Damaged Lawn Repair

Bare Spots Dead Soil

Bare Spots

The most common cause of lawn bare spots is carbon deficiency in the soil and low soil microbial content.  These two deficiencies require both “Green” and “Brow” natural organic material.

Natural organic material can be classified into two categories according to their carbon and nitrogen content: Green material and Brown material.

• “Green materials, such as fresh grass clippings, manure and other living plants (weeds) and plant products contain large amounts of nitrogen.
• “Brown” materials such as dried leaves and plants, branches, and woody materials (leaf stems) have high carbon content but are relatively low in nitrogen.

Basically, “Green” materials supply food for the bio-life (bacteria, fungi, and small invertebrates such as worms) which intern manufacture, supply, and facilitate nutrient uptake for the plants.  The “Brown” materials provide a home for the “Green” material bio-life.

Top Dressing is mostly “Green” organic material.  Organic material when decomposed becomes organic matter at a rate of about 10%.  Organic matter is main component of Humus.

Below is a list of some of the benefits when topdressing lawns.

• Top dressing can build up the soil flora. Top dressing adds organic matter to soils.
• Compost top dressing with the right biological components can help reduce lawn diseases.
• Adding compost helps reduce traffic stress.
• Compost incorporated into heavy soils, helps relieve compaction problems.
• Compost incorporated into sandy soils helps with water retention.
• Top dressing with the right materials can help reduce the need for fertilizer.
• Top dressing can help reduce thatch.
• The cation exchange capacity compost is approximately ten times higher than most loam soils.

The best single time of the year for top dressing lawns is in the fall for cool season grasses and in the spring for warm season grasses.

Direct sun on bare areas of your lawn will kill soil microbes.  It is recommended you cover the area after treatment with straw until your turf is developed.

“Brown” organic material supplies about 50% of the soil carbon content.  Plant roots supply 20-30% during photosynthesis.  A healthy lawn requires 5-6% carbon content in the soil.  Most South Carolina lawns have at best a 2% carbon content.  Mulched dried leaves and plant matter is an excellent source of “Brown” organic material.

Dead Soil

Dead Soil

The most common cause of dead lawn soil is over and prolonged use of chemical and synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides.  The uses of these have killed off the soil bio-life.  These areas must be detoxified.  High salt content left by non-organic fertilizers must also be neutralized.

I have found a 5:1 mixture of liquid humic acid and a liquid aerifying agent supplemented with liquid cold sea kelp and natural molasses to be very successful.  Two ounces of this solution per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft of lawn is adequate unless you have a chlorinated water source.  For a chlorinated water source, the mixture needs to be 6:1.  Apply another treatment after 2 days and them every 6 weeks.  I use Nature’s Magic mixed with Aerify for this treatment and for whole lawn health maintenance twice a year.  I use Nature’s Magic every 5-6 weeks alone the rest of the time. I also use a bio-enhanced dethatcher in early spring and again in the fall.

For a healthy, disease and insect free lawn, you should NOT use synthetic or chemical fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides.  Organic lawn care is safe for people, pets, and the environment.  It’s also cheaper in the long run.

Steve

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Centipede Lawn Decline

Centipede Decline

Mature Centipede grass lawns (3 or more years old) problem areas sometimes appear in the spring and grow worse throughout the summer. These problem areas usually develop in thatchy turf, compacted soils, drought areas or areas under other stresses. Since a specific disease organism has not been identified as the cause, the problem has been broadly named “Centipede decline” and is used to describe the most common problems observed on Centipede grass. These include dollar spot, large patch, fairy rings, nematodes, ground pearls and nutritional problems.

Symptoms:  the grass gradually deteriorates and is replaced by weeds or other invasive grasses. The grass often greens up in early spring, but gradually turns off color, wilts and dies. These areas resemble Centipedegrass suffering from drought conditions.

Examination of the turf in these areas reveals little root development. Many of the stolons, or runners, have no root attachment to the soil. Some small discolored roots may be found in the thatch, or the organic layer. The grass may be dead in the center of the discolored area with often dark green, leaves radiating into the healthy grass.

Dollar Spot is a disease that is often seen on Centipede grass during the summer. The symptoms of this disease are light brown spots 2 to 4 inches in diameter. It does not appear to cause serious damage. Centipede grass that is declining because of other factors may have more dollar spot than nearby healthy grass. The grass may continue to decline in the affected patches, especially in dry weather, for a long time after the disease activity has stopped.

Dollar Spot

Fairy Rings:  Fairy ring symptoms are large circular dead spots, dead rings, or green rings (3 to 20 feet in diameter) that enlarge for several years. Mushrooms of the fungi that cause this disease may be present at the edge of the rings or throughout the circles sometime during the year. Mushrooms may not develop for several years and suddenly appear following a weather pattern that induces mushroom development. Effective treatments are not known for fairy rings in lawns, however, rototilling the soil and replanting healthy grass has eliminated the problem in some cases.  Note:  Mushrooms not in a circular pattern are not a sign of Fairy ring.  Mushrooms often develop over dead tree roots as part of the decomposition process.

Fairy Rings

Sting Nematodes have been associated with the decline in sandy soils in some cases. The sting nematode has been shown to cause very serious damage on Centipedegrass in sandy soils in the Carolinas. Centipede grass affected by this nematode will become thin and even die during hot-dry weather. Incorporation of organic matter in the soil may help overcome nematode damage; however, care must be taken to avoid too much nitrogen being released for Centipede grass.

Ground Pearls are small scale insects that attack the roots of Centipede grass and may cause circular dead areas that resemble fairy ring. The spots enlarge each year and only weeds grow in the spots. Ground pearls are identified by the presence of small pearl-like bodies on the roots or in the soil. The pink adult stage that crawls is present during early summer. A control is not know for the ground pearls. Other types of grass, such as Bermuda grass or Bahia grass, appear to be less sensitive to ground pearls and should be considered for lawns with severe ground pearl problems.

Ground Pearls

Nutritional factors, including low potassium levels in sandy soils, high phosphorus levels, the use of too much nitrogen fertilizer, and low or high soil pH (5.5 is best) have been associated with the problem. High soil pH will cause Centipede grass to turn bright yellow, especially in the spring, due to iron deficiency (iron chlorosis). High phosphorus levels can increase iron chlorosis since it can replace iron in the plant. The use of fertilizers high in phosphorus may contribute to the decline of Centipede grass.  High nitrogen caused the stolons to be above the soil where they are more susceptible to damage by cold weather. More centipede decline usually occurs in the spring and summer following very cold winters or following winters with unusually warm weather and then late cold periods. Excess nitrogen reduces cold and drought tolerance of Centipede grass.   Potassium may help to reduce stress during the summer and winter.

Centipede grass is not very drought tolerant and is damaged during very dry weather. Irrigation when needed will help reduce damage from drought stress. Localized dry spots of soil that are hydrophobic (difficult to wet) have been associated with declining patches of Centipede grass. The soil in these patches needs extra aeration.

The use of chemical/synthetic herbicides (as sprays or in fertilizers) has been associated with the decline problem.  Once a good stand of Centipede grass is established, weeds usually are not a problem because of the allopathic activities that Centipede grass has against other plants. Therefore, herbicides should not be needed on Centipede grass if it is managed properly.

Centipede grass is not very shade-tolerant and does not grow well under trees with dense foliage. Root competition from nearby trees may increase drought stress and sometimes causes fairy ring-like symptoms. The landscape should be redesigned to use mulch or shade-tolerant groundcover plants in these areas if the trees cannot be removed.

Centipede grass will usually spread over dead areas more rapidly if the old grass is removed and the soil loosened (aerated). New sprigs or over seeding in the areas will facilitate faster recovery.

Control: Cultural practices provide the most effective means of preventing centipede decline.

Steve

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Dangers of chemical based insect control

PESTICIDE FACTS

Compiled by RATE (Real Alternatives to Toxins in the Environment)

“Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as
the main threat to health. The diseases we’re beginning to see as the major causes of death in the latter part of this century and into the 21st century are diseases of chemical origin.” — Dick Irwin, toxicologist at Texas A&M Universities

WHAT ARE PESTICIDES?

Pesticides are poisons designed to kill a variety of plants and animals such as insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), and mold or fungus (fungicides). Pesticides include active ingredients (chemical compounds designed to kill the target organisms) and inert ingredients which may be carcinogens or toxic substances. They also include rodenticides and wood preservatives.

HOW DO PESTICIDES REACH US?

Pesticides can be absorbed through the skin, swallowed or inhaled (most toxic). During application pesticides drift and settle on ponds, laundry, toys, pools and furniture. People and pets track pesticide residue into the house. Only 5% of
pesticides reach target weeds. The rest runs off into water or dissipates in the air. Drift from landscaping ranges from 12 feet to 14.5 miles. More serious effects appear to be produced by direct inhalation of pesticide sprays than by absorption or ingestion of toxins.

ARE REGISTERED PESTICIDES SAFE?

NO.
Many of the “safety tests” used to test these products are fundamentally inadequate: they test for the acute (not chronic) effects of single (not multiple) chemicals on healthy (not sick, chemically sensitive or immuno-suppressed etc.) adult (not fetal or young) animal (not human) subjects exposed over short (not long) periods of time.  Some of the companies testing pesticides have been charged and convicted of falsifying residue and environmental studies that were used to support pesticide registration in the US and Canada . Some pesticides become even more toxic as they break down. (In the US it is a violation of federal law to state that the use of pesticides is safe.)

Pesticides initiate and propagate multiple chemical sensitivities. About 16 million US citizens are sensitive to pesticides (i.e. they have compromised immune functioning
as a result of pesticide exposure).

Steve

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Lawn Thatch

 

Thatch is a spongy layer of organic substance made up of leaves, grass roots and stems, rhizomes, and other similar materials that build up in your lawn.  Excessive thatch accumulation has led to lawn rooting into thatch rather than soil.  Thatch will block water and nutrients from reaching your grass’s roots, weakening the whole plant. Thatch can also trap moisture near the blades of your grass, increasing the likelihood of lawn disease.

Detrimental aspects of excessive thatch:

       Harbors disease-causing fungi and turf insects.

       Causes shallow root development.

       Interferes with movement of air, water, and nutrients into the soil.

       Increases potential for scalp mowing.

The primary component of thatch is turfgrass stems and roots. It accumulates as these plant parts buildups faster than they do breakdown. Thatch problems are due to a combination of biological, cultural, and environmental factors. Cultural practices can have a big impact on thatch. For example, heavy nitrogen fertilizer applications, overwatering, use of chemical/synthetic fertilizers – insecticides – herbicides that kill of soil bio-agents (bacteria and enzymes) frequently contribute to thatch. Avoid over fertilizing and overwatering and the use of non-organic fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides.

Despite popular belief, short clippings dropped on the lawn after mowing are not the cause of thatch buildup. Clippings are very high in water content and breakdown rapidly through decomposition returning nutrients, trace elements and micro-nutrients to lawns after mowing. 

As thatch levels accumulate to greater than 1/2 inch, lawn problems may begin, and the thatch needs to be controlled. Thatch may be torn out with a dethatcher, vertical mower, or with a bio-enhanced liquid dethatcher.

A Biological Dethatcher is a liquid solution that has been formulated to generate and accelerate the decomposition of thatch in lawns. To fuel this process, these products contain high levels of thatch digesting Bacteria and Enzymes. These, along with naturally occurring soil organisms, will break down thatch and turn it into valuable humus very quickly making for a plush healthy lawn.

I no longer use the mechanical dethatcher or vertical mower to remove thatch from the lawns I service because I found the liquid dethatcher to be much more effective with much less mess. 

Steve

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Chemical Free Dandelion Control

 

Dandelions are a hearty broadleaf perennial plant that multiplies quickly. Dandelions are also very difficult to exterminate.

Organic removal options begin by manual removal of the weed. 

The recommended steps are:Cut off the flower and bag it.  Do not leave it on the ground because it will turn to seed after removal.

1. Remove the weed root and all by pulling or digging it out.  It the root is still in the soil, the Dandelion will pop up again.
2. Vinegar is an organic herbicide.  Just spray it on the Dandelion leaves.  Note: this will only kill the leaves (not the root. 
3. Dandelions prefer a soil that is slightly acidic (a pH of 7.5 or above).  Grass prefers a slightly alkaline soil (around a pH of 6.5.  An iron supplement added to your soil will lower its pH.  Soil test kits are inexpensive and are available at Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, and Wal-Mart.
4. Dandelions prefer full sun.  Mowing with the blade height set a 3 inches cutting height will block sunlight to the newly growing Dandelion.  Mow your lawn with a mulching blade on your mower.  These fine clippings will become healthy soil in just a few weeks giving back the natural grass nutrients to the lawn creating high-density grass with deep roots.  Weeds have a very difficult time taking root in areas with high-density grass.
5. Healthy lawns are built on healthy soil.  Soil management is the preferred long-term approach for weed management.  Organic soil supplements will greatly enhance soil quality.   

Steve

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Organic Crabgrass Control

There are two kinds of Crabgrass: ‘Big Crabgrass’ (Digitaria sanguinalis) and ‘Little Crabgrass’ (Digitaria ischaemum).  

 

Big Crabgrass

Small Cragbrass Seeds

Small Crabgrass Leaves

One single Big Crabgrass plant growing in your Lawn will produce 150,000 seeds before the end of the season.  Many of them will be dormant and viable for several years.  Another problem with Big Crabgrass; their roots produce a toxin that tends to kill off turf grass.  As you can see the picture above, there is no other growth around the Big Crabgrass weed.

Both crabgrass varieties require full sun (they won’t grow in the shade).   Once the crabgrass weeds have been removed ( if have found that cutting the leaves and stems and digging out the root to be the best avenue).  Fill the hole with potting soil and let your grass grow and cut long.  Mowing high is important because the length of the roots is determined by the height of the Grass.  If you mow at 2 1/2 inches, the roots will grow 2 1/2 inches long.  Let the grass provide the needed shade while eliminating room for weed roots.  Higher grass with longer roots gives you weaker weeds.

Pre-Emergent Broadleaf weed control

Gluten8 liquid Corn Meal Fertilizer is also a great pew-emergent weed controller.  This easy to use organic product stops crabgrass by preventing seed germination.   Most grasses have a dormant period that crabgrass doesn’t.  Frosts will kill off crabgrass leaves but the plant will survive if the root doesn’t freeze.  Stopping the germination of seeds and shading the area will eliminate the weed quickly.

There are many chemical/synthetic herbicides and pre-emergent weed treatments that control weeds, but at a cost to your grass.  They kill off the natural soil bacteria and enzymes that keep your grass healthy.  Chemical/synthetic fertilizers do the same.  For a healthy, flush lawn go organic.  Organic products are healthier for you, your kids, pets, and the environment.

Steve

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Organic Lawn Moss Control

Organic Lawn Moss Control

Lawn Moss

Moss is a relatively weak plant, which is easily crowded out by grass, which is a stronger plant. However, when the circumstances favor moss and disfavor grass it can be almost impossible to get rid of moss in a lawn. Only changing the cultural circumstances will help.

1. Moss prefers alkaline soil; grass prefers neutral or slightly acidic soil.  I recommend applying lime to the mossy area.  Treat until you have a pH of about 7.0.  You can get soil test kits inexpensively at stores like Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware.
2. Moss prefers shade; grass prefers direct sunlight.  Trimming overhanging branches will hurt the moss and help the grass by allowing more sunlight.
3. Moss prefers compacted soil; grass prefers aerated soil.  Aerify your soil in the affected areas with mechanical aerators or an organic liquid aerator. 
4. Mow the grass with a mulching blade at a height of 2-1/2 to 3 inch height after mowing.  Do not bag or remove the mulched grass.  A grass cut at 2-1/2 inches has 2-1/2 inch roots that will provide more nutrients to the grass.  The higher grass also has more surface area for sunlight collection.
5. Water deeply no more than once a week.  The surface will dry out harming the moss (moss requires constant moisture) but the lower soil areas retain water for the deeper grass roots.  However, when establishing new seeds, you need to temporarily water frequently and shallowly (such as twice daily for 15 minutes each time). This is because grass seeds require consistent moisture to germinate (sprout). When the grass is 2 inches tall, transition back to the infrequent deep watering pattern. This is the only exception to the watering rule.  
6. Fertilize with and organic fertilizer.  Chemical/synthetic fertilizers may green up the grass but they harm the roots and kill off the beneficial soil bacteria.

Steve

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Water your lawn properly

Proper Watering

Warm-season turf grasses (Bermuda grass, Zoysia grass, Centipede grass and St. Augustine grass) are more drought resistant than cool-season grasses (Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass) and require about 20% less water.

Grass blades contain approximately 75% moisture.  Hot temperatures and wind will diminish blade moisture.  However, if the root system has adequate moisture, the turf will flourish.

When your lawn needs watering

Contrary to popular belief, lawns should be watered sparingly.

Established lawn watering should be done when grass shows any of the following signs:

• The leaf blades are folded in half lengthwise-this is the grasses way of conserving moisture.
• Footprints remain visible after it has been walked on
• Your grass has a blue-grey color instead of green, and then ultimately turns brown.
• Wilting leaves.
• Rolling leaves.

When you do water, water deeply; soil should be moist two inches below the root zone.  Root length and grass height are directly related.  If you mow at three inches, the soil should be moist to a depth of five inches. This generally requires about 1 inch of water and should last 7 to 10 days. Monitor your lawn for the above signs to determine watering frequency.  Early morning (4 – 6am) is the best time to irrigate, while evening irrigation is more efficient.  Too much or too little irrigation causes lawn diseases.

Soil Requirements

Soil TypeSand Sandy Loam Loam Silt Loam Clay Loam Clay

Infiltration Inch Per Hour2.0 inches 1.0 inches 0.5 inches 0.4 inches 0.3 inches 0.2 inches

Time For 1 Inch To Soak In0.5 hours 1.0 hours 2.0 hours 2.25 hours 3.3 hours 5.0 hours

Watering Rate

How do you determine your watering rate?

I place “tin” cans (aluminum cans will blow away and/or tip over easily) randomly around my lawn. After a watering session, I measure how deep the water is in each location. I average the depths to get one value. That value is the average rate for the lawn for the elapsed time. If I water for two hours and there is an average of 2 ½”, the watering rate is 1 ¼” per hour.

Watering new seed or sod

When installing new grass seed or sod you must keep the soil moist for it to survive. It is OK to water frequently (2 to 3 time a day) for a short period of time (10 to 15 min.) to keep the soil moist. This will promote rapid seed germination and root development. Typically, these watering habits should only be used until the root system of the new grass has started to develop. Once the roots have started to develop, you should follow the regular water guidelines.

Be kind to your lawn.  Don’t over-water!  You’ll save money and have a healthy lawn.

Steve

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The Organic Lawn – What to Expect

The time of using chemically processed synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides is ending.  Already, regulations and restrictions prompted by numerous studies of the adverse health effects of these, especially in children, groundwater contamination, food source contamination, and soil analysis (humus, soil structure and soil bioactivity) are limiting the scope of their use.   

An organic lawn cared for correctly and naturally, will eventually begin to take care of itself in many ways.  Good bio-active, nutrient rich, soil requires less fertilization, irrigation, and weed and insect control saving you time and money. Organic lawn maintenance practices eliminate imbalances in the soil, which are the initial causes of disease, weed, pest and stress problems in your lawn. By eliminating these causation factors, you eliminate the time and money spent dealing with these types of problems.  In the end, you have to look at the big picture. A little extra time and money spent this year will save you a great deal of time and money down the road.  

Organic lawn liquid fertilizers are supplemented with a natural nutrient package derived from seaweed and humic acids (One gallon of humic acid is equivalent to 7 tons of manure in terms of soil bioactivation).  What this means you is get a soil improving fertilizer with added vitamins, bio-stimulants, and trace elements. Each product contains vitamins B-1, B-12, gibberellins, indoles, auxins as well as trace elements of boron, iron, zinc, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum and sulfur.  The nutrients in these liquid fertilizers are chelated, meaning they are instantly available to the plant.

Season One

One of the things that will be happening as you go through your first season using organics is that your lawn may go through “withdrawal” symptoms because of the reduced nitrogen.  The intensity of this withdrawal is related directly to the number of years you have applied chemicals, the frequency of previous chemical applications and the application rate of those chemicals. 

Chemical fertilizers typically contain about 20 to 35 percent nitrogen. Organic fertilizers will be more like 8 to 16 percent. That is a huge drop in nitrogen, and your lawn could go into shock if you don’t compensate.  You can double the amount of organic fertilizer or increase the frequency of application without causing any harm to your lawn.

Season Two

Over the next season or two, simply start cutting back on the amount of nitrogen you’re applying. As the soil is built up by use of organic fertilizers and soil amendments, the lawn will require less and less supplemental nitrogen.

Depending upon how long you’ve been using chemical fertilizer and how much you’ve been using, this process may take longer or may go much more quickly than is outlined above.

Organic methods tend to expose imbalances in the soil and other detrimental situations that chemical fertilizers hide (and generally make worse) and correct them.  Soil compaction, weeds, insects, disease, drainage, poor Brix levels, and above all Humus.

By implementing a solid natural/organic lawn care program, you should be looking at a very healthy, chemical free lawn within about a season or two, maybe three if your lawn is in really bad shape.

Steve

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Why should you switch to organic lawn care?

What are the Benefits?

• It is safer for humans, pets and the environment than synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
• It improves the quality of the soil, which will have an increased ability to retain water and nutrients.
• You will enjoy significant financial savings by transitioning from synthetic to organiclawn care, especially after the first year of use.
• Organic products will significantly reduce pests by restoring balance to your lawn’s ecosystem. You will benefit from reduced maintenance in mowing, watering and fertilizing because you will have a naturally stronger and healthier lawn.
• A report by the National Academy of Sciences shows that the health of 1 in 7 people is negatively impacted in some form by lawn pesticides.
• Numerous studies link lawn chemicals to cancers and other long-term diseases.
• Several studies also link exposure to artificial lawn chemicalsto an increased risk of cancer and other health problems in pets.
• Children are especially at risk for negative health consequences due to their size, physiological development and proximity to the ground.
• Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers destroy the naturally present beneficial organisms in a healthy lawn’s ecosystem. This destruction then transforms your lawn into an increasingly needy “junkie,” requiring more and more chemicals to sustain it.
• Organic lawn care focuses instead on soil management techniquesand long-term results, building up the nutrients and organisms in the soil in order to make your lawn better able to withstand drought, pests, and other common problems.
• Organic lawn care also eliminates damage to the environment and to human and animal health caused by synthetic lawn care products.
• Organic products function by building up “life in the soil,” or soil biology, their payoff is more long-term and lasting.
• Synthetic products, by their nature, are instantaneous and must be frequently reapplied in greater amounts to maintain the appearance of the grass. Due to the need for frequent reapplications and the reduced effectiveness of synthetic chemicals.
• The user of organic products will spend considerably less money on lawn care over a two-year period than the user of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Steve

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