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Show Cope with lavn problems in the Community By Melvin S. Burningham, Utah State University Extension Area Horticulturist Probably nothing enhances the appearance of our communities more than thrifty, well-kept lawns. We 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 f torn drought. You can go down the streets and see about a third of the lawns that have drought problems caused by insufficient or improper irrigation. Utah State University Soils Laboratory will indicate any deficiencies in phosphate. Most Utah soils already have plenty of potash. So look for fertilizers with the biggest number at the front. You see some lawns turn yellow from putting too much nitrogen on, especially during hot weather. If you1 put fertilizer on during hot weather, apply it . very lightly and immediately water it well. However, it's 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 encouragement, add more fertilizer in mid-October. 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 hasn't had a chance to toughen. We suggest that if you plan to let your grass be two inches high, mow just an inch off when it's , three inches high. That may mean more frequent mowing than you anticipated, but you can let the short clippings clip-pings filter down through the grass and won't 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 en-vironmental conditions encourage en-courage them and discourage the desired grass. Sometimes they are unintentionally planted by planting seed that has the undesirable un-desirable plants in it. Weeds come in many shapes. That's understandable since a weed is any plant growing where you don't want it, whether it's a broad-leafed annual, such as the Insects and animals cause their share of lawn problems in the area. Bill bugs and white grubs are the main insect offenders. of-fenders. Application of Chlor-dane Chlor-dane 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 ob-jectionable to some people. Any of a number of formulations can be used to control them. In some areas of the community com-munity gophers burrowing underground, un-derground, making raised tunnels and dirt mounds, constitute con-stitute a vexing problem. This seems to be more of a problem in parks and other public grounds than in home lawns. Poison bait or traps set in their burrows will usually remove them. Soon after fertilizing you will probably need to water your lawn about every four or five days, and then as the grass becomes seni-dormant 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 ydu can lower the cutter bar on your mowing machine down to one-half to three-fourths 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 won't have to mow so often . if they really scalp the lawn each . time they mow. They lower the cutter bar to about a half-inch. 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 common dandelion, or a broad-leafed broad-leafed 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 these 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 fertilizer bag. Phosphate is the second and potash the third. A soil sample sent to the Domestic animal pets also present a lawn problem not uncommon to the community. Dogs are the main culprits, leaving feces to be removed and urine spots that make discolorations on the lawn. You can cope with the problem either by keeping them off the lawn or hose the spots to dilute the concentration of salts, etc., that may cause the discoloration. People are the source of many la;wn problems in the community. com-munity. These are caused by improper management, abuse by heavy foot traffic, or wrong treatments that do more damage than good. An example of the latter is power , raking. It has been highly promoted in some areas. It can do more harm than good if it isn't needed. Usually, there is no need to power rake at all unless there is lots of heavy thatch that prevents the water from penetration. In that case, the best time would be in the fall ."' or early spring. Lawn problems that stem from people's ignorance or neglect require education to correct, Part of the problem on public grounds stems from frequent turnover and lack of training of caretakers. A neglect problem on private grounds is found frequently on vacant lots and rental property where there is no committment to take care of the grounds. Many lovely lawns in communities com-munities throughout the state are proof that lawn problems can be licked with proper management. For further information on this important topic, contact your local Utah State University County Extension office. |
