LAWN MAINTENANCE

FERTILIZING

The ideal lawn fertilizer has a 3-1-2 ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium, and is organic. We recommend Whitney Farms and Dr. Earth Lawn Foods. The single best time to feed the lawn is in fall, up until late October/earliest November. This late season feeding strengthens the lawn through our cool, wet winters, to prepare for sturdy growth in the spring. Other optimal times to fertilize would be in mid spring, after growth starts, and again in the late spring only if you keep the lawn watered during summer and don’t allow it to go dormant.

MOWING (and grass-cycling)

1 – 2 inches is an optimal, ideal height to mow the turfgrasses that thrive in our area. Any shorter than this removes too much green, photosynthesizing surface; the roots stop growing and the lawn starves. Higher mowing height helps shade the soil to use less water and suppress weeds. Leave the clippings on to quickly break down and add necessary nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. The new mulching mowers shred clippings very finely and blow them down to ground level so no clippings are left on the lawn surface! Remove only about 1/3 of the blade length at a time.

WATERING

Water deeply and slowly, but less often. Lawns need about 1": of water per week to remain green and growing through our dry summers. Daily watering leads to a very shallow root system with much of the water evaporating rather than soaking into the ground. You can easily get away with watering once a week (or less if soil preparation is done well and compost is added as a soil amendment). Apply water to thoroughly soak the root zone, just to the point of running off, then let the soil drain. Watering is best done in the morning so grass blades can dry off quickly to keep diseases minimal or non-existent.

LIMING

Dolomite Lime is used to make our western Washington soil slightly less acidic. Fertilizers are more effective at the slightly higher pH. Fall is the single best time to apply lime; it washes in with fall and winter rains. If the lime is “prilled” (this will be indicated on the bag or box) it may be applied at the same time as fertilizer. Lime needs to applied only once per year, or once every two years.

MOSS

Moss creeps into lawns for any of several reasons: too much shade, damp or poorly drained soil, compacted soil, poor soil fertility, and/or very acidic soil. Some or all of these conditions must be addressed or moss is guaranteed to return. Moss killers are just a temporary fix and can’t be relied upon without correcting the above growing conditions.

• Too shady?: limb-up or thin surrounding trees.
• Too damp?: raise the soil level or install a drainage system or substitute moisture –loving plants for the lawn.
• Compacted soil?: rent an aerator to remove plugs of soil, then spread a thin layer of compost (not sand!) and rake it to filter into the holes.
• Poor soil fertility?: add compost, the very best amendment for any soil, and cultivate or till into the area. Also use natural, organic fertilizers that benefit soil health.
• Too acidic?: spread dolomite lime once a year, preferably in the fall. OR tolerate the moss because it’s nice and green year ‘round, or grow a shade-loving groundcover where lawn struggles to survive.

THATCHING

Thatch is a layer of grass stems and roots that accumulates between the green blades and the soil surface. It feels springy underfoot and can reduce water infiltration into the root zone. It can be removed manually with a thatching rake or with a rented, gas-powered unit. This is best done in mid to late spring or early to mid September, avoiding the hottest summer months. Organic fertilizers help discourage thatch buildup. Grass clippings left on the lawn after mowing do not contribute to thatch.

AERATING

This is a process of removing finger-sized cores or plugs of soil and turf to help correct compacted soil conditions. As with thatching, aerating is most easily done with a rented, gas-powered aerator. Leave the plugs on the soil surface and rake or mow to break them up. Spread a thin layer of compost over the entire lawn and rake in to filter down into the holes.

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