Question
Kenneth,

I live in West Windsor N.J. and have been battling my plot of land (1/2 acre) for a little over two years (on an extremely tight budget). The property line has tall, old trees which have been there for decades. The trees block long exposure of sun to the grass and thus moss has taken over. I tried the fertilizers, seeding and the likes but each year it looks worse then the past. Those areas of the lawn that don't have moss growing have been taken over by weeds.

Can you please explain some of the following concepts:

1. Soil testing for a Do it yourselfer.
2. Grass type recommendations for my area.
3. Lyme use
4. Overview of seeding & fertilizing timelines.
5. Moss control
6. Weed control

Thanks!


Answer
1. Rutgers do this for a cheap costs and it is the most reliable method.
http://www.rcre.rutgers.edu/soiltestinglab/
Here are the Mercer County contact information: http://www.mgofmc.org/rutgers.html

You mail in a check for a soil test and they send you back an envelope with a plastic bag and a form to fill out. You take a few soil samples (instructions enclosed) and mail the soil test back to them via the post office. In 7-10 days you get a full report including fertilizing recommendation. They can also give you information on how to treat moss. Just note the growing conditions and your problems on the form.

2. For shady areas in New Jersey, use a bag of mixed grass types formulated for shade ("shady lawn" mixture). You can read the lable on the back. It should be primarily fine fescues (which will be noted on the lable as CREEPING RED FESCUE, HARD FESCUE, OR CHEWING FESCUES).

3. If your soil test show soil pH below 6.0 then you can lime, but do not lime if soil pH is 6.0 or above. In most cases, you can lime every 3rd or 4th year, but it is generally better not to lime unless you have had a soil test done. Rutgers will give you liming instructions based on your soil test, too.

4. establish new lawn in spring or fall. Now or end august are best times with fall being absolute preferred. You can sow seeds now and then repeat (overseed) in fall to thicken up the lawn.

(see below for more information)

Fertilize in spring and fall, but never in summer. I like to fertilize in late spring, early fall and late fall. This would be late May, early September and late October. Do not fertilize in June, July and August especially with fine fescues. Since you will be planting grass seeds now, do not use a fertilizer w/crabgrass preventer or other weed control products.

5. Moss is an oppotunistic but weak plant which require consistently damp soil (for example as found in shade) and which can grow on hard compact soil (such as that found under mature trees). Moss can even grow on concrete if kept consistently moist.

Moss will not outcompete grass, but conditions can be so unfavorable that grass will not grow there and moss will take over.

I recommend that you consider pruning the trees by removing any braches below 8-10 feet in height (use a ladder and sow them off). If you can afford it, you can also have an arborist come in and open up the canopy of dense trees, or even remove individual trees. If not, then just removing branches as high as you can reach is preferred. The more sun which comes in and dries out the top of the soil the better it is.

You should also loosen the soil. I prefer to use a roto tiller (can be rented for $25/$50 for 1/2 or 1 full day). Till the soil to a dept of 6-8" deep and then rake smooth. Do not do this too close to the trees. Leave a 5-6 feet ring around the trees where you do not plant grass and do not roto till (e.g. a so-called "mulch ring"). Grass will never grow well here anyway, so it is better to make a defined ring/border away from the trees than trying to get grass to grow right up at the trunks. When you till, you may find lots of large and small roots. Pull these out to the extend you can. If you find very large, thick roots, leave them or you risk the trees blowing over in hard winds.

If you give the new lawn as much sun as possible, let the surface of soil dry between waterings, and give the grass deep, loose soil in which to grow, the grass will compete with the moss. If you grow the grass in very deep shade, on hard compact soil, and with consistent moisture, then the moss will win out.

6. I recommend that you dig up all weeds you can get to with a shovel before you roto till the soil. Otherwise do not worry about weed control now that you are redoing the lawn. In future, you can use fertilizer w/broadleaf weed control (e.g. such as Scott's Turfbuilder 2+2 .. the one with the dandelion on the outside of the bag). This is not the same as crabgrass control (crabgrass is a grassy weed, not a broadleaf weed like dandelions, clover, etc).

You can use a fertilizer w/broadleaf weed control as your May or September fertilizer applications. Normally fertilizer should be applied to a DRY lawn and watered in immediately (or applied when rain is expected). But there is ONE exception: fertilizer w/broadleaf weed control should always be applied to a WET LAWN so the grannulles can stick to the leaves of the grass (and weeds) and should be left on the leaves for 48 hours. Always read the instructions on the fertilizer bags carefully.

If you want to control weeds in addition to your fertilizer applications (or seperate from) you can also buy a bottle of Ortho's "Weed-B-Gon" and spray clover, dandelions, etc as they appear. Follow directions on bottles and spray on mild days (not hot sunny days) and use as directed.

A few notes:
- when you sow grass, first loosen soil to a dept of 1". If you have just roto tilled the soil, then just rake smooth. Spread 5-6 lbs of grass seeds per 1000 sq feet of lawn area. Use a "shady lawn" mixture with fine fescues being the primary (highest percentage) grass types.

- After you spread grass seeds, you MUST keep the seed bed consistently moist until the seeds germinate (sprout). This because the seeds will die if they are allowed to dry out. Therefore water frequently (2-3 times daily) for 10-15 minutes each time. Do not allow the soil to dry out at any time. A battery driven water timer ($30 at home depot) can come in handy. You can also apply when rain is expected and cover the seeds very lightly with straw (a bale of straw will cover approximately 1000 sq feet). The straw will help keep the soil below slightly damp.

I am aware that moss also likes these conditions, but you must keep the seed bed slightly damp for the seeds to germinate.

In 14-21 days the seeds will germinate (sprout) and you can then gradually change from a frequent/shallow watering pattern to an infrequent but deep watering pattern. E.g. over a period of 3-4 weeks, gradually increase the time betwen watering and the amount of water you apply. The goal is to water infrequently but deeply, such as once per week for 2 hours (instead of several short times per day). The first week after grass sprouts, you reduce to one daily watering, then a week later to every 2nd day, and then every 3rd day, etc while you increase the time you water.

Once the lawn is established (+4-6 weeks after sprouting), you should water infrequently but deeply. Still the first season, it is good to water during hot summer months atleast once or twice per week. Whenever you water, water deeply (not just a quick dose, or you favor moss and kill grass). Do let the top of the soil dry moderately between each watering to ensure that moss is kept back.

Remember: deep, loose soil, infrequent and deep watering patterns (except while establishing seeds) and moderate fertilizer in spring and fall will help fight moss.

Mow grass high and mow frequently. Mulch the grass (with mulch setting) instead of bagging. Let the grass clippings fall down onto the lawn to decompose. If you mow frequently (weekly in spring/fall, every 14 days in summer) and mow when the grass is dry, the clippings will not mat down and just fall between the grass to the ground. Especially in shade it is important not to mow below 2.5-3.5" (meassured after mowing).

Good luck
Kenneth