Mickler column: Time for a new lawn?

By Keith Mickler, County Coordinator

 

I have had many people call me after using a weed control product on their lawn to say "the stuff you recommended killed my grass," I remind them of the warning I gave, "you may only have weeds." Often this is the case with old, weedy, run-down lawns; the only cure is to start over!

 

So often the best solution is a complete redo. Many older, thinning, declining, weedy lawns need to be reestablished. As lawns decline and thin, the weeds move in. When you reach the point where there is less than sixty percent wanted grass, reestablishment must be considered.

 

In the process of redoing your lawn, attempt to determine why the lawn declined in the first place and correct it. It may have been just good old mal-administrative practices that were contributing factors in the lawn's demise. You just didn't know what the heck you were doing.

 

Common causes for lawn decline:

Soil compaction: from the lawn mower, driving our vehicles on the lawn and foot traffic from adults, children and pets will all result in the soil becoming compacted where our lawn grass grows. Compacted soil fallouts are, less water and oxygen getting to the grass roots and less than encouraging growing environments for the roots.

 

Nutritional disparities: unchanging fertilization can result in some fertilizer elements building up to excessive levels while other elements may be lacking. It's common to find high levels of phosphorus in older mature lawns. Phosphorus does not leach readily; other elements such as potassium however do leach readily. Over time, we'll end up with too much of some nutrients and too little of others, which contribute to lawn grass growth complications and decline of our lawns.

 

Tree antagonism: trees and larger shrubs compete with our lawn as well. As a tree gets bigger over time, they compete harder than our lawn grass does. The tree's demand for water and nutrients increases as it gets larger. Its root area becomes bigger and bigger and bigger and gradually cast more shade. Most all lawns will thin significantly when competing with older, large trees and shrubs.

 

Root pests' numbers may slowly build to damaging levels as a lawn ages. Some common examples include insects such as grubs and soil inhabiting fungi such as Gaeumannomyces (take-all root rot) and fairy ring.

 

Inappropriate lawn maintenance practices are often a contributing cause in the decline of older lawns. Common causal factors of a lawn's demise routinely include mowing the lawn too low, over and/or under fertilization and incorrect irrigation.

 

Sometimes herbicides are just a "band aid" tactic when dealing with an old, worn-out abused lawn. For more information on growing a healthy and exciting lawn in Georgia please visit: publications and/or georgiaturf.

 

Keith Mickler is the County Coordinator and agriculture agent for The University of Georgia/Floyd County Cooperative Extension. Located at 12 East 4^th Ave, Rome, GA 30161 (706) 295-6210. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension - Learning for Life. Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H Youth.  An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. To obtain extension publications please visit our web site www.ugaextension.com or contact your county Cooperative Extension office.