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Show FARM, RANCH From USU expert & GARDEN Edition-Ap- ril, 19743 Tips for your lawn problems by Melvin S. Burningham Utah State University Extension Area Horticulturist Probably nothing enhances the appearance of our communities more than lawns. We thrifty, have a lot of them, but we also have some lawn problems. In hot summer weather we most often see a problem of a burned appearance in lawns resulting from drought. You can go down the streets and see about a third of the lawns that have drought problems caused well-ke- pt or improper irrigation. Soon after fertilizing you will probably need to water your lawn about every four or five days, and then as the by insufficient grass becomes semi-dorma- nt in the summer, once a week may be plenty often. This will vary with types of soil. Gravely or sandy soil will require more frequent irrigation than clay soil. Some lawns just look unthrifty. Often this is a result of mowing too close The only time we suggest mowing close is the first cutting in the spring. At that time you can lower the cutter bar on your mowing to machine down to s of an inch to cut off all the old dead stuff. Catch it and remove it. Then the new grass will come up green and nice. But after that first cutting, if you want a really healthy looking lawn, raise the cutter bar to about two inches. Leave it that way the rest of the summer and mow frequently. Some people have the idea that they wont have to mow so often if they really one-ha- lf three-fourth- HOURS: 8 a.m. to 7 scalp the lawn each time they mow. They lower the cutter bar to about a halfinch. That reduces the vitality of the grass and encourages the weeds to grow. In hot weather, avoid throwing your grass into shock by letting it get up so high that you cut too much off all at once. When you cut down below the portion of the grass that has been exposed to the sun, you cut into new tender material. Then the sun bleaches and burns the part that hasnt had a chance to toughen. We p.m. Mon. thru Sat. suggest that if you plan to let your grass be two inches high, mow just an inch off when its three inches high. That may mean more frequent mowing than you anticipated, but you can let the short clippings filter down through the grass and wont have to catch or rake them. In fact, leaving short clippings on the lawn helps put a mulch on the soil surface to keep the lawn cool. Weeds present another very common lawn problem in the community. They thrive best when improper mowing, poor fertilization and other environmental conditions encourage them and discourage the desired grass. Sometimes they are unintentionally planted by planting seed that has the undesirable plants in it. Weeds come in many Thats shapes. un- derstandable since a weed is any plant growing where you dont want it, whether d annual, its a such as the common dand delion, or a course bunch grass such as Tall Feasce. Some lawn weeds may require special attention such as grubbing out or spraying with the proper weed killer. But most of the weed problems will diminish by following broad-leafe- ID broad-leafe- Val Jensen, owner Jensen Equipment crew pictured left to right: Jack Pruitt, shop foreman; 'Peggy' Foofe, secretary; Austin Lund, mechanic; Jane Wilson, parts mgr. and Daniel Gleason, general manager. these of... APA AuO PcarAs Jobbac The home Jensen Eqc5Dflmerafl (Somprainiy, One three important management steps for lawn care: (1) fertilize heavily to promote a good thick turf; (2) water thoroughly and not too often; and (3) clip high and often. In fertilizing, remember that lawn grasses require a high nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen is the first big number you notice on the jm SHIRTS BLOUSES HORSEMAN ACCESSORIES . . . HARD TO FIND ITEMS! Complete Saddles & Tack JEHSGN The HOBBY EOUDDipmECJir North of Huntington PANTS You'll Have To See Our REPAIR i caretakers. Ladies BOOTS & HORSE 95 687-247- 5 North Main St. Phone 687-998- Huntington 2 r. Insects and animals cause their share of lawn problems in the area. Bill bugs and white grubs are the main insect offenders. Application of Chlordane or Diazginon, as directed on the insecticide label, will control them. Night crawlers help aerate lawn soil but the bumps they make on the lawn when it begins to dry are particularly objectionable to some people. Any of a number of formulations can be used to control them. Lawn problems that stem from peoples ignorance or neglect require education to correct. Part of the problem on public grounds stems from frequent turnover and of of lack training SPORTSWEAR o Men's fer- mid-Octobe- JACKETS SERVICE ( look for Western... in SALES ra. So tilizers with the biggest number at the front. You see some lawns turn yellow from putting too much on, nitrogen especially during hot weather. If you put fertilizer on during hot weather, apply it very lightly and immediately water it well. However, its better to time the fertilizer for cooler periods. Some holiday guidelines for applications are about April Fools Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. If your blue grass is thin and needs extra encouagement, add more fertilizer in New Stock Implement srjiPANYf potash. WESTERN WEAR EDEEEIE Tractor and HU III) fertilizer bag. Phosphate is the second and potash the third. A soil sample sent to the Utah State University Soils Laboratory will indicate any deficiencies in phosphate. Most Utah soils already have plenty of |