It seems like every year we've owned our house, we've undertaken another substantial landscaping project. We've cleared brush, we've pruned trees, we've planted and replanted shrubs, we've nurtured ground cover, we've established perennial borders, we've mulched and mulched and mulched again. Still, in season six of the Victory-Still-Seems-Really-Far-Off Garden, there's one major landscaping element crying out for our attention: the lawn.
Besides throwing some grass seed at a couple of bare spots a few years ago, I have to admit we've largely ignored our lawn — probably because we assumed that improving it would be a heck of a lot of work.
But our years of benign neglect, on top of the years of neglect that preceded ours, have created a yard that's lumpy, patchy and plagued by weeds such as crabgrass, dandelions and ground ivy. (Bing: How to make organic weed killer)
So this is the year we initiate Operation Emerald Aisle. To get some inside information on how to go about improving our little patch of green — and to give the rest of you some tips on spring and summer lawn chores, from basic maintenance to more serious solutions — I spoke to Susan Littlefield, horticultural editor of the National Gardening Association. Here's what she told me.
1. Start the season right. If your lawn is in pretty good shape, all you need to do is rake it firmly but gently, to perk up the grass and get it growing again. Wait until the soil is fairly dry to do this, so you don't compact it. Then, after you've mowed a couple of times, apply a basic fertilizer. Unless absolutely necessary, protect the environment by avoiding fertilizers that contain phosphorus, Littlefield says.
That's it. Other than mowing and hand-weeding if you spot a dandelion or two, you're done until fall.
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2. Treat problems when the weather's cooler. Applying fertilizer, weed killer or insecticide to your lawn when the temperature is above 85 degrees will stress the grass, so treat your lawn on a cooler day. For nongrassy weeds such as dandelions, apply an herbicide designed to control broadleaf weeds. If, like Littlefield, you'd prefer not to apply chemical herbicides to your entire lawn, you can pull them by hand, spot-treat with a nonselective herbicide or just live with a few weeds in your otherwise-pristine lawn.
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3. Mow at the optimum height. Taller grass is usually healthier, Littlefield says, so keep your mower blade at a height of between 2½ and 3 inches. Mow frequently enough that you're removing only one-third of the lawn's height each time; that's less shocking to the grass and creates clippings that are small enough to decompose easily.
Don't bag or rake those clipping. Studies have shown that leaving grass clippings in place to degrade into the soil may allow you to cut your fertilizer use by as much as half, Littlefield says.
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4. Water wisely. As summer progresses, heat will take its toll on grasses, especially cold-season varieties such as fescue, bluegrass and rye, and your job becomes all about keeping the lawn looking green and healthy. Grass needs 1 inch of water a week, so use a straight-sided container, such as a tuna can, or a rain gauge to check how much rain you’re getting. If it’s not enough, supplement. It’s better to water deeply but infrequently.
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