Lush lawns require some work
This month, the sound of snow blowers has been replaced by that of lawn mowing equipment. But in addition to cutting the lawn, experts advise homeowners to learn what also prompts its growth.
Although many gardeners cite Labor Day as the best time to begin weed-and-feed applications, a range of products — such as fertilizer — also can be applied in the spring.
Greener pastures
"In our area, if you're going to fertilize once a year, do it on Labor Day," said Pete Hale of the Butler County Master Gardeners, a self-described turf man.
"If you're going to do it twice, do it on Mother's Day and Labor Day. If you're going to do it three times, do it on Mother's Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving."
Hale said in many cases applying fertilizer too early in spring can be counter-productive, since grass is still lush from nutrients stored in roots over winter.
Fertilizer applied during that period can create an abundance of nutrients and accelerated growth.
"You can get diseases when the grass is succulent," Hale said.
"Most of the new grasses are resistant to these diseases, but most of the lawns in Butler County aren't new. They're old."
Like Hale, Rick Ritenour of Custom Lawn Care in Connoquenessing Township recommends spring fertilizer applications until early to mid-June.
Because nitrogen, the element responsible for making grass green, is soluble — quickly leeching away from areas near plant roots — Ritenour spreads a custom mixture over successive applications.
But for those without commercial equipment or the time and expertise for mixing fertilizers, experts usually discourage the use of quick-release products. They recommend instead a slow-release product that uses nitrogen more efficiently.
Ritenour warns that multiple quick-release applications, if not timed properly, can compromise the lawn's health.
"We try to give the lawns an even 'green-up,'" he explained. "When people do their own, sometimes they'll put it on — and when it starts to look bad, they'll put it on again. They have that up-and-down effect. It's not healthy. It's like eating every three days."
Ritenour said quick-release fertilizers also must be used when moisture is present, as opposed to the slow-release products, which are activated when conditions are favorable.
"If you use a quick-release fertilizer in a dry period, you will cause damage," he said.
Although fertilizers formulated for lawns are often indicated as such on the bag, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium also confirms a product's intended use.
"Turf-grade fertilizer always has a very high first number of the three numbers. That's the nitrogen," Hale said.
"Typically, if you went to the stores in Butler, most of them are going to be 29-3-4 or something like that.
"The best grade lawn fertilizers have a high amount of slow-release nitrogen, listed as water-insoluble or WIN," Hale said, adding the handful of other descriptions contain similar terms like "controlled release."
"The higher that (nitrogen) percentage the better they are, but they'll all do a (good) job."
Jeffrey Cuny, general manager of the Oakview Golf Club in Slippery Rock Township, said before forming a strategy for lawn care, homeowners should get a soil test and assess their yard's microclimate."Our front nine is heavily treed. It doesn't get a lot of air and sun, so it performs totally different than our back nine," said Cuny, a graduate of Penn State's turf grass program who has worked at various courses around the country, including Augusta National Golf, site of the Master's tournament."A lot of people don't know what kind of soil they have, what kind of pH they have. A lot of people just go out and just try to do generic things."I see my neighbors go out and spread lime because they think that's the thing to do. Some people don't need lime."Although soil testing through Penn State can help homeowners select fertilizers and an application program, Cuny said the application should never exceed one pound of nitrogen per square foot of lawn.
For weed control, Cuny and Ritenour both suggest intermittent applications beginning with a weed-and-feed product in early spring, before crabgrass gets established.The combined fertilizer and pesticide products allow homeowners to prevent crabgrass, dandelions and insect pests while applying nutrients to their lawns.Despite this streamlined application, Cuny said homeowners should factor in specific pests when timing their applications.Weed-and-feed "contact" products that target dandelions, for instance, should be applied when the lawn is wet, so the granules will stick.Other weed-and-feed products, such as those that target crabgrass, should be applied to dry grass."You want that to get to the ground," Cuny said. "Because it works through the soil. It doesn't allow the crabgrass seeds to germinate."Ritenour said the crabgrass prevention season is nearing an end, since the pre-emergent pesticide should be applied before the ground temperature reaches 55 degrees."A good rule of thumb is, whenever the yellow blossoms fall off the forsythia plants, that's when it's basically too late to treat anymore."Ritenour said spring and fall are also good times for dandelion prevention, to target plants as they emerge and after they have spread their seed.Hale warned that one-time early applications of broad-leaf killers can bring optimism to gardeners, but sometimes the pesticides only kill top growth."They go out a couple of weeks from now and say, 'Hey, that stuff really worked. My weeds are gone.' What they don't realize is they haven't killed the roots, they've burned off the top growth. Weeds will start showing up again."As for insect pests, the most common include the white grub, which is part of the Japanese beetle's life cycle.After beetles lay their eggs, the eggs turn into grubs, which eat the roots of grass, causing dead spots.Ritenour said preventative treatments can be applied in the late spring — anytime between mid-May and the end of June — or a curative treatment can be applied if grubs appear.A side from already having damage to lawns once grubs are spotted, Ritenour said the grubs attract skunks and raccoons, which do additional damage.Chinch bugs, ant-sized insects that suck nutrients out of grass, are also common to the region. Ritenour said May is the time for those preventative treatments.
Many people don't realize that mowing can also support or undermine the health of a lawn.A dull mower blade, for instance, brings additional stress to grass, increasing susceptibility to insects and disease.Jim Thompson, general manager of PowerUp Equipment Inc. in Butler Township, said homeowners can identify the need for sharpening when they see the edges of their grass begin to split out. PowerUp sells mowers and provides service, which includes blade sharpening.As well as keeping blades sharp, Thompson suggests regular maintenance to reduce the need for repair."Ninety percent (of repairs) are operator-induced,"he noted, reminding consumers to grease mechanisms, check oil, belts and other fluids and balance and clean the mower deck.Thompson said many shops offer off-season service specials to eliminate slow repair turnaround during the heavy mowing season.At the current rate of growth, Thompson said grass should be mowed about every four days, partly to extend the life of mowers, which often aren't designed to cut 5 or more inches of grass.Cuny said cool-season grasses that thrive in the region should be maintained between 2 and 2 1/2 inches."You never want to take off too much of the grass plant at one mowing," he said.Ritenour agreed, citing the rule you should never remove more than a third of the grass blade in one cutting."What I tell people: If you cut the very tip of your finger off you can function. If you cut the whole arm off you shock your system. The plant will get shocked, and it's more apt to get diseases."Although many homeowners appreciate a lawn free of clippings, Cuny and Thompson both cite reasons to abandon the rake."Ninety percent of a blade of grass is water and nutrients," Cuny said. "Every time you take that away, you have to add more. So it helps reduce the amount of fertilizer you need."Thompson said using a grass catcher also can reduce mower speed by a third.As far as watering goes, Cuny recommends giving your lawn one inch of water per week during periods with no rain.He also suggests the best time to water is early morning. The worst time is late at night, since the water doesn't evaporate."That's when you have problems with fungus," Cuny said."You want to keep the leaves as dry as you can and get the water down into the soil," he noted."If you water too much, that's bad. You increase your weeds. If you water too little, your lawn becomes less drought resistant."
