiting additional public and
private partners, and develop-
ing strategic communications
and community outreach efforts.
In early 2013, Hancock
appointed Leid as the executive
director of the North Denver
Cornerstone Collaborative, an
initiative to strategically align
six redevelopment projects in
Globeville, Elrya and Swansea;
the National Western Center is
one of those six projects. Leid
will transition out of his current
role as the executive director
of the NDCC over the next 90
days.
s
PM
Denver
