LANDSCAPE SPECIALISTS
Lawn Care Tips (Seattle Area)
__________
Grounds Maintenance is a major budget item for most property owners. For
this reason the following factors should be carefully considered.
Mowing
Frequency and detail are the major cost factors on a given area of lawn. In Seattle,
a lawn can be maintained with 24 or less cuts per year, providing
it is not over-fertilized. The mowing frequency varies during the growing
season from March to November.
Details include edging along sidewalks, walkways, curbs, driveways,
stepping stones, and flower beds; trimming along walls, beds,
around posts, fences, and anywhere else a lawnmower won't reach. Intricate
lawn area's can really slow down the job.
Mulch the Clippings
Clippings add organic nutrients back into the soil. The quality of
this free source of nutrients is difficult to surpass.
(See our
Equipment Tips
webpage for mower recommendations and tips on mulching techniques). When mulched
properly, clippings are not visible and do not contribute to
thatch buildup. In addition, mulching will help conserve landfill space.
Water
There are three warm, dry months in Seattle; July, August, and
September. The need for water will vary depending on amount of
exposure to sun, type of grass, soil, and thatch. The cost to
water one inch per week for 12 weeks is on average a small part
of a total landscape budget. Failing to water will generally
encourage less desirable turfgrasses, or weeds, to take over.
Weed control
Cost and effectiveness must be balanced with the potential for
environmental damage. Monitoring is the best policy , using
the safest spot control herbicides for unacceptable levels
of weeds.
Fertilizer
Most lawns will benefit from 2 applications per year. Slow release
fertilizer with high iron and low salt index applied May and
November are recommended. Grass clippings left on the lawn give
an added benefit equal to 1 application of fertilizer.
Overfertilizing or fertilizing in early spring will result in additional
mowing and may cause other plant health problems.
Moss Control
The fertilizer program above can keep most moss problems in check .
Iron applied to mossy areas in March can supplement the
control. If a lawn area is more moss than grass, the moss should
be raked out and overseeded. We have had some success in seeding
directly over freshly killed moss and then topdressing with compost.
(see renovation, below).
Lime
Soils in Seattle are generally very acidic; chemical fertilizers
also add to soil acidity. Lime reduces soil acidity. This helps
turfgrass by providing a better environment for beneficial micro-
organisms and earthworms, which aerate the soil and break down thatch.
A lime application is recommended once a year.
Caution: Lime drifting onto rhody's, azalea's, and other acid-loving
plants may damage them.
Aeration
Aeration can benefit certain lawns which are compacted or have
a water-resistant thatch layer. If the soil beneath the lawn is
getting wet after a good rain, the lawn probably doesn't need it.
The cores should be left in place to avoid removing topsoil.
To be effective, ten percent of the surface area should be removed.
This will require several passes of the aerator.
Renovation
Lawns that have deteriorated through poor maintenance or disease
problems may require any combination of dethatching, aerating,
top-dressing, and overseeding to restore them. In Seattle the best times
for this are late March to early May and early October. Top quality
grass seed of the proper type must be used. Due to the cost
of renovation proceedures, try to target specific problem area's.
Disease
Most lawn diseases are caused by fungal organisms. Often they are
hard to specifically identify, and few products are available to
control them after symptoms appear. Usually proper maintenance
and moderate fertilizer programs are sufficient control.
Insects
There are not many lawn problems caused by insects in Seattle. Cranefly
causes damage but does not warrant pre-emptive measures unless identified.
Neem oil is a low-toxicity pesticide that can be used to control cranefly
problems - apply March thru early May if more than 25 larvae
(leatherjackets) are detected per square foot.
Otherwise, insect control will be counterproductive as beneficial earthworms
pollinators, predatory insects, and micro-organisms will also be
wiped out. Pesticides have a greater potential than herbicides to harm
human and animal life if used improperly.
Gophers
Gophers are a temporary nuisance as they generally move on to greener pastures.
The mounds actually make a good source of topdressing when raked into the lawn,
but watch out for rocks when mowing. Overseed if nescessary.
copyr Landscape Specialists 2002-2004