Features: The Gardening Coach • Susan Harris

Earth-friendly lawn care throughout the year

Gardening speakers will tell you that the subject they’re asked about most often is lawn care, even when it’s not the subject of their talk, and in this area the questions often come from a concern for the environment. So, having researched this topic, I have some good news to report: Not only is it possible to have a good-looking lawn without harming the environment, it’s actually less work than the lawn care practices of the bad-old days.

Spring

Weed Control: If your lawn is sunny and has a history of crabgrass, apply corn gluten, an organic pre-emergent weed killer, when the forsythia are dropping their blooms. Seeding: Seed bare spots in March. However, the best time to seed is fall.

Fertilize? Don’t do it! Spring feeding encourages top growth at the expense of root growth, promotes weeds, leads to extra mowing and, with spring rains, causes more nutrient run-off into the Bay than feeding in the fall. This is the main message of the Chesapeake Club and other groups working to improve the health of the Bay, so spread the word. On the other hand, Ron Barnett of American Plant Food, the all-organic garden center in Bethesda, tells me it’s only synthetic fertilizers that leach into the Bay, not organic fertilizers like Lawn Restore. So if, like me, you forgot to feed your lawn last fall and it really needs it, give Maryland’s crabs a break by doing it organically.

Summer

Mowing: Taller grass shades the roots, which promotes drought tolerance, so set your mower height to between 2 1/2 to 3 inches. Then mow frequently, never removing more than 1/3 of the blade at a time. Since clippings act as a slow-release fertilizer, it helps to leave them on the lawn. And if you’re concerned that this will cause excess thatch, experts assure me it doesn’t and that thatch is actually caused by excess synthetic fertilizer.

Watering: If you need to water, do it early in the day, preferably when there isn’t much wind. Most importantly, water deeply, to one inch, in order to encourage deep roots, thereby increasing drought tolerance. Lawns need water every 7 to 10 days, depending on rainfall and the temperature. More frequent watering wastes water and encourages fungal disease and poor root development. During the heat of the summer lawns naturally go brown and dormant and look rather sad but don’t fret; they green up again when the weather cools off.

Weed Control: If you applied a pre-emergent crabgrass killer to your sunny spots in the spring, that’s the only weed control application you’ll need to do all year. There will be weeds, however, so try a little attitude adjustment. As Maryland Cooperative Extension agent Gary Felton says, “You gotta have weeds. If you don’t have weeds you’re spending too much on chemicals.” And the remedy for those weeds is referred to as mechanical removal, which means grabbing your favorite weeding tool and getting some exercise. You might even decide that weeds contribute a little biodiversity to your lawn and that some of them aren’t so ugly after all.

Fall

Fertilizing: If you think you can just let nature take its course with your lawn, think again. Even the organic folks say that lawns use up their stores of nitrogen every year and become unhealthy and spotty if the nitrogen isn’t replaced. In fact, lawns need 2 pounds of nitrogen yearly per 1,000 square feet and while grass clippings contribute 1/2 pound, that still leaves 1 1/2 pounds you need to apply, preferably in two small applications. So choose an organic slow-release fertilizer (look for the term WIN, which stands for water-insoluble nitrogen) and apply it first at the end of August or in early September and then again around Halloween.

Seeding: If it’s needed, the best time of the year in our area is between August 21 and September 15. Best grasses for sunny areas are tall fescues; for shade, creeping fescues. The order of application is fertilize, lime if it’s needed, then seed.

Anytime

• One more thing your lawn probably needs is lime, which can be applied any time, unless the ground is frozen. A soil test will tell you how much it needs and it’ll only cost $8. Call 1-800-342-2507.

• Limb up tree branches to give your lawn more light.

Not a do-it-yourselfer?

I know it’s hard to love companies with names like ChemLawn, but some lawn care folks are going organic and there’s no need to fear them (or the wrath of your neighbors when the truck pulls up). Best known in this area is NaturalLawn, a company with a good reputation and a totally convincing website, Satisfied customer Taffy Turner recommends them because they’re all natural, they only apply what’s really needed, and they leave her helpful little notes about how her lawn’s doing. I’ve seen the results — a gorgeous lawn in shade, no less - so I can report that her lawn’s doing very well indeed under their care.

Contribute to takomagarden.net
The Takoma Horticulture Club has recently launched its new gardening information website and welcomes input from all readers of the Voice. Send your garden photographs or your favorite gardening books, mail order sources, or environmental links to me at harristakoma@erols.com, and I'll add them to the site.

Master Gardener Susan Harris writes about gardening for UDC's Cooperative Extension Service and teaches gardening privately; see - thegardeningcoach.com. She also blogs at gardenrant.com and takomagardener.typepad.com.

No comments have been posted to this article.

Want to post a comment to this article? Click here.