AERATION:

Aeration is a means of loosening the soil so that water, air and nutrients reach the root zone quicker. Aeration enhances the effectiveness of the products applied to your lawn. By loosening the soil, items needed by the roots (air, water & nutrients), are more available. Therefore, when fertilizer is applied, it is used more effectively by the grass plants.

Core aeration is accomplished by running a machine over the lawn. The machine pulls up plugs of soil, about the size of your finger, and leaves them on the ground. It takes a couple of weeks for the plugs to break up and blend back into the lawn.

Liquid aeration provides the same great results as core aeration but is much easier to do. It also is cheaper, and cleaner. Our liquid aeration product, Aerify!, and Soil Activator can be found in the Soil Amendments section of our on-line catalog.

MOWING:

In general, keep fescue, rye and bluegrass mowed at a minimum of three inches. Zoysia and bermuda grasses can be mowed shorter. Mowing at the proper height will strengthen the grass plant and inhibit the growth of unwanted weeds. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that simply mowing at the correct height will eliminate crabgrass over time. The shorter the grass is cut, the shorter the roots will be.

Mowing high causes the grass to shade the weeds, so they cannot grow. Mowing high also makes the grass stronger, as more grass is using the sun to make it grow.

Always keep your mower blade SHARP! Sharpen the blade after 8-10 hours of use.

Grass clippings are a good source of nitrogen for your lawn. It is recommended that you not bag your grass clippings. Let those clipping fall to the ground and breakdown, thus returning nutrients to the soil.

The frequency of mowing should be such that you cut 1/3 of the grass stem off each time. Removing more than 1/3 of the grass stem at a time will damage the plant. This means that you should mow your grass at or before it reaches 4-1/2 inches.

During periods of drought it is advised that you mow even higher, at 4" or more. It also advised that you mow higher in areas that are heavily shaded.

PROPER WATERING:

Proper watering encourages grass growth and deters weed growth. Watering too frequently will actually discourage grass growth, as the roots are not required to go deep to find their water source. Weed roots are much shorter than grass roots, so watering less frequently will cause the weed roots to die, while the longer grass roots will be seeking deeper water.

When should you water? The grass will tell you when to water, usually once a week. The grass blades will begin to curl when they need water. They will curl before they turn brown. Another way to tell is to walk across your grass and take a look where you walked. If your footprints remain, the grass needs some water. If your footprints disappear, the grass is fine.

How much should you water? You should water all areas of your lawn with an inch of water. Simply set a cup in the watered area and keep an eye on the water level in the cup. When it reaches an inch, stop. To conserve water, water right after it rains. You will need to know how much rain fell, then "top it off" until you have an inch.

WEEDS & TRIMMING:

Have you ever given any thought as to why weeds tend to grow next to the fence, or the driveway, or around the planted areas?

The answer is probably that these are the areas you are using the trimmer in. If you are mowing your lawn at the proper height, usually 3 inches, chances are the middle of your lawn looks nice. The problem areas tend to be the edges of the lawn, where the trimmer is used.

Weeds love to be cut short, and it is difficult to maintain a consistently high cut when using a trimmer. Besides the fact that weeds thrive when cut short, they also thrive in these closely cut areas because the grass is cut too short to shade the growth of the weeds.

So, take a little extra time when trimming to keep the trimmer up in the air, instead of letting it touch the ground.

SHADED AREAS:

Shaded areas of your lawn are probably the most difficult area to have a healthy lawn in. Listed below are suggestions for dealing with the shade.

1. The amount of sunlight can be increased by trimming the lower branches, and thinning higher branches of trees.
2. You can trim shrubs to allow more air movement. To further reduce stress on grass in shaded areas, you may choose to mow this area 1/2 to 1 inch higher.
3. Increased fertilizer will also help. We have both liquid (Nature's Feed) and granular (Humic Plus) fertilizer available in our on-line catalog.
4. If you plan to seed a shady area, be sure to use seed which is shade tolerant.

SEED & SEEDING:

Unless you have a specific preference for a particular variety of grass, I suggest you use a mix of grass seed. Using a mix will help you obtain a uniformly green lawn, as different varieties of grass green up at different times, and some do better in different areas of your lawn than others. So, using a mix, will keep the entire lawn looking nice.

Specifically (other than the southern most states), I suggest using a mixture of fescue, bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass. The key to choosing seed is to make sure the seed is high quality and contains very few weed seeds. All seed bags have a label which will list the content varieties of the seed, and the percentage of weed seed included.

To determine if you need to seed and how extensive the seeding needs to be, you will need to take a close look at your lawn. Basically, if you do not have much grass, you need to do extensive seeding and work the seed into the soil. If you have a pretty good stand of grass, you can simply sow the seed and leave it alone. If you are pleased with the thickness of your lawn, you can probably skip seeding, and only do it every other year.

This article was written by Beth Comer. Please visit our website for organic/natural lawn care products http://www.backto-nature.com or for controlling ground moles visit http://www.moleinator.com