Garden Friend: Enjoy a Low Maintenance Lawn
MIDDLETOWN - The Connecticut Flower Show was as enjoyable as ever this year and some of the lectures were informative; one of which I enjoyed was on low maintenance lawns.

       Low maintenance lawns use less water, are mowed three to four times a year and don’t need to be fertilized like conventional lawns. I’m not one for keeping my lawn looking perfect, but to have a nice looking lawn without a lot of mowing got my and my husband’s attention.

       The low maintenance lawn is based on using non-conventional grasses. Conventional grasses used for a typical lawn are Kentucky Blue and perennial ryes, which take a lot of maintenance. To keep that type of lawn looking really green takes a lot of fertilizer high in nitrogen. A fair amount of watering is also required. All the fertilizer can then be washed into the sewer system, which then gets into our waterways and eventually the Long Island Sound--one of the main contributors to the algae bloom problem.

       For your non-conventional lawn, Fescue grasses are the best. Some of the varieties are red creeping, chewing and tall fescues. They do well in most soil types in our area. Sheep fescue is good for dry, acidic, poor soils. Hart Seed in Wethersfield is a good resource for lawn seed and what will do best.

       The first thing to do is test your soil. It is easily done with the local UConn extension service. This will be a good start as to which type of grass is best suited for your lawn.

       Next is to kill the existing weeds and grasses before planting the new seed. There are many ways to accomplish this. It can be done with a standard weed killer, but take care to not let it drift into gardens. Organic weed killers are also available.

       Once everything is dead, the old turf can be silt cut to a depth about 3 to 4 inches. Then, broadcast the new grass seed. Using the old turf in this manner makes a mulch of sorts until the new grass takes hold. Rototilling is really not recommended because it will actually disturb some old weed seeds. Weeds generally grow faster than grass and they will take over before the new grass has a chance to establish itself.

       White clover added to the seed mixture will be a benefit to the lawn; it helps to replenish the nitrogen used by the grass.

       The best time of year for this undertaking is not in the spring, but late summer or early fall. There is usually plenty of rainfall and the temperatures are cooler. It will give the grass plenty of time to establish itself.

       One of the biggest drawbacks to this type of lawn is it cannot stand up to heavy traffic. So, if there are kids and dogs in the yard it will not hold up well.

       The company that gave the lecture is Smart Lawn. Check out the website at www.smartlawn.biz .

       Who knows, it could be the start of a beautiful and different lawn.
MORE MIDDLETOWN NEWS  |  STORY BY JEANIE FALCO  |  Apr 16 2014  |  COMMENTS?