Lawn Tips

Lawn Notes Part 1

Late summer presents perfect conditions for starting a new lawn or renovating an old lawn. Grass is a very forgiving plant. Many mistakes can be made in soil preparation and the lawn will survive and look decent. If you want the best, here are some pointers.

DO NOT AMEND THE SOIL!

 Grass researchers determined long ago that organic amendments do not improve the performance of grass in any soil type (except coarse sand where peat moss helps retain nutrients and moisture). In fact, organic amendments severely limit the availability of oxygen to the roots of grass. This results in a shortened, shallow root system that results in grass that looks and grows decently, but is more subject to physiological stress and disease.

The two homes I've owned have had sandy loam soil that was amended (before I knew better) at least 40% with organic amendments. In either yard the soil turned quite dark and I could not find grass roots deeper than 2 inches. The grass generally looks very good, but is more sensitive to drought, cold, and overwatering than it could be.

In my neighborhood this winter, the Fescue lawns that were initially heavily amended (by landscapers supposedly doing a premium job) turned quite straw-colored from the frosts and stopped growing. In contrast, the parkway plantings, lawns planted by low cost landscapers, and areas of my own lawn that were not organically amended, remained a beautiful green and continued growing. I am certain that our light frosts significantly damaged the shallow grass roots in organically amended lawns, but had little effect on grass than was rooted more deeply.

I also feel that most of the rot diseases occurring on Fescue lawns are promoted by heavily amended soils.

Unfortunately, organically amended soils are difficult to correct. Nature will eventually consume the organic amendments; however, this process can take decades. Total soil replacement (with sandy loam), as deep as it was originally prepared, is an immediate, undeniably costly, solution. Do it right the first time!

Lawn Notes Part 2

It is advisable to rototill soil where grass is to be installed. Foot traffic and construction equipment tends to severely compact soil.

The next step is to level and evenly firm the soil. If the lawn is to be seeded, the soil level should be even with surrounding pavement and the collars surrounding the sprinkler heads. If sod is to be installed, the soil level should be 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch lower. Firm the soil to prevent future ruts. This can be done by pulling a water roller (large cylinder filled with water) or by walking over the area thoroughly. The correct firmness is reached when your heels sink, but your toes do not, when walking normally.

Installing sod is quite simple. Sod is ordered by the square foot ideally a week before it is to be delivered. It is delivered in the morning and must be installed that day. Set the pieces on damp (not muddy or dry) soil starting along the longest straight edge. Stagger the rows. Trim to fit using an old steak knife. Sprinkle lightly by hose every 15 minutes to keep moist. To make certain there are no gaps between the sod and the soil, use a water roller after fitting all the pieces. Water thoroughly by using sprinklers repeatedly over the next few hours.

Sod varies from 5-7 times more than the cost of seeding, but is established within 2 weeks. Seeded lawns are established usually within 2 months.

Seeding a lawn is simple. I prefer spreading seed by hand. The amount is specified on the seed container. Most grass seeds are applied at a rate of 10 to 20 seeds per square inch. The seeds are covered with a thin (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) layer of a good seed cover like Topper or Bumper Crop. Depending on variety and temperature, grass seeds germinate within 3 to 30 days. Some hand weeding is necessary after 3-4 weeks.

Lawn Notes Part 3

More than 10 types of grasses can be used to create lawns locally, however, one kind dominates the market.

Tall Fescue 

Since 1985, our most popular lawn, by far, has been Tall Fescue, particularly the dwarfed strains like Marathon and Medallion. It resembles Blue Grass in that it has dark green, upright blades, but is substantially coarser and not nearly as dense. Older, even coarser strains were used in parks and playgrounds. The newer, finer, denser, and slower growing types are not nearly as strong, but are still the easiest evergreen lawns available. A Tall Fescue lawn tolerates heavy, compacted soil, fairly heavy wear, and does not require thatching and aerating. Its shortcomings are crabgrass weeds and pet urine. It is often overgrown by Bermuda Grass.

Bermuda 

This is the easiest lawn to create a putting green look, but is very high maintenance overall, requiring frequent mowing and yearly thatching to look its best. Bermuda is very wear resistant in summer but often becomes dormant in winter. Bermuda requires a power, front throw, reel mower. Bermuda is the most successful neglected lawn. If care is less than adequate, Bermuda will survive.

St. Augustine 

This is the best (not perfect) lawn for dog owners and tolerates more shade than most other grasses. (Most lawns will thin out when shaded more than 1/3 of the day) It will tolerate occasional heavy wear, but disappears with everyday light traffic. St. Augustine may become dormant in winter. This lawn also requires a power, front throw, reel mower.

The Home Turf

Grass remains the best choice for covering large flat areas around the home where foot traffic or recreation is desired. Early spring usually affords excellent weather for installation. The most popular choices are the following:

Tall Fescue

Currently the most popular local lawn with dark green, medium coarse, upright blades. Marathon, Medallion, and Bonsai are popular varieties. Tall Fescue is the simplest grass to maintain. Seldom bothered by pest or diseases, its main problems are summer drought damage and invasion by crabgrass.

Tifgreen Bermuda 

This extremely fine-bladed, short grass is ideal for the look of a golf green. It is seldom bothered by insects however requires annual thatching to avoid disease problems. It also requires frequent mowing with a heavy-duty mower and can become dormant during cool winters. It is also highly invasive and should be isolated with concrete edging.

Saint Augustine

 This coarse, creeping grass is often chosen for its tolerance of shade and/or ability to recover from pet urine damage. It is not often chosen for its appearance or feel. It is easy to grow but requires a powerful mower and requires thatching.

Bluegrass & Bluegrass/Ryegrass mix 

This is the prettiest lawn with lush green, dense, fine textured, upright blades. It was the #1 choice before 1980. Summer drought damage, sod webworms, white grubs, and rust fungus in winter were common problems. It's current lack of popularity means that the small patch in my neighbor's yard is essentially pest free.

El Toro Zoysia 

This is a relatively new grass type that is lush green with extremely dense, somewhat stiff, upright blades. This slow-growing grass requires a very powerful mower but is nearly pest free and is quite tolerant of shade. Annual thatching is recommended.

Others

 Less popular are Bentgrass, a delicate grass found on the finest quality golf greens, and Zoysia tenuifolia (Korean grass), used as an expensive, but low maintenance ground cover. Let us help you install your lawn. We don't carry sod on the premises but we will order sod for delivery or pick up. We carry seed for the types of grass grown from seed. Seeded lawns require 6-8 weeks longer than sod to mature, but the difference in cost is substantial.

Sod Webworms Plus

Insect damage on lawns is common during unusually warm years especially on tender young grass. The summer of 2004 is one of those years. Insect damage is often difficult to distinguish from drought damage.

Sod Webworms

(olive brown caterpillars) eat all the green blades in an area about 4-8" wide. Many eaten patches may join together to form large patches. The caterpillars can be found on or near the surface feeding from dusk until dawn.

Cutworms 

(fat dark brown caterpillars) eat all the green blades in an area 8-20" wide. These caterpillars can often be found during the day hiding just underground at the center of each nearly round patch.

Brown patches caused by drought will not have any healthy blades within the patch and the soil will also look dry. Drought patches are usually at least 2 feet across. Patches due to caterpillars will have moist or wet soil and there will be a few healthy green blades or stubs showing.

Generally we don't see brown patches due to fungus except during periods of heat + high humidity, especially just after a summer thunderstorm. Fungus patches are usually slimy or fuzzy.

These caterpillars can be killed with beneficial nematodes (non-toxic), Bt (non-toxic), or newer synthetic pyrethroids such as found in Bayer Advanced Garden products. Patches caused by caterpillars usually recover.

Lawn Grubs...ugh!

Lawn Grubs are one of the most disgusting looking creatures ever! These larvae of beetles have a nearly translucent worm-like body ranging from gray to nearly pure white capped with a large brownish head. They have 6 tiny, nearly useless legs just behind the head. The body is usually curled into a "C" shape. Grubs are the larvae of beetles and live underground. Lawn grubs eat the roots of grass.

We haven't seen much damage from grubs for at least a decade. This year caterpillars and grubs are invading many of our customers' lawns, especially those recently planted. In early summer the adults (June beetles) seek out soft soil to burrow into and lay eggs. The baby grubs hatch and eat small roots. By early fall they are large enough to cut off the entire root system of the grass and cause death of large patches.

If you suspect lawn grubs, just grab a handful of grass blades and tug upward. The grass will lift off the ground like a piece of sod and you will see the grubs on the surface of the soil below. A few grubs won't damage the lawn significantly, but if the grass can be lifted up it is critical to both irrigate frequently and eliminate the grubs.

There are 3 ways to eliminate grubs:

1. Beneficial Nematodes These microscopic organisms attack and kill lawn grubs and many other damaging soil dwelling insects. Applied properly the effects can last for a year. These nematodes are harmless to other forms of life.
2. Bayer Advanced Lawn Season-Long Grub Control This product causes the grubs to starve to death by paralyzing their jaws.
3. Raccoons and Skunks These critters, unfortunately, don't care what your yard looks like after they've dug up and eaten the grubs.

We don't offer raccoons and skunks, but normally stock the first two products.

Written By Gary Matsuoka