WELLLINGTON COUNTY – The leaves are barely on the trees; it’s too early to be planting veggies yet.
But if you haven’t already cut your lawn, you’re probably thinking about it.
And that makes it a good time to talk about the best way to care for your lawn according to the latest research as well as debunk a few myths.
To get the straight goods, we talked to Katerina Jordan, the director of the Turfgrass Institute at the University of Guelph.
No Mow May?
And her first topic of discussion was No Mow May – a recent trend to leave your lawns alone during the month of May to let pollinators feed off the clover, dandelions and other wildflowers that might be growing in your grass.
Once flowers start to bloom in the garden, bees will have other, plentiful food sources. But in May, food can still be scarce.
“But what we find is that most lawns don’t have those flowers,” Jordan said. “So our general stance is, don’t take a 20-year-old lawn and just stop mowing it.”
Grass left long will fall over and thin what’s already there. The plant becomes weak, weeds can get a foothold and if there are not the plants the bees are seeking, it’s all for nothing.
If you truly want to help the pollinators, do it purposefully, Jordan said.
“If you want pollinators in the lawn, plant some seeds. Purposely put plants in there that can co-exist with grass and can handle mowing.
“Or create a wildflower garden and leave the lawn as grass.”
Jordan said there are four categories to consider when it comes to lawn care – mowing, planting, irrigation and fertilizing. If you can stay on top of that, you can have a pretty good lawn that’s suitable for dogs, kids, tossing a ball and other recreational activity.
Mowing
Grass should be three to 3.5 inches tall. That allows the roots to keep cool, prevents scalping and reduces the need to mow as often.
And when you do mow, you don’t want to cut more than a third of what’s there.
So for three-inch tall grass, cut when it’s four inches tall or so.
“That really ensures you’re not stressing the grass too much,” Jordan said. “Too many people cut their lawn too short.”
Jordan said you have to keep an eye on the grass and decide when it needs to be cut based on the condition of the plant and not merely because it’s Saturday morning.
“As we get rain, as the temperature gets warmer, grass grows. You need to be flexible when you mow.”
Jordan also advises sharpening the lawnmower blade at the beginning of the season to ensure a sharp cut, which is also better for the plant.
Planting
Grass seed mixes are the way to go for planting lawns in southern Ontario. They usually include Kentucky blue grass, perennial rye and fine fescues.
Kentucky blue grass is a vigorous grower, Jordan said, that spreads laterally, fills in spaces, can handle wear and tear, and goes dormant when it’s dry.
“It does require sunlight and can take three weeks to germinate. Which is where the perennial rye grass comes in,” she said.
Perennial rye germinates within a week, which keeps the weeds down while the Kentucky blue grass gets established. It doesn’t overwinter very well, which is its major drawback.
Fescue grass is a good germinator and can handle wet or dry conditions. And it does well in shade.
But it can’t handle wear and tear like the Kentucky blue grass can.
So the seed mixes are the way to go around here. Jordan said shade mixes are also a good bet for shady areas.
Use grass seed mix to overseed the lawn when it’s looking sparse, and to fill in the empty spots when you weed. Otherwise weeds will find their way back.
Clear the area, put down some soil and scatter with seeds. Then water lightly.
Overseeding can be done at any time over the summer. But if it’s a larger area to overseed, Jordan advised doing that in late summer or early fall, when temperatures are generally cooler.
Irrigation
It’s not necessary to water your lawn if you’ve got Kentucky blue grass. It will go dormant in dry weather and come back when there’s rain.
“But that’s not pleasant to play on,” Jordan said. “If your lawn is for recreation then irrigation could be a good idea.”
Watering the lawn to prevent dormancy is “acceptable” she said.
“The lawn is a living organism – an entire ecosystem. If you see footprinting (where footprints are visible in the grass after walking) that usually means it needs more water.
“But irrigation is not why you don’t have a good lawn,” she said.
It’s likely hungry, not thirsty.
Fertility
And that brings us to fertilizer.
Like any plant, grass needs to be fed and leaving grass clipping on the lawn is a good start.
Clippings break down quickly and provide nitrogen for the roots.
But lawns also benefit from one or two applications of fertilizer each year.
She recommends high quality slow-release fertilizers that release nitrogen slowly throughout the season.
“Don’t get cheap fertilizer,” she advised. “They are often quick release, which greens up fast but there’s nothing there for the rest of the season.”
Fertilizing should be done when the ground is warm and microbial activity has begun in the soil.
That usually happens after the first flush of growth, which varies from year to year.
“We haven’t had that yet this year,” she said.
Aerating the lawn – punching holes in the ground – allows oxygen to get to the roots and reduces compaction.
There is special equipment for the purpose, but using a pitchfork-style rake, poking that in the ground, and moving it back and forth will loosen the soil so roots can grow could be enough for small areas.
Dethatching is also beneficial as it allows water and nutrients to get to the roots.
So take a rake and scrape off the dead stuff.
For newly sodded lawns, core aeration for the first few years will ensure the new grass and soil attaches to the old and doesn’t form a barrier.
“The beauty of real grass is that it’s soft underfoot,” she said. “So mow as needed, fertilize twice a year and make sure the soil is not compacted.
“Grass is an amazing plant. We can treat it so terribly, but it still comes back.”
