Greening the grass of home

There are only a few steps required to encourage a healthy organic lawn this spring. The first chore is to roll frost “bumps” with a light roller to flatten out the lawn if necessary. Rake the lawn gently (with a leaf rake) to remove compacted clippings and dead grass. Next top-dress the area with a fine layer of compost or sheep manure at a rate of 100 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

If you have any bare patches or areas where the grass is growing thinner than desired, loosen the soil with a garden rake and mix existing soil with compost. Sprinkle grass seeds, press in and water.

Get rid of moss in your lawn by scraping it all off first. Lightly till the area and add lime. Sprinkle grass seed and a layer of compost. An alternative to grass in shady areas or slopes is ground cover like vinca or Japanese Spurge.

Apply a premium slow release fertilizer to your lawn. If you don’t own a broadcast spreader, rental businesses often carry them in stock. Make sure the flow setting is accurate and turn off the spreader when stopping or turning. Apply half of the fertilizer in one direction and the rest in a cross direction for complete coverage.

Integrated Pest Management is a new phrase that’s becoming more common. It focuses on the prevention of pest problems as the best approach. You can do this by using good maintenance practices like proper planning, checking frequently for lawn pests, properly identifying them and learning their life cycles, and treating with a pesticide only when a pest is present in large enough numbers to cause damage to the lawn.

Last but not least, mowing practices are an important key to having a great lawn. Mow when the lawn is dry, in the evening or on a cloudy day. In shady areas, the grass should be left longer (7.5 to 8.5 cm) to make up for the lack of sunlight.

Each time you mow, alternate the direction in which you cut so as to reduce the build-up of grass clippings on the lawn. On slopes, it is preferable to mow crosswise.