Creating The Best Lawn On The Block
LAUNCHING THE ULTIMATE LAWN
Every spring, you dream of having a great lawn, but by August, you've resigned your lawn to dandelions, crabgrass and a few brown patches. NOT THIS YEAR! Creating and maintaining a fantastic lawn doesn't require a degree of agronomy, just a few helpful tips, a season-long plan for your lawn, and some great lawn products bound to give you the green of your dreams.
GETTING STARTED
The first step is creating a season-long plan for your lawn, beginning with an analysis of your soil condition, your climate and even the amount of sun and shade your lawn will receive. Then use our helpful growing charts to determine when you'll need to seed, fertilize, apply weed and insect control, and mow throughout the growing season.
But before you get going with your growing, there are a few things you'll need to do to prepare. Have your soil tested for acidity (pH) and fertility. You can buy individual soil check kits which test solely for acidity or complete soil test kits which will test not only pH, but nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well. These kits can be found at most hardware stores. If you have a low pH level, you'll need to add lime. Sulfur is required for soil with a high pH level.
You'll probably need to add fertilizer to your lawn to create a healthy base for your grass. There is a wide variety of fertilizers for a range of growing needs.
FERTILIZE TO ENERGIZE
What does fertilizer do? It is like vitamins for your lawn -- it promotes new grass growth, counteracts insect damage or disease, and eliminates competition with weeds for available nutrients.
There are several types of fertilizer... Organics that are natural and composed of hydrocarbon compounds will provide long-term feeding and will not burn your lawn. Inorganic fertilizer will provide a green lawn faster than organics, but be careful, inorganic fertilizer can cause burning. Synthetic organics combine the best of both fertilizers -- providing quick greening and long-lasting, non-burning feeding.
There are several essential nutrients in good fertilizer -- Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Nitrogen promotes rapid growth of new shoots and leaves, enhances dark green color and increases tolerance to the climate. Phosphorus, or potash, promotes strong root structure and aids plant's ability to use energy. Potassium maintains salt balance, builds tolerance to weather and overall enhances the health of your lawn.
You've no doubt seen fertilizers listed as 15-30-15 or 4-1-2, but what does this mean?!? This is the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash in the fertilizer. These are always listed on the bag in this order and tell you what the fertilizer will do for your lawn. Again, to determine exactly which fertilizer is best for you, test your soil for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The best way to apply your fertilizer is not by hand. Instead, use an accurate drop-type spreader or broadcast spreader that delivers uniform distribution and prevents the appearance of spotty flush growth or burned patches.
SOWING YOUR SEED
Different grass types are designed to work in different climates. Sometimes, you may need different types of grass in different areas of your lawn such as high-sun areas or shady spots. Ask your local hardware store lawn-and-garden expert about which type of grass is right for your particular lawn conditions. Northern US Turf Zones require bluegrass, ryegrass, fine and tall fescues, while Southern US Turf Zones require bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass, bahlagrass, and St. Augustinegrass.
To prepare the ground for a new lawn, rototill the top soil to a depth of two or three inches. You can usually rent tillers at your local hardware store to make this a little easier. Then grade, water well and apply a fertilizer high in phosphorus such as seed and sod starter.
If you are starting from seed, apply seed using a drop spreader to ensure even coverage. Then lightly rake the seed into the soil to prevent it from blowing away. Once the grass is 2" high, you can begin mowing. The best times to plant are in the spring and fall when the soil temperature is between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as the air temperature has been at or above 65 degrees for more than a week, the ground temperature should be at least 60 degrees and ready for the seed.
For a quick start on your lawn, consider sod. You can usually order sod from your local garden center. Once the sod is delivered, lay it immediately to prevent it fro drying out. Fit the edges together tightly and do not stretch it. You'll need to keep the sodded lawn moist for a couple weeks until the grass is firmly established, then you can begin mowing it regularly.
MOWING TIPS
Your mowing technique is key to making your lawn look great and improving it's overall health. Good mowing techniques include:
· Don't mow grass when it is wet. This will damage the blades of both your lawnmower and your grass.
· If you have to mow moist grass, simply grease your mower blade with vegetable oil spray like PAM. The grass won't stick, and you'll get a smooth, even cut.
· Never cut your lawn by more than 1/3 of it's current height. Instead mow once at a higher setting then again at a lower setting.
· Cut your lawn high. A three-inch height is the perfect way to limit weed growth, reduce watering needs and promote really strong roots.
· Don't cut your lawn obsessively. Mow every five days under normal conditions and every seven days under dry conditions.
· Mow at full-throttle for best performance.
· Mow with a sharp blade -- dull blades cause bruised and ragged leaf tips.
THATCHING
Thatch is a layer of organic matter that forms between the grass blades and the soil line and slowly strangles your grass. A little bit of thatch (less than 1/2") cushions the turf and helps conserve moisture. But if it's over 1/2" thatch can cause grass to have shallow roots and become sensitive to climate changes. If your lawn feels spongy when you walk on it, you have too much thatch.
Thatch is caused by frequent shallow watering; overfertilization, infrequent mowing without removing clippings and excessive use of pesticides. To get rid of thatch, you must cut through the thatch with a thatching rake -- it has knife-like blades that cut and remove the debris. Gas-powered dethatchers can be rented from your local hardware or rental store. Dethatchers cut through the thatch with rotating blades or metal tines. After dethatching, you may want to re-seed your lawn to improve it's health.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Before you fertilize and overseed each Spring, you should aerate your lawn. Aeration is the removal of small cores of soil which helps to break up compacted dirt and packed mulch. Even more important, these holes allow vital air, water and fertilizer down to the root area. Once the lawn is aerated, you can begin "overseeding" by mowing the grass closely then dropping the seed. Pay special attention to bare spots and thin areas. You may need to loosen the top 1/4" of soil for best results.
One easy way to aerate your lawn is to lace up your golf-shoes and walk around your lawn -- as long as your shoes aren't spike-less. Again your local hardware store or rental store has special aeration equipment available to do the job right.
WEED PATROL
Strong healthy grass is the best defense against weeds. But if/;when your lawn is invaded by these pesky plants, you need to go on the offensive. First, identify the weed --whether grassy weeds such as crabgrass, or broadleaf weeds like dandelions, chickweeds or clover. For grassy weeds, use a pre-emergent weed control like Crabgrass Preventer lawn fertilizer to control weeds before the emerge from the soil. This should be done early in the spring as your grass begins growing. Broadleaf weeds need tough treatment like Weed-and-Feed lawn fertilizers. This is applied when weeds are actively growing. Follow directions carefully and you'll soon be weed-free.
BUG-OFF!
Damage caused by insects, disease, chemical burn and drought often appear similar, but left unchecked, insects can ruin your lawn. There are two types of insects which have a huge impact on your lawn -- surface-feeding bugs that eat leaves, stems and plant juices, such as cutworms and chinch bugs, and underground-feeders like grubs that attack the roots. Carefully examine the damage and the bugs to determine which type of insects you have, then consult your local hardware store for advice on the best product to use to get rid of them.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
During the driest periods of the summer, lawns require at least 1" of water every five to six days. Most sprinklers apply 1/4" to 1-1/3" of water per hour so they need to run approximately four hours in on spot to be effective. If water runs off the lawn before 1" is applied, turn off the sprinkler, let the water soak in for about an hour, then continue watering.
THE BASIC TOOLS OF LAWN CARE
· Lawn mower -- usually a walk-behind convertible mulcher/mower is perfect for decent sized lawns.
· Edger, clippers or string trimmer for maintaining edges.
· Fertilizer spreader -- drop spreaders are more effective than broadcast spreaders at making uniform applications.
· Leaf rake for leaves and other debris.