Rethinking Lower Input Lawns
by W. H. Leakey

I’m not aware of any other seed company that would suggest this, but the reality of life is not everyone aspires to owning a Rolls Royce automobile or a Steinway concert grand piano.

And not everyone aspires to having that perfect trophy lawn.

Properly managed pesticide application, fertilizers, frequent mowing and watering can get you a lawn that will turn some neighbors green with envy, but at what cost? Believe it or not, you can improve the quality of your turf while reducing the inputs of time and money—as well as impact on the environment. Rational control over the impact that human activity has on the environment can’t begin until we understand the processes at work. Obviously we can’t protect what we don’t understand.

Seasonal variations. Varying needs. How often should you mow? How often should you water? How often should you apply fertilizer? How many weeds, insects and/or disease are affecting your lawn? How much wear do you expect? How much quality do you want?

Begin by understanding that root growth is strongest is highest in spring and autumn. Still how often do I see someone rigorously raking their lawn before it greens up in the spring. Intentions good. Yanking still-dormant roots out of moist soil bad. Similarly, foliage growth is most vigorous in early and late summer. The number of days is far less important than the amount of growth between mowing.

Select the appropriate grass for your use and quality expectations. Consider the character of your site. Is it shady, wet, dry, etc.? What type of soil are you planting on? What kind of use or wear or visibility will the area have? What are your quality expectations.

• Bluegrass “knits” the soil together. It’s often used for sod and requires medium maintenance with respect to water and fertilizer.
• Fescues are low maintenance, requiring little fertilizer and having excellent winter hardiness.
• Tall Fescue and Perennial Rye Grass are clump-type grasses vulnerable to weed infestations and not very winter hardy.
• Mixes are the best choice. Monoculture (planting straight seed of one species) invites disease problems.

Use proper establishment procedures. Perform a soil test. Prep your top soil using minimal tillage and appropriate soil amendments (organic matter and/or topsoil). Avoid soil stratification. As an example, work two inches of new top soil into the top few inches of heavy clay soil. Then lay four more inches of top soil over that for less stratification. Seed at half the recommended rate, going over the same area twice in perpendicular strips for a more even application. Roll the seedbed to give the seed good contact with the soil—it’s critical for germination. Mulch the area using a weed-free mulch—NOT hay—to alleviate erosion.

If you’re going with the option of sod, remember that the soil preparation requirements are the same as for seed, only more difficult. Lack of air or adequate drainage leads to fungal diseases like necrotic ring spot.

Example: Let’s say you live in the Upper Midwest and you have a site where you want to establish a new lawn. You have tight clay soil. It’s shady. Your kids and their friends play soccer.

• Perform a soil test and fertilize as recommended
• Amend the soil to reduce compaction
• Plant a mix that includes creeping types of bluegrass and fescue that can repair themselves from soccer.
• Mow high. A rough stock bluegrass is shade/wet tolerant, but not tolerant to wear. Mowing higher will make it more wear-resistant.

Mowing: Healthy versus High-Quality/High Maintenance. The lower you mow your lawn, the more maintenance you’ll need to provide. Shallower roots need water and fertilizer more often. Shorter grass also allows the soil to warm up faster, enabling weed seeds to germinate. Never remove more than 30 percent of the blade length. So if your desired height is one inch, you mow when it reaches one and one-half inches. If your desired height is three inches, you mow when blade length reaches three inches. Grass grows about 1/10 of an inch per day. “Scalping” your lawn requires even more frequent mowing…every three to five days depending on water and fertility.

Reel-type mowers (manual) work adequately at heights of one and one-half inches or less, but then we’re back to more frequent mowing.

Rotary mowers need their blade sharpened periodically to avoid torn leaf blades, which then turn brown from moisture loss. Torn leaf blades are also more susceptible to disease.

Clippings can be bagged for that meticulous just-vacuumed look, or left on to recycle your fertilizer, especially nitrogen. Contrary to popular belief, clippings do NOT add to thatch. Clippings are mostly water and break down quickly.

Fertilizing. Fertilizer runoff is a hazard to surface water:

• when over-applied
• when not watered-in correctly (e.g., applied before a heavy down pour
• when not swept off hard surfaces (sidewalks, driveways, patios, etc.) after application

Not fertilizing is also a hazard to surface waters:

• Weak turf erodes easily.
• Run-off soil fills in lakes (sediment problems).
• Run-off soil has phosphorus bonded to it, causing algae bloom and fish kills.

The value of leaving clippings on your lawn referred to earlier bears repeating here. Grass clippings are like lettuce; composed mostly of water, they’re easily broken down by microbes into Ammonium Nitrate (NO3) the usable form of nitrogen that grass uses to grow. Bag them up and you start an expensive and time-consuming cycle: rapid growth, more cutting and bagging, more fertilizing, etc. Contrary to popular belief, clippings do NOT add to thatch. Thatch on the other hand, is like meat. Composed of old rhizomes and stolons, it’s more difficult for microbes to digest.

Soluble nitrogen leaches quickly into the soil, so it should be applied in small amounts frequently. Still, the focus—75 percent—of a low-input lawn’s fertility program should be in autumn. Consider using a slow-release/slow-acting form of nitrogen—it’s practically idiot-proof and reduces the need for early-spring fertilizing.

Make sure your drop spreader is properly calibrated so the correct amount of fertilizer is applied. Don’t go by the bag’s recommended setting.

Watering. High-quality turf needs one inch of water (rain included) every five to seven days. To cut down on water lost to evaporation, any time between 3am and 6am is the best time to water. Don’t water during stressful periods unless you’re fortunate enough to have an automated system. Inadequate water doesn’t help turf, but it does help other weeds (like crabgrass) to germinate.

Shade. Grass won’t grow in 100% shade. Even the most shade-tolerant varieties need at least three to four hours a day. Anything less will produce only marginal or worse results. In these cases consider growing another ground cover. If you do have the minimum sunlight required, fertilize less, irrigate infrequently but deeply, and leave it grow longer (but never cutting more than 30 percent of the total length).

Weeds. Chronic weed infestations are symptoms of a larger problem. The best defense against weed infestations is a healthy turf. Listen to your weeds. Moss means low light. Clover means poor fertility. First, you could learn to love clover or moss or (maybe) creeping Charlie (ground ivy). Second, you can find out what conditions lead to it—light, pH, fertility, etc. and make adjustments so the problem doesn’t reoccur. Third, you can use an herbicide and try a different turf seed mix. As you work through most pest control management practices—site placement, cultivar choices, cultural practices, pesticides—you have fewer choices and options.

Diseases. Your cultural practices impact the vitality and vulnerability of your lawn. Mow your lawn shorter right before winter sets in to discourage moles and Snow Mold. Extended cold and wet conditions are often the culprits behind Rust. Mow more frequently, collecting and composting clippings to remove and kill the inoculums. Leaf Spot is another disease favored by wet, cold weather. Most species grow out of it. Use resistant turf seed varieties.

Necrotic Ring Spot, Fairy Rings, Compaction, Japanese Beetles, Black Medic, Burdock…the list of lawn pests seems endless. The good news is that, depending on your quality expectations, site visibility and use, there are many integrated pest management (IMP) options—site placement, resistant/tolerant cultivars, cultural practices—to consider instead of assuming chemicals as the first and most promising alternative.

Chemicals have their place, but needing a “chemical fix” every time the seasons change can be more damaging than beneficial. Skipping the soil test and fertilizing a lawn that doesn’t need it, “just in case” or “double strength” insecticide applications, watering a little bit every day, using weed killers at the wrong time of the year…all wasteful and ecologically harmful practices that might seem insignificant on your property, but many property owners with this attitude add up to a profound environmental impact.

Oh, Dog. If you own a dog, you know that its urine can kill your grass in telltale places. You can deal with the deadly ammonia in the urine by flushing it through the turf with water, neutralizing it with baking soda, or teaching Spot to use a designated place to contain the damage to a limited, less visible, more easily repaired area.

One last tip about Integrated Pest Management (IPM). There’s a lot of information on the web, and some of it, as you know, is more folklore than fact. Make sure the advice you use comes from a reliable source. For pest-specific or general information, your state university or a local county’s agricultural agency are likely a great place to start.