Lawn Care

Simple pleasures

I know this photo doesn’t look like much. It’s a commercial site lawn with too many weeds in it but this photo makes me smile! Why? Because I remembered to mulch the lawn.

Since I don’t always get to mulch lawns it was nice to do it at this commercial site where I’m in charge. So, I locked the mower in its mulch position and started mowing.

Good or bad?

Now, I know that some lawn “experts” online disagree with the idea that leaving grass clippings in the lawn is free fertilizer. I’ve run into a few on sites like Quora.com and they gave me a lot of unsolicited-but always appreciated!- feedback.

Don’t worry about them. Leaving grass clippings in the lawn is good for your lawn.

It also makes mowing much easier because you don’t have to stop to empty your mower bag; and there aren’t any green waste disposal issues. That made me very happy on this early Saturday morning. I just mowed without stopping and I didn’t have to worry about tarp collection. Good progress makes me happy when I’m not working by the hour. The morning sun also helps.

Of course, dry conditions are best for mulching. Don’t do it in wet conditions because the grass will get clumpy and it will stick to your mower deck. It will also clump up on top of your lawn and ruin the neat look we are after.

Mulch on dry days when you barely even notice the clippings.

As we slowly exit July, our West Coast lawns are slowing down and, where there isn’t any irrigation, they may go dormant. So, this is a perfect time to try lawn mulching if your mower model allows for it. You’ll have more fun and your lawn will thank you.

Tiny lawns

Yes, it is OK to pull a lawn mower backwards but only when you’re mowing a small patch. When a patch of grass is very small, it makes it awkward to turn around with your machine. So, we move in and pull it back. And we repeat the process until the grass is cut.

Pretty laser lines on small patches of lawn don’t even show up properly so we need not stress. If you try to turn around with your mower, you will most likely step into planted beds and cause other problems.

Larger lawns

Larger lawns are a different story because mowing backwards makes it extremely difficult to cut in straight -laser!- lines. You will inevitably lose the lines and either:

a) Create “mohawks” or uncut sections of lawn surrounded by cut lawn. A week later these mohawks become pronounced and detract from your clean cut lawn presentation. Fixing them takes time.

b) End up cutting sections twice which is a duplication and a waste of time.

Well-cut lawns have beautiful straight lines and this is accomplished when we push the mower, not pull it. Pulling your mower means that you’re not looking at the lines properly.

Danger!

Another problem is safety. Mowing backwards means that the mower is moving towards your feet not away from them. One slip or hesitation and your foot could end up under the mower deck with potentially severe consequences.

Speed

Mowing backwards is also much slower than pushing the mower forward. It’s hard to get a good rhythm going when you mow backwards. Pushing the mower forward the way it was intended allows you to build speed and force while staying on course.

So, if your lawn is too tiny to allow for full mower turns, then by all means push it in and pull it out until it’s done. On larger lawns it doesn’t make sense to mow backwards. Finish your line and turn around properly so you’re correctly line-up for the next pass.

Happy mowing!

Someone asked me the title question online recently. So, let’s see. If you’re talking about the game of soccer, then turf wins! Why? Because the turf is nice and even.

So many times I’ve seen my 11-year-old son miss easy shots on goal because the grass was bumpy and it threw the kids off. On turf my son would bury those shots, four times out of five.

Problems with turf

There are a few problems with turf. It’s expensive and it heats up. When it heats up in summer, it can off-gas and it requires watering. At least, in theory. In practice, I have yet to see a club hose off the turf before matches.

On one crazy day in White Rock, 2-3 years ago, with temperatures in the high 20s, my son complained about the heat. Not just about the temperature but about his feet. It turned out that his expensive plastic cleats sucked up the heat and made it extremely uncomfortable for him to play. I think his team gave up over ten goals that day. Nobody cared to water the playing surface.

The rubber bits must also be replenished once in a while; and I’ve seen references to goalies falling sick from playing on turf with rubber bits on top.

Players also suffer more injuries on turf.

Grass

I like to see my son play on natural grass, even though Santa Claus had to bring him a plastic cleat cleaner. Also, municipalities no longer use chemicals and the grass is cooler. It also gives off oxygen.

My son likes to point out the frequent imperfections in natural grass. The grass surface can be bumpy, water pools up in some areas and turns to mud.

Grass maintenance also costs money. Municipalities have to cut, aerate, fertilize and top-dress grass fields.

I believe the biggest drawback is water. Athletic fields have a thick sand base to prevent water from pooling up which means that they have to be watered more to keep them in decent shape. Thus, we get concerned citizens calling city departments during water restrictions, asking why the athletic fields are receiving so much water. This is the reason why: they are built with thick sand bases that drain quicker.

If I could, I would have my son play only on natural grass.

As I scrolled through my group newsfeed on Facebook, I noticed a lawn care post about blade edging. Finally, I found a brother in the United States who appreciates good blade edging. Here’s why you, too, should become a blade edger freak.

No lines

This picture isn’t very inspiring, is it. Left untouched, the grass will creep over and cover up the stepping stones. And that will defeat the purpose of having them installed in the first place.

To keep the grass creep in check, most landscapers will buzz down the edges. It’s not pretty but it arrests the creeping grass.

Also, note that line edgers are too weak to re-establish the hard edges. So, what do we do? I’m glad you asked!

Sharp lines

This is much better. To accomplish this work, we use a blade edger. Hit the engine, use the spinning metal blade to locate the hard edge, sink it in and follow the line. That’s it.

If you’re new to this work, kick the grass until you see the hard edge. Then rev the engine and sink the blade in.

If you encounter resistance, don’t be afraid to step back and hit the line again. Note how the sharp lines guide your eyes straight to the house. I find this extremely pleasing.

Final step

The final step involves blowing the stepping stones along both edges so the lines are nice and clear. Always pick up any grass chunks this work creates. Nicely re-established, these sharp lines should hold for a long time. Touch them up when required.

In online lawn care forums, many lawn care dudes use blade edgers to re-establish lawn edges but all subsequent touch-ups are done with line-edgers.

I don’t recommend this approach because the line edger isn’t as precise as the blade. One exception would be a day when your blade edger isn’t available. You decide.

If you love blade edging, embrace it because it’s normal.

We are still in mid-February so it will be a while before we mow. But here are a few things to consider before the new lawn care season starts.

Plow damage

I see snow plow damage every winter. And every winter I sympathize with the snow dudes, as I fix their mistakes. They usually show up early in the morning when it’s dark, on sites they may not know at all; and they’re rushed and exhausted.

So, watch your language and clean-up the damage. Bring in some soil and overseed in spring when temperatures are high enough for seed to take.

It will happen again next year. Guaranteed.

Deep edging

Winter is a great time to re-establish lawn edges because we have time for it. Once you hit spring you won’t have time for it. So, use an edging shovel and re-establish your edges. It gives you nice definition.

Make sure the shovel hits at ninety degrees and clean up any soil chunks. Remove any weeds and cultivate for a nice, fresh look. Some companies like 2 inch edges but I like them deeper. If you can’t bust your ankle, it’s too shallow. Remember, the edges will fill in over time; and some careless workers crush them with their boots.

Off-set your starting point

Check out the dark green lines in the lawn pictured above. This is a really common mistake in lawn care. People start mowing at the edge, every week, like robots. And over time, we get deep grooves developing in our lawns which detracts from our presentation.

What we want to see is a nice uniform green lawn. Not deep grooves. So, how do we correct this? By off-setting our starting point by a little bit. If the line edger has to do a bit more work, so be it.

Fight deep grooves in your lawns!

This week is the third week of July and that means it’s time to buy nematodes to your lawn, if it’s suffering from European Chafer Beetle damage. Chafers are invasive insect pests and the larvae feed on the roots of grasses which causes serious damage to lawns.

Animals looking for grubs can destroy your lawn overnight.

Then later we get animals digging up lawns looking for juicy grubs and lawns are destroyed overnight.

Chafer beetles are here to stay, too. But we can take the fight to them.

Juicy grub from this spring.

Nematodes

If you failed to pre-order nematodes earlier in the season then just go down to your favourite garden store and ask if they have any in stock. Nematodes are tiny worms that live in the soil. If you apply them correctly they will chase down Chafers in your lawn. Do this in late July.  You might want to read my previously published blog to see how I did it.

Chafer cycle

Chafer beetles emerge out of lawns and soil in June and fly into trees to mate. Then they go back into lawns to lay their young.

A very pregnant Chafer beetle heading for the lawn.

This is why the late July nematode application is critical. Once the grubs get too big the nematodes aren’t effective.

So, let’s review: buy nematodes in the third week of July and apply them in late July.

Follow the directions carefully. Your lawn should be soaked before nematode application and after. Also, remember that nematodes are photo-sensitive. Direct sunlight will kill them so apply them early in the morning or evening.

This is my blog post about my residential application. It might help you.

Lawn care

According to municipal handouts, healthy lawns should only need an hour of watering a week. Keep your grass at least 6cm high and leave the clippings on your lawn. The clippings serve as free fertilizer.

Conclusion

Keep your lawn healthy. If you have Chafer damage buy nematodes now and apply them at the end of July. Follow the directions. And pray!

Why do people install costly plastic lawns? This is a good question. And so is this one from a person on Quora.com, “Why would daycares install plastic turf?” Let’s take a look.

Easy maintenance

It’s easy to maintain plastic lawns. I imagine you just gently sweep them or hose them down. People are busy and maintaining natural grass is expensive. You need machines, time, gasoline or electricity, you have to deal with green waste and fertilizer purchases and it all requires effort. Probably weekly effort.

That’s why some people hire professionals like Proper Landscaping to keep their lawns beautiful; and some give up by making a costly plastic turf purchase.

Situations calling for plastic lawns

Chafer beetles

On the West Coast, our lawns are plagued by European chafer beetles. The larvae are in the lawns and animals come dig them up thereby destroying patches of lawn. Now, the cheapest fix for this is raking, top-dressing with soil and over-seeding. But it gets very old when you have to do this annually. All of a sudden, plastic turf starts to look attractive.

Animals dig up lawns looking for juicy European chafer beetle grubs.

Patios below grade

I’ve seen shady, below grade patio lawn patches that turned to nothing every winter. It was a constant fight to keep five narrow strips of lawn alive. So, the owners all opted for plastic turf because it eliminated the headaches with maintenance.

Dog damage

The first time I ran into a company installing plastic lawn was in White Rock. By the way, if you’re still considering plastic lawn after reading this blog post, then I can put you in contact with this installer. Now, back to White Rock.

The owners have a narrow lawn patch and a large dog. They also like to use their sunny patio. But the small patch of lawn was no match for their dog. The copious amounts of dog urine “burn” the lawn because it’s way too much fertilizer for the lawn to absorb.

You can spray the dog spots with water in theory but in practice people just kick the dog out and let it do its business.

So, in this case, plastic solved their problem.

This used to be a nasty dog-damaged patch.

Poor access

One case from England showed an enclosed backyard where the only mower access was through the house! That’s not a good situation. I guess you could use a line-trimmer but you would still have to go through the house and the result would be a nice looking lawn. Here plastic lawn made sense.

The only access here is through the house so the owner opted for plastic turf.

The case against plastic lawns

I don’t like anything artificial in nature. If I had a house, I would either go for some sort of green alternative or I would maintain the lawn without gasoline mowers. If I had to use a gas-powered mower, I would definitely use Aspen fuel instead of regular gasoline.

I would never let my kids attend kindergarten with plastic turf.

Why not plastic turf? This is the key question.

Heat

Plastic lawns heat up and may require summer watering. And summer watering may not be possible with summer watering restrictions. A few years ago my son played a soccer match in sunny White Rock and the plastic turf was so hot, his plastic cleats were super hot. And I don’t even mention the off-gassing that may be going on as the heat hits the plastic. Right now, heat absorption is the biggest problem with plastic lawns.

Science notes

Maria Ignatieva, writing in Science (October 12, 2018, vol. 362, issue 6411) states that, “…..substituting …with plastic lawns eliminates real nature from cities and arguably reduces overall sustainability given that they reduce habitats, decrease soil organisms, pollute runoff water, and may have yet unknown negative consequences for human health through plastic particles.”

When I mentioned the above quote in my answer to the Quora question, some people got mad. I’m not saying you can’t have your plastic lawn. If you have deep pockets, do it. It’s your lawn.

But, plastic lawns kill or severely diminish life in the soil because they limit water infiltration and cook the soil as they heat up. Also, not many organisms want to make plastic turf their home.

Conclusion

I totally agree with Ignatieva, plastic lawns are not the answer. Overall, plastic lawns heat up our cities and they remove real nature from them. I personally would never buy one.

But, there are some desperate cases where plastic eliminates maintenance headaches.