Growing grass is big business. Most homeowners will agree when they recall their trials and tribulations in getting a turf established and then everlastingly mowing it. Few realize, however, that the kinds of grass plants used for lawns in America were all introduced into this country instead of being native species naturally adapted to the … Read more
Blue fescue (Festuca ovina glauca) also known as sheep fescue is a handsome plant that has taken the fancy of gardeners everywhere for pattern plantings. It is a drought-resistant, hardy grass from the Western plains, and will grow anywhere in the country except where it is watered too often or where the soil is heavy … Read more
When Should I Start My Lawn? Late summer or fall is the best time for cool-climate-type lawns, the kind most commonly found across the northern parts of the country. The combination of rain, warm days, and cool nights between August 15 and October 1 speeds germination, and there is little competition then from weeds. In … Read more
Maybe it’s jumping the gun on a New Year’s prerogative to polish the crystal ball, predicting things for the future of your lawn. But a neck stuck out in September should be no riskier than one in January. September ends the “fiscal year” of active lawn making, except perhaps for late feeding of bluegrass, which … Read more
A fine lawn is a thing of usefulness and beauty. If built right and well cared for, it should last a lifetime. All of us would like to have a beautiful lawn. With a little care and effort, there is no reason why we can’t. The steps for building and maintaining a lawn are important. … Read more
Summer is the season for building homes, and early autumn is the time for building lawns. All through the land, thousands of families are moving into new houses, stepping along wobbly planks, walking around piles of earth, and wondering if the heaps of yellow clay surrounding their castles will ever be transformed into green, carpet-like … Read more
A new or remodeled home deserves a new lawn, for it is an important part of the setting. All homeowners contemplating lawn construction will welcome the word that there has been a marked reduction in the mortality rate of new lawns. Once the lawn is started right, it is no longer necessary to remake it … Read more
A lawn can be grown on almost any soil that is available—so long as it is thoroughly prepared before seeding. Be sure to incorporate ample organic matter such as compost, peat moss, leaf mold or rotted manure, or whatever materials are available locally. Work this thoroughly into the soil to a depth of 6” to … Read more
Spring is the natural seeding time for most garden plants, while fall is the time for harvest. However, sow the seeds of grasses early enough in the fall so that they can germinate and produce hardy plants before winter. Considering the many advantages of fall sowing, it is a wonder that anyone should want to … Read more
Every year the lawn season is marked by extreme variability in moisture and temperature conditions, and in many instances, these abrupt changes were seriously damaging to grass. This was to be expected since a lawn made up of thousands of growing grass plants cannot move into the shade or into a cool room when the … Read more