Lawns

LAWNS—THEIR MAKING AND KEEPING
Robert W. Schery

LAWNS are not so puzzling if viewed i as populations of grass plants which have the usual plant requirements for growth and survival. Simple reasoning then suggests timing and frequency of fertilization, steady mowing—not so se­vere as to cut away large portions of vital green leaf—seasonal weeding to lessen competition for the grass and other prac­tices appropriate for the kind of grass planted.

Today even the most amateurish lawn owner can procure effective, ready-to-use products, with the directions for use sim­ply stated on the package. Laborious practices have fallen before science and research.

Soils and Seedbed

Lawn making, like any gardening, is helped by good soils. But a little extra attention can make up for poorer soil, so don't be disheartened should your lawn be upon subsoil from a basement excava­tion. Fertilizer and grass roots can turn this into "topsoil," and in most cases purchase of topsoil is not necessary.

For a new lawn, till the soil several inches deep, breaking up the compacted layers. Grade and rake level, with the land sloped for drainage away from the house. Avoid steep slopes, impoundments, obstructions that will be in the way of mowing convenience. The surface need not be pulverized; in fact a dusty fine-ness will cake, inhibiting sprouting and leading to soil wash.

Incorporate ample plant food. This is the last chance to get fertilizer into the root zone without disturbing the grass. Almost any complete fertilizer is suitable, but especially should phosphorus be mixed in. Phosphorous is "fixed" by soil, will not move readily downward from the top. Twenty pounds of 12-12-12, or something equivalent, to 1,000 sq. ft. is not a heavy rate for most seedbeds.

Choice of Grass

Next comes the all-important choice of grass. The kind of grass will determine the appearance of the lawn, and guide maintenance practices. The map divides the nation into northern and southern zones. Each is dry west of the Arkansas-Minnesota line, and in the western plains and basins supplemental watering is needed for a good lawn, although some of the native prairie grasses may survive and make acceptable cover.

For the northern area there are three main grasses—Kentucky bluegrasses, red fescues, and bentgrasses. Bentgrass re­quires extra attention, and is best left to the specialist. Kentucky bluegrass and red fescue have similar growth habits and make good companions. The bluegrasses do best in open situations and on good soil, while the red fescues are adaptable

Lawn Regions. Either northern or southern grasses may be planted in the shaded area. North and south of this band, only grasses suited to the climate should be used to shade, sandy soils, and under trees. Thus a mixture of mostly Kentucky blue-grass with red fescue offers both good and poor soil species of proven worth for fine lawns.

The short-lived ryegrasses and coarse tall fescues (Kentucky 31 and Alta) are frequent ingredients of inexpensive mixtures. They are quick to sprout, but smother the slower permanent grasses. With mulching commonly practiced now­adays, there is little need for quick nurse grasses in a seed mixture. Reject seed mixtures which contain more than a very minor per cent of rye grass, and don't use tall fescues at all for fine lawns

Lawn growth cycles. The solid line represents a typical northern lawn of Kentucky bluegrass; the broken line, southern lawns such as Ber­muda or Zoysia. The southern line can also represent summer weeds in a northern lawn; the northern line, winter weeds in a southern lawn.

Spring Summer Autumn

Watering should be done thoroughly. Left, light sprinkling induces shallow rooting. Bight, thorough soaking promotes deep rooting where subsoil moisture lies (although they do have a place on athletic fields and, perhaps, rough areas).

Northern Lawns

The graph (p. 73) shows the seasonal cycle of growth of Kentucky bluegrass. Bluegrass lawns pick up very early in the spring, grow intensely through May and June, slow down in the heat of summer, then thicken up from September to November. This cycle offers clues for bluegrass lawn management.

Since northern lawns prefer cooler months, and find the heat of summer try­ing, fertilization and weed control would ordinarily best coincide with the seasons of opulence. Autumn fertilization, 10-20 lbs. to 1,000 sq. ft. once or twice from August through October, will build re­serves for strong spring turf.

Spring brings another surge of growth, and fertilizer applied early will be of advantage to the grass then. Mow fre­quently, as much as every four or five days in the spring, so that never more than an inch of clippings is removed. Sudden scalping sets back the grass plants.

In later spring and early summer, hot weather weeds like crabgrass invade. If the lawn mower is set sufficiently high these weeds usually can be stalled. Crabgrass won't grow in the shade of blue-grass mown 2 to 3 inches tall, a height recommended for the southern part of the bluegrass zone such as Tennessee. In northern areas where the summers are more tolerable, Kentucky bluegrass can be mown as close as an inch. The broadleaf weed controls (with 2,4-D) are appropri­ate as the weather warms, say from April on. Sprouted crabgrass might have to be hit with the arsonates any time through late spring and summer.

Southern Lawns

The seasonal pattern of warm weather grasses is the dotted line of the graph. These include the Bermudas, Zoysias, St. Augustine, Centipede, Carpet, and Bahia —and for that matter the main weed of northern lawns, crabgrass. Growth picks up as spring warms, as early as February in the deep South, not until May in the Ohio Valley. With reasonable moisture and fertility southern grasses flourish during the heat of summer. Then as the cold weather and shortening days of autumn approach, they again turn dor­mant, becoming an unsightly brown in areas having a prolonged winter.

The growth of the southern grasses shows that maintenance is best timed almost the opposite as for northern lawns.

Planting and fertilization are preferable as spring warms, continuing through the summer. Watering, feeding, and weeding are most useful in summer when these grasses are most active (in the North feeding in summer can often favor the weeds more than bluegrass).

Seeding or Planting

Northern lawns are mostly seeded, a familiar practice that needs little discus­sion here. It is best accomplished with a mechanical distributor which will spread from 2 to 4 pounds of seed per 1,000 sq. ft. uniformly. To assure against missed areas, sow one-half in one direction, the other half at right angles. Tor less accur­ate hand sowing it is often desirable to bulk the seed with cornmeal or similar inert material.

After sowing, a light mulch will protect the soil, retain moisture to hasten sprout­ing. Familiar mulches are straw—three or four straws deep, soaked sphagnum moss, wood chips, loose netting, or even a plastic cover (for small areas).

In the South, common Bermuda, Centi­pede, Carpet, and Bahia are available as seed. The elite lawngrasses, improved Bermudas and Zoysia, must be planted from live shoots, since seed does not come true. St. Augustine also must be planted live, there being no seed. Centipede is planted both from seed and as sprigs. Vegetative plantings are made from small sod plugs or rooting stem sections set at intervals into the newly prepared seedbed. Details on planting can be pro­cured from nurseries supplying the cut­tings. The new plantings must be made quickly to prevent drying out, and water­ing must be frequent until the new sod
is established.

Watering

Constant moisture is vital to sprout seed or start new sprigs. Established and well fertilized turf rarely dies from lack of water. Of course, during summer drought grass tends to brown, and then watering determines whether the lawn will be green or not. Obviously, watering can help the weeds as well as the grass.

Mowing

Bermudas, Zoysias and bents have low trailing growth, can be mowed rather closely (usually ¾ to 1 inch). Blue-grasses, the Fescues, St. Augustine, Car­pet and Bahia prefer somewhat higher mowing (1 to 3 inches; the more difficult the climate, the more is high mowing apt to help the grass). Centipede is inter­mediate.

For close mowing, reel mowers usually are preferred; they do a precision job.

sphagnum peat moss, read over a newly lawn seedbed, is very sensitive of moisture, all promote quick routing and prevent dusting of the soil

7 Basic Steps to Having a Good Lawn

1. Prepare a good seedbed for a new lawn, amply fertilized.
2. Choose quality grass—bluegrass mixtures in the North, sprigs or seed
   of choice in the South.
3. Mulch the seedbed after seeding, then water regularly until the new grass is established.
4. Mow whenever the grass grows an inch, and keep it mowed (high in
   difficult climates).
5. Fertilize generously, especially at seasons just preceding greatest grass
   growth.
6. Weed if needed, by hand or chemically. If the latter, follow product
   directions carefully.
7. Above all, plan procedures so as to not overtax time or budget, so that you can really enjoy having a lawn.

More versatile, and especially useful for higher mowing, are the rotary mowers. Space does not permit mower discussion, but keep in mind that most lawn mainte­nance time consists of mowing; get a sturdy mower that makes this time pleasurable—not an undersized, underpowered machine that is balky and has frequent breakdowns.

Other Lawn Care Tips

At least three pounds of actual nitro­gen per year (almost 30 lbs. of a 12-6-4 per 1,000 sq. ft., or 15 lbs. of a 20-10-5) is recommended for lawns. The newer urea-form fertilizers are better at heavier rates, but need not be used as frequently.

There are numerous products for check­ing insects and diseases, fortunately not too often of concern in lawns. Sometimes grubs give trouble in northern lawns, and chinch bugs on St. Augustine in Florida. Such insects may be treated with chlor-dane or dieldrin.

Leaf spot may strike in cold wet weather of spring; it can be forestalled with antibiotics, mercurials and other pre­ventives. Summer diseases are especially prevalent on bentgrass, and are treated with the same chemicals. Merion bluegrass is susceptible to rust, for which there is no cure, but which shows less when heavy fertilization forces new leaf growth.

Bough grass growing next to tree trunks can be cut with the rotary type mowers Gantner

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