How Green is Your Valley?

Americans are in love with lawns. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that shows no sign of shrinking, despite the maintenance and costs involved. Winter has been reluctant to loosen its grip this year, but in many areas of the country the soil is now thawed enough to accept some human intervention.

Getting Started: Priming the “Canvas”

For bare areas, loosen the top layer of soil by raking the entire surface. A garden rake (with a stiff, horizontal set of thick metal teeth) is ideal for this; a leaf rake (the fan-shaped type with plastic or flimsy metal teeth) won’t go deep enough. In some regions, clay soil can get packed down pretty hard, so unless your lawn is well established – or for large spaces – you might want to rent an aerator from a hardware store.

Next, do a soil test; the kits sold at hardware stores and nurseries are fine. If your soil is highly acidic (over 7.0 pH), apply 50 – 70 lbs. of ground limestone per 1,000 sq. ft. and then lightly top that with fertilizer. An excellent all-organic fertilizer is Cock-A-Doodle Doo, which also contains a pre-emergent weed control. (Check the bag to make sure, because later in the season it is sold without weed control).

Aerating the lawn is another essential step in priming your “canvas.” Strap-on spikes that attach to one’s shoes might be fun, but if you have knee or ankle joint issues it might be smarter to rent an aerating machine at your local hardware store or simply hire a professional. Aeration, which helps the soil “breathe” and maintain its porosity and ability to drain well, is best done every other year or so, particularly if your lawn takes a beating from foot traffic that can compact your soil.

Dirt’s Done, Now What?

Select the proper seed – for sun or shade – and use a spreader to distribute seed evenly. Resist the urge to overseed; it only makes the birds fatter. Keep the lawn uniformly moist by watering lightly in the morning and evening, for at least 10 days unless there is natural rainfall. If you see puddles, you’re watering too heavily.

Make sure your mower – whether gas, electric, or good, old-fashioned push-reel — has a sharp blade. Mowing with a dull blade tears the grass; ragged cuts are better vectors for pests and diseases. Do not mow until the grass is 1/3 beyond the height at which you intend to keep it mowed. Keeping grass on the high side throughout spring and summer is the most effective weed control.

Another lawn-care item on your spring to-do list might be ridding your turfgrass of grubs. Most grubs are C-shaped larvae of Japanese Beetles. If you noticed large brown patches on your lawn last summer and early fall and you know they weren’t fungal or urine spots, chances are they might be grub-related. Grubs feed on the roots of turfgrass, and if the brown patches are easily peeled back or lifted out of the lawn, the grubs have had a feast.

It’s very important to time the application of grub-eradicators (typically granules) carefully, as most products target particular growth stages of the grubs, e.g. eggs, larva, etc. June or July is usually the best time of year to nail the grubs in their larval stage.

Going Green … Really Green

Finally, consider the many ways you can care for your lawn without hurting the environment. Lawns are a major culprit in the damage that well-meaning gardeners do to the environment. One “green” option is to plant native grasses that will require less in the way of maintenance than their more exotic cousins.

Native plants, shrubs and trees are “native” precisely because they’ve evolved to withstand local climate conditions and pest problems. There are lots of different types of turfgrass on the market, and not every type is going to thrive in your area, so a little research will go a long way toward avoiding the time, energy and expense of maintaining grass that would rather be 1,000 miles away.

In addition, lawns have gotten a bad rap because the tons of weedkillers, fertilizers, and other chemicals that are marketed to turf-lovers eventually find their way into streams, rivers, and oceans and can wreak havoc on the ecosystem.

There are lots of eco-friendly turfgrass products on the market now, such as corn gluten, and your local garden center is likely to stock plenty of choices. There are even some companies that are exploring solar mowing – using electric mowers whose batteries are charged via solar cells installed in the trucks that haul the mowers to and from job sites.

Now, dig out that picnic hamper, wash the old bedspread, and start thinking about spring picnics on your beautiful lawn!