Date: Fri 05-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-13

Quick Words:

Suburban-Gardener-lawn-care

Full Text:

(spring lawn care for Suburban Gardener column, 4/5/96)

Suburban Gardener-

Lawn Husbandry: A Change of Thinking From the Ground Up

By Anthony C. Bleach

Every spring we get an advertisement for lawn fertilizer. It is promoted as a

"program," which includes crabgrass control, weed and bug control in four or

five easy steps. Research seems to show turf is very efficient at soaking up

any errant chemicals, so I do not think the ground water is at risk.

I do think premergent crabgrass treatment when the forsythia is in bloom is a

good thing. Nothing else can control this tropic grass except perhaps massive

doses of nitrogen to encourage the lawn grasses more.

But a discreet use of lawn chemicals is sound economy and may well be good

ecology, too. This newer approach to lawn care does not mean total elimination

of lawn chemicals. Rather, it requires more attention to how the lawn is

growing. It will force the gardener to pay more attention to how the lawn is

growing, the soil, the growth patterns of the grass and wildflowers.

This type of lawnmanship will be a new assignment for most of us, but the

rewards will be greater and the lawn will be much healthier. The basis of this

approach to lawn care is that a healthy soil supports a healthier turf. It

will be a change of thinking from the ground up.

Cleanup: Begin appropriate tasks now. All lawns need a thorough raking in the

spring. Going over the turf with a fan-shaped metal or bamboo lawn rake pulls

off dead grass and leaves and provides good aeration. It will also allow more

warmth from the strengthening sun to start it growing green and healthy again.

Thatch: While you are raking, check the thickness of thatch. This layer of

organic matter between the soil and grass stems can act as a barrier to water

and fertilizer.

Thatch consists of old grass, stems and roots that have not decomposed. This

is more likely in turf on a high nitrogen regime. If it is two inches thick,

increased bacterial activity would decompose it. You can ensure this by

bringing the pH up to 6.5-7 with lime.

If thatch is more than three inches thick, judicious use of a mechanical

thatching machine should be considered. This has knives which cut through

layers of thatch and lifts them to the surface of the grass, where they can be

raked up.

Lime: Although fall is the ideal time to apply lime, lawns that have not been

limed for some years could be limed now. Lime, by raising the pH, not only

encourages the activity of bacteria and earthworms, but also makes fertilizer

nutrients more available.

Most of our soils are acidic, and should be treated with 50 pounds of ground

limestone for each 1,000 square feet of lawn most years. Buying pellets

instead of powder is worth it; you get a more accurate application and less

dusting of your windows.

Fertilizer: Two applications a year are adequate. One fall application in late

November is the best if you can only afford one. This Thanksgiving dressing

promotes good root growth and early greening. A second application around

Mother's Day, when the spring flush is dying, would continue that steady

growth you need.

More fertilizer applications could promote rapid, sappy growth that only

exacerbates fungus disease.

Weed Control: One of the best approaches to weed control is mowing at about

three inches, which smothers many weeds, but alas not all! Spend balmy spring

days with your dandelion picker and a trowel. Take an aerosol can of herbicide

for spot weeding when you run out of time.

Pest Control: Biological controls like milky spore disease, which is specific

for the control of Japanese beetles, are advocated for the control of grubs,

rather than chemicals, although biologicals are expensive. Before spending

money on pest control, you need to know if you have hundreds or just a few in

the lawn.

If you have brown patches, which might indicate grub feeding, dig up the turf

with a spade and count the C-shaped beetle larvae per square foot. If you have

more than four or five, you may want to look for an insecticide containing

Oftanol to control them.

There is much to learn about this kind of lawn care, but it is worth it.

Sheila Daar, one of the editors at the Bio Integral Resource Center, writes,

"The key to least-toxic lawn maintenance is use of cultural practices that

optimize growth of grasses and minimize opportunities for pest insects, weeds

or diseases to become established or thrive."

I would like to thank my mentor of many years, Joan Lee Faust, for an article

she wrote in The New York Times , for the basis of this piece.

(Anthony C. Bleach coordinates the horticulture degree program at Naugatuck

Valley Community-Technical College in Waterbury.)