The Lawn Coach is Moving!

Hi everybody!  GREAT NEWS!  

The Lawn Coach Blog has moved to integrate with the new website

www.TheLawnCoach.com.

I'm incredible excited about the new site and I sincerely hope you'll come join me there!  It has all the same things, just laid out in a far more user friendly fashion.  Come take a look and tell me all the good and bad about your lawn.

I hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

C.J. Brown

Column: Bentgrass

The Lawn Coach™
Bentgrass Is Best Left on the Fairway
By Christopher J. Brown

Q: I have patches of “bentgrass” in my lawn that are driving me nuts. I’ve tried to get rid of them, but they keep coming back each season. Weed products don’t seem to help, but I’ve been told that this is a weed.

A: First, let’s define “weed.” A weed is simply a “plant out of place.” If you don’t want bentgrass in your lawn (and I can certainly understand your position), then it is a weed. That said, the weed control products you have been trying don’t know that.

Bentgrass is generally used as a golf course grass since it does very well under low mowing conditions. In fact, university scientists spend about a gazillion dollars annually to try and develop stronger varieties that can be mowed even shorter without dying. Currently, they’re working on a variety that can be cut down to the molecular level so that men in funny pants can roll a ball even faster. These life changing benefits do not extend to creating a great lawn though.

In a lawn, the patches of bentgrass are solid and do not allow for other grasses to encroach. This creates a very spotted, patchy appearance. Here’s the thing though; bentgrass (as the name glaringly implies) is actually a type of grass. That said, spraying a weed control product on it would be akin to hunting a deer with a fishhook poked through a squiggling worm. It works well when going for trout, but that doesn’t mean that anything in the animal kingdom will fall prey to it.

For bentgrass, you need grass killer. Seeing any difficulties with this yet? A grass killer will also kill the good grass! SO, you’ll have to be careful to ONLY SPRAY THE BENTGRASS PATCHES! Let me give two quick pieces of advice that you must take lest you kibosh this entire process. FIRST: When spraying, do not walk through the sprayed spots! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve diagnosed “mysterious” lawn problems that suspiciously looked like footprints leading from a dead patch of bentgrass toward the gate leaving the back yard. SECOND: Make sure that the grass killer is not a “season long” grass killer. Certain products not only kill the grass, but will also make it impossible to grow grass in that area for a full season. These are great for a gravel driveway, but not so much your lawn.

Okay, fast forward 2 weeks. You now have a lawn with patchy brown spots where the bentgrass once was. What should you do? Rip it out? Nope! That’s the best part. You probably won’t believe this until you see the end results, but here’s one of the coolest things I’ve yet seen in a lawn. All you need to do is rent a core aerator (which many rental places have) and run over the dead spots a few times to create a bunch of holes through the dead mat. Then sprinkle some seed generously throughout and scratch the whole area a bit with a rake to mix it up. If the patches get consistent water, you’ll be able to watch the new grass grow through the holes and fill in the area. The bentgrass will completely die off and the new stuff will take over in just a couple of months.

When done correctly, this procedure will rid your lawn completely of the unwanted bentgrass and you can enjoy a non-polka dotted property once again.

You can visit me on the web at http://TheLawnCoach.Blogspot.com or email me at TheLawnCoach@aol.com. Check out past columns, send in your questions, or even photos and videos of your lawn problem!

Column: Tall Fescue in Long Island

The Lawn Coach™
Tall Fescue on Long Island
By Christopher J. Brown

Q: I saw on your blog that the North Carolina gentleman probably was using a Tall Fescue down in North Carolina, whereas in Connecticut where you were ....that Kentucky Blue Grass was the preferred grass. I've been using Tall Fescue seed for years, at my home on Long Island, where I have sandy, soil - as I'm a 1 mile from the North Shore. Would you recommend that I switch to a Kentucky Blue grass in the future? Thanks ...I found your video on YouTube extremely helpful!

A: Thanks for checking out the blog and thank you for your question! This actually brings up a great point that I’ve been actively and bluntly making in my own strange way for years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Has anybody trademarked that yet?

Have you ever wondered why you never see a one stop shopping fruit plantation? Wouldn’t that be great? Row A is lined with Apple trees. Row B has Bananas. Row C, Clementines, Row D is full of Dates. I’ll stop before I get anywhere near Row X, but hopefully you get the idea. Why wouldn’t that work? Simply put, these different fruit trees grow best in different climates. Most folks seem to intuitively understand that. Well, grasses are no different.

Tall Fescue is a fantastic type of grass that is starting to really come into its own. Grasses like Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue have a certain climate where they do best. Visualize a band stretching from coast to coast. The top of the band runs along the Canadian border. The bottom of the band runs from Maryland over to the northern part of California. This is where Kentucky Bluegrass does best. Now, take that entire band and shift it about 200 miles south. Now you are looking at the ideal areas for Tall Fescue. Keep shifting it south and you’ll get out of Tall Fescue territory and into Bermudagrass and Zoyzia territory.

While Long Island may be dead center of the Kentucky Bluegrass region, it is also within the northern parts of the Tall Fescue region. The great part about that is the heat tolerance Tall Fescue brings when Summers up here become cruelly abusive to our “ideal” grasses. The Tall Fescue hangs in there and survives the Summer heat spectacularly. Have you ever walked around outside in sauna-like conditions only to see some clearly imbalanced person who has the nerve to be wearing blue jeans? I’m wearing a goofy hat and paper thin clothes as I make a mad dash to the nearest air conditioned building while this lunatic has the nerve to seem happy to be roasting alive. I don’t quite get how those people do it but suffice it to say, some folks love the heat. They are the human equivalent to Tall Fescue. I have to imagine that the Kentucky Bluegrass is just as annoyed with Tall Fescue as I am with those walking bacon strips.

So, why hasn’t Tall Fescue gained more widespread popularity up here in Yankee country? Simply put, people are stuck in their ways. Tall Fescue used to be less desirable because it had very thick, coarse blades and was very clumpy. Nowadays, scientists have bred newer varieties that are much finer bladed while still retaining the tough characteristics you would be looking for.

So back to your question... Is the Tall Fescue doing well? Then it ain’t broke. Don’t fix it.

You can visit me at http://thelawncoach.blogspot.com/ or email me at TheLawnCoach@aol.com. Check out past columns, send in your questions, or even photos and videos of your lawn problem! You may get to see your answer in print right here!

Welcome to The Lawn Coach!

Pics from Judy!

Good news! Judy from VT was able to get me some pictures to help more positively diagnose her lawn problem. If you'll recall, I had posted a video response to her first question about possible grubs. Check it out here: Grubs in VT in August?

This is definitely NOT grub damage. It appears to be Dollar Spot, which is named for the silver dollar sized patches it leaves on a golf green. In a lawn, the patches are a bit more sporadic and uneven. Dollar spot is caused by a fungus that LOVES lots of water. The incessant rains are basically to blame here. It also thrives under lower nitrogen conditions, which result when the incessant rains flush all the nutrients out of the soil.

Luckily, this very rarely becomes too serious. Most of those patches will actually bounce back again and be fine. In the meantime, definitely plan on getting a good fertilizer application down in the beginning of September. When you see Dollar Spot, that means the lawn is getting hungry.

Why not fertilize now? Well, just as Dollar Spot thrives under LOW nitrogen conditions, there are other far more destructive fungi that thrive under HIGH nitrogen conditions when the temperatures are hot. That's why we wait until September, when things are beginning to cool off. Otherwise, it'd be like taking a carcinogenic chemical to treat a headache.

Good news on this one. It could have been much worse!

Read "The Lawn Coach" in These Newspapers!

MI- Metro Observer: Serving Metropolitan Detroit
MI- Macomb Observer: Serving Macomb County
MA-The Tinytown Gazette: Serving the towns of Weymouth, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate and Hull
MD- The Picket News: The Tri-State's Community Interest Publication

You're Not in Kansas Anymore Toto

Q: Hi Chris, we have been trying for about 4 years to establish grass in the area or dog used to be tied up in. We no longer have any pets but in that area grass will come up good but after about six weeks it dies out. The dog was tied up there for about 15 years. Is there anything we can do for the ground? We live in North Central Kansas where the summers are usually hot & dry.

A: Hmm. That's a tough one, but I CAN tell you that the remnants of the doggie wee wee are long gone. This problem is coincidentally in the same area where the dog was, but is not a result of the dogs residence. Dog urine has high concentrations of ammonia, which dissipate quickly with rain. It'd be gone only a week or so after the dog was no longer marking the territory.

Can you send in some pictures or a digital video clip? It'd help me get a good idea of what you are looking at. Get a few from further away and a few from close up. Thanks! Hopefully others will also learn from this.

-Chris

Brady from MN

Q: Chris, I live in central MN and plan on using your aerating and over-seeding advise to eliminate my crabgrass on my 1 year old lawn this Fall. I believe Kentucky Bluegrass can take 4-8 weeks to germinate so I would like to give the seed time to germinate before it gets too cold. I also plan to use a pre-emergent next Spring which from what I understand prevents all seeds from germinating. When do you suggest I do this?

My yard is also on hard clay soil, so I would like to aerate soon. When I use my irrigation system I can watch the water flow down the ditch. Can I aerate now and also September or when do suggest I start?

-Brady

A: Hi Brady. Let me address each of your points.

First, most newer varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass really only take about 2 - 3 weeks to germinate provided they are getting regular water. By "germinate", I'm talking about the seed sprouting new green growth, not necessarily filling in to the level of a nice lawn. That will take several more weeks, bringing you to the 6-8 week time frame you mentioned.

One aeration this Fall should be sufficient, and I would recommend that you do it in Early September, BUT.....I need to add one more piece of advice regarding the hardpan clay. Clay is clay is clay. Aerating it is nice, but it doesn't change the fact that clay is clay, and will retain the hard characteristics it has now, just with holes. You need to amend it to start improving soil conditions.

Something that has worked very well for me is spreading well decomposed compost over the lawn after aerating. This infusion of organic matter is like putting in billions of tiny little springs that keep the clay particles further apart from each other, thereby allowing water to drain and air to permeate. Plan on doing this EVERY year until you star to see a noticeable improvement in the lawn. Just aerate first, then spread a 1/4 - 1/2 inch layer of compost down all over. Finally, take a leaf rake and rough up the lawn, encouraging the compost to fill the aerator holes.

Keep in touch and let me know how it works out!

Response to a Fellow Blogger

Q: Nice blog.  I found it through Facebook.  I'm in CT too up in Litchfield County.

I was hoping I'd find some answer for how to get rid of crabgrass more quickly.  I used a crabgrass preventer back in the Spring and had a pretty good looking lawn through early July.  In the past month though, crabgrass has started to take over.  Any guess as to what I might have done wrong?  Anything I can do other than reseed in the Fall to try to turn things right?

A: Hello fellow CT resident!  Yeah, I hear this one a lot.  The truth is that these crabgrass control products are very finicky.  They need to be applied at JUST the right time, and at JUST the right rate.  Otherwise the control is less than optimal.  They really only hang in there for about 3 months, and they need to be applied before the crabgrass gets going.  Too early and they wear out too early.  Too late and you're stuck with a lawn full of crabgrass.  

I get around this problem on high pressure lawns (lots of sun, and a history of crabgrass) by doing 2 Spring applications.  One in April (to make sure it's down in time) and one in late May to carry me through August.  I'll still see a few blades of crabgrass popping up in September, but it's really not too bad.

For now, I'd plan on aerating and overseeding in Mid September, then water daily to let the new stuff fill in.  The crabgrass will be weakening at that point, so the good stuff can out-compete it.  Next year, try the double application strategy.  Until Mid-September, just enjoy a few glasses of a nice $15 bottle of wine!  I hear there's a nice blog about wines out there somewhere.....

Helpful Product Links to consider:

Manual Aerator for Smaller Lawns

Great Full Sun Seed

Sun & Shade Seed

Good Leaf Rake (for scratching the lawn up to mix the seed back into the aerator holes)

New Products I Love!

Whenever I try something new and it earns my seal of approval, you'll hear about it first! Here's the two latest cool gadgets that I've tried. You've got to love the ingenuity here. Just click on the name to find out more details, price and availability.

Manual Core Aerator: Okay, so this will take some work and sweat, but if you pick up a few of them, invite the guys over and put out a cooler full of iced down beverages of choice....., you could have a pretty effective "Aeration Party." It'll be cheaper than renting or buying a big gas powered model, and it will do the same work for you! Not advisable on lawns much bigger than 5,000 square feet though. Just try to keep the holes spaced about every 3 - 4 inches.

Wheel Pump Sprayer: This thing is great on several levels. As you push or pull it around the lawn, the wheels build up pressure that allows you to spray the weeds. Just push it ahead and spray the weeds behind (so you aren't walking through the weed killer). When you're done, there's a release valve to let out the excess pressure. A great way to allow you to efficiently and effectively take care of those weeds.

For a list of other items and goods I've reviewed, click here:

Chris' Favorite Stuff

Video: Grubs in VT in August?

Interested in Your Own Video Consultation?

If you'd like me to create a video consultation just for you, here's how!

1) Send me an email to TheLawnCoach@aol.com detailing your lawn issue. Include as much background as you can think of and any digital photos you have of the lawn, and the specific issue.

2) I'll respond with any further questions.

3) I will post your video consultation, and I will leave it up for a while so that others may benefit from it too.

4) TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!

Cost: FREE!!!

E-Mail: TheLawnCoach@aol.com

Video: Converting Crabgrass to Lawn Organically

Eli from North Carolina asks if there's any way to convert crabgrass to a nice lawn organically, and preferably quickly! Well, there's no quick fix but there IS a way to do it organically and EFFECTIVELY. Watch my video response below!

Column: Bermuda in Raleigh

The Lawn Coach™
Bermuda in Raleigh

By: Christopher J. Brown

Q: Hi Chris! I just moved into a new home in Raleigh, North Carolina. The lawn has been neglected, and looks really bad. It appears to be mainly Bermudagrass, but there’s lots of brown mixed in with the green. How can I get it back on track?

A: Thanks for writing in! Luckily for you, Bermudagrass is about as hard to get rid of as that slimy, burnt, greasy stuff that coats your barbecue grill. Supposedly that scunge adds to the overall grilling flavor experience, but it really just skeeves me out. If it weren’t the only thing holding my grill together, I’d probably rent a sandblaster to get rid of it. But I digress…

You see, some grass species have just leaves and roots. Others, like Bermudagrass have spreading tillers as well. These tillers spread outward from the base of the plant (where the leaves and roots meet) and pop up new plants all over the place. In fact, if you’ve ever seen one of those science fiction movies where the lower branches and roots of a forest start growing super fast and wrap around the legs of the expendable sidekick while dragging him or her deep into the earth to a particularly gruesome death, you’ll get an inkling of how fast Bermudagrass can spread under the right circumstances.

This fast spreading can be both good, and bad. You see, once those tillers grow, they don’t then “un-grow” once they are no longer needed. New ones keep doubling back over the old ones until you have a thick pile of these brown, tough, ropy things. Now, you’ve created a true monster. This is what is known as excessive thatch. That’s bad.

So, what to do!? Well, we’ve got to get rid of that excessive thatch. To do that, you need to dethatch. You do that with a dethatcher. See how that all works? The dethatcher has a bar on which a bunch of blades spin around vertically and rip up lines of dead thatch through the lawn. This exposes the soil and gives the existing plants room to breathe and spread. In particularly bad cases like I assume yours is, you’ll want to do it twice, in two different directions. This will make a sort of criss-cross pattern, and it will get you much closer to ideal circumstances. Once you have torn out a good amount of dead stuff, you’ll need to rake it away and get rid of it. Sorry. To me, that’s the real pain in the neck, but it is unavoidable.

NOW you’ve got a nice, thinned out lawn of crummy looking Bermudagrass. Trust me; we’re not done just yet. Now that you’ve gotten rid of the main problem, you’ll need to give the lawn a nudge to get back on track. I’d recommend a nice organic fertilizer, AND some overseeding with a good blend of high quality Bermudagrass seed. Basically, after dethatching, spread the seed all around the lawn and quickly brush it in with a rake. The seed will mix with the soil in the torn up areas, and will breathe some new life into your lawn. Just make sure to water, water, water! In about 6 weeks, you should notice a huge difference in lawn quality.

Good luck, and let me know how it comes out!

Column: The Men in Black Socks

The Lawn Coach™
The Men in Black Socks
By: Christopher J. Brown

Q. I have a dog that seems to feel the need to evacuate his bladder from time to time. This habit seems to be having a detrimental effect on my lawn. I’ve heard that tomato juice will help. Any suggestions?

A. Let me begin this answer by saying that there is actually a top secret branch of our federal government that is dedicated to keeping pets off of lawns. They are the “Men in Black Socks” (or MIBS). My next door neighbor Herman is our local agent. He wears the trademark mid-calf black socks along with seersucker plaid shorts and a skin tight white tank top with a rank-designating coffee stain. Just look down our street any day during the Summer and you’ll see “H” yelling at some child or animal to get off his lawn!

While just about every neighborhood has at least one agent by now, they don’t seem to be having much of an overall effect on the damage done by doggie wee wee. So let’s take a more scientific approach to this matter and help save the government all those wasted salaries.

Dog urine has a very high concentration of ammonia. Human urine probably does too, but whenever I’ve tried to test this theory, my neighbors got pretty upset. One of the main components of ammonia is nitrogen. This is also the primary nutrient in fertilizer. Now, I’m always trying to hammer home the point that there can be too much of a good thing. This is the perfect example.

The concentration of the ammonia right at the um, “point of impact” is simply too high, and the grass dies off from a NOD (Nitrogen Overdose). If you’ll look though, you’ll notice that the grass surrounding the dead stuff is actually lusher and thicker than the rest of the lawn. This is because the edges get a lower concentration of the nitrogen that is more akin to a localized fertilizing.

Before you feed your dog any sort of dietary addition to lower the ammonia concentration, please speak to your veterinarian. Unlike lawns, the NFL, and the entire Police Academy movie series, this is not an issue I can intelligently speak on. Suffice it to say, I have heard many conflicting reports as to the effectiveness of this approach. My belief is that these remedies may lower the ammonia concentration by a certain amount. If your dog naturally produces just a bit too much ammonia, the slight reduction may just do the trick. If your dog naturally produces way too much, then I doubt any dietary changes will help.

I can tell you that watering the areas that the dog prefers will help by dissipating the ammonia before it has a chance to kill the grass. This will take some diligence, and it’s not foolproof, but it should help depending on how well you keep up with it. Just make sure the area in question is being watered daily. If you have any unplanted areas of the yard, you may also wish to train Fluffy to take care of business in those spots. With a combination of watering and training, you should be able to minimize the damage.

By the way, I overheard Herman speaking with another agent through his chewed cigar-butt communicator this morning. Apparently once you join the MIBS, your friends and relatives actually will continue to recognize and remember you. They’ll just pretend not to.
Got any questions? E-mail me at TheLawnCoach@aol.com. Maybe your question will be answered next time!

Column: Crabgrass as party animal!

The Lawn Coach™
Crabgrass as Party Animal.
By Christopher J. Brown

I am often asked about whether or not crabgrass is truly a significant problem in home lawns. If it is, what is the best way to deal with it? I have not been asked this question recently, because as I write this there is about 6 inches of crusty, icy snow on the ground. Once the snow melts, my phone will start ringing and likely will not stop until the temperatures are sufficient to fry bacon on a sidewalk.

The truth is that crabgrass is not simply an otherwise harmless type of grass with a bad name. It’s a very invasive species of southern grass that absolutely loves heat.

Imagine that every Summer, our beautiful northeastern temperate climate was overrun by a bunch of hedonistic, beer swilling college kids who had simply never stopped partying from Spring Break. Since our Summer temperatures are similar to those of South Beach in Spring, the kids simply worked their way up the east coast in order to keep the party going indefinitely. In the meantime, the fed-up locals abandon their houses and move to Ohio to get away from the ruckus.

Once the temperatures cool in the Fall and the bikini contests taper off, the unruly band of partiers begins to gradually work their way south again and leaves behind their empty beer cans and scratched Jimmy Buffet CD’s. All that’s left is a bunch of trash and empty homes with only a scattering of die hard residents to clean up the mess.

Crabgrass is basically the agronomic version of these youths, except there really isn’t any fun involved. During very hot months, crabgrass thrives impressively and your existing lawn suffers terribly. Instead of moving to Ohio though, your lawn dies off since it is completely unable to compete. When the cool weather arrives, the crabgrass dies off and leaves you with a bunch of dead, empty patches where decent grass used to be.

In order to stop the youths from a repeat performance, let’s pretend that local officials create ordinances making it illegal to drink beer that costs less than $2.00 for a six pack. The trick is to create an environment in which these people do not want to live.

The same approach can be used effectively for crabgrass. There are a variety of products that can prevent new crabgrass from growing. Generally, these products do so by blocking the key hormone that triggers seed germination. If the application is done correctly and timely, you should get some very good control. These products must be applied before crabgrass starts germinating. Crabgrass germinates when the soil temperature reaches about 60 degrees, which is usually after the air temperature is closer to 70 degrees consistently.

There are many different chemical products that can offer control over crabgrass in this way. There are also several brands of corn gluten that claim to offer similar benefits chemical free. To be fair, the corn gluten does not provide results that are even remotely close to the results achieved with the chemical products. That said, if you are looking to avoid chemicals, corn gluten is probably your best choice. You just need to accept that avoidance of chemicals will result in less consistent and dependable results. As long as you are aware of this, I feel strongly that you should move forward in the way that you feel best.

As with many things in life, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevent the crabgrass before it becomes a problem, and you won’t have to deal with the headaches it can cause once it has shown up to party.

Column: TTTF is A-OK!

The Lawn Coach™
FYI, TLC with TTTF is AOK.
By Christopher J. Brown

Q: I read one of your previous columns, which had some recommendations for watering lawns. Well, I thought I would pass along my own experiences as a good lesson for those who are battling drought stress. I have been living in my house for several years, and our lawn was the worst on the street when we first moved in. I wanted a nice lawn, but I also wanted to take an environmentally friendly approach. I decided upon a good variety blend of Turf Type Tall Fescue (TTTF), and over-seeded my lawn with it two years in a row. Now, I have never had to water my lawn, and it is now the best on the block. Perhaps you could pass along my experiences with planting a heartier variety of grass instead of using chemicals and excessive water to maintain weaker, more popular varieties.

A: This is an excellent point, and I thank you for bringing it up. I believe that balancing beauty with responsible land stewardship is an important goal we should all strive for. In fact, I have a recurring nightmare in which Al Gore shows up at my house to show me an impromptu two hour long slide show on environmentally friendly lawn care practices. Before you jump to the wring conclusion though, I want to point out that the environmentally friendly part doesn’t scare me. It’s just that in order to keep me focused throughout the slide show, well… did you ever see “A Clockwork Orange?”

TTTF is a variety of grass that has been bred from Tall Fescue, which is a very hearty but coarse type of grass. The original types were also very patchy, and were often mistaken for crabgrass. Through extensive cross breeding efforts in a laboratory with lots of steaming beakers, scientists were able to create varieties that are less coarse, and grow far more evenly. These are the “Turf Type” varieties. These became very popular for “transition zone” lawns because they bridged the gap between warm season grasses and cool season grasses. In areas like Maryland, Virginia, Tennesee, Kansas, etc., lawn nuts like me are in a bit of a pickle. See, the warm season grasses that are so popular in Florida, Texas, and other southern states will turn straw brown during the cooler winter months. The cool season grasses that we use in Connecticut will simply not tolerate the intense Summer heat. Tall Fescue seems to be one of the few grasses that is well suited to this environment.

Since Summers can often get ugly even up north here, TTTF is a very viable option that can reduce your efforts, water bills, and headaches considerably. It will also withstand wear and tear from weekend soccer games much better than the other, more popular grasses like Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass. If I have learned anything from watching 3:00 am infomercials with a credit card nearby, it is that nothing is actually a miracle product. TTTF is coarser than varieties of grass that you may be used to. It is a bit harder to grow in from seed, and it absolutely will not help you lose 30 pounds in 30 days with only 3 minutes per week of effort.

If you are a) not all-consumed with the notion of having a golf course fairway for a yard, and b) tired of the constant struggle to keep your current lawn alive, then TTTF is a great option that you should strongly consider. To do it, rent a core-aerator and punch a ton of holes throughout your yard. This usually means that you’ll have to go over the lawn twice. Then take a normal fertilizer spreader and spread about 5 lbs of seed to every 1,000 square feet of lawn area. Finally, water daily until the grass grows in fully. I know I already said that TTTF doesn’t need as much water, but the seed does. Once you have a good lawn, you can stop watering. It may go a bit dormant from time to time, but it should withstand most summers far better than the rest.

Plan on over-seeding with TTTF for at least two years in a row. After only one season, the coverage may not be 100%, and the lawn could look a bit patchy. The second aeration and seeding should fill that in nicely. If you feel as though you’d like to give this procedure a try, you have my blessing and utmost support. In the meantime, if you see Al Gore walking around Connecticut with a slide projector, please tell him I’ve moved.

Column: Let Them Eat Processed Sewage!

The Lawn Coach™
Let Them Eat Processed Sewage!
By Christopher J. Brown

Q: A friend recommended that I use Milorganite to fertilize my lawn. What is this, and is it as good as regular fertilizer?

A: Milorganite is simply a type of fertilizer, but it has a few characteristics that set it apart. In fact, if you have any relatives in Milwaukee, you may well be utilizing their leftovers. When I use the term “leftovers”, I ain’t talking about the uneaten food.

The name “Milorganite” is actually a composite of MILwaukee ORGAnic NITrogen. In a nod to the peculiar rules of English spelling, an E was added on the end to make the word sound better.

This product was first made as a by-product of Milwaukee’s sewage treatment plant in 1926. Some scientists analyzed the nutrient content and found that it had the grade of 6-2-0 (more common, synthetic fertilizers are more like 20-5-10). You may recall from a previous column that this means it has 6% Nitrogen, 2% Phosphorus, and 0% Potassium. In truth, there is a little potassium, just not enough to make the label. Since the nutrient concentration is three to four times lower than typical fertilizers, you would need to apply three to four times as much for the same effect.

When you open a bag of Milorganite, you’ll immediately notice that it smells like a warm apple pie that has been carefully and lovingly dropped into fifteen thousand gallons of raw sewage. Actually in all fairness, they do a heck of a job in reducing the odor. Still, you’ll find it less preferable to the fertilizers you are probably used to. Keep in mind though that in 1926, this stuff was practically Chanel #5 compared to the actual sewage sludge that was previously used.

The only drawback to using all organic fertilizers like Milorganite is that they are temperature dependent. Organics require soil microorganisms to break them down before the nutrients become available. The microorganisms in question happen to be quite lazy when the soil temperatures are cool. If you were to fertilize your lawn with Milorganite in Early April, you may not see any significant results for up to a month and a half. This can get frustrating.

One of the added benefits to using an organic source like Milorganite is that you are literally feeding the microorganisms in the soil. Without getting too technical, that’s a good thing. In fact, the nutrients your lawn gets are actually by-products of the microorganisms feeding. If you think about it, your lawn is actually getting nutrition from a by-product of a processed by-product of last year’s Thanksgiving dinner. If that isn’t the perfect circle of life, I don’t know what is.

I do have one added suggestion though. Since the Potassium concentration is so low, you should consider picking up some inexpensive potassium fertilizer in the form of sulfate of potash. The grade on this will be 0-0-7. As I struggle with the urge to make a James Bond joke, I’ll point out that one application per year of the potassium will be completely sufficient. The other thing I’ll point out is that sulfate of potash is basically crushed up rocks. You can feel comfortable that this is also a natural product.

Though Milorganite shouldn’t be looked at as some sort of panacea, in certainly can be used as a positive addition to your overall lawn care strategy.

Visit me on the web at http://thelawncoach.blogspot.com/ or e-mail me at TheLawnCoach@aol.com. Let me help you be the envy of the neighborhood!

Video: Grubs in July?

I received an E-Mail from New Milford, CT recently asking about a potential grub problem in July. Watch this clip to see my response!

Video: Starter Fertilizer and Weed & Feed Together?

Click below to see a helpful video clip. I answer an e-mail from someone in Massachusetts who wants to know if he can apply Starter Fertilizer and Weed & Feed at the same time.

What Do I Use?

I'm often asked about the products and equipment that I actually use. Well, by popular demand, here's a list that I intend to simply keep on adding to and amending as I find even better stuff! Just click on the name to find out more. Drumroll please?......................................................................................

The Garden Weasel!: This is the best tool in the world for seeding small bare patches in the lawn. Just toss a little seed down, mix the seed into the soil with the weasel, and add water!

The Mantis: Need a little more muscle and lasting power than The Garden Weasel can offer? It's time to step up to The Mantis. This makes short work of those bigger areas that need to be ripped up.

20 - Inch Reel Mower: I'll bet you didn't know these things still existed, did you? For smaller lawns, why not save some coin on gas prices? AND, get a little bit of a workout too. This baby is easy to use, environmentally friendly AND does a good job. How can you beat that?

Chipper Vac: If you keep up with the leaves AS YOU SHOULD......This machine will reward you handsomely. It vacuums up the leaves, chips them finely, and bags them for easier disposal.

Bermuda Grass Seed: FOR SOUTHERN CLIMATES ONLY!!!!!! A great seed for those hotter climates.

Tall Fescue Seed: If you don't know about Tall Fescue, take a look at my columns. This is my favorite brand.

Sun & Shade Seed: Northern Climates! Great all around stuff for that lawn that has it all.

Full Sun Grass Seed: For Northern Climates Only! Need I explain more?

Fertilizer Spreader: A serious spreader for serious weekend warriors.

Let me know what I'm missing! I could go on with this for about an hour, but YOU need to tell ME what you're looking for. Deal?