Question
QUESTION: I have a house in East Hampton that I use constantly during the summer.  Despite considerable money spent on a reputable (?) lawn service, the back yard last year was very disappointing.  The strange thing is, the first year we had the house, the lawn seemed to be in perfect condition.  But each year it has gone downhill, and it seems that no matter how much I spend on this lawn it gets worse.  The new lawn service I hired last year said there was a type of fungus attacking the lawn, but even after several applications of various chemicals which I paid for, the lawn just never seemed to respond.

I am a city resident and completely in the dark about this kind of problem.  I am dreading another summer with a lawn of patches and dead grass (plus these enormous bills for treatments that never seem to work properly).  Do you have any advice for someone like me?

--Going Broke in the Hamptons
ANSWER: Fungus -- insects -- grubs -- starvation -- anything can go wrong with a lawn.  And yet, as you point out, you do not have to be a botanist to know a problem when you see one.  

In fact, all over America, gardeners who use chemicals are calling lawn services and typing emails to Master Gardeners about grass on its way downhill.  And like you, no matter what they do, or what they spend, the lawn gets worse.

First, the bad news.

The worst is yet to come.

Why?

Because Spring is in the air!  Good, right?

Not if your lawn is sick.  And this means YOUR lawn.

Spring is perfect for "Spring Dead-Spot Disease", "Brown Patch" and scores of other Fungus Blights.  Major problems.  Homeowners up and down the Eastern Seaboard are just hoping these problems will go away.  Instead, unfortunately, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

We do not know what kind of grass you are growing there for sure, but I would guess you have either Bentgrass or Tall Fescue.  Lawn services like their grass to look terrific.  It's great advertising.  And the best, most terrific looking lawn in East-Hampton-By-The-Sea is going to be made of one of those.

As a City Mouse, you are stuck with whatever the Professional Lawn Services recommend.  And that, madame, is why it is SO good that you have written to ME.  And best of all, it's FREE!  You don't owe me a dime!

Golf Greenskeepers are under constant pressure to keep their greens looking and playing perfectly.  You'd think they would be lining up to get the next secret formula weedkiller or funguskiller.  But that's not the case at all.

Instead, most Greens associations are constantly looking for new, improved ways to get away from chemicals.  Some of their nonprofit groups even fund research.  Lawns and golf courses are weakened by un-natural chemicals, which must be applied by trusting people who believe the TV commercials starring healthy, happy families with a beautiful house, green grass everywhere.

Applying more Fungicide will just line the pockets of the chemical company that makes it.  Your lawn is sick.  Take it easy with the chemicals.  Better still, just plain stop using them.

Because healthy grass never gets sick.

So if you are the lawn-lover who paid thru the nose to have your grass adoringly mowed, fertilized and weed-killered/grub-killered etc your Hamptons lawn, STOP!

Note that STOP! includes a halt to all fertilizer in addition to the various and sundry $20 words you have been pouring and sprinkling on the grass at your house.

In sick lawns, all the earthworms and microbes are dead.

Have your soil, which is probably very sandy, tested.  If it is clay, aerate it to bring in oxygen and oxygen-loving bacteria.  Amend it with Horse Manure (available free all over the Hamptons from anyone with a horse), Compost and Humus.  Give that grass something good to sink its roots into.

As for grubs or beetles, well, we can go back to the chemicals situation.  Healthy lawns never get sick.  If Grubs are attacking your turfgrass's roots, it's because nothing is attacking them.  They have carte blanche and they are very busy in that lawn.  When you wipe out microbes in your soil with chemicals, the Grubs grow out of control.  And then you have a grub problem.  There should be only a few Grubs under your patch.  DON'T BUY GRUB KILLER -- that's just ANOTHER CHEMICAL that will do more harm than good.

You can buy good bacteria and good fungus to attack Grubs.  Go to Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com) and check their cure for lawn Grubs.  Remember, this won't work if you put down Grub Killer.  It'll just be one chemical after another.  And to tell you the truth, once you're off the chemicals, the Grubs will exit.

Now, let's discuss your choice of grass.

There are lots of new, improved grasses on the markets.  These are honest to goodness BETTER grasses than you could even buy 1 year ago.  One of the newer brands on the market is "Seashore Paspalum".  This new grass is showing absolutely remarkable tolerance for the kind of high salinity conditions you find on turf grown right next to the beach.   Golf courses as far north as Atlantic City have installed it on their greens and their golfers are raving about it.

But Seashort Paspalum is borderline-hardy on Long Island. The length of our winter, and exposure to freezing temperatures below the rhizomes, are the biggest limiter.

This is a grass that actually does better when dosed with lots of Salt Water!

Fungicides are toxic to Rhizobia bacteria.  If you don't know what those are, you wouldn't think twice about killing just another microbe.  But some plants can't survive without Rhizobia.  ALL Legumes are like that.  And you personally are going to need Legumes to build nutrition back into the soil for your lawn.  If you put any more Fungicides down, you'll wreck not only a bunch of Fungus, but the Nitrogen-fixing plants that will fortify your new grass.

I hate when that happens.

By the way, one critical micronutrient for this Nitrogen fixation is Molybdenum.  Sandy soil, acidic soil with a pH less than 6.0, and soil high in Manganese and Iron often do not have enough Molybdenum.  Save that thought for future use.

Yes, I know it sounds confusing at first.  But you're from the big City and I have total faith that you can follow this logic.  Consider that you did not have a high income job, a high level of education, and high reading and science test scores -- and then imagine sitting down to that information.  How much would stick?  Can you see why it is important to know these things if you are going to correct your current lawn disaster?  Can you see why it is critical to know exactly what is going on with your grass?

The buck stops HERE!

This is not difficult, but it would be overwhelming for some people.  I could go on and on.  But the best thing here is for me to stop, and wait for you to review the details and follow up with questions.  Private or Public, either is fine.  There is time on our side.  You can have an outstanding lawn this year.  And you can do it the old fashioned way.  The Earth is Round.  And you, my friend, are an Intelligent Gardener.

RSVP with your questions.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Very good. The predicament for me is that this is somewhat overwhelming, to say the least. I would like to be able to devote this kind of time. I am by personality a hands on person. But there is just too much here for me to deal with and realistically, I honestly do not see myself doing this long term. Moving forward, can you provide a simple list or solution? Step by step, one at a time? Something easy?

Answer
Very simple recipe for a world class lawn, my friend.

Right now, it is time to do 2 things.

1.  Identify the kind of grass you have.

2.  Purchase Cornmeal Gluten based preemergent weedkiller for yourself.  Get it ready to use.  And when you see the forsythia bloom, it is time to use the weedkiller.  Make sure there is no moisture on the grass or this will not work.

3.  Mow -- and DO NOT catch the clippings as this is done.

4.  Top-dress with a high quality humus or aged manure -- high the quality.  You want an inch to go down right now.  The sooner, the better.

If you're feeling ambitious, get a soil test from a major soil lab testing facility.  And email me the results.

Good to hear from you again, Carine.  Keep in touch.