QuestionQUESTION: I am planning to overseed my lawn which died out in the draught last summer. I am looking for a fungus resistant seed. Any recommendations?
Also, I read one of your answers to another person with fungus problems. You advised, among other things, to stop using chemical fertilizers, "not even a little". Can I expect a healthy lawn without fertilizing it? Is fertilizing just a scam perpetuated by fertilizer manufactures? I have been using a mixture of urea prills and 12-12-12 in the fall at a rate of 2 lb nitrogen per 1000 sq ft. If "no fertilizer" is not recommended, should I be using a time release formulation instead? ---at what rate?
I am also installing an irrigation system, because I am absent most of the summer and cannot respond to dry spells. Any recommendations on how much and how often to water?
Thanks.
Chuck (Zip code 45140, near Cincinnati)
ANSWER: 'Scam' is a harsh word for it, but the truth is, now that we know what makes Grass grow, why shouldn't we use that science?
I'd say Chemical fertilizer is basically just old fashioned -- and I don't mean in a nice way, like that commercial that says they make money the old-fashioned way, they earn it. I mean 'old fashioned' as in, why we don't all get Suntans anymore, or use Leaded Gasoline, or segregate African Americans in the military. That's so... old-fashioined.
Of course, profit is never old fashioned. So there are some very successful companies that are making money that old fashioned way, as in, Chemical Fertilizers. The biggest is Scotts Miracle Gro, and even Scotts is dipping its toe in the non-Chemical business. I like to think it's because I have personally encouraged them, but odds are they had some very smart people sit down with a calculator and tabulate the market share they will have if they play their cards right.
So let me explain.
A few basics, first.
Ever hear of the '18 Rule'? That's a shortcut that tells you if a fertilizer is organic, or not. If the sum of the N-P-K on the fertilizer container is more than 18, it's not Organic. 12-12-12 adds up to 36. That's too strong.
Now, let's jump for a moment to a few basic things that I know you already know. And I point them out only because the pro-chemical fertilizer ads make no sense if you think about them.
I know you know that plants have genes that define specifically how large and colorful the blooms, how juicy the fruit, how green the Grass and various other traits any plant will have. Why then would over-fertilizing it make the Grass greener, or flowers larger, or fruit tastier? Im-pos-si-ble.
I know you're thinking, But when it rains, the Grass DOES get Greener. Why can't we keep it Green like that all the time? What's wrong with giving Grass an ongoing dose of Nitrogen? And if 6-6-6 is good, why isn't 12-12-12 or 18-18-18 or 30-10-10 BETTER?
OK.
Let's say you dose up your Grass with Nitrogen and there's a lovely Chlorophyll glow for the next day or so. The blades are growing like hotcakes now. How are the roots doing? How's the rest of the plant? The support system, it's way behind the Chlorophyll. In fact, it can't keep pace. So the fastest growing tissue becomes highly vulnerable to things like... Fungus.
Which is why, as I often point out, people who neglect their Lawns never seem to have a problem with things like Fungus.
Ever wonder about that, Chuck?
I know. Parents who innoculate their children with vaccines have kids who don't get sick. Parents who don't vaccinate have kids with Measles and Mumps and Chicken Pox and those other things. That's why the trend is to innoculate. But giving vitamins or vaccinations to your children is NOT the same as giving fertilizer to your Grass. Because people who over-manage their Turfgrass somehow seem to have the Lawns with all the Fungus. Funny, isn't it?
Why is that, Chuck?
I think it's because the lovingly over-managed Lawn is over-extended with all those powders in bags that are pitched so beautifully in TV spots and glossy magazine ads. I'm telling you, if PETA was this good at advertising, we'd all be running around in cloth coats and canvas shoes drinking smoothies.
The Scotts 5-Step System or whatever they're calling it this year is SO yesterday. NPK was invented in the 19th century. We just could not measure a lot of things 25 years ago that we can today. We didn't have the technology or the understanding. Now we have computers, we have new imaging systems to get up close and personal with proteins inside of cells and membranes, conduct rRNA analysis of Bacteria and Viruses in soil, study molecular phylogenetics, bring new ways to read the dusty 'Soil' brought back by Viking from Mars 30 years ago.
'The opacity of soil has severely limited our understanding of how it functions.' That's a quote out of 'Ecology in the Underworld', an article published in Science, June 11, 2004. That issue is devoted to Soil Science. The 3 scientists who wrote it tell us, 'It turns out that the soil food web is every bit as complex as the aboveground web, with intricate connections to its aerial counterpart.' Here's the link to that issue:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/304/5677/1613
In one abstract, 'Ecological Linkages Between Aboveground and Belowground Biota', scientists write:
'All terrestrial ecosystems consist of aboveground and belowground components that interact to influence community- and ecosystem-level processes and properties. Here we show how these components are closely interlinked at the community level, reinforced by a greater degree of specificity between plants and soil organisms than has been previously supposed.'
Chuck, I can tell from the way you worded your question that you know what that paragraph says. And I know you can tell that the authors are telling fellow scientists that they have discovered some serious NEW relationships between plants and organisms in your Soil that they did not know about long ago. The article will go into detail about their research.
In one very recent issue of Plant Physiology, researchers described 'Interactions between Arthropod-Induced Aboveground and Belowground Defenses in Plants.' (They've discovered some new ways that certain Plants repel Insects.) A May 2003 issue of Plant Physiology featured a piece on 'Root Exudation and Rhizosphere Biology' (All about chemicals you didn't know about coming out of the roots of, say, your Grass). 'Mechanisms of Cross Talk between Gibberellin and Other Hormones', one of the more popular articles, came out in July 2007 (How Gibberellin alters effects of Abscisic Acid, Auxin, Ethylene and Cytokinin, plant hormones that shape everything from germination to flowering to dormancy).
There is a LOT of work being done by some very smart people on Soil. Their work just requires a little translating. I know that most people are not going to give a hoot about the Fungi on the Jungle Floor. But they would be real interested in how it matters to their Landscape.
So now, instead of old-fashioned techniques, You can use newly introduced 'biostimulants' for your Grass roots. These are Organic products designed to accelerate plant growth. Humic Acid is one of them. It improves CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), raises cell membrane permeability, hikes up the Phosphorus (K) uptake, root and cell elongation and ion transport. Who needs Nitrogen fertilizer when you can give your Grass biostimulants?
Not very long ago, I was one of those people who figured that it was important to avoid Pesticides and Weed killers. But I didn't see any reason we should worry about N, P or K. Not until I realized that the forms we use out of a bag damage the Soil. I was one of those people who went out to do yardwork, and if I wasn't done digging at dusk, I just kept on digging until I was good and done; if it rained, I worked in the rain.
Today, I know this was devastating to the Soil structure. It ruptures Fungal hyphae, rattles the arthropods, screws up all the things down there that make Soil good for the Grass, the Roses, the Perennials, the Trees, the Vegetables and Fruits and Herbs.
To go back to your specific question about Fungus resistant Seed, sir, there's a ton of work pouring out of research centers just on Grass Seed, believe it or not. Because this is a very, very big business.
Even Scotts is in on it -- and re-names a lot of the top Seed introductions before they repackage.
Nothing wrong with that, nothing illegal, nothing unethical. And it's reasonably priced. The best Seed is going to be the new model, and probably sold in a Scotts package, with a reference to improvements and/or strengths like Fungal resistance.
Remember, though, that the best way to fight Fungus is to keep your Grass healthy, and water late in the day, deep and long but ONLY WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE WATERED.
Which brings us to your automatic sprinkler.
This is a very nice little invention. But it needs to be carefully monitored. It's not like the washing machine, where you throw the clothes in and go back later and everything's clean. You MUDY make sure this auto sprinkler is not watering Grass when it's raining, not watering Grass when it's still wet from yesterday, or 2 days ago, or this morning when it rained.
If you don't, you'll be overwatering your Grass. And this is a very nice treat for Fungus spores.
I am going on way to long on this and I haven't even begun to talk about Soil Science. But let me just say one more thing if you don't mind.
It's something I've said more than a few times. It's about Grass Fungus.
Fungi of all kinds are ALWAYS in your soil. You know how a wet towel will develop Mildew if you leave it in the corner on the floor of the bathroom? Fungus spores are everywhere. They're all over your house. They're in the kitchen (moldy bread), in the living room, in the den, in the bath.
My teenage daughter leaves her wet towels on the floor every day. If no one picks them up, Mildew starts to grow. I can smell it.
There's no Mildew in the den, or the kitchen, or the living room.
But it's there on that towel in the bathroom.
Why?
Is that because we have MILDEW-RESISTANT CHAIRS AND SOFAS?
Is it because we spray Fungus killer ALL OVER THE KITCHEN?
NOOOOOOOOO!!!
It's because the chairs and the sofas aren't sitting on the bathroom floor, in the dark, soaking wet and cool -- perfect conditions for the Mildew that is all around us.
Same with your Lawn, Chuck.
Red Thread. Slime Molds. Stripe and Flag Smuts, Rust, Powdery Mildew and DOZENS of other Fungus fugitives, waiting to break in and ransack your Grass.
But they need VERY specific conditions to grow. Like moisture. No moisture, no Mildew. No water, no Grass Fungus.
Not even for Fungus-prone Grass!
OK, it's bedtime. Sorry if I've rambled. Short question, long answer. Your followup(s) invited and thankyou for writing, sir,
L.I.G.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Any recommendations on "non-chemical" fertilizers, or should I stay away from them as well? I have seen some mention of corn gluten meal. Is that beneficial? I think the gluten is protein, so it would have some nitrogen (good or bad?).
Much thanks.
AnswerThe key to growing Grass doesn't lie in bathing it in Fertilizer.
It's natural to assume that a monoculture like a Lawn demands diligent use of NPK. Especially N. But remember, we're not just growing Grass. We're growing cultures of highly specialized bacteria in the Soil -- food factories. We've both read in a hundred places that plants don't care where their N comes from, right? We've both read that your Grass is perfectly OK with dinner from Miracle Gro; in fact, a Miracle Gro dinner is bigger than the snack-sized portions served up on tiny dishes by the life in your Soil. What they forget to tell us is that those snacks are delivered 24/7, and they aren't so small when the temperature's rising. Microbe metabolism goes up with the thermometer. So does Grass. So it's GOOD that those snacks are in constant supply, paced with the growth rate of the Lawn they're feeding. And this is why you want to keep your MICROBES well fed and healthy. Not your Grass.
So how do we do that? How do you keep the microbes happy?
Well, you definitely don't fertilize them. Fertilizer is a SALT by definition. It stings. Microbes don't like it. Earthworms hate it. Ants, Beetles, Pillbugs -- ouch! So those concentrated Fertilizers are not only inferior as food, they are uncomfortable for everyone.
Oh... if you're thinking about slow-release fertilizers, figure these are improvements, but how are you going to rev them up when it gets hot and rev them down when it cools down? What's better, an artificial heart or a real one? Same difference.
So we now come to my speech about Soil testing. Which I will provide in a condensed Reader's Digest version.
Say you want to bake a Cake. You get out the recipe, find out what you've got in the refrigerator, in the cabinets, make a list and go out and buy what you need. Right?
You don't just get out the recipe and jump in the car to the grocery store. You check first. What do I need? Got eggs? Check. Got milk? Check. Got flour? Baking soda? Vanilla?
What's in your Soil?
You didn't check?
How are you going to grow Grass if you don't check that first?
You're not just going to get all the Eggs in the house and put them in the cake, right? If the cake only needs 3 eggs, you aren't going to put in 4. Because the cake wouldn't be right with 4 eggs. Or 9. Or 1. The cake needs 3 eggs.
Your Grass needs NPK and a LIST of other things that you PROBABLY already have. What's the pH? You need to know! How's your CEC? You've got to find that out!
And don't forget that your Grass is preprogrammed via DNA to do 'x'. Overloading it with NPK or anything else is not going to get it to do 'y'. But it will lower the quality of your Grass. That is a definite. Plus too much of some minerals is just like too many vitamins. Excess Iron is BAD! Excess Phosphorus is BAD!
Get yourself a Soil test. Your local Cooperative Extension will do that for you for a modest fee. It is the step no one wants to bother with and it will SAVE YOU MONEY. Because if you have P, you don't have to buy P. You don't have to buy K if you have K.
And all the microbes down there... they will make all the N your Grass needs. That includes N-fixing legumes like Red and White Clover.
To answer your question about Corn Gluten Meal: CGM is primarily a pre-emergent that gradually decomposes and injects a gentle dose of Nitrogen when it's done interrupting the germination of Weed Seeds. You're right, the N comes mainly from the Protein in the Gluten. If you want to treat your Grass to something special, get your hands on some Humic Acid. You can topdress with Compost or Humus; spray with various mixtures off the internet (sometimes available at your local garden center); or make some concoction if you're up to it out of Compost 'tea' or Alfalfa vitamin pills. If you have any bare areas, throw some Alfalfa or other Green Manure Seed in that spot asap to thwart any Weed Seed plans in the works, then overseed in the Fall with real Grass.
Oh... Remember that just because a bag or bottle is labelled 'organic' it doesn't have to be good for your Grass. Everybody wants to cash in on this stuff. Don't waste your money.
Above all, when you watch those very nice commercials, bear in mind they are filmed on sets. The families are actors. The dogs are pretend pets. Even the soundtrack and voiceovers are carefully chosen to tap into the Male Consumer and his shopping psyche. Plus, there is nothing real about their Grass. Their job is to sell their product and get you to buy as much of it as possible.
In a free country, it is the responsibility of the individual to be informed. Anyone who knows that Gluten is Protein is ahead of the game. Wayyyyy ahead.
