Garden Column for the Salisbury Post
Darrell Blackwelder
February 14, 2002
As our turf begins to greenup and weeds start to grow, many
are inquiring about lawn care for the spring. The extended fall
drought stressed most home lawns to the point where most need a
makeover. February and March is an excellent time to renovate
cool season lawns. Total lawn care can't be explained in one
article so I'm devoting upcoming garden columns directly to lawn
care, specifically cool season lawns. However, I wanted to start
the series with information with why homeowners seem to have so
many problems with their lawns.
Basic misunderstanding about cool season turf growth habits. Fescue
and fescue/bluegrass blends are cool season lawns
that grow best in fall and winter and in early spring. One must
understand growth habits of fescue and other cool season grasses
to grow them correctly.
Improper measurementsWhen I ask about the size of a lawn,most
tell their yard is about averageone acre. It is
impossible to determine how much seed, fertilizer or water if you
don't have a grasp of the size you're try to maintain. Most over
apply seed and under apply fertilizer.
No Soil Sampling-Most people guess when applying fertilizers,
especially lime. Many lime each year as a standard practice
raising the pH to an unacceptable levels for fescue growth. Over
liming can be a serious problem. For now this is a free service
provided by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture of which
very few take advantage.
Poor Mowing Practices-many homeowners often mow their lawns too
close. Three and half inches is normal for fescue lawns. Seed
companies will often promote low mowing heights of their turf
type grass varieties promoting mowing as close as 2 inches. But
I have never seen a fescue lawn do well mowed this close,
especially in the hot summer when cut this close. Dull blades can
make a beautiful lawn ugly and sharp blades and make a fair lawn
look great. The majority of people I speak to have never
sharpened their mower blades. Blades need to be sharpened about
once or twice a month.
Inconsistent maintenance-Fescue lawns respond best to consistent
maintenance in the spring and fall. If there is one aspect of lawn care
that will make your lawn look best is consistent
care, especially fertilization and weed control. Those that
chose not to be consistent will have poor lawns.
Water-One to two inches a week in most instances is sufficient
for fescue lawns. Shallow watering or overwatering can be a
problem. Watering at night aggravates fungal disease problems.
Wrong Seed-Some think if you blend annual ryegrass with fescue it
will get the turf off to good start. Ryegrass is a fierce
competitor with fescue and bluegrass and will weaken the stand.
Never blend annual bluegrass with fescue or fescue/bluegrass
blends. Contractor blends contain ryegrass. Read the label on
these blends before sowing a unknown blend.
Poor weed control-Most homeowners get confused trying to use
herbicides for weed control. Homeowners need focus more on why
they have weeds rather than how to control them. A healthy lawn
will have few weeds.
Unreasonable expectations-If you seed in the fall you should have
turf resembling the Country Club of Salisbury. Well, not really. It
takes time for fescue to become established. I'll admit that I
have observed some very nice lawns that were seeded in the fall,
but these occasions are rare. It takes time for the lawns to
become thick and healthy. Unseasonable droughts, insect and
disease problems present a multitude of problems that take time
to overcome. Be patient and persistent with your maintenance.
Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of
horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Service in Rowan County. For archived garden columns, visit the
Master Gardener Website at web site at
http:www.rowanmastergardener.com
Plants for Sale
Rowan County 4-H Office is taking orders for Strawberry plants:
25 plants for $8.00, 50 plants for $12.00 and 100 plants for
$20.00. Blueberry plants are selling for $6.00 each,six or
more,$5.00 each. Muscadine grapes will sell for $6.00 each, six
or more $5.00 each. Orders should be placed by March 1, as
plants will arrive early in early March. To order, call 704-633-
0571 or order online at http://rowan.ces.state.nc.us/4h/plants/