Dan's Papers - May 9, 2008 -

As lawns begin to green up and get cushy, the thought of keeping them in good shape throughout the season may create some concern for those who want a degree of lushness to their greensward, but also want the kids and dogs to play safely. Is it possible to have an organic lawn that looks good and still have games of fetch or football?

Absolutely, and not only is it easier than you think, it's not very costly. More organic products are available in local garden centers now for people who want to take care of the lawn themselves. Thanks to educational programs from Cornell Co-operative Extension, The Nature Lyceum, Neighborhood Network and green industry seminars, many local landscape companies have educated their employees in the latest techniques and can offer good advice and simple lawn care programs.

Some people like white clover and blue veronica mixed in with their lawns. But if you need to use a pre-emergent for crab grass and other annual weeds try using a corn gluten based product. This is a left over from the food industry's corn processing, and it's sold in a granular form. Corn gluten can be put down on the lawn with a regular spreader, usually at the same time that the forsythia blooms. The yellow grains break down slowly, and provide a low level of nitrogen for the spring flush. The bonus part is that you don't have to worry about the birds eating it or staying off the lawn right after you apply it.

A heavier application of fertilizer in the spring is not really necessary. Pushing out too much growth too quickly in cooler weather, like what we are presently having, can lead to red thread, a lawn fungus present now, or sooty mold, a grayish fungus that shows up a little later on the lawn. So try to avoid overfeeding the lawn now so that fungicides are not necessary.

What can be put down now is milky spore. This is the true lawn care bargain. Milky spore is a type of fungus that attacks grubs. It lasts for ten years in the soil and then needs to be redone. This will keep the rose chafer and Japanese beetle populations down, while preventing lawn damage from crows that are digging around for them or moles that are tunneling through for them.

The grass can use a little fertilizer later on, in late June or early July when the heat starts. A liquid compost of tea, fish emulsion or a light application of a dry organic fertilizer with turkey manure in it will help provide nutrients to the lawn while it is actively growing but no longer relying on stored root energy. These types of fertilizers also introduce bacteria into the soil that are necessary for a healthy landscape in general.

Some compost teas are brewed specifically to combat soil-bourne nematodes, which eat lawn roots and kill off the grass plant. Other compost teas are brewed to fight fungi that have a negative impact on the lawn. This has become a fascinating science that several landscape companies have pursued here on the East End, but there are numerous sites on the web that can tell you how to do this yourself if you wish to try it. You simply put manure-based or wood-based compost in a bucket and stir to make a "tea" that can then be applied in a carefree manner with a hose end sprayer. No gloves, masks or boots are necessary and all you have to do is wash your hands before you go in for a drink or a snack.

Later in August, the lawn will be growing under stress with less rain and higher temperatures, it can start to yellow out and growth will slow down. Extra irrigation will not really help but an application of dry roots or any other kelp-based dry fertilizer in mid to late July will help the lawn get over this tough period. Kelp promotes active root growth, a better, deeper root system, which allows the individual grass plants to take up more nutrients and water.

So far these changes in the lawn care program have simply been a matter of changing the timing and the type of lawn application to a non chemical alternative which is simple enough to do. But there are two other things that are very important to maintaining a lush healthy organic lawn.

One is to mow the lawn much higher. This allows the plant more green blade to photosynthesize, the process that allows the plant to feed itself, deepen root growth and store energy. If the lawn is always cut short it will need a lot more frequent feeding as it is under much more stress. So try to leave the blade height at 4 inches. This will make your lawn appear particularly lush and will allow the grass to shade and crowd out other lawn pests, also know as weeds.

Over-seeding heavily in the fall and the spring, if necessary, will do the same thing. Crowding out weeds is easy for grass as it is such a quick grower. Aggressive over-seeding can solve a lot of problems, but not if you only use the cool season blue grasses. It's important to have a seed mixture with fescues and rye. These are two tougher grasses which are more tolerant of varying conditions and heavy use. This methodology is often used on school sports fields where no pesticides are allowed.

It's time to start weeding. The smaller they are, the easier they are to get, and the less exasperated the gardener. Mulching helps but never eliminates all weeds. Anything with a strong taproot like burdock will have to be pulled out. The white mustard that is taking over the East End is an example of a weed with good roots that is difficult to eliminate unless it is pulled out. The first year this pest can be cultivated away with a scuffle hoe, but as it puts out thousands of seeds the more mature plants need to be yanked while the flower is still blooming. They will even continue growing if left in a pile. The plant will turn up and the roots will turn down, which, coupled with its voluminous seed production, explains why it is spreading so rapidly. And since it's rather pungent, the deer don't prefer it!

For more than 20 years, April Gonzales has been involved in garden design, installation and maintenance on the East End, as well as specimen plant scouting and site supervision for landscape architects.