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Chapter 2: General Background
Bud
Brownmud had never given lawn care much thought that's
why he got nasty letters from the neighbours and from the
neighbourhood association about his lawn.
On the other
hand, Scott Greenlawn and his family took pride in their lawn,
and made it a family affair: every weekend in the spring and
summer, Scott would cut the grass while his wife edged around
the borders and his children pulled out weeds.
As we've
seen from the Greenlawns and the Brownmuds, the difference
between putting time and effort into installing and upkeeping
a nice-looking yard and just letting it go can have all sorts
of consequences. These consequences can range from dirty looks
from people walking down the street to-in some cases-actual
property seizure and resulting eviction if you happen to live
in a neighbourhood with a particularly draconian Homeowner's
Association.
Why does having a healthy lawn matter?
Because when a lawn is properly managed, it can offer big
benefits to people and the environment. Well-managed lawns are
an environmental asset. They canhelp protect or even
improve water quality. On the other hand,
poorly-managed lawns whether by neglect or through the
overuse of fertilizers and pesticides - can be an
environmental liability.
How you and your neighbours
take care of your lawns matters. It's up to you whether or not
that land is used to enhance our environment. It means being
aware that small acts - such as not washing grass clippings
into the street or down sewer drains - can have a big impact
on our streams and lakes.
Healthy lawns provide many
benefits:
Lower air
conditioning bills. Moisture evaporating from grass leaves
helps keep air temperatures cooler.
Less
pollution. Lawns can help filter pollutants out of the air and
reduce noise pollution, especially when used with physical
barriers.
Higher property values. Attractive
lawns contribute to the overall appearance of a community's
landscape.
A place to play. Grasses are the only
plants that can stand up to repeated recreational
use.
Better water quality. The thick sod* formed
by grasses helps water soak into the ground. This helps reduce
or eliminate runoff that can carry soil or other contaminants
into waterways.
You can reap most of these benefits
without spending much money or taking more time than you're
likely spending already on maintaining your lawn.
To help you better
understand your lawn, there are three questions you should ask
yourself.
First, what kind of climate is your
lawn growing in?
Second, what kind of soil (ground) do
you have?
And third, what kind of grass that grows well
(in your particular climate and in the type of soil you have)
do you want to have?
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Helpful Hints
Make sure your lawn actually needs water
before you truck out that hose. Lawns in areas like New
York have been proven historically to need watering only
during July and
August. | The answers to all
three of these questions can have a dramatic influence on your
lawn. For this reason, it is necessary to understand each of
these areas before you proceed to the other areas.
The
first thing you'll want to assess is the climate in which you
live. Are you in an arid desert region with sandy soil where
only a few hardy types of grass will survive? Or do you live
in a lush tropical area with rich soil, where the biggest
problem might be narrowing down the choices of grass and
keeping out weeds? Maybe you live in a temperate climate like
Scott and Bud do, with soil that could be either acidic or
alkaline, and you have your pick of a fair assortment of
grasses for a lawn.
Most of us have a good idea
of what kind of climate we live in simply because, well, we
live in it. So does your lawn. But unlike you, your lawn can't
turn on the air conditioning when it's too hot or put on a
coat when it's too cold. Therefore, it's important to
understand the impact that your climate will have on your
lawn, and what lawn is best suited for your climate and
needs.
Grasses, too, are categorized
as either Warm-Season or Cool-Season grasses to better
describe the weather in which they flourish. Climate data is
available online at:
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/climate.htm.
This
should help you learn what kinds of grass are commonly grown
in your zone. Then you can decide which one best fits your
needs.
Here are a few
examples of popular grasses:
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Augustine |
Bermuda |
Bahia |
There's
an old gardener's joke that "soil" is what you grow your
plants in and "dirt" is what's under your fingernails.
Seriously, though, everything begins with the soil. Once you
understand the basics of soil science and begin to apply what
you've learned, plants will start to grow much better for you.
Regardless of the climate you
live in, growing conditions can usually be improved if you mix
in organic material with your existing soil. The most commonly
used soil amendments are peat moss, mushroom manure, and
sand.
A Few Quick tips for Getting
Started:
 Mow high. The shorter
you mow your lawn, the more work you will need to do to keep
it looking good. Never cut more than a third of the plant when
you mow. If you want to keep your lawn mowed to just 2 cm
(0.75 in,) that means mowing every 2 to 5 days. That's a lot
of work.
Mowing that close can weaken root systems
(making the grass more prone to pests and drought,) and makes
it easier for weeds to overtake the grass.
Mowing your
lawn to a 7 or 8 cm (2.75 or 3 in.) height helps grass keep
the weeds out. It means mowing when the grass reaches 8 cm (3
in,) or every 5 to 15 days, depending on growth
rates.
Keep your mower blade sharp.
Dull blades tear grass instead of cutting it. Lawns mowed with
dull blades use 30 percent more water. Plus the wounds created
by dull blades allow disease pathogens to enter grass plants.
File your blade regularly and replace damaged
blades.
Leave the clippings. Clippings
do not create thatch or mulch, contrary to popular belief. If
you cut only a third of the plant at each mowing, the
clippings won't smother the grass either. Mulching mowers work
best to chop up clippings so they can work their way through
the grass and onto the soil surface.
There, earthworms incorporate
clippings into the soil, improving both its drainage after
storms and its ability to hold water during droughts. Do not
disperse clippings onto pavement or into gutters. They are
high in phosphorus and can cause pollution when they're washed
into storm sewers and enter streams and lakes.
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Did You Know?
Tuna cans arranged throughout your yard
for a regular day can help you figure out which areas of
the yard might need a higher concentration of
sprinklers
or better cat
deterrent! | Don't fertilize
early. Fertilizing in early spring only causes extra
stress on grass plants over the long term by encouraging
excessive top growth at the expense of their roots. (Do not
apply fertilizer to frozen soil, saturated soil, or on top of
snow. It's a waste of fertilizer and a sure way to have it
wash into streams and lakes, thereby polluting the
environment.) A better strategy is to fertilize in the fall,
from early in the season until about 2 weeks after the last
mowing. Plants will use this fertilizer to develop root
reserves to help them survive through winter and get off to a
healthy start next spring.
Watch your
water. It's easy to do more harm than good. Never
water at night. Wet grass invites  diseases. Water between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.
when the leaves will dry quickly in the morning sun. During
extended drought, stop watering and allow grass to go
dormant.
Special care in the shade.
Grass needs a minimum of 4 hours of direct sun 6 hours if it
gets much foot traffic. Consider other ground covers if your
lawn receives less than this. In shady spots, plant fine
fescues that are adapted to lower light. Mow high and reduce
fertilizer.
Spray sparingly. Never use
lawn insecticides without checking to see if the problem
really requires treatment. Seventy-five percent of lawn
insecticide applications in urban areas are unnecessary or
ineffective. Manage your grass properly for healthy root
systems that can tolerate some insect damage and remain
aesthetically pleasing.
Fill in weak
spots. Use a rake to work up and improve the soil
where weeds flourish or where the ground is bare. Then re-seed
with the grass varieties that are best suited to the site. If,
after a season of mowing high and leaving the clippings
(taller grass will help shade out weeds,) your lawn is still
over fifty-percent perennial weeds and bare spots, consider a
complete renovation of your lawn.
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