Don’t care about lawn care?
Posted on August 27th, 2008 – 8:16 AMBy Connie Nelson
Fall is the best time to take care of your lawn. To fertilize. Aerate. Reseed. Top dress with compost. Whatever you need to do to your lawn, late summer into early fall is the time to do it.
I know this. So, why don’t I do it?
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve got the worst looking lawn in the neighborhood. Problem is, I don’t really care. I care about plants. And, for some reason, I can’t think of a lawn as being made up of lots of little grass plants. It’s just some kind of carpet to me. A carpet that takes water and work and rewards you by, what?, turning green? And I’m supposed to get excited about that?
I know there are plenty of folks who get a kick out of having The Perfect Lawn. (OK, they’re mostly guys, but I know a few gals who have the Competitive Lawn Care gene.) I’m not one of them. However, to keep my grass from dying altogether, I’ve got to do something.
So guess what I’m going to be doing this fall. Yup, that’s right: aerating, top dressing and putting down some corn gluten meal.
And I’ll be wearing a t-shirt that says: “I’d rather be weeding.”
Am I the only gardener who discriminates again grass plants? Is there hope for me? Or should I just dig up the last of the lawn and turn that into a garden, too?
14 Responses to "Don’t care about lawn care?"
I have a neighbor who uses “chem lawn” and I think they come by and spray like 6 times in the summer with some carcinogenic substance that can’t be walked on for a few days…his lawn looks dead right now. I’m sure there are no worms left either….annoying. I may have a few weeds, but my organic lawn looks lush compared to his.
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Where can someone find a calendar on when to fertilize, reseed, rake and all that for a new start in the spring. Do I pull all the quack grass before reseeding? I don’t need the perfect lawn but would like one better than I currently have.
I hate to deal with mine AND it’s in full sun all day long. I had best intentions to water it at least occasionally to keep it dormant instead of dead but I think I was a little too occasional about it. I’m trying now to revive it with deep watering once a week. We’ll see how much of it will come back. My next door neighbor will re-seed and fertilize it for me (as a trade for half of my garden plot) so I’ll be able to renew my goal of being better to it next year.
“Or should I just dig up the last of the lawn and turn that into a garden, too?”
Yeah, that.
I’m with Elizabeth on digging up the rest of the lawn and turning it into gardens. My “lawn” is hopelessly brown at this point, too. Part of my “Fall Cleanup” will be to install some stepping stones into the path I’ve worn through the lawn to get to the gardens. I’m also planning to dig up another section of lawn to plant another garden. With any luck, by next summer, I won’t have to worry about ANY lawn — just plants!
Converting lawn to garden is a good solution. We eliminated our front lawn entirely - eliminating the need to carry a lawnmower upstairs to it. The boulevards are gradually being converted to gardens as well (this is a multiple-year project, as we’re on a corner).
On grass care, I did aerate this year, but can’t really see a dramatic difference from last year. About all I do is try to reseed the spots the dogs leave. Generally lawn care seems to be pretty low on the return on effort scale.
nordeast - here is a link for a lawn care calendar. We switched to organic lawn food and fertlizer this year and so far the lawn looks great.
Nordeast,
The timeline that Michele provided a link to is a good one. But remember, the best time to get a good lawn started is in fall, not spring. You’d be better off aerating and fertilizing (or using corn meal gluten, if you want to go green) in fall than in spring.
The best advice is to do one fertilization application around Labor Day and another in mid- to late September.
If you really want to build the soil, you could aerate or sprinkle a thin layer of compost (about one-third of an inch) over your grass and lightly rake it in.
Good luck!
Sue,
I’d becareful about letting a lawn go dormant. Most of the new seed mixes don’t really go dormant, they die. Even if you want to cut back on watering during the height of summer, you should at least keep the roots a pale green. To do that, you usually need to do a thorough watering about once a week.
Hi Connie….my lawn is crunchy and very brown.
I fear it’s too late.
In better news, though, the yellow jackets that took up residence under my shingles and in the eaves and in the wall seem to have all but died out. A pro took care of it in two visits.
I’m still vigilant, but I’ve only seen one or two live ones this week.
Holly, great to hear those stingers are gone!
It may not be too late for your lawn. I’d do what Sue is doing and try at least one deep watering a week. Since your grass is stressed, I wouldn’t try fertilizing it now. Water and wait to see if it shows any signs of life. . .
If not, you have all winter to plan how to turn your turf into garden!
A good source for information lawn care (and gardening info) is the Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series at the Extension Service website (www.extension.umn.edu, click on garden in the left hand column). I’ve used it as a guide for the last three or four years.
One problem I have is that my neighbor doesn’t water his lawn. He has a large Norway maple that covers his whole front yard (of a city lot). The poor tree was so thirsty that it dried out five or six feet of my lawn, which I was watering weekly. So I’m going to set my sprinkler to water part of his yard.
Do it, Evelyn! I mean, as long as your neighbor doesn’t get angry . . .
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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