Do-It-Yourself Alternative Lawn Care (A3964) I-10-2011 4
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A3964 Do-it-yourself alternative lawn care Doug Soldat any people are becoming interest- ed in growing lawns by methods Prepare the Mthat are unconventional in that soil properly they do not rely on synthetic fertilizers or 1 Without a healthy soil, an pesticides. The Environmental Protection attractive lawn maintained through Agency (EPA) deems conventional lawn alternative means is simply impos- care to be safe, posing only low-level risk sible. The majority of the lawn’s Scientifically rigorous to humans and the environment, but biomass lives underground where it some people feel that conventional lawn obtains mineral nutrition and water. care is unacceptable no matter how low Grass roots are very fine, and rela- turfgrass research at the the risk. tively shallow by nature (about 90% A wealth of helpful information about al- in the top six inches). This means a University of Wisconsin- ternative lawn care methods is available hard, compacted soil will lead to poor on the internet and from other sources. root growth and therefore to poor Madison has identified Unfortunately, most of this information top growth. Weeds, which are better has little scientific basis. Yet scientifically adapted for poor soils, will quickly sound information is available. Over the dominate the lawn if conventional six key requirements for past several decades, scientifically rigor- herbicides are not used. Several her- ous turfgrass research at the University bicides that the EPA has classified as maintaining a successful of Wisconsin-Madison has identified six reduced-risk are available to profes- key requirements for maintaining a suc- sional applicators to help correct an cessful alternative lawn. existing weed problem. alternative lawn. Adding one-half to one inch of compost once in the spring and again in the fall for several years is a good way to improve the quality of the soil over the long term. Unfortunately, applying compost is labor intensive. The compost must be shoveled on to the lawn and raked out with a leaf rake. If completely renovating an area, make sure to bring in at least six to eight inches of good quality topsoil. Less topsoil will create a ‘layering’ effect in the soil, which will encourage shallow rooting. DO-IT-YOURSELF LAWN CARE Select the Mow as high Control pests Controlling weeds is the right grass as possible primary challenge for anyone 2 Putting the right plant in the 3 Proper mowing is the most 5 managing a lawn by organic right place is the strategy of a success- important tactic in maintaining an or reduced-risk methods. If the lawn ful gardener. Likewise, choosing the attractive alternative lawn. Mow the area is small enough, one may manu- right grass for the right soil and envi- grass as high as possible (three to four ally pull weeds throughout the season ronment is the formula for creating a inches) to maximize root depth and with a mechanical weed-pulling successful alternative lawn. shade out competing weeds. Keep the device. Break the task up into manage- mower blade sharp. Dull blades injure The best low-maintenance grass able chunks, rather than tackling it all turf, and thus encourage weeds and species for lawns in Wisconsin include at once. For example, dedicate 20 to other pests to invade. tall fescue, fine fescues (Chewings 30 minutes to pulling weeds before fescue, hard fescue, or red fescue), The lawn should be mowed fre- each mowing. and common—not improved—variet- quently: never remove more than For larger areas, other tactics may ies of Kentucky bluegrass. (Improved one-third of the leaf blade at one time. be required. Some of the better varieties have been selected for dwarf When a large portion of the leaf blade alternative products for controlling growth type and dark green color, but is removed, the grass is weakened and dandelions, for instance, are solu- have high nutrient requirements and this allows pests to encroach. tions containing chelated iron. These therefore are not desirable for an alter- products kill dandelions and certain native lawn.) Tall fescue is a very good Provide sufficient other broadleaf weeds by iron toxicity: low-maintenance grass but will die the leaves of the weeds turn brown or in low-lying areas that have ice cover nutrients 4 Keep the lawn dense by black and die. But repeated applica- over the winter. Fine fescues are suited tions may be required since weeds for full sun or partial shade, but persist applying sufficient fertilizer. This is will often regenerate from a taproot or poorly in wet or compacted soils. critical to keeping the grass vigorous and able to compete against weeds. stolon. Other alternative weed killers Because controlling weeds is difficult Well fertilized lawns are known to contain acetic acid or plant oils, but when using alternative methods to have fewer insect and disease prob- these are more likely to harm the grass establish a lawn from seed, sodding is lems than unfertilized lawns. while attacking the weeds. recommended. Sod provides instant, Corn gluten meal is an alternative weed-free ground cover and will Organic fertilizers should be applied at product with proven success as an make controlling weeds a much less least twice a season, around Memorial herbicide that will kill many weeds, daunting task. Some sod growers may Day and around Labor Day—and including crabgrass, before they be able to provide a low-maintenance also possibly around the Fourth of emerge. It should be applied at 12 to sod grown by alternative practices. July if the lawn’s color or density are not what they should be at that time. 20 pounds per thousand square feet Examples of nonsynthetic and organic when soil temperatures reach 55°F, fertilizers usually in early May. For best results, made in another application should be made Wisconsin three to four weeks later. Keep in mind include that the benefits of corn gluten meal Milorganite, are additive, and build up over time. Chick Magic, Better results will be obtained in year and Chickity two of application than in year one, Doo Doo. and better results in year three than in year two. An added benefit of corn gluten meal is the significant amount of nitrogen it provides to the lawn. This reduces the need for fertilizer. 2 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN–EXTENSION Insect and disease outbreaks are Keep in mind that when using alterna- relatively rare compared to weed tive methods of lawn care it will be dif- outbreaks.The University of Wisconsin ficult, even with considerable time and Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab money, to achieve results similar to what (www.tdl.wisc.edu) can provide assis- can be achieved by conventional lawn tance in controlling them. They diag- care practices. Many alternative lawns nose insect and disease problems and, are limited because the soil quality is when a problem is identified, suggest poor due to home construction prac- alternative methods to solve it. tices, which often cause compaction and heavy disturbance of the original soil. Irrigate Others are limited by too much shade, or the wrong grass variety choice. But by sufficiently understanding the six key requirements 6 Proper irrigation is arguably for successfully maintaining an alterna- not as critical for alternative lawn tive lawn, you’ll be able to make the management as the five practices adjustments necessary to attain the best mentioned above, yet proper irriga- possible results. tion does play an important role in For more information, please see Organic keeping grass competitive with weeds and Reduced-Risk Lawn Care (A3954), a by keeping grass dense. Keeping grass University of Wisconsin Extension pub- dense is the main strategy for keeping lication available through The Learning weeds at bay. When a lawn is not Store (http://learningstore.uwex.edu). sufficiently irrigated it turns brown, goes dormant, and stops growing. But weeds, often more adaptable to dry conditions, keep growing. In short, allowing the lawn to go dormant will invite an invasion of weeds. The best time to irrigate is during the night or early morning when evapora- tion potential is low and demand on the public water supply is at its lowest. Turfgrass generally needs approxi- mately one inch of water per week in summer for healthy growth. If supple- mental irrigation is applied, it should not be applied daily but just once or twice per week for longer periods of time. This irrigation strategy will promote deep turf rooting, which in turn will result in healthier plants. See University of Wisconsin Extension pub- lication Watering Your Lawn (A3950) for more information. 3 DO-IT-YOURSELF LAWN CARE Cooperative Extension © 2011 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System doing business as the division of Cooperative Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. All rights reserved. Send copyright inquiries to Cooperative Extension Publishing, 432 N. Lake St., Rm. 227, Madison, WI 53706, [email protected]. Author: Doug Soldat, assistant professor and extension specialist, Dept. of Soil Science, UW-Madison. Cooperative Extension publications are subject to peer review. University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin counties, publishes this information to further the purpose of the May 8 and June 30, 1914, Acts of Congress. An EEO/AA employer, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements. If you need this information in an alternative format, contact Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs, University of Wisconsin-Extension, 432 N. Lake St., Rm. 501, Madison, WI 53706, [email protected], phone: (608) 262-0277, fax: (608) 262-8404, TTY: 711 Wisconsin Relay. This publication is available from your county UW-Extension office (www.uwex.edu/ces/cty) or from Cooperative Extension Publishing.