Happy Lawn Days are here again!

Wet, humid conditions in our Southeast corner of Pennsylvania have resurrected our Summer-baked lawns with damp air and plentiful rains.  A quick look around your neighborhood will reveal lawns much greener than should be expected for mid-August, especially if you followed the rules for helping your lawn beat the heat.  Those of us, who value the work and money spent on keeping our lawns green and vibrant, appreciate what a bit of Summer rain and the prospects for cooler temperatures will bring.

Now is the time to set up your lawn for the Fall growing season!

The biggest advantage September will bring are cooler nights.  Even when temps hit the 90s during Indian Summer, the cooler nights allow for substantial dew falls that effectively water your lawn ever so slightly every day.  This combination of warm days and cool, dewy nights are perfect conditions for grass growth.

Here are several things you can do to get the maximum benefit out the September to mid-November growing season:

Dethatching rake

1. Clear dead matted grass where it exists in large patches.

For this I recommend a good dethatching rake; although if you have significant dead grass issues, you may want to look into renting a dethatching machine (a.k.a. lawn comb).  Using the dethatching rake, look for those areas where the dead grass is thick and covering the ground.  Then use your mower to mulch the dead growth into the soil.  Removing dead grass will provide a good bed for dropping seed and will allow existing grass plants to spread and fill in bare spots.

2. Aerate

Most home owners probably aerate in the Spring, many in the Fall.  Some aerate twice a year.  Aerating is an important step in

How core aerator works

lawn health by reducing soil compaction caused by foot traffic and normal settling.  Aerating allows air and nutrients to penetrate the soil, helping roots grow deeper and healthier.

Use a core aerator as opposed to a spike aerator.  The core aerator removes a plug of soil each time it penetrates, whereas a solid spike aerator simply compresses the soil even further, defeating the purpose of aerating.  For maximum effectiveness wait for wet weather to soften up the ground.  Plugs that result from aerating will naturally decay and provide additional food for the lawn.

Personally, I will aerate only once every other year, since my lawn no longer gets the foot traffic (i.e. kids) it used to.  I never got around to doing it in this past Spring, when the wet weather makes aerating easier.  Hopefully, I’ll get to it weather-permitting this Fall.

3. To “Weed & Feed” or “Seed and Fertilize”?

Do one or the other, not both!

If you experience a lot of brown or bare spots that need attention, overseeding after you clear out dead growth and applying a Starter fertilizer would be the way to go.  Make sure you this happen no later than mid-September (Labor Day weekend is ideal.) to take maximum advantage of favorable Fall weather.  If you decide to put down new seed, DO NOT apply a Weed & Feed product.  The weed portion of the weed & feed treatment will prevent new grass seed from germinating.

Weed & Feed is the way to go however, if you decide not to overseed.  Even if you applied a Weed & Feed in the Spring, another application in the Fall will give your lawn a boost in growth, and provides weed-free momentum to your lawn that will help keep weeds away next Spring!

4.  Water

Man’s other Best Friend

Yes, the weather has been delightfully wet recently.  But all we need is a stretch of 7-10 days of dry, hot days and all our work could be undone, especially if you decided to put seed down.  So keep an eye on the forecast; be mindful of your lawn’s condition; and drag out the hose and sprinkler, if you’re not fortunate enough to have an in-ground irrigation system.

5. When the leaves start falling …

Make sure you get excess leaves and debris off your grass as much as is practicable.  Ensure your lawn isn’t covered by a choking layer of dead leaves when the weather turns cold.  Dead leaves left to blanket your grass – especially once the snow starts falling – can destroy what grass plants are there underneath.

I have several large trees on neighboring properties, but only a small one in my front yard.  I have learned my lesson from Falls past, and worry about removing dead leaves only after most – if not all – the trees have lost their leaves.  Otherwise, you will be out there all Fall long.  Work smart, not hard!

6.  Winterfeed

The last step for the Fall, is a Winter feeding that should be applied no later than mid-November.  The Winter feed goes right to the grass roots and is stored there over the Winter.  Once Spring arrives, the root-stored nutrients will give your lawn a growth boost to start the season off right.

Now get to work; and Good Luck out there!

(Cautionary Tale: These tips are based on my experience alone.  I offer no illusions of formal turf training or professional experience.  This is solely what seems to work for me and my Southeast Pennsylvania lawn.  Always proceed with caution and be mindful of conditions in your specific region.)

“AN EDUCATED CONSUMER IS OUR BEST CUSTOMER”

 

• I try to support local small businesses whenever possible.  But when it comes to annual flowers for the home’s landscaping, you cannot go wrong buying flowers in bulk from large chains like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Wal*Mart, etc.  I have always found small specialty garden stores to have excellent flowers; but the prices very high.  Supporting the local economy is admirable, so long as it does not excessively strain the household budget!
• I have never used a commercial lawn fertilizing service to keep my lawn healthy and good-looking.  Frankly, the serviced lawns do look great, but I can’t imagine the guy on the truck paid to spray your lawn per a pre-defined schedule really pays attention – or cares – about how your lawn looks before he sprays those chemicals on it.  That being said, I can’t suggest that doing it yourself is actually cheaper, as I have never checked on how much a lawn service would cost.  So I provide a link to a Fact Sheet put together by the Ohio State University Horticultural and Crop Sciences for your benefit.

Precautionary Tale #2:  My current lawn fertilizer supplier stocks a high quality spread of lawn fertilizers and treatments.  But I have found that they never carry a granular weed-control product.  That’s granular as in a product with the consistency of course sand.  Instead, they carry only a pellet-type dissoluble, time release product. 

A weed control product of a sand-like quality will cling to active weeds when the lawn is wet.  This clinging allows the chemical to be absorbed directly into the weeds.  A time-released product will work fine, but takes longer.

When I asked what treatment they recommended for active weed control, they suggested a LIQUID weed product.  I wondered why, because a liquid product is more difficult to apply – in my opinion – assuming you have the necessary equipment to do so.  When I mentioned this, they advised that they also rent the equipment needed to apply the weed control product.  (This also goes for the milky spore treatments many lawn centers recommend.  To me, ensuring a even application of the liquid treatment seems way too difficult.)

CA-CHING!  Or so I thought …

But when I asked for pricing on a liquid-based product plus the equipment needed to apply it ($5 per hour), the cost is comparable to a two-bag application of a dry weed control.  The obvious question to me is whether the added effort of applying a wet weed product overcomes the ease of applying a dry one.  You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself.

• The Cecily Tynan Factor:  Those in the Philadelphia area will recognize the reference.  The objective here is to pay attention to your weather forecast when planning to apply all fertilizers and in deciding whether watering the lawn is necessary.  Some fertilizers – like pre-emergents and grub treatments require the product be “watered in” to maximize effectiveness.  Other applications require a LACK OF RAIN (weed control for active weed problems) to work.  Also when the weather gets hot, watching the local weather for potential rain and even a good thunderstorm would preempt the need to drag out the hose and up your household water bill.
• I covered lime applications for lawns in my last Lawn Epistle.  And although lime is not an expensive lawn product, the need to apply lime is often overstated for those lawn aficionados with already healthy lawns. 

The point to all of this is that you should get to “know your lawn” to know what it needs and what it does not.  Then you need to research your treatment options and decide what works best for you.  Lawn care can be an expensive proposition.  But you can render it as economical as possible – like any other needed product or service – by doing your homework and seeking the best solutions at affordable prices. 

Either way the idea is to keep that lawn clean, green and healthy when the weather is at its best, so your lawn can withstand the tests of summer.

Good luck, and I’m always here for any questions.

Before I get into the question of whether lime applications are necessary, I have to express my concerns over the lack of normal Spring weather.

Where is all the rain?!?

We were supposed to have showers this week; but all we got were very light, very short sprinkles.  I patched and seeded a number of bare spots on the front lawn last week.  But seed isn’t going to grow without moisture; so I’m already dragging out the hose to water those areas.  And if we don’t get some substantial rainfall soon, I may start wholesale lawn watering.  It’s WAY too early for that, but what choice does one have?

What we need a nice stretch of 2-3 days of soaking rain.  And we need it soon!

Rainfall totals for the first months of the year are way down, more so now for March and April; and that presents some concerns about where we are headed.  I can remember one year – I’m guessing 1999 – where rainfall for the entire summer was non-existent!  By August everyone’s lawn was a brown, crunchy straw.  (When you can HEAR your lawn crunching underfoot, you’ve got REAL problems!)  Once the rains came some lawns recovered, others did not.  You really don’t want to be in the latter group.  The costs and work involved in replacing a lawn are not pretty!

If the weather does not become more favorable soon, I suggest cutting your lawn at the highest mower setting you have.  Longer grass leaves will provide some protection for grass-roots should they begin to dry out, and longer grass can help the ground retain moisture longer.

So … Do a little Rain Dance …

Make a little love …

Get down tonight!

Sorry … a little KC and the Sunshine Band moment.

Now to the subject at hand … Lime treatments for your lawn!

And right off, if you pay attention to such things, you would have noticed that I already made a mistake!  Lime treatments are not for your lawn, they are for the soil in which your lawn grows.

Lime is essentially a “soil sweetener”.  It will make acidic soil less acidic.  Lawns like a slightly acidic soil.  Acidity/alkalinity is measured in pH levels.  A healthy pH level for lawn health is between 6.2 – 6.8 pH.  7.0 pH is considered “neutral” acidity/alkalinity wise.  The lower the pH, the higher the acidity.

Not quite … but save these for later!

Lime adds calcium and magnesium to the soil.  There are chemical processes at work here which I do not pretend to understand.  But if you’re interested in delving into that aspect, check out Lime and Your Lawn.

So, does your lawn need lime?

Here’s a Cranky Man Secret:  I have added lime ONCE to my lawn; and I have learned two things since then.

1. One lime application is not nearly enough to make a difference in the soil if my lawn had needed it.  Multiple applications of lime over a number of years is required to change the acidity level of your soil.  Lime is absorbed VERY SLOWLY.  Studies have shown that it can take as long as two years for lime to penetrate 2 inches into the ground!
2. I really don’t need lime in my lawn.

If your lawn is already healthy, chances are lime applications will not make a difference.  Your soil is probably within an acceptable range of acidity.  Soils vary in acidic level depending on a number of environmental issues, including acid rain and the use of synthetic fertilizers.

If – on the other hand – your lawn is not particularly healthy, DO NOT rush out and buy lime!  If your lawn is not overly acidic, lime may actually harm your lawn.  Always have your soil tested FIRST!!  Then if you end up applying lime based on those results, have the soil tested again each year to prevent “overshooting” which could cause even more problems that can be much harder to fix!

Soil testing can be done by home and garden centers or landscapers.  Call around first to find someone in your area.

More tips from Lime and Your Lawn:

• If you apply lime, never use more than 50 lbs. per 1000 square feet of lawn.
• Do not apply lime when applying other fertilizers, the combination could be lethal to your lawn.
• Do not apply lime when it’s HOT.  Spring or Fall is the best time to apply lime.  If you apply lime in the Fall, make sure you leave several weeks between the lime application and your Winter fertilization.
• There are two kinds of lime (calcitic and dolomitic).  Make sure your testing indicates which type should be used, as they offer differing ratios of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.  (And that’s about all the chemistry I can handle!)

For those who like to do their own research, I suggest Penn State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, Center for Turfgrass Science, Turfgrass Advice.

As always, good luck out there!

For those of us living in the Philadelphia region of southeast Pennsylvania, it’s quite easy to tell how healthy your lawn is early in Spring.  If you are having a difficult time cutting the grass using medium height adjustments on your mower because the grass is too thick to cut, your lawn is in very good shape!  If you are busting your hump lugging heavy bags full of fresh, moist lawn clippings to your trash can or lawn bags, your lawn is in prime condition for a healthy summer.

If – on the other hand – your can cut your lawn without bagging clippings at all (medium height setting), then you have much work to do.  If you are cutting your lawn just to make it LOOK a uniform length because the only grass growing is in huge clumps in limited areas, you need all the help you can get.

If – however – you don’t really care because you have a lawn care service doing all the fun stuff, then you haven’t been paying attention.  You should skip over this and save yourself some time.  Shame on you!

My message today deals with the Question of the Ages … Should I bag or mulch my lawn clippings?  But if your lawn is in tip-top shape and you are mowing the right way – in my humble opinion, the question really is should I TRY to mulch or should I bag?  I say this because, if you have your lawn in top shape, mulching your lawn clippings should be very difficult, if not impossible.

Your lawn in April should be in the Best Shape it will be all summer long.  The grass will be its thickest, its fullest, its greenest, and its wettest condition.  If you can cut it effortlessly while still cutting shorter than you will in the heat of summer, you might need to pay additional attention in the form of fertilizing and general care to your lawn.

This may not be an issue if you are using a heavy-duty industrial mower.  Though you still may want to mind just how deep those mulched clippings get.  Too much of a good thing is still too much.

Excess grass cuttings and clippings tend to lay on your lawn and can – if left to degrade on their own sweet time – cause damage and discoloration.  I use a fairly good but light Toro mower with a 6.5 cubic liter, 4-stroke engine.  It’s light-weight and effective as a mulcher.  However I tend to cut the lawn a bit shorter in early Spring when my lawn is particularly thick.  So when I mow,  the Toro has a difficult time keeping up and mulching the thickest Spring grass.  Rather quickly these clippings  will accumulate under the cut housing of the mower and end up spilling out the sides or from beneath the mower when I change directions.

To me it’s an unsightly mess on the lawn, and yes it can cause damage if excessive.  So bagging the clippings in early Spring is an absolute must … in my humble opinion!

Once the heat or – worse – the lack of rain thins the lawn out, I’ll raise the mower settings and mulch the clippings into the lawn whenever possible.

Funny aside … Recently we changed our waste removal (i.e. trash) contractor.  As part of the information package they provided us were tips for managing your household trash and lawn/garden debris.  One of their recommendations for disposing of lawn clippings was to “top mulch”.  In other words, just leave the clippings collect on your lawn week-after-week as you mow instead of bagging them or dumping them into the trash hopper they provide.  In other words, just let them coat your lawn so We – The Waste Disposal Company – don’t have to bother hauling it away.

This is not a recommended course of inaction! 

One more note about mulching … Do not be concerned about mushrooms appearing on your lawn.  Mulching your clippings helps to feed your lawn by recycling important nutrients.  So you should always TRY to mulch whenever it’s practical, limited by what has already been discussed here.  But these same nutrients are also a favorite condition for mushrooms, which are fungal growths that thrive on the same natural material your lawn loves.

If you need expert verification, munch on this from americanmushrooms.com:

You can’t get rid of lawn mushrooms without getting rid of the lawn. Likewise, you can’t get rid of mulch mushrooms without getting rid of the mulch, and you can’t get rid of potted-plant mushrooms without getting rid of the plant pot. Fungi are a vital part of every plant-based ecosystem, whether natural or manmade. Lawn grass would not be very healthy if there weren’t mycorrhizal fungi on its roots.

In short, the presence of mushrooms is a sign of a healthy, well-fed lawn!  Just make sure small children and pets aren’t eating them as they sometimes tend to do.  Most lawn ‘shrooms are non-toxic but you can NEVER be too sure.

Next Cranky Man Lawn Epistle:   To Lime or not to Lime … That is the Question!

It’s official!  Spring has sprung in southeast Pennsylvania!

Spent the second half of a fine Spring afternoon this weekend making my Winter Clean-up and Lawn Inspection mow of the front yard.  Plan to do the same on the Back Meadow on Friday, weather permitting of course.

Proof that Cranky Man has an adequate lawn!

I like to split this initial cut, clean-up, and health check in two parts because to do it right takes time.  Much more time than a simple mow.  And with the additional effort of raking out the Fall and Winter debris of leaves, twigs, doggie droppings (both domestic and imported), dead growth, etc. etc. etc. … my back begins to ache and my attention starts to wander.  So dividing the project into smaller parts is best suited for a quality effort and a complete diagnosis.

My diagnosis usually goes along the lines of the following:

1. How is the overall health of the lawn?
2. Are there areas that need an extra level of effort to give a good Spring start and an improved chance of surviving the summer?
3. What needs to be done in those areas?
4. Should we aerate or dethatch?
5. What’s the prospective schedule for lawn fertilization and treatments look like?

For me, these questions always start with the lawn in front of the house.  It’s the area that gets beat up by sun and heat every Summer due to an eastern exposure and lack of shade trees.  My backyard is ALMOST on annual cruise control, so long as I fertilize and weed treat sufficiently to overcome the neighbors’ lack of Lawn Attentiveness.  As was the case last year, you can anticipate a repeat of Operation Digitaria to protect The Homelands from the scourge of Neighboring Crabgrass!  More on this in a later Epistle!

So anyways, my answers to the Five Questions of Lawn Health were:

1. Pretty good.  Actually downright lush!  Largely due to a light Winter and an early Spring.  For the most part we can proceed normally as any other Spring.   
2. 

   Worst problem area along the driveway

   Except for the areas I saw that need some help.  As mentioned above,  Summer’s sun and heat does damage every year.  It can’t be helped, though we try to prevent it.  This year we have the usual areas out front that have bare spots, where heat-damaged grass died off completely and nothing has as yet taken root.

3.  Usually I just let Nature take Her course and see what happens.  But this year I have decided to be a bit more proactive in these annual trouble spots.  To see if maybe we can give these areas a leg up on surviving the summer without the noticeable bare spots developing again in July-August.  So I have decided to re-seed these areas.  But before I do, I am going to fill in the holes with quality topsoil, seed over the areas, then lightly cover the re-seeded areas with peat moss.  Covering the seed LIGHTLY (!) with peat or topsoil keeps the seed moist when you WATER it and keeps the birds from eating your seed.
4. Aerate … Yes!  I’m overdue on that because I never got around to it last year.  But it will have to wait until the end of April, maybe early May.  Dethatching?  No.  I dethatched a few years ago; and even if I thought it needed it, I would wait until the Fall to do it.  But certainly you can dethatch in the Spring, if you think your lawn needs it!
5. Since I am planning a rather extensive seeding operation as described in 3. above, I will probably apply my April weed ‘n feed only to the Back Yard – the unseeded – lawn.  I will skip the Front Yard because applying a weed ‘n feed over a newly seeded lawn will prevent grass seed from germinating.  I can probably get away without the April weed ‘n feed for the Front Lawn because I usually apply it TWICE a year (Spring & Fall), not just in the Spring.  But not applying a weed ‘n feed will mean more work controlling weeds in certain Front Lawn areas; but I’m willing to try this to get my front lawn in better overall condition.  If your weed problem is bigger that your bare-spots problem, I would definitely apply the weed ‘n feed and skip the re-seeding until September then skip the Fall weed ‘n feed.  

So there’s my Spring Action Plan!  What does your’s look like?

A high traffic area along the landscaped beds

PLANNING LAWN TREATMENTS

In general, I like to apply fertilizers and treatments five times a year!

1. Spring weed ‘n feed … mid-April …  There is nothing wrong with seeing a few early Spring weeds on your lawn, so don’t panic and run out to buy weed ‘n feed right away.  If you use a granular weed treatment, it actually works quite effectively on weeds already present on the lawn.  So you’ll get’em eventually!  Patience, grasshopper, patience.  If you do apply a weed ‘n feed IN A GRANULAR FORM, which is used to kill a visible and significant weed presence, make sure you apply it when the grass is wet (an early morning dew or following rain that will not return for 48 hours).  Forty-eight hours of rain-free weather is needed for the active weed agent to work effectively.  (If you are applying weed ‘n feed for prevention as opposed to treatment, then you can use a weed product in a time-release form (i.e. non-granular pellets) that will eventually kill any present weeds – just more slowly – and provides for longer weed prevention.  In this scenario, the lawn does not have to be wet.)
2. Preemergent (anti-crabgrass) … Memorial Day weekend … Previously I was under the misapprehension that pre-emergents should be the FIRST treatment your lawn gets as early as late March.  But recently I was schooled in the fact that a pre-emergent has a short (approximately 3 months) lifespan on the ground and is MOST effective when applied just before Crabgrass Hunting Season begins.  Since crabgrass germinates and blooms when the summer temps get HOT, applying it in March or April will not cover your lawn through July and August unless you re-apply.  Who wants to do THAT?!?  Caveat:  The dates used in all these treatment suggestions are based on MY experience in Southeast Pennsylvania.  You may have to tweak the order and timing of some of these treatments if your regional summer temps are different.  
3. Anti-Grub treatment (if needed!) … 4th of July give or take a week …  Grubs (fat white worm-type thingies) will usually hatch and begin feeding in late June-early July, so this is the best time to apply a grub control.  However, this is routinely one treatment I will forego, depending on what I see in grub and beetle activity.  In recent years, we have seen much fewer Japanese beetles during our summers, following several summers where the beetles were prolific.  So I have skipped this treatment the past two years.  Furthermore, several readings have suggested that even if you find grubs present in your lawn, there may not be enough of them to warrant a relatively expensive (relative to fertilizers) grub application to eliminate them.  One suggestion was to survey a patch you suspect has turned brown from grubs and “flap scalp” the turf from the underlying soil.  If you find evidence of more than 10 grubs per-square-foot, then a grub application is essential.  This product should be WATERED into the lawn within 2-3 days to be most effective!
4. Fall weed ‘n feed … mid-to-late September … I’ll usually apply a preventative or “momentum-type” application of the non-granular weed ‘n feed.  Again, if significant weeds are present, apply when the lawn is wet and during a period where 48 hours of rain-free weather is expected.  
5. Winter fertilization … no later than Thanksgiving … The final lawn treatment on the year feeds your grass one last time before it goes dormant for the Winter.  The nourishment is stored in the grass’ roots and provides a burst of growth in the Spring when temperatures start to rise. 

Once you develop a plan for you lawn, try to stick to it as best you can.  But flexibility is essential should conditions (heat, excessive rain, heavy grub and Japanese beetle presence, neighbors who don’t care or follow your advice, etc.) warrant a change in course.

Remember, it’s not just a lawn; it’s part of the family!