IT’S OCTOBER, THE bewitching month!
With the advent of late early-autumn, your lawn moves to the top of the list for things to do. Aerating and dethatching your lawn are perfect fall jobs. So is overseeding — especially if the lawn looks old or just worn out, if it has ripped up areas ripe for weeds or is disease or insect prone.
Overseeding is the planting of grass seed directly into existing turf, without tearing up the turf, or the soil.
A twice a year investment in overseeding leads to a greener lawn that is thicker and healthier. It also pays off by reducing the amount of fertilizer and water required — a thicker lawn crowds out weeds naturally, without resorting to chemical weed killers.
But there are several must-follow rules for overseeding.
Keep it moist — but only on the surface
That is why fall is perfect, and so is early spring. Mother Nature provides the sprinkler system with rain and heavy dew.
New grass seedlings must not dry out.
Use area-appropriate seed
Sun for sun, a shade mix for under trees or on the north side of the house, and blend both together for filtered light areas.
Mow short and roll
Before you sow the seed, mow your yard as low as you can without scalping the ground. Most times that involves first mowing at a higher setting to eliminate the tall growth around tree roots, mounded areas and ridges.
Then afterwards, drop the mower deck even lower for the rest of the lawn. This low mow allows the grass seed to find its way to the ground, then go over the area with a roller, which further helps the seed make contact with the ground.
Use best seed available
Only buy grass seed that has less than 1 percent weed seed because weeds germinate at 110 percent. Purchase seed with 92 percent or better germination rates, and the mix should be heavy in rye and fescue seed.
Spend the money, because grass seed is the least of your concerns.
To grow and maintain a great lawn, you also need to follow these 10 rules.
1. You must have great soil that holds nutrients well and provides good drainage. This is why sandy loam is so perfect.
2. Lime to keep your pH between 6.8 and 7.2, and apply it twice a year.
3. Avoid compaction or foot traffic from you, pets, children, etc.
4. Because compaction does happen, you must aerate.
5. Add lots of organic nutrients because grass is a never-end at the table of gluttony and reacts poorly to hunger pains.
6. Use organic everything because chemicals can kill the soil’s microbes and fungi. That leads right back to rule No. 1 with a bypass down the storm drain and into our watersheds.
7. Raise that mower up during growing season. (All of my 10 rules will be trashed in some manner if you cut through the canes of turf grasses).
8. Overseed twice a year as weed control. Sow grass seed now and again at the end of March.
9. De-thatch when you aerate because if you are doing all of this neat stuff, your grass will be growing like gangbusters.
10. Relax — because a weed or two is not bad, nor is a shaggy lawn for a while or a yard covered with leaves for a few days. And that’s my own personal rule: Relax.
Grass takes a lot of time to maintain a look of greatness.
Even though I get bugged to mow more often, leaving the lawn alone (except for lime) and cutting it only several times a year keeps it green, lush and self-sowing without much noise, solution, time allotment or effort while improving the soil.
My lawn is near the woods, so for me and my lifestyle, this works quite well.
Follow my 10 rules and a picture perfect lawn will be yours (plus your neighbors will be jealous).
And also … stay well all.
________
Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
