AGRIBUSINESS TIPS

Few areas of the homeowner’s maintenance chores demand as much time and attention as lawn care.  A neatly-kept, healthy, green lawn can be a lovely asset to the home.  If you follow a continuing lawn-care program, it can be achieved with a minimum of effort and expense.

These ten steps to a good lawn have evolved from more than two decades of turf studies.  Each step leads to its successor, and they are all based on a single, vital factor – a good, rich Soil for adequate moisture and Nutrient storage.

If you are a real lawn enthusiast, you may be interested in following all ten steps.  Other, less involved persons may be interested in just the first few.  However, each builds upon the other, and you can, by following those that are applicable to your own situation, devise a good program of lawn care.

The steps are:

1.       Use adapted grass.

2.       Mow regularly.

3.       Fertilize at least twice annually.

4.       Kill broadleaf weeds.

5.       Irrigate to maintain growth.

6.       Reduce competition from nutgrass.

7.       Prevent insect damage.

8.       Make room for new leaves by removing thatch.

9.       Protect from diseases.

10.      Kill patches of undesirable grass.

STEP 1 – USE ADAPTED GRASS

Savannah grass is well suited to moist inland soil whereas Bermuda grass is the better choice of a grass for coastal areas.  In areas of high rainfall Savanna grass is the better choice whereas in low rainfall areas Bermuda grass is more adapted. 

STEP 2 – MOW REGULARLY AT CORRECT HEIGHT

At a two-inch height, bluegrass lawns will withstand disease damage and weed competition better than if cut more closely.  The newer, more disease-resistant varieties can be cut at 1 – 1 ˝ inches.  Bermuda grass should be cut to less than one inch.  Sharpen your mower blades monthly. 

STEP 3.  FERTILIZE TWO OR MORE TIMES ANNUALLY

Your lawn is a mixture of dead, dying and growing blades of grass and you want to keep the green ones predominant.  This means feeding the lawn at least twice a year, using a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen, low in phosphorous and medium in potassium content, such as 10-0-5.

Many lawn fertilizers today are coated, slow release and,  granular types.  These can be applied any time the grass leaves are dry without damage.  But, for safety in areas where there is wear on the turf, and for quick response, water immediately. 

STEP 4.  KILL BROADLEAF WEEDS

Treat any time, there is a weed infestation.  Use the amine form of 2, 4-D, herbicide which is available either as a liquid for sprayers, in dry form, in fertilizers, as a weed stick, and even in aerosol cans.  Apply uniformly and follow label directions carefully. 

STEP 5.  IRRIGATE TO KEEP THE LAWN GREEN

To keep your turf green and growing, water it regularly.  However, water can become expensive and scarce.  So, some prefer to let laws go dormant in periods of drought.  Do water enough, however, to insure lawn recovery.  Water is not a substitute for fertilizer. 

STEP 6.  PREVENT NUTGRASS

A number of proven nutgrass preventatives are now available at local garden stores.  To be effective, any of these products must be present near the soil surface in adequate amounts.  Therefore, timely, sufficient and uniform application is the key to control success to nutgrass.  You may treat the entire lawn, or only a portion.  Without competition from pesky nutgrass, it is easier to keep lawns dense and healthy. 

STEP 7. PREVENT INSECT DAMAGE

Insect control in lawns is easy, and is not frequently needed.  However, knowing what and how to do it is important to success.  Treat for grubs, using insecticides such as Diazinon, Dursban or Dylox.  Occasionally, sod webworms will eat grass leaves.  Two sprays with Sevin, Diazinon, Dursban, will stop activity.

STEP 8.  MAKE ROOM FOR NEW LEAVES

In the dry season, remove the brown tips of old growth to manicure your lawn and let the new growth show earlier.  Close mowing, plus sweeping then fertilizing, can improve the appearance of your lawn.  In the rainy season, power rakes and thinners do a good job of thinning.  They can reduce nutgrass and weeds, as well as removing much of the thatch and old clippings. 

STEP 9.  PROTECT AGAINST DISEASES THAT KILL LEAVES

STEP 10.  KILL UNWANTED PATCHES

To have that perfect smooth look, kill unwanted patches of nutgrass, etc.  However, be cautious in trying selective killing.  You can overdo it, or it may disfigure and discolour areas for long periods.  Resodding may be preferable.  Check with your local sod supplier for information on this.  If your unwanted patches are sufficiently bad, you may want to kill everything and just begin again.

The new green vegetation killer glyphosate (Roundup) offers complete lawn kill and permits reseeding after a 1-3 day waiting period.