Many summertime lawn ills can be prevented with some attention now. The secret to a good lawn is to have it in the best condition possible before the stresses of summer begin, states David Robson, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.
The major lawn problem in the Midwest is death of the grass due to drought or diseases, with drought conditions this year being the main culprit. To avoid these two problems, your grass should be well rooted into the soil, have a minimum of thatch, adequately but not excessively fertilized and either properly watered or allow to go dormant in dry weather.
Start by digging out a plug of turf and examining it for thatch. This is a brown-to-black layer of old roots and rhizomes above the clay soil. If the layer is more than 1/2 inch thick, core aerify. A core aerification will make 3 inch deep holes every 2 inches or so throughout the lawn. The holes will penetrate the thatch mat allowing a better infiltrate of water and nutrients to the grass roots.
If bare areas larger than three square inches exist, dig out the dead grass, thatch and roots, then loosen the soil. Sow a blend of three or four Kentucky bluegrasses and no more than 25% perennial ryegrass in these spots. Rake the seed gently into the soil and firm with the back of a shovel or a light roller. Moisten and cover with a light layer of straw. Don't apply a complete lawn fertilizer to the entire lawn until mid-May.
Crabgrass preventer should be applied in early April. If you have done any reseeding, be sure to use Tupersan crabgrass control which kills some germinating annual grasses, but won't do much damage to
-more-
222/Lawns
your new grass seedlings. Wait until May or September to apply weed control for broadleaf weeds. Keep the grass mowed at 2 to 2 1/2 inches tall and mow often enough to remove only an inch or so at each mowing.
If the weather turns dry, you have the option of allowing the grass to go dormant or watering. If you opt to water, wait until the grass wilts, then apply one inch of water early in the day. Put a tin can under the sprinkler so you know when you have an inch of water. Do not apply water until grass again wilts. Shallow watering or watering every night is disastrous to a lawn because it kills the deep roots and stimulates shallow rooting.
If you have a severe thatch problem or shallow rooting, diseases will sooner or later attack your grass. Regular core aerification and dethatching as often as you can afford it will eventually break down the barrier between the thatch and soil beneath enabling the grass to root deep into the soil.
Chemical control of ring and patch diseases has met with very little success. Where the diseases have become so severe that the lawn is essentially destroyed, the only remedy may be to remove the entire lawn, prepare a seedbed and reseed.
