2010 August | Grass Stitcher

Lawn Care Rule Number One – Start With Quality Products

This may sound too simplistic but the best way to get a great lawn is by starting out using good quality products. When first sowing your lawn seed, don’t buy the cheapest brand of grass seed on offer. Look carefully at each of the products and find one that is well suited to your region. There are many suppliers that package an ‘all purpose’ grass then sell it nationally. Because they can mass produce it, they can sell it at much lower prices. The reality is, there is no ‘all purpose’ grass that will suit the entire nation – each region has its own conditions and grasses need to be selected for those regions.

Grass seed is just the start. When fertilizing, again, you need a good quality fertilizer that is right for your grass type. General purpose fertilizers often have the wrong proportion of nutrients for some grasses and are generally not suitable for year round use. Fall fertilizers generally should have less nitrogen, for example, than spring fertilizers. Again, different grasses have different needs at different times of the year.

If you start by using the right grass type for your region and use the right fertilizer for your grass type then you should be able to develop a thick healthy green lawn. That doesn’t mean you won’t get problems in your lawn – you will, however, those problems will be fewer, less severe and more easily repaired because you have started from a good base. A good quality lawn repair tool, watering system and lawn mower round out the basic requirements for any lawn.

If you think quality means greater cost, think again. While a bag of quality grass seed may cost a dollar or two more now, the fact that you don’t have to buy more grass seed every six months is actually a saving – not a cost. Likewise, a quality lawn repair tool and quality lawn mower will, over time, cost far less than if you purchase lower quality tools.

When it comes to gardening, especially lawn care, using good quality products means that over time you will have less to do in the way of maintenance and repairs and your finished lawns and gardens will look a million dollars – and be the envy of neighboring gardeners.

Grass Stitcher
USA bryan@imaginegrafix.com

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The Ideal Tool For Small Lawn Repair Jobs

If you have a small lawn, or if you only ever have small patches in your lawn that require repairing, then the Single Grass Stitcher is the ideal too. It’s easy to use, lightweight, and can be easily stored away. You can also purchase a second head to convert it to a double-headed tool whenever the need arises.

Lawns suffer damage in a number of ways. It could be pets or native animals; kids playing; or insects and fungi, just to name a few. If you have a lawn, chances are there are bare or thin patches that could use repairing. One of the most common problems in lawns is that caused by regular traffic. Many grasses handle traffic well but at different times of the year, even those grasses struggle to recover from constant use. These are situations where a lawn repair tool can help repair the problem quickly.

One of the benefits of the Grass Stitcher is that it helps you to repair the lawn while leaving the old lawn in place. You don’t need to dig it all up, hoe the surface, then sow new seed. Just run the Grass Stitcher over the damaged area with sufficient force to penetrate through to the soil below. Sow your seed and water well and before you know it your lawn is back to its luscious best.

Leaving the old lawn in place actually helps to promote a good germination rate in your grass seed, and helps that newly emerging grass to sink roots and to grow into strong grass plants. Over time, that old lawn will decompose back into the soil, thus returning the nutrients back. If you don’t have a lawn repair tool, and you do have problem areas that need attention, consider the Grass Stitcher – it’s the only lawn repair tool you’ll ever need.

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Ornamental Grasses For Winter Appeal

Ornamental grasses look great in any garden, particularly when used in and around lawns. In lawns, they provide an eye catching vertical where the surrounding area is very horizontal. The varieties of colors and texture also help to add interest to your lawn. More importantly, especially when it comes to natives, they are very low maintenance.

Some of the winter ornamental grasses that you could consider in your garden or lawn this winter include:

Sweet Flag – although not a true grass, this native has grass-like foliage that can be quite fragrant. You can find varieties that grow in height from a couple of inches to six feet.

Big Bluestem – also known as ‘Turkey Foot’, this is another native and the official prairie grass of Illinois. If you like height, this one will grow to 8 feet and more.

Feather Reed Grass – one of the most ornamental of the ‘ornamental’ group of grasses. This was the first grass to win a plant-of-the-year award. Can be frost tender but looks brilliant in clumps throughout a large lawn.

Blue Oat Grass – as the name suggests, this is a dark green to blue grass that is drought tolerant and grows well as either a clump or a tall edging grass. Grows to around three feet and is perfect for hiding fences.

Silver Feather Maiden Grass – this is one of the ‘prettiest’ grasses available and while it may look delicate it can also be quite hardy. These are best placed where they can be viewed in the early morning sunlight – the combination of early morning dew and the sun really does highlight the ‘silver’ effect. Grows best when clumped.

Ornamental grasses are multi-functional. They look great and add interest to a garden and at the same time, because of their height, can be used to screen off areas of your garden. They are certainly easier to maintain than a fence, for example.

Come the end of winter, they can be cut back hard to ground level. In most cases, you can also mow straight over the top of them once you have reduced their height. Ornamental grasses can be grown from seed or transplanted from tubes. For best effect, grow them from seed. If you intend using them as a feature in your lawn, leave the lawn in place and use a grass seeding tool to perforate the thatch and soil below. Sow your seed and water well.

Although the ornamental grass will compete with the lawn, it will soon take over as it grows in height and robs the grass of sunlight. Lawn grasses growing in and around ornamental grasses add to their effect rather than detracting – the end result is that, rather than a boring flat lawn, a lawn that has varying vertical as well as horizontal appeal.

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Fall Lawn Care Tip – Watch Those Fallen Leaves

Autumn is not called Fall for no reason and lawns can often suffer if gardeners don’t keep on top of the situation. Fall is when trees drop their leaves and in some gardens all you can see is fallen leaf litter and no lawn at all. The problem with fallen leaves is that they rob the grass of one important requirement at this time of year – sunlight.

It’s important to remove leaf litter as soon as possible and, whatever you do, don’t rake it into a pile and leave it for a couple of days. When you do finally remove it don’t be surprised to see horrible yellow partially decomposed lawn underneath it all. Leaf litter makes a great compost, which can be used to spread across the lawn in spring – but do compost it first, don’t leave it on the ground to compost. Leaf litter can also make a great mulch around plants so use it where it will do the most good – and that’s not on your lawn.

If you have left a pile of leaves for too long and the lawn beneath has turned yellow – you will need to replace that grass completely. In most cases, if it has gone completely yellow, including the crown, then the grass will be dead, or close to it. Use a lawn repair tool to break through the thatch to soil below, liberally sow your preferred grass seed, then water well. Be sure to keep all leaf litter away from that patch until the new grass is well established.

For those gardeners that have a heavy leaf fall, you will need to collect it on a daily basis. A light littering of leaves will not do too much harm, but if you can hardly see the grass below the litter, there is too much – remove it before it damages your lawn.

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Lawn Care: Has Summer Brought Out The Worst In Pet Damage

Summer, particularly late summer, is one of the worst times for your lawn if you have pets. Dogs are the worst offenders, as they rarely use the one spot for their toileting. The solids are easy to find and remove and they cause few problems. It’s the liquid waste that causes problems and a long dry summer often magnifies the damage.

Pet urine is full of nitrogen – the problem is, there is too much of it. Nitrogen can be good for lawns and, in the right amount, can help to darken the green color in grass. Too much, however, burns the grass and if not diluted by rain or regular watering it can kill the grass in that area. The obvious solution is to water your lawn well at least once a week – this will at least dilute the urine and help to reduce its impact.

If you have a large dog that drinks a lot of water, and they all do when the weather is hot, then what goes in must come out and large quantities going in means large quantities coming out. Even a weekly watering may not be enough. The problem is, any more watering and you run the risk of disease. The solution is to train your dog to use an area that won’t be damaged by their toileting.

For areas that have already been affected, flush well with water every second day for a week then leave it for three to four days. Use a lawn repair tool to perforate through to the soil then oversow with good quality seed. Water again and keep the area moist for 5-10 days. Once the new growth starts to appear, cut back on the watering. When the grass reaches 2-3 inches, give it a light cut – this will help with root growth and to thicken the lawn in that patch.

There is little you can do to prevent pet damage to lawns apart from removing the source of the problem – pet urine. How you do that is up to you. If you cannot remove the source of the problem then be sure to have a good lawn repair tool on hand – you’ll find you’re always using it.

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Avoid Leaf Spot In Your Lawn As The Weather Cools

Leaf spot is a common problem in many lawns as summer turns to fall. One of the primary causes is cooler overnight temperatures and water. Many gardeners lead busy lives and the only time they can really water their lawns is in the evening. However, as the nights become cooler, that wet grass can lead to a fungal disease commonly known as Leaf Spot. It’s can be identified by the black spots that appear on each blade of grass.

The cure is often fairly easy – stop watering in the evening and only water in the morning. Too busy? Not on your life. First, we seem to have this fascination with watering our lawns every day, or every second day. Your lawn needs a good soaking roughly once a week. I am sure you can find at least one morning each week to give your lawn a good soaking.

Generally speaking, Leaf Spot will self cure if you modify that watering regime. Occasionally, the problem will manifest and start to affect the crown of the plant. If this happens, that particular plant will eventually die back. You can apply a fungicide when you first notice the problem, but they are not always effective and may do more damage than the Leaf Spot fungus. If you notice that Leaf Spot fungus is beginning to effect the crown then your first step to controlling the problem is to stop all watering for 10-14 days at least.

Leaf Spot will not survive in warm dry conditions and will normally die off after ten days. The best approach is to stop watering for three weeks – this is beyond the 10-14 days, but if it is still warm and sunny with little rain around then it will ensure the fungus is totally eliminated.

Those areas that have had the crown affected will need overseeding. A grass seeding tool will penetrate below the thatch allowing the seed to germinate in the soil rather that in the thatch. Once you have sown your seed, water it in well and keep it moist until you see the new green shoot appearing.

If you are in an area where the days are still warm but the evenings beginning to cool noticeably, change your watering routine and only water in the mornings. Best practices in lawn watering suggests it should always be watered in the mornings and never in the late afternoons. You should never water after sundown – it’s an open invitation to lawn problems.

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August 2010

Archives

Lawn Care Rule Number One – Start With Quality Products

The Ideal Tool For Small Lawn Repair Jobs

Ornamental Grasses For Winter Appeal

Fall Lawn Care Tip – Watch Those Fallen Leaves

Lawn Care: Has Summer Brought Out The Worst In Pet Damage

Avoid Leaf Spot In Your Lawn As The Weather Cools

Grass Stitcher Testimonials and Reviews