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How do I control tall fescue in my lawn?

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Tall fescue is a cool-season perennial grass occasionally present in Iowa lawns.  Because it has good drought, heat, and foot-traffic tolerance, the narrow-leaf varieties (sometimes called turf-type) can be a welcome addition to the traditional Iowa cool-season lawn comprised primarily of Kentucky bluegrass.  However, common tall fescue (also called forage type) has a wide leaf blade that does not blend well with other turfgrasses.  Its clump-forming nature and coarse texture can make it an unattractive addition to the lawn for some gardeners.  

tall fescue in the lawn
Common or forage-type tall fescue has a coarser texture than other grasses in the lawn, making it stand out and unattractive to some gardeners.  

How to Control Nimblewill in Lawns

When Kentucky bluegrass and other cool-season grasses begin to green-up in spring, some home gardeners are dismayed to see brown spots in the lawn. In some cases, the brown spots are dead patch.

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How to Control Poison Ivy

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a native vine common to woodland areas but found frequently growing in gardens and along fence lines.  This vine causes an allergic reaction (dermatitis) in most people when their skin comes in contact with urushiol produced by the plant and present in all parts of the plant including leaves, stems, and roots on both living and dead plant material. 

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How to Manage Perennial Grassy Weeds in the Garden and Lawn

Perennial grassy weeds die back to ground level in the fall but send up new growth from the same root system in the spring. Keeping ahead of weeds and controlling them when they are small is essential for good weed management. This requires persistence throughout the entire growing season to remove weeds as they emerge.  Cultivation, hand pulling, mulches, and herbicides are the primary means to control weeds in the home garden. 

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How to Manage Perennial Broadleaf Weeds in the Garden and Lawn

Perennial broadleaf weeds die back to ground level in fall but send up new growth in spring.  These weed species have leaves that are wider and often have a major vein running down the center of the leaf with secondary veins branching off of it.  They are typically botanically classified as eudicots (dicots).  Perennial weeds reproduce by seeds or may spread by creeping above or below ground stems or by spreading root systems. Examples of perennial broadleaf weeds include dandelion, thistle, pokeweed, plantain, violet, and creeping Charlie.

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How to Manage Annual Weeds

Annual weeds grow rapidly, flower, set seed and die in a single season. New annual weeds, such as crabgrass, velvetleaf, purslane, knotweed, lambsquarter and foxtail, germinate from seeds each year. Before they die, most annual weeds produce large quantities of seeds. If annual weeds are controlled every year before producing seeds, they will eventually become less of a problem as the seed population gradually decreases. 

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How to Utilize Flame Weeding for Weed Control

Flame weeding is the use of intense heat, usually produced by a propane torch or other fuel-burning device, to kill weeds.  This organic option for weeding causes the water and sap inside the plant cell to boil and expand rupturing the cell walls and causing the plant to wilt and die.  

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Weed Control in the Vegetable Garden

Managing weeds in the vegetable garden is important for growing healthy and productive plants.  Several methods can be used to manage weeds, and in most cases, using several methods together will produce the best results. Learn about the different strategies that can be used to reduce weeds and improve plant health and yields.  

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Chemical Injury to Garden Plants

Encyclopedia Article
Damage on dogwood leaves

Some plant injuries are caused improper use of chemicals like insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, miticides, and other pesticides, as well as chemicals like fertilizers and growth regulators.  Damage from drifted or improperly applied chemicals can be challenging to diagnose because many of the symptoms can look like those caused by biotic factors like diseases or insect pests.

Learn all about how to identify and manage chemical injury to garden plants, including edible plants.

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