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Healthy Roots = Healthy Lawns
Lovely grass covered with morning dew.
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This page includes the following subjects except for the ones in green, they link up to another page, so just click on them to be redirected.
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Lawn Chores for Spring
Early spring is when lawn care starts. Just before or as the grass starts to grow follow these steps to help your lawn be healthy.
- Mower: Service the lawn mower; sharpen and clean mower blades. Set the blades at 2.5 to 3 inches.
- Weeds:Apply corn gluten to lawns this month and/or during March. This organic product kills germinating weed seeds and adds just a wee bit of nitrogen. Don’t apply to areas where you have sown grass or other desirable seeds as will kill them too. Apply again in autumn to kill seeds that sprout in fall such as chickweed and shepherd’s purse.
- Fertilizer: It’s too early to apply a high nitrogen fertilizer (high first number) as it encourages new lush growth easily killed by frost. At this time of year, it’s important that the roots are healthy, vigorous and have adequate food. Feed lawns in early spring anytime from February to mid April with a high phosphorous fertilizer (high middle number).
- Moss: Apply Dolopril lime according to the manufacturer’s instructions 2 weeks before or after applying fertilizer. Wait a week then add ferrous sulfate according to the directions.
- Topdress: Cover the lawn with an inch of sifted compost or a garden soil. Avoid turf blends as they contain too much sand.
- Overseed: Mow grass as short as possible. Use a rake or cultivator to loosen the top ¼ inch of soil. Remove any weeds in the bare spots. To prevent puddling, level any low areas with bagged garden soil. Add seed with a hand spreader for small areas or a lawn spreader for larger areas. There should be approximately 16 seeds per square inch. Add a starter fertilizer, firm any areas you added soil to, then water gently. Water daily a few times a day until the seeds sprout.
- New Lawns & Lawn Renovation: It's cool and wet; the perfect time to overhaul your existing lawn and to seed or sod new lawns. To learn more about lawn renos and how to install a new lawn click here.
A healthy lawn on the left and the neighbour's not so healthy lawn.
How to make a Healthy lawn
It's All About Roots: Healthy, vigorous and abundant grass roots are essential to a healthy and stress tolerant lawn; and spring is the perfect time of year to make that happen. Lots of fibrous roots that delve deep into the soil produce a lush, green lawn that’s better prepared to combat environmental stresses, including lawn grubs.
Aerate: To promote deep roots, use an aerator once a year either in spring or fall. This machine, which you can rent or hire someone to do the job, removes 2 inch or longer cores from the turf. Core aeration provides channels for water and air to penetrate. Keep the cores on the grass, as they will quickly decompose adding valuable nutrients back into the soil.
Thatch: Do not power rake as it destroys the lawn causing more harm than good, no matter what the companies that sell this service say. It rips up the little grass plants by their crowns (where the roots meet the stems) and removes all the thatch, which is not a good thing. Turf grass needs ¼ to ½ inch layer of thatch to insulate the soil against temperature extremes, it also retains soil moisture, lessens soil compaction from foot traffic and lawn mower wheels, reduce weeds and it provides food for beneficial soil inhabitants.
Aerate: To promote deep roots, use an aerator once a year either in spring or fall. This machine, which you can rent or hire someone to do the job, removes 2 inch or longer cores from the turf. Core aeration provides channels for water and air to penetrate. Keep the cores on the grass, as they will quickly decompose adding valuable nutrients back into the soil.
Thatch: Do not power rake as it destroys the lawn causing more harm than good, no matter what the companies that sell this service say. It rips up the little grass plants by their crowns (where the roots meet the stems) and removes all the thatch, which is not a good thing. Turf grass needs ¼ to ½ inch layer of thatch to insulate the soil against temperature extremes, it also retains soil moisture, lessens soil compaction from foot traffic and lawn mower wheels, reduce weeds and it provides food for beneficial soil inhabitants.
Leave the cores of sod and soil after core aeration as they will decompose.
Topdressing: After aerating, add organic goodies to the surface of the lawn. This practice is called ‘topdressing’. Use sifted compost, Sea Soil, rich loam or a garden mix high in organic matter, not sand. Why no sand you ask? Well, when sand is combined with clay it creates concrete. It also doesn’t add any nutrients to the soil or benefit the soil ecology. It does allow better water infiltration, but only if it is mixed in to the soil. It does the reverse when laid on top of the grass as it prevents the water infiltrating below. Compost and other organic matter improves soil structure, reduces compaction, improves water retention, reduces the need for fertilizer, eases thatch build up and feeds the soil microorganisms. It is not necessary to aerate the lawn, but aeration does allow for deeper penetration of any topdressing. Apply half inch to an inch of sifted compost, well-rotted aged manure, or a garden mix on top of the grass with a shovel. Lightly brush the topdressing material into the lawn with the back of a rake.
You can purchase a special soil mix to apply to the surface of your existing lawn then add seed where grass is sparse.
Repairing the Lawn: Renovations, Seeding and Sodding
Renovate lawns in spring and fall.
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Seed, re-seed or lay sod while the weather is still cool and rainy. If you do it now, well before summer, you'll have more success. Grass roots will easily grow into the moist, cool soil, which are ideal conditions for our cool season grasses. Spring rains keep the soil moist for germinating seeds and improves penetration of grass roots into the soil.
Early spring (and fall) is the time to sow grass seed on any bare, sparse spots. Select a quality seed for either shade or sun depending on the conditions. Before sowing the seed, add some compost and a starter fertilizer high in phosphorous fertilizer (middle number the highest) and mix it into the soil. Add the grass seed, firm and keep moist until the seeds germinate. They will keel over and die if they dry out. |
Overseed: If the lawn is sparse, consider sowing grass seeds overtop the existing lawn and in bare spots. Mow grass as short as possible. Use a rake or cultivator to loosen the top ¼ inch of soil. Remove any weeds in the bare spots. To prevent puddling, level any low areas with bagged garden soil. Add seed with a hand spreader for small areas or a lawn spreader for larger areas. There should be approximately 16 seeds per square inch. Add a starter fertilizer, firm any areas you added soil to, then water gently. Water daily a few times a day until the seeds sprout.
Corn gluten kills germinating seeds.
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To prevent weed seeds from germinating, apply corn gluten meal to lawns. Avoid applying to areas where grass seed or other desirable seeds have been sown as it will kill them too. Since corn gluten also contains a bit of nitrogen, the grass will green up a bit too.
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Mossy Lawns
These conditions are great for moss, but not for grass!
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Moss grows where the conditions allow. If that happens to be in your lawn, that means the conditions are more conducive to moss than turfgrass. That is the cold, hard truth. It is not the moss's fault, nor the lawn's.
To get rid of the moss, the conditions need to change to benefit the turfgrass, not the moss. Applying moss killer is just a temporary fix. Sure, the moss will die after it is applied, but it will come back again if everything stays the same. So what makes moss happy? It thrives in acidic (5.0 to 5.5 pH), compacted, moist soil in the shade. What does grass like? Generally, turf grasses prefer a slightly acidic soil, 6.0 to 6.9 pH, 6 hours of direct sun per day and good drainage with a nice balanced diet. Moss likes to live lean, grass doesn’t; it needs to be fed. Read more.... |
Liming the Lawn
Dolopril lime is a safer product than regular hydrated lime.
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It is best to do pH test before liming the lawn. This is especially important if you always lime and the grass is still not doing well. If the grass is sparse and even weeds don't grow, then definitely get the soil tested.
Be cautious when using lime, read the instructions, don't apply 'extra'. Use prilled dolomite lime (Dolopril) rather than the regular hydrated lime or even the dolomite lime. Prilled lime has a coating that slowly dissolves releasing the lime slowly into the soil. Because it is coated it is less caustic therefore gentler to the soil and it's easier to apply than the powdery, non-prilled types. Avoid applying fertilizer (especially synthetic) and lime together as the nitrogen in the fertilizer converts to a gas. Wait three weeks between applications. |
Mowing
Mulching mowers reduce the need for fertilizers as the clippings break down providing food for the plants.
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Try to remove only 1/3rd of growth at a time. This means you will have to mow at least weekly when the grass is happy and actively growing in spring and fall. Sorry about that! It really does make a difference to the lawn appearance and health.
Avoid mowing the lawn when it is wet. I can hear the laughter now since we live where rain usually in the forecast, but if you have the option of mowing on a wet day or dry one, pick the latter. Mowing wet grass spreads diseases, compacts the soil and the mower blades don’t cut the grass blades cleanly. Set your mower at 2 ½ to 3 inches, no shorter. The grass needs all the food it can get and those grass blades are there to provide it. |
Use a mulching mower and leave the clippings on the lawn as it provides natural and organic nitrogen. It certainly easier than bagging the clippings and dumping them elsewhere and reduces the need for fertilizers.
Spring Lawnmower Care
It’s a good idea to service the lawn mower before you start mowing. Clean the machine removing cobwebs, any leftover grass from last year and any other debris if you didn’t do so last fall. For gas mowers, ensure cables, screws and other fasteners are secure. Disconnect the wire leading to spark plugs then remove them. Clean any filters or replace with a new one if necessary. Remove the oil drain plug and drain the oil. Replace the plug and refill with the oil recommended in the owner’s manual. Remove the blades and sharpen or take to a professional sharpener. Clean the underside of the mower while the blade is off. Replace the sparkplugs and attach wire. Brush off debris off the wheels for easier maneuvering and better traction. For electric mowers, clean off debris, sharpen blades and clean the wheels. For all mowers refer to the manufacturer’s manual for specific maintenance and care.
Fertilizing the Lawn
This organic fertilizer feeds all parts of the grass plant and is good for summer so spread on the lawn and the garden beds.
It's perfectly fine to use a garden fertilizer for your lawn as long as it has the right fertilizer ratio. This fertilizer is high in phosphorus for root growth, but will also stimulate leaves and hardiness.
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High nitrogen fertilizers are often used on lawns in early spring for a fast green-up. Grass leaves grow with gay abandon turning the lawn in a lush green blanket. However, that beauty is only leaf deep, as it comes at the expense of the roots. The developing, spring roots strain to keep up with the demands of the excessive leaf growth. This makes the lawn vulnerable to drought, heat and other environmental stresses, which promotes chafer beetles and other lawn pests and diseases.
Spring is the best time feed the roots - not the foliage. Apply a low nitrogen, organic or a slow release fertilizer high in phosphorus, the middle number on fertilizer labels. Most starter fertilizers are high in phosphorus, but don't let the name dissuade you - as it's just a name. It is the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash that is relevant. Wait to use a high nitrogen fertilizer until May (first number on fertilizer labels is the highest). By that time the roots will be able to supply all that leafy growth with adequate food and water. Before purchasing plant food read labels and compare. Plants need more than the 3 basic elements. Look for ones with micronutrients and mycorrhizal inoculants to promote a healthy green lawn, as well as a healthy soil. Be wary of synthetic fertilizers as they harm soil microorganisms, thereby depleting the soil of life making it inert. These soil organisms provide nitrogen and other nutrients to plants and are essential to plant and soil health. If you want healthy soil (and strong grass) stay away from synthetic, fast acting fertilizers. They break down organic matter (compost, leaves etc.) much faster than organic and slow release fertilizers. It's the organic matter that provides food to the microorganisms, which in turn, produces food for the grass plants. |
Fertilizers that stimulates roots are high in the middle number, phosphorus. Use in early spring and when seeding and sodding.
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This lawn food is a winterizer type as it is high in potash, the last number. It will make the grass hardier. Use in on other plants too, especially newly planted ones.
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Watering Lawns
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Additional watering maybe needed if nature doesn't provide an adequate amount. Generally, lawns should receive one inch of water per week. To find out how long to keep the sprinklers on for, lay out flat cans and measure how much water collects in 15 mins and adjust the times accordingly. Set sprinklers up on a timer and make sure you have complete coverage. The spray patterns should overlap so no areas go without.
Water in the mornings, once or twice per week when needed. Avoid watering in the evening as this promotes diseases and fungi.
How can you tell when the lawn is thirsty? Look for footprints. If a lawn is suffering from drought stress it doesn't bounce back after being walked on, leaving tell-tale footprints.
Water in the mornings, once or twice per week when needed. Avoid watering in the evening as this promotes diseases and fungi.
How can you tell when the lawn is thirsty? Look for footprints. If a lawn is suffering from drought stress it doesn't bounce back after being walked on, leaving tell-tale footprints.