Written by Barbara Gee
In Rhode Island turfgrass is a big deal. The turfgrass industry is one of the largest in the state. Research conducted by the plant sciences department of the University of Rhode Island has gained the university a national reputation as a recognized authority on the subject. “The Skogley Memorial Turfgrass Research Facility at URI is the oldest turf research facility in the USA,” says Dr. Brian Maynard or the plant sciences department. “The turf industry in RI basically owes its existence to research and outreach conducted by URI.”
Selecting the right grass
If you are starting a lawn from scratch, as with any element of your garden, it’s worth taking the time to plan and do it right. Assess the site and your requirements for that site. Is it in sun or shade, or a combination? Will it get high or low traffic – family football games or a quiet reading area? How do you want it to look – manicured or more natural? What type of soil do you have? Questions and choices – but they’re yours to make, and there is a grass to meet every need.
The staple New England grass is 100% Bluegrass says Glenn Chappell of New England Turf in West Kingston, but he says they incorporate different species in with the Bluegrass to create mixes that serve a variety of purposes. Examples of mixes would be Bluegrass and Fescue, and Bluegrass, Fescue and Rye. NET’s Farm Manager Mark Pearson says they also grow Shortcut Bluegrass which is a dwarf variety that you can mow up to under half inch. “It=s great for the golf course industry but also for the homeowner who likes a tight perfectly manicured look. It=s a very pretty grass but you have to be prepared to mow 4-5 times a week.”
Maintaining a lawn
Nothing beats getting professional advice from lawn care companies. John Bannon owns Coastal Care in Pawtucket and says he is happy to come out and give you a free estimate on your lawn. “No customer is too small,” he says. “I’ll help anyone in anyway I can.”
But in short, a lawn needs water, food, air, sunlight and regular haircuts. If you have a healthy lawn then the problems won’t be too daunting. If you inherited a lawn it is wise to find out what grass is in your lawn. You can take a strip of it to your local garden center, or stop by a sod farm in your area. They will identify it for you.
Recommended watering requirements are about one inch a week. Regular watering helps establish a deep root system. You can measure the amount of water you’re putting on your lawn by placing straight-sided cans around to catch the water.
Dealing with weeds can be as painful or painless as you choose to make it. Tim McGuinness at the Olde Bristol Ferry House Bed & Breakfast in Portsmouth finds digging dandelions out by hand relaxing and therapeutic. His lawn reflects the care he puts into it – dealing with weeds before they take over. The web site for SafeLawns.org (www.safelawns.org) has plenty of information on non-toxic lawn care and getting rid of weeds.
Mowing
Joe Gibson of TrimLawn Landscape & Lawn Services in East Providence believes correct mowing is key to a healthy lawn. “Mow high,” he says. “Three inches – for shade and photosynthesis. Less light is able to reach the soil surface which means it will be shaded and therefore provide less opportunity for weed germination … Higher mowing also provides more grass blade leaf surface so sunlight is more readily absorbed helping with photosynthesis.”
A higher cut, according to Gibson, also improves appearance because “it looks thicker from a distance, blemishes are less noticeable, and the grass has a deeper root system.” He adds that the color will also be better due to the shaded soil.
Experts agree about leaving the grass clippings on the lawn, unless they are too long when they will choke the lawn, and look messy. Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual and founder of SafeLawns.org says “Grass clippings decompose quickly – they are 80% water and organic. They recycle nutrients back into the soil.”
To feed the grass a fertilizer with 20-5-10 ratio is usually advised. Normally two applications are recommended one in the spring and one in the fall. And whether to put lime on your lawn or not is a regular question gardeners have. Lime helps raise the ph level of the soil to make it less acidic. If you haven’t done a soil test to determine the ph of your soil then the normal recommendation is 50 to 100 pounds of lime per thousand square feet every two years.
Pests and diseases are an indication of a less-than-healthy lawn. But don’t whip yourself into a frenzy if you see birds pecking at the grubs in your lawn, or you see ugly rings in the grass – just identify the problem and get advice on how to deal with it.
If you have a grass that is adapted to your site and to your uses the best advice I can think of is to let nature take care of it. A brown lawn in the summer is part of living in RI. It does not mean the lawn is dead simply that it is a cool weather grass and goes dormant in hot weather. If you see folks with lush bright green lawns in August then they are putting a lot of water on it. When there are water bans don’t worry about your lawn – it will come back.