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Keeping Your Lawn Green With Lawn Fertilizer

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. but simple and easy to follow. The basic rules given in this article are the result of years of research and observation at the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station. Though there will be minor variations between different parts of the country, most of these rules will apply anywhere. Even if your basic lawn-building is already completed, you can find ways of improving it-1-especially this fall, the season for lawn betterment.

A smooth, level lawn is possible only if the ground has been smoothed and leveled before seeding. Take off the topsoil, and pile it to one side. Topsoil is precious, don’t waste it. Then remove all sizable stones, sticks and other debris. Level the subsoil to take out all ridges and depressions. Any major changes in grade are best made here. Loosen the top three or four inches of the subsoil to provide a good bond between subsoil and topsoil. Then spread the topsoil evenly over the subsoil to a depth of at least six inches. It’s important to get it even, for shallow spots in topsoil will often show up as brown spots on the lawn.

Rake the seedbed to get rid of stones, roots and other debris, then roll to bring out any high or low spots. A second raking should take care of these and work the soil down smooth. The more a seedbed is raked and rolled, the smoother the lawn will be. A wooden rake is by far the best to use, and a water ballast roller works well.

For soils low in organic matter, add 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of peat or humus, or three bales of horticultural peatmoss, or one cubic yard of well rotted farm manure per 1,000 square feet of area. Mix it well with the entire six inches of topsoil. This and the lime and fertilizer mentioned below can be worked in with a hand cultivator. A small spreader will be useful for applying the lime and fertilizer.

Add 100 pounds of limestone per 1,000 square feet for strongly acid soils. and 50 pounds for moderately acid soils. Mix it in with the top four or five inches of soil.

The best lawn fertilizer is an 8-6-4 or 8-6-2 commercial lawn fertilizer with about 40 per cent of the nitrogen in natural organic form. This. type of fertilizer will give the nitrogen to the plants slowly over a longer period of time. Apply 20 to 30 pounds per 1,000 square feet thoroughly mixed in the upper four inches of soil a few days before seeding.

To get rid of grubs and worms that will injure a lawn, rake seven to ten pounds of arsenate of lead into the upper inch of soil a few days before seeding. Complete mixing of all materials into the soil is important.

After the lawn fertilizer and limestone and other materials are in the soil, smooth the seedbed with a drag or by use of the wooden rake. Then roll with a heavy roller to provide a smooth, firm seedbed. Loosen the top quarter inch with the wooden rake or a light harrow to -provide the germinating layer for the grass seed.

August 15 to the end of September is the best time to seed a lawn. This is nature’s time of seeding; weed competition is at a minimum and the rainy season helps the lawn get a good start.

Try to choose a seed mixture that is suitable to your climate and soil and to the use the future lawn will get. Don’t use cheap seed; it’s labor that you’ll be wasting if you do.

Seed when the soil is moist and the top fairly dry. Grass seed is very light, so it’s best not to seed on windy days. A good idea is to divide the seed into two equal parts and sow half in one direction and half in a direction at right angles to the first. This helps to insure uniform distribution of the seed. Seed at the recommended rates for the mixture you use. Seed can be cast by hand for small areas or a seeder or spreader used for large areas.

After seeding, rake very lightly in two directions at right angles to each other. Use a wooden rake and only pull it toward you. Pushing back may uncover some of the seed. It’s very important not to press too heavily, for this will bury some of the seed too deep and cause uneven germination. Too deep seeds may never germinate.

After raking, roll lightly in two directions. This firms the soil around the seed and hastens germination. A water ballast roller with most of the water removed is about right for this.

As soon as the seed starts to germinate, the lawn should be sprinkled gently and thoroughly with a fine spray. Don’t let the soil become dry. As soon as the lawn is well up, deeper. thorough soakings are needed for deep rooting. However, caution is needed lest the ground become too wet. Saturation of the soil will produce a stagnant condition and poor aeration.

Mow the seedling turf just as soon as you can get a bite with the mower, particularly before the grass gets more than one and one-half inches high. Use a catcher basket for the first few cuttings, so the clippings will not smother the tender seedling turf. Keep mowing until the grass stops growing for winter.

Fertilizer and Lime

Both spring and fall, it’s a good idea to apply 15 to 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet of complete turf fertilizer to the lawn. The best fertilizer is an 8-64 of 8.6-2 with at least 40 per cent of the nitrogen in natural organic form.

It always pays to go easy with lime on lawns. Turf grasses like a slightly acid soil of about pH 6.0. If they are strongly acid, 50 pounds of limestone per 1,000 square feet may he added. If in doubt, get in touch with your county agricultural agent or state experiment station for information about a soil test. Or you can easily make your own test with a kit.

Weeds and moss on a lawn usually indicate lack of plant food rather than lack of lime. The best defense against weeds is healthy, vigorous turf.

Keep the lawn mowed. When the lawn is new, clippings should be removed to prevent their matting down and smothering the new turf. After the lawn is well established, short clippings may be left on to provide nitrogen for the grass.

Cut the grass short-3/4 to 1 inch in height. We used to think that longer grass cut at 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches was the healthiest, but years of observations on the experimental turf plots at the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station show the opposite. Lawns kept cut at an inch in height or less last longer and look better.

Someone once said that burning leaves was like burning dollar bills. That’s true, but the lawn is still no place for them. Rake them off in the fall, for they will form a mat and smother the grass plants.

Reseeding Bare Patches

Reseeding can be done either in spring or fall, though fall is the best. Thin or bare spots can be scratched up with an iron tooth rake to allow addition of any necessary lime and fertilizer before seeding. Seed as described under making a new lawn. If seeding is done in the spring, it should be just as soon as possible to give the new grass plants a chance before the weeds come.

Grass plants often heave from frost action. In spring, after all necessary reseeding and renovation are done, roll the lawn with a water ballast roller with enough water in it to press the heaved areas back into the ground. It’s best to roll in two directions.

A compost application once a year will help keep the lawn level and smooth and also give added food to the grass. Make the compost with two parts garden loam, one part clean sharp sand and one part well decomposed organic matter (leaves and grass clippings. etc.). Add no more than one-half cubic yard (10 bushels) per 1,000 square feet. It should not be more than ‘one-fourth inch at any one spot. The back of a wooden rake, can be used to work the compost in around roots and stems. Apply either in spring or fall during a period of vigorous growth.

With some of the new chemicals available, several of the worst weed enemies of the lawn can he gotten rid of. Dandelions, plantain and other broad-leaved weeds are killed by applications of 2,4-D.

It’s wise to carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions for these chemicals. If used properly, there is no danger of damaging the lawn.

Cheap, hasty lawn construction does not pay. It’s expensive to try to correct a lawn’s faults after it’s growing. Haphazard care is costly, too, for no matter how well a lawn is constructed it will go downhill without good care. A well-built, well cared for lawn will truly be a carpet in your own outdoor living room!

The more you know the better decisions you can make, like the topic of lawn fertilizer. Visit us for lots of free information at http://www.plant-care.com/landscape-lighting.html. Also published at Keeping Your Lawn Green With Lawn Fertilizer.

September 08 2010 | Gardening | No Comments »

The Beginning Of Gardening Seasons

Except for the extreme North, the gardening season begins about the first of April in all parts 0f the area. First thing on the agenda is the annual spring clean up.

This consists principally of the removal of the debris that accumulated in the yard and on the lawn during the winter, the uncovering of garden beds and the removal of coverings from evergreens, recently planted trees, clematis vines, roses and other plants that require special winter protection.

Usually the home lawn gets the first attention and there is little need to encourage this activity early in the season. However, in many quarters there seems to be considerable reluctance to remove the leaves or other coverings from garden beds until later in April when frosty weather is less likely to occur.

As a rule, winter protective coverings are kept in place too late and as a consequence, plants may be injured unnecessarily. This is particularly true of roses. Mildew, molds and diseases get established on the canes when coverings are left on too long. Plants are much better off if exposed to the weather early in April. Roses are never injured by low temperatures that may re-occur for a brief time during this month. They develop better when exposed to the sun and air early in the season. It is important to remove winter mulch early so that the earth that was hilled over the base for special winter protection will thaw rapidly, permitting removal as soon as possible.

After unhilling, pruning is next in connection with the spring care of roses. Hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras are cut back to about six to ten inches or lower if winter die-back of the canes was unusually extensive. Pruning should be done just below the injured area, cuts being made in live tissue and all the canes cut back so that they are about even in length so that new growth will make a more uniformly shaped plant.

The pruning of climbing roses is restricted only to the removal of dead canes or dead parts of live ones because blossoms are borne on the canes that developed last summer and survived the winter. This is the reason why it is so much more difficult to grow climbers in the North where subzero temperatures take a heavy toll of this type of roses.

Plant in April

Dormant roses of all classes and kinds are best planted in April. This is a major exception to the recommended best time for planting which in many other parts of the country is in late fall. Dormant roses should be planted as soon as the earth is in good digging condition, not too wet. A large hole should be dug so that the roots may be spread in a natural manner rather than cramped into a small space. Although the exact size of the hole depends Upon the size of the root system, a good rule is to make it about 18 inches in diameter and the same measurement in depth. The sidewalls of the hole should be straight rather than tapering inward, a common tendency when digging.

Soil at the bottom should be forked or spaded loose and a cone of earth placed in the center upon which the roots of the plants are to rest. This cone of earth should be packed very firmly so that the soil will not settle down and away from the roots later when watering is done. Roses are planted deeper in the North than else: where; the graft should be at least two inches in the ground. This is necessary to provide the plant with the extra winter protection required in this cold country.

After setting the plant at its proper depth, soil is placed over the roots and firmly packed and the hole filled except to allow space for watering. The soil is then thoroughly soaked and additional soil added and hilled over the canes which were cut back to about eight inches before planting was started. This is done to protect the canes from the drying effects of the sun and wind until the roots are established and sprouts occur, at which time (generally within ten days or so) the canes should be uncovered.

However, they should not be uncovered on a hot, sunny, windy day because this would be fatal to the fresh, tender sprouts. Instead, a cool cloudy day should be chosen for this. Also instead of soil, the canes may be covered with sphagnum moss or a square of burlap which is kept moist constantly until it is removed.

Rose growing is gaining in popularity every year in the North. Gardeners are learning how to grow them successfully and have discovered that rose growing is not nearly so difficult as it is commonly believed.

Fertilizing Flower Beds

After the winter coverings have been removed from flower beds, and the soil is in workable condition, fertilizing should be done. Generally one application of a complete commercial fertilizer, always used as prescribed by the manufacturer, will be adequate for the season for perennials and the bulbs that bloom in the spring (tulips, daffodils and so forth), also roses. This application is made while doing the first tilling of the soil for the season.

Trees or shrubs that must be transplanted should be moved as soon as possible in April. Transplanting is accomplished with a minimum of setback if the plants are dug and re-set before they start to sprout. Risk of injury to the plant increases daily after the buds start to grow. Only in cases of extreme necessity should they be moved after the buds show green and growing tips. All deciduous, woody plants should be pruned back when transplanted. At least 25 percent of the top should be removed in order to make a more equitable balance of root and top and so that there will not be too much top for the roots to support.

Evergreens are not cut back but should be dug with a ball of earth tightly wrapped in burlap or plastic (better done by a professional than an amateur” get your nursery to do the balling and burlapping, or get an experienced worker to help you).

April is the ideal month for the planting of all woody plant materials, trees, shrubs and evergreens because the weather is mild, moist and relatively cool. Growth is not forced by higher temperatures that prevail later on in the planting season, and the roots have a longer time in which to get re-established before the top makes a great demand for water and nutrients.

Early spring also is the best time to fertilize trees, shrubs and evergreens because they make their principal annual growth in May and June when they will be requiring a ready and generous supply of available nutrients. Again the recommended kind is a complete commercial fertilizer consisting of the three principal elements of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash in approximately a 1-2-1 ration. Fertilizer should be evenly distributed and lightly scratched into the soil. Spring applications of fertilizers for all kinds of plants do not have to be watered down because the soil is moist and rains are adequate.

Besides taking care of established plantings, April is the time to start new gardens and lawns. Soil preparation and improvement is the first step.

The earth must be loosened by cultivating with a spade or fork; plowing or rototilling for large areas. Soil improvement consists principally of adding organic matter, peat, compost, good topsoil and manure. This is incorporated into the soil during the tilling operation along with a generous amount of complete plant food. The bed is then ready for planting or seeding.

June 06 2009 | Gardening | No Comments »