TLC: Tender Lawn Care | Ottawa Start

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7 • POSTED ON April 21, 2005
TLC: Tender Lawn Care
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So, your "emerald carpet" has seen better days and you would like to muscle it into better shape. What to do and where to start? Rene Trim tells gives you some pointers in this week's gardening column.

Our gardening column is published every Tuesday on OttawaStart.

Last week, we took a look at what the Federal Government does to promote environmentally sound lawn care practices. In this week’s column, we will take a closer look at some of the items Health Canada lists on its website on this topic.

Clearly, a healthy, well-maintained lawn is less likely to suffer from pests or disease and consequently, the need for herbicides and pesticides will be reduced if your lawn is in good shape. So far; so good. Now, for the sake of argument, let’s assume your emerald carpet has seen better days and you would like to muscle it into better shape. What to do and where to start?

As always, start with the soil. If your lawn has been used as a play area for the kids, or even if you utilize it to walk on (with or without the lawn mower), chances are that the soil will be compacted – especially if it has not been aerated in a couple of years. Compacted soil makes it difficult for water and oxygen to reach the roots of the grass, making it harder for them to produce a thick, healthy mat. The best way to open up your soil is to aerate it – preferably around this time of year. The fastest way is to rent a gas-powered aerator (Rona, Home Depot) or to hire someone to do it (most companies will charge anywhere from $30 to $50 depending on the size of the property).

However, as the Federal Government would like us to reduce the use of gas-powered equipment (ie., the recently promoted “One-Tonne Challenge”), here is an environmentally friendly (and healthy) alternative: a garden fork. Pretend your lawn is a giant potato (I realize I am asking a lot) that is about to go into the microwave. Naturally, you know you have to stick a fork into the potato to prevent it from exploding in the microwave. Well, that is – more or less - what you have to do with the lawn. Stick your fork in the ground and rock it back and forth to open up the soil. Keep doing this every 6 inches or so and you will have accomplished the same result while saving yourself $40!

Assuming your lawn has been aerated, now it is time for the next step - the removal of thatch build-up (commonly referred to as “de-thatching”). Thatch is the tightly intermingled layer of dead stems, leaves and roots which accumulates between actively growing grass and the soil below. Although in itself thatch is a perfectly natural component of an actively growing lawn, it becomes a problem when the layer becomes too thick (more than 1 inch). Thick thatch will restrict the movement of air, water and fertilizer to the roots - not a good thing. Earthworm and micro-organism activity play an important role in preventing thatch build-up, but despite their efforts things sometimes – often on acidic, compacted areas – get out of hand.

Unbalanced fertilization and indiscriminate use of fungicides and pesticides are detrimental to these soil organisms and we often kill off our greatest allies by spraying without really knowing what we are doing. If thatch has accumulated to an excessive thickness, it is time to get the rake out!

As mentioned above, an excessive layer of thatch often occurs on acidic soil. If your soil is too acidic, sprinkle some horticultural lime – available at garden centers - to restore pH levels. A soil test can help you out to determine whether or not your soil is too acidic, but chances are that it will be. Most of you will have heard the term pH before; it stands for the negative logarithm of the hydrogen-ion activity of a soil.

In plain English, it is the unit of measure of soil acidity or alkalinity (soil with a pH of less than 7 is considered acid, any soil with a pH of 7 or more is considered alkaline). By the way, horticultural lime also works very well if you have dog urine spots (female dogs do the worst damage!) on your lawn.

Once day and night time temperatures are consistently above 8 degrees, your lawn will start to grow and it will be time to get the lawn mower out. When you cut your grass, make sure not to “scalp” it. Keeping your grass 3” (8 cm.) high not only ensures better root growth, but will also allow it to better compete with weeds.

As for grass clippings (“to remove or not to remove, that is the question”); in my opinion the pros of leaving them outweigh the cons. The clippings will serve to feed earthworms and other “garden-helpers”, whereas their presence will attract birds (more helpers) who will assist you in attacking pests. Grass clippings contain a lot of Nitrogen – very important for promoting healthy foliage – and are therefore a free fertilizer. With that said - as always - too much of a good thing can be harmful. A thick layer of clippings can choke your lawn so make sure not to overdo it. In May and June – when grass grows vigorously – you may want to remove clippings every second time you mow, just to ensure your “helpers” can keep up with you.

Two other key factors to a healthy lawn (and garden) are fertilizing and watering. If you expect your lawn to look thick, healthy and lush while cutting it back once a week, you will have to ensure you give it back what you take from it; that’s the way Mother Nature works. If you feel you should water your lawn, do so before dawn or after dusk.

I still see WAY too many people who run their sprinklers during the hottest hours of the day and that really does not do anybody or anything any good. Roughly 70% of that water evaporates before it reaches the roots and actually benefits the plants. Apart from wasting a precious commodity, you are also wasting a lot of money (I tossed this in for those of you who do not really care all that much about precious commodities, but DO get slightly nervous when their wallets are at stake).

To conclude this two-part series on lawn care, I would like to share some of my personal thoughts with you. I feel that - in terms of yield - a lawn is probably one of the most useless parts of a garden. True, it makes for a nice foreground for our plants, it is nice for our kids to play on and there IS something about lying on a lawn looking at clouds…but do a few weeds in your lawn really take away anything from these sentiments?

A “perfect” lawn requires a lot of care – including the use of pesticides and herbicides – and it is up to you to determine if the efforts are worth the reward. What I am trying to say is: don’t fret if your garden happens to be a very shaded one or if the previous owners of your house happened to have neglected the “emerald carpet”. There are some very nice alternatives to a lawn that require a lot less care and put less strain on the environment.

Until next week, happy gardening!

René Trim

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About René
René Trim was educated and trained in The Netherlands, before moving to Canada in 2000. After studying the differences in climate and season faced by Ontario gardeners he established Trim Garden Design and Rescue in May 2002. A gardener since the 1980’s, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience, a vast library of reference materials from which to draw answers to various garden situations as well as an enthusiastic and professional staff.