Understanding soil

Soil is the top layer of the Earth’s surface suitable for growth of plant life.

Many subdivision homeowners have to scramble to make their soil suitable for plant life. Some contractors scrape off up to six inches of topsoil before construction, and when construction is completed, they add back just an inch or so before laying the sod. This is seldom enough for the roots to take hold, and limits the ability of the lawn to get the nutrients and water it needs to make food.

So, new homeowners can find themselves in the trap of using synthetic chemicals to try to help to their lawns get established. Far better than loading on more fertilizers, however, is to do a soil test to find out exactly what the lawn needs.

Knowledge is king.

Keep adding topsoil, too.

For what a soil test will do for you see:

Putting your yard to the soil test. 

Grass 101

One of the keys to having a great lawn is understanding more about grass.

Lawns should be made up of many types of turf grasses. In a lawn of, say 1,000 square feet, there can be up to a million grass plants. Each one looks sort of like this.

When grass is “cropped,” the roots become shorter. When grass is allowed to grow high, the roots grow more plentiful and deeper. Also, more leaf blade will be exposed to the sun. This allows the grass to produce more easily the cells and energy it needs.

It is easier for deep roots to find water and nutrients for food. The grass plant can cope better in times of drought when the blades are not growing. Deep roots store food and the grass simply goes dormant until dry periods are over.

Cut it high. Let it lie.

Diseases don’t make passes at lawns with tall grasses!

Consider these tips:

The healthiest height for a grass lawn is 3 to 3 1/2 inches. To maintain a lawn at 3 inches, mow when the lawn reaches a height of 4 1/2 inches. If you have a lawn service, discuss this with them.

Mower blades are best sharpened twice a year. This can be done professionally or at home.

Never cut off more than one-third the height off a grass plant at one time. Cutting more than one third at a time stresses the plant as it will lose its food source. Decide when to cut a lawn by looking at the height of the grass. This does not necessarily mean cutting every week. Expect to mow more frequently in late Spring and early Fall, when grass is growing rapidly. Again, something to discuss with your lawn cutter.

Never mow a lawn when the grass is wet as this will cause grass clippings to clump together, preventing the light from reaching the grass.

Grass clippings are a free source of nutrients for your lawn. Leaving the clippings can be compared to applying a 4-1-2 fertilizer. The nitrogen promotes top growth, the phosphorus encourages root development, and the potassium builds strong stems, hardiness and disease resistance.

An inexpensive mulching attachment added to a lawn mower will chop up clippings. The smaller the clippings, the faster they will decompose and add nutrients to the soil. A mulching blade or mower may be purchased at hardware stores.

Leaving grass clippings on a lawn gives the grass plants nutrients in the best possible way—slowly and steadily.

OOPS!...Watch Out For Thatch

Thatch is a mat of dead and living grass just above the soil surface of a lawn. Some dead grass at the soil surface is good - it's like mulch. Too much, and the lawn deteriorates.

The usual cause of thatch is poor drainage and compacted soil which prevent soil micro-organisms & earthworms from thriving. These beneficial creatures are essential for rapid decomposition of organic material as it develops.
One of the best methods of control is soil aeration combined with light frequent topdressings, well raked into the thatch.

Visit: cleanriversandstreams.org for additional tips.

Over-seeding

Over-seeding will revitalize your lawn and help you get a thick lush turf. This is how golf courses and soccer fields achieve that ultra lush look.

Always try to match seed type to your specific lawn setting. People often have weeds, insects and wilting grass because they have the wrong grass in the wrong location. If you are considering using sod, remember that sod is usually only available in one form: Kentucky Bluegrass. Kentucky Bluegrass offers only average drought tolerance and is a monoculture, or a one-plant type. That means it is more vulnerable to weeds and pests than a lawn containing a mixture of grasses.

A seed mixture with generous percentages of one or more of the cool-season types such as Kentucky Bluegrass with fine fescue or perennial ryegrass are excellent. Perennial rye grass helps resist grubs. Mixes containing annual ryegrass should be avoided.

Re-seed bare spots before the weeds start to grow in them. But make sure you are using a combination of grass seeds that will help fight diseases.

Seeding is best done in early fall (mid-August to mid-September) when the ground is moist and warm. This allows enough time for the grass plants to develop good roots before the weather turns cold. Spring seeding is the second best time.

An interesting alternative to over-seeding with grass seed is to use White Clover, available in bulk at farm supply stores and at some garden centres. It helps toughen up a lawn, can prevent invasions by grubs, and stays green during drought.

Aeration

Aeration should be done in early Spring or Fall when the soil is moist and helps give the soil a fresh start by reducing compaction, improving the water penetration and helping organic matter and oxygen reach the roots of the grass.

All soils become compacted over time, but especially chemically treated lawns. In these lawns, most living things in the soil, like earthworms that naturally aerate the soil, are killed off. There are special aeration tools for manual use. An alternative is to rent an aerator with a few neighbours, or call a garden service.

Fertilizing

Come Spring, many of us get anxious to get outside and do something to improve our yards. Fertilizing—especially here in the Lake Simcoe watershed, where phosphorus from fertilizers is endangering the lake—is not the best Spring ritual! If you feel you do need to fertilize, it is best to do this in the Fall using an organic fertilizer that is low in phosphorus and is slow releasing.
But go easy! Grass clippings and compost will work also. ...view chart

What are the ideal organic fertilizers?

Organic fertilizers come in premixed varieties or as separate items. They include blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal, worm castings, Dolomitic limestone and manure.

Compost. Test the soil first to find out what you need. The WAVE Patrol will help you. Once you know what nutrients your lawn needs, ask a hardware store or garden centre what natural fertilizer is best.

Where do you get organic fertilizers?

More and more stores are carrying alternatives to chemical fertilizers. You don’t need a chemistry degree to know what to buy. When you know what your soil test results are, ask for help from your local hardware store or garden centre. Or go to a farm supply store. Reputable lawn care companies will also be happy to help you out when you tell them what your soil test is telling you.

Compost, make your own. It’s free!

Compost, made from rotted organic matter, is the best all around soil conditioner that is available to a gardener.

Compost may be added throughout the season to your yard. It is almost impossible to use too much. Compost can be added to growing gardens, lawns and trees as a top-dressing or side-dressing. Before application to lawns, sift the compost through a screen and apply only the finer-grained material.

Compost bins are available from most towns at a very reasonable price and most come with a little booklet about how to get started.

Commercial compost mixes are available in garden supply centres, but making your own is inexpensive and easy. It also helps to reduce the volume of municipal waste going to landfill sites.

Use kitchen scraps, grass clippings (if not infested or recently sprayed with a herbicide) and fallen leaves (avoid walnut tree leaves). Avoid meat or bone scraps that attract animals.

Visit: Environmental Factor Inc.

A Word About Pesticides, insecticides and herbicides.

The best way to reduce pests and weeds is to create a healthy lawn with deep roots and strong grass that doesn’t depend on fertilizers and pesticides. The main problem for our waters is phosphorus from fertilizers, but pesticides aren’t so great either. For more information, visit: Wild About Gardening