Nothing sets a house off and emphasizes its good points so much as a good lawn. Still, it is surprising how few homes have a really good lawn.
Perhaps, the fault lies with us who write the lawn advice.
Most of us have concentrated our attention on how to make new lawns and have largely disregarded the 90 percent, more or less, of American lawns which are already established.
Even so, with modern equipment, better fertilizers, improved weed killers, and more know-how, gardeners in many parts of the nation are gradually improving their home lawns each year.
People are beginning to strive for, and some are attaining turf of a quality undreamed of except on estates and country clubs.
Common Mistakes in Lawn Management
Probably the commonest error in lawn management is to cut the grass too close. This shaving removes too much green leaf tissue, thus preventing the plant from carrying on the essential process of photosynthesis.
And no amount of fertilizing will compensate for the loss of this carbohydrate-manufacturing tissue.
One-and-a-half inches is a good height of cut for a home lawn. The comparatively rare bentgrass lawns and the Bermuda lawns of the South can, of course, be cut much closer because these grasses branch out closer to the ground.
The height of the cut, in any case, is measured on a mower from a level surface to the edge of the cutting bar.
Mow Regularly
Regularity in mowing is also essential. The practice of letting the grass grow very long and then suddenly cutting it back severely injure it.
On the other hand, clipping about an inch off at each mowing strengthens it and makes the grass form an even sward if the mower is kept sharp and properly adjusted.
Varying the direction of the cut at each clipping likewise helps to give the lawn a well-groomed appearance.
Lawn Foods
For many lawns in every suburban area needing improvement, there are now many good complete fertilizers, and an application of any good one in early September will work wonders.
The grass will become greener and thicker, and many weeds will be crowded out.
A few examples of a good complete fertilizer are 10-6-4, 8-6-4, 7-7-7, and 6-5-4, but many more will do the trick.
A hand-pushed fertilizer spreader will distribute the material even if it cannot be done by hand. Yet, to prevent burning the grass and causing ugly scars, care should be taken not to overlap when running the spreader back and forth.
When turning at the ends of lawns, it must be shut off so that these areas will not receive an excessive dose.
Unless the fertilizer is applied just before rain, watering it thoroughly and carefully is most important. In this regard, avoid washing and puddling, for a concentration of fertilizer in low areas will also cause burns.
When correct mowing practices are adopted and continued faithfully. The grass is fertilized adequately and timely in September, and again in spring, and the homeowner is often assured of a beautiful lawn.
Even poor lawns improve markedly under this treatment. Lawns, however, may be suffering from a lack of lime in some districts.
Because liming can be overdone, find out if it is needed by sending a composite sample of about a pound of soil carefully packaged to your state experiment station or some analyst for advice.
Make up the sample from 6 to 12 parts of the lawn digging to a 6-inch depth, and take the sample before a fertilizer application. If lime is needed, apply it at the recommended rate in late autumn or winter.
The soil on some lawns is too compact. Aeration is then necessary. Several tools for home lawn aeration are available, and some landscape gardeners are equipped with power-driven machines for aerating home lawns on an area or hourly basis.
The cultivating action of aeration gives beneficial results on most lawns whether or not they appear to be compacted. It opens the soil, thus permitting air, water, and fertilizer to reach the grassroots.
Pest Control
Grubs of the Japanese beetle, white grubs, and other insects may be present. These require immediate attention, or they will soon spoil the best of turf.
Chlordane, DDT, and other chemicals sold under various trade names are available in stores to eradicate these pests.
A spore powder, harmless to other life forms, is also sold widely. It infects Japanese beetle grubs with a disease that kills them. Complete directions for use are given on the container with the chemicals and spore powder.
It will be found that many weeds will eventually be crowded out if the lawn is mowed correctly and fertilized adequately.
Still, if there are a number of stubborn weeds like dandelions or plantains, an application of 2,4-D, available under many trade names, applied about two weeks after the September fertilizing at rates recommended by the manufacturer will kill the weeds without damaging the desirable grasses.
But don’t let the spray drift hit any other plants, for it may injure them.
Crabgrass
The hated crabgrass, an annual, dies out after the first frost arrives. However, applications of chemical crabgrass killers in September are valuable, for they will kill many seeds that would otherwise germinate in later years.
When crabgrass dies in October, the dead plants should be raked out, and if the scars are large, they can be re-seeded to advantage.
At the same time, patches injured in the summer drought and not showing signs of recovery should be re-seeded.
Most of the seed will be wasted unless an adequate seed bed is prepared. This can be achieved by raking but spiking with a commercial, or even a homemade nail stamper does a better job. Once the seed is sown, it must be covered lightly with loam.
On problem patches where nothing ever seems to grow, applying one of the new synthetic soil conditioners worked into the soil before seeding will sometimes correct the faulty soil condition.
On compacted areas along sidewalks and other traffic areas where the grass is tramped out every year, plugs of the new Meyer Zoysia available from a few nurseries will often take over and produce a tough grass covering.
Turning Over Old Lawn and Starting Anew
By late summer, many a homeowner consider turning over their old lawn and starting anew. It is sad but true that many who do so at no small expense end up with grass little better than they had before because the unsightliness of the old lawn resulted from neglect.
So, think twice before doing away with established turf. Probably all it needs is fertilizing and better mowing practices.
Nevertheless, there are times when it is just as well to do away with the old grass. If, for example, there is an inadequate depth of topsoil for the lawn or a bumpy and uneven surface, it is probably less expensive in the long run to plant a new lawn, and getting the old turf and roots down will help increase the depth of the soil.
Lawn Care in a Nutshell
Whether an old lawn is being reseeded or an entirely new one is being built, keep these points in mind:
1. At least 4” inches of topsoil after settling are needed, and greater depths are better.
2. Incorporate lime at the rate a competent analyst recommends if a soil test has shown its need and superphosphate (20%) at 20 pounds per 1000 square feet and peat moss at the rate of 3 or 4 bales per 1000 square feet. Mix these materials thoroughly into the soil with a disc harrow or rotary-type plow.
3. Make the grade level by alternate raking and rolling. Remove all sticks and stones from the surface and eliminate all depressions that will hold water.
4. Just before seeding, apply 25 to 30 pounds of a complete fertilizer and rake it into the soil.
5. Sow high-quality seed at 4 or 5 pounds per 1000 square feet. Remember, in purchasing seed, you get just what you pay for.
6. Rake the seed in gently and roll lightly.
7. Keep the area permanently moist until the seed has germinated.
44659 by Geoffrey S. Cornish