these essential elements, fertilizer can be applied to maintain optimum turfgrass growth. The purpose of fertilizing a lawn is to add the necessary nutrients in the required amounts and at the proper time to achieve desirable lawn qualities and healthy turfgrass plants. This publication will help to develop a fertilizer program to promote a healthy lawn.
Lawn Clipping Management
Bagging clippings is a practice that became popular during the 1950s when bagger attachments were designed for rotary mowers. The practice of leaving clippings on lawns is not new, however. It has long been practiced on golf course fairways, parks, athletic fields, and other high quality turfs. In nearly every instance, proper lawn care can greatly reduce or eliminate the need to collect clippings.
Grass clippings will always be a part of lawn care. Because lawns grow at different rates depending on environmental conditions and management practices, it is important to tailor mowing, fertilizing, and watering to meet plants' needs, yet avoid excessive growth. Grass clippings less than one inch in length filter down to the soil surface and decompose relatively quickly. Longer clippings have a tendency to remain above the lawn where they appear unsightly and can shade or smother the grass beneath. These clippings need to be removed to avoid both unsightliness and lawn damage.
Thatch Control in Lawns and Turf
Describes thatch area of grass both in text and drawings and gives information on its removal. Drawings show an aerifier which removes plugs from the ground and a vertical mower, or power rake, which cuts into the turf to bring thatch to the surface for removal. For anyone concerned with lawn care.
Fertilizer Application for Established Lawns
The amount of nutrients required by an established lawn or turfgrass area depends on the type of grass plants and the management practices (how much care you decide to give the lawn balanced with demands of the grass variety). A vigorously growing, watered lawn from which the clippings are removed requires more added nutrients than a lawn that is not watered during the summer and where clippings are left on the lawn. Consequently, in developing a lawn fertilizer program, it is appropriate to divide lawns into high- and low-maintenance groups based on management practices.
Lawn Renovation
Where lawn quality is unacceptable, renovation may be necessary. Renovation involves planting grass seed into an existing lawn area, often adding new grass varieties to repair damage or increase tolerance to drought, shade, or wear. Renovation usually isn’t necessary until approximately 20-25% of the lawn is bare or covered with weeds.
Renovation alone will not be sufficient if problems are too severe. Starting a new lawn may be the best option where removal of the existing turf, tilling, adding topsoil, and changing the soil grade are needed. The following conditions may warrant starting over:
- an excessively compacted soil
- greater than 50% weeds or bare soil
- a thatch problem (discussed later) that isn’t corrected by renovation efforts
Low Input Lawn Care (LILaC)
LILaC is an acronym for Low Input Lawn Care, an approach that embraces strategies and practices designed to reduce the use of lawn care products, water, and the time and labor so often required when maintaining a healthy lawn. Potential benefits to homeowners of using the LILaC approach include cost savings, water conservation, and an environmentally responsible course of action due to prudent and timely applications of lawn care products. Homeowners who prefer practicing high maintenance lawn care techniques also can employ LILaC strategies with similar benefits.
Making the transition to the LILaC approach is a gradual process and it may require an initial investment of time and effort to convert your lawn to this lower maintenance program. During the transition period, when you introduce lower maintenance turfgrass varieties, weed encroachment may increase because of modest growth rates associated with these less vigorous varieties of grasses.
Before embarking on the LILaC program, you should consider a few factors. Under LILaC, your lawn may become more unsuited to heavy traffic, and lower maintenance grasses may recover more slowly from diseases, insects, and environmental stress (e.g., lack of rain).
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