From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Request for Help: Lawn with house I just bought
Date: 14 Apr 92 12:30:36 -0500
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

tony@scotty.dccs.upenn.edu (Anthony Olejnik) writes:
> 
> 
> I`m a new homeowner with a lawn that needs work.
> The lawns around the surrounding homes are nice, green, weedless, etc.
> 
> What can/should I do (at this (late?) point of the season) to help my
> lawn so that it will look good this summer?
> 
> I hear a lot of terms (lime, pete moss, fertilizer, (many different types
> of) lawn seed, accidity (pH), etc.).
> 
> Since there are a number of bare spots in the lawn (ie. no grass) and 
> the type of soil (clay: I`m assuming this from the color and feel of the
> soil), I`m sure that there`s some tricks that I must do to make my new
> lawn healty again.
> 
> So, what can I do to:
> 	-get rid of the fungi (mushrooms and assorted stuff)
This is a sign of organic matter in the soil.  Treasure them.
They'll go away when the material is thoroughly rotted.

How much work and money are you willing to sink into this?  Options range
from tearing the whole thing up, bringing in top soil, and resodding to
a long-term plan to try to recover what you already have.

This is quick spring salvage for a beat-up lawn.  If you want to do major
tilling and reseeeding, try to limp along with what you've got until late
summer.  Fall-planted bluegrass and fescues have the best chance of
establishing with the fewest weeds. 

I'm going to assume that, like me, you are tight-fisted and not terribly
interested in putting in a lot of sweat-equity.

1) take a look around at the yard.  Do the bare spots correspond to pathways?
(like the mailman's trail...)  If so, you've probably got some problems with
soil compaction, which is normally a problem on clay.  If so, you'll need to
loosen the soil in these areas first.  You can rent a power aerator if you
want, but I just get out the spading fork and start turning the soil (warning:
don't work wet clay-- it turns to nearly-permanent clods).  If you've
got some compost or manure, work that in too, then reseed.

2) if the bare spots are under trees or shrubs, see if the bare spots get 
at least half a day of sun.  If they don't, you'll need to think about 
shade tolerant ground covers for the area.

3) Choose the seed you want to patch with.  Something like perennial ryegrass
comes up quickly (quite gratifying!) but isn't very permanent.  You'll need to
something like bluegrasses (for sun) or fescues (for shade) to mix in with
the ryegrass.  (I'm assuming here that you're talking your standard yankee
"bluegrass"  lawn, not Zoysia, St. Augustine, buffalo grass, or any of the many
other choices).  Plant ASAP, since cool night temperatures improve
germination.

4) Loosen the soil in the area to be patched.  Amend as much as possible
with compost.  Spread the seed on the surface of the soil, and rake it in 
lightly, then firm up the seed bed.  A 50 lb kid running barefoot across
the spot is about right.  Improvise.  ;^)  Cover with a LIGHT mulch
to help retain soil moisture.   You'll need to keep the area constantly damp.
If you let the seed dry out after it starts to germinate, it's dead.

5) Give the whole lawn a feeding, using a balanced fertilizer.  NOT
LAWN FOOD.  The high amounts of nitrogen give you great leaves, but no 
roots.  Instead, look for something with the three numbers (N-P-K) about
equal.  This will encourage better root growth and a healthier lawn in the
long run.   If you submit a sample of your soil to your soil testing service
(usually run by the cooperative extension service, though there are good
commercial labs, too), they can give you good information about how much
of what you should add.  You may have trouble getting a soil analysis done
this spring -- this is the heavy testing season.  If you can't get it 
done now, wait till a little later in the season.  A soil test costs <$10,
and is money well spent in the long run.  They can also advise about
lime requirements.

6) MOW CORRECTLY.  That means a good sharp mower blade, set to about 3"
for most scruffy lawns.  Many weeds are encouraged when lawns are scalped,
so leave the grass long and a fair number of weeds will disappear on their
own.  I try to mow whenever the grass gets 3.5", but 4" is as long as you
should let it get.  Mow the lawn when it needs it, not once a week.
Half-inch clippings decompose fairly readily in areas where annual rainfall
is more than about 23", so there is no need to rake or bag the clippings.

7) Get out a long-handled screwdriver or dandelion digger and go to
work on the worst of the weeds.  Don't try to do it all in one afternoon.
Think of it as a long-term leisure project.  Take your favorite potable,
the weed digger, and a bucket out on the lawn to catch some rays....

I think you'll find that after a feeding, and some weeding and mowing,
it'll start looking pretty good, though it will take several years of
sorta-working-at-it to bring the whole thing up to the level of a pretty
good lawn.

And check out some lawn care books from the public library.  Ortho has
a good one, though too chemical-reliant for my tastes, and Time-Life
has a good book on lawns.  Most extension services also offer lawn care
information for free or close to it.


You can also start applying thin top dressings of compost to the lawn--
not more than 1/4" a year on a weak lawn, 1/2" on a strong lawn.  The
worms will help move this organic matter into the soil.

Kay Klier   Biology Dept  UNI