A neighbor was fertilizing his grass this week. I thought: Is it time for me to start getting my lawn in shape?

Of course. This is what Ive done every spring. Its what you do if you have a home with a yard, in America.

But: More people are opting out of lawn care. For now, that shift is largely in places with freshwater shortages, and its mostly because arid towns and cities are placing restrictions on watering. But in 100 years, our great-great grandchildren will look at our lush lawns as quaint and distasteful, much the way we remember previous generations that blithely threw trash out the car window.

But: It is not 2114. It is 2014, and the social expectation now is that when you buy a home in a neighborhood full of green lawns, you keep your lawn green. It is, in fact, not only a cultural norm, but an economic pact. My fescue contributes to a collective curb appeal that benefits the property values of all. Its neighborly.

But: That lawn makes you a poor citizen of Earth. The fertilizer we use leaches into the ground and causes algae in lakes and rivers. The weed killer is dangerous to animals and aquatic life. In trying to approximate nature with our patch of green, we are harming it.

But: This is true of many choices we make. We could always do more for the environment, no? We could bike to work instead of driving. We could live in a home with less square footage to heat. We could drink from nothing but glass. Easing our ecological guilt is a Sisyphean exercise. Well never get that boulder to the top of the hill.

But: The same is true in reverse. The more you care how your lawn looks, the more time you put into seeding and watering and mowing and raking it.

But: Thats what 12-year-old sons are for.

But: Theres an emotional commitment, too. The better your grass looks, the more obsessive you get about it. Being great at lawns is like being great at golf. You never truly appreciate the successes, because the joy is ruined by that one miss, that one patch of crabgrass. Plus, both cost a ton.

But: That money is an economic driver. The lawn care industry contributes about $25 billion and 900,000 jobs to the economy each year. And it helps provide income opportunities for sons looking for spending money.

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Each spring, its not easy staying green

The road to Boulia at a spot where rain has brought relief.

A BLACKENED landscape splashed with green and devoid of livestock, or animals of any kind except flies this is the impression one gets travelling around the states north and far west at present.

Rain around Winton has given the countryside a brilliant emerald green tinge and brought on a frenzy of grasses madly seeding and reproducing, and its a heartening sight to see a triple road train loaded with cattle crossing a grid into a property for a change, rather than hauling another load off to whatever market the landholder can find.

Then you travel north from Kynuna towards Julia Creek and come to the sobering reality of bare ground again, with a few green weeds giving evidence of the only shower of rain that country has received, or north west to McKinlay where all the symptoms of a green drought are standing out very green shoots carpeting the ground but very short.

In other places good grass growth is yellowing and drying out for lack of a follow-up drink.

None of these scenarios will suffice to give landholders reason to restock or feel confident about the approaching winter.

Click on the image to see a gallery of photos from the state's north and far west.

McKinlay mayor Belinda Murphy says all thats been received is storm rain, not a general break to the season.

Rainfalls range from 150mm to 15mm and most people I talk to say that by June or July theyll be back to where they were last October. It wouldnt get us un-drought declared, thats for sure.

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Landscape a mosaic of black and green

A recent proposal has the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee contemplating a procedural change in lawn care. Under the proposal, brought forth by the Physical Environment Committee, university groundskeeping would take an all-natural approach to the care of grass on campus.

Ryan Sorenson, a member of the Physical Environment Committee, says the change will be beneficial to students.

I think if the lawns are well kept, students will have an increased experience. Not only will the grass look nicer but students will be able to enjoy it more, said Sorenson. It will be nice for students to study or just relax on the lawn.

The universitys Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Nelson, who also serves as a member of the Physical Environment Committee, agrees with Sorenson.

I know kids who if you give them a patch of green will just lay down in it, Nelson said. I want the grass to look nicer, but I also want it to be healthy. I want students to enjoy the lawn.

Unlike the current method of lawn care, which kills weeds through the application of chemical fertilizers and herbicides, all-natural lawn care aims to reduce weed growth by creating healthy soil. The process which includes aeration, over seeding and composting, allows the soil to become rich with bacteria, microbes and nutrients needed for thick, green grass.

Currently, the department of Finance and Administrative Affairs is evaluating the proposal. All-natural lawn care is three to four times more expensive than the current method of lawn care. Nelson says the extra expense is worth it.

While direct cost is greater, the indirect cost in terms of sustainably, is much less, Nelson said. All-natural lawn care is better for our waterways, our insect health and ultimately our health.

If university administration approves the proposal, the new lawn care protocol may begin this semester.

I would love to see it [all-natural lawn care] be enacted this spring, said Nelson.

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The grass may be greener at UWM

Tribune photo by John Byrne - Dirt patches, void of grass, dot the football/soccer field at Reed High. RHS athletic officials are focused on improving the field quality by the start of the fall sports season.

It's no secret the football field, which doubles as the soccer field at Reed, is among the worst fields in northern Nevada. RHS athletic officials have been busy working with groundskeepers to strategize and put a plan into effect about the best way to rejuvenate the playing surface on the east Sparks school's football/soccer field.

"That's really our focus right now," Raiders athletic director Ron Coombs said. "We got the rocks back out there and those are there to discourage the weekend warriors. Reed is seemingly at times used as a public park. People find their way onto our field. The rocks are designed to keep people off. We're also doing some fertilizing with seeding."

Grass struggles to grow on much of Reed's field. That leaves weeds in place of grass and leads to many large bare patches of playing surface. Poor maintenance practices in the past and inadequate drainage issues are big reasons why the quality of the Raiders' facility falls far short of the Raiders' quality football product on the field.

Reed's football team is the winningest program in northern Nevada over the past decade but while the RHS gridders gain even more consistent success, the field is consistently poor. Still, veteran Reed football coach Ernie Howren said the playing surface does not affect what his team can do under the lights on fall Friday nights.

"It doesn't affect us," he said. "It's just a little disappointing, more of a pride thing. We'd like to have our facility look better, especially for who is out there working so hard, our football and soccer players. But, that's where we're at right now. There's not a lot of money in the district and the kind of money we're talking about is something nobody has right now."

Coombs believes there are multiple factors that have led to the degradation of Reed's facility. The first is the school district's decision over a decade ago to use effluent water rather than fresh water on the field's sod. Coombs cited soil specialists who have shared with him that the field has a top layer of high salt concentration, due to using effluent water.

In order to break up that high salt concentration, Reed's grounds staff has been overwatering the fields and over-seeding areas. Still, Coombs wonders how effective that can be if the same effluent water is still being used.

"That salt layer needs to be broken up," Coombs said. "On the advice of the district, we've done what is called salt flushing. We're overwatering to try and flush that out. We're really just trying to break up the soil so it can breathe and grass seed can germinate.

"But I asked the same question. Are we breaking up that layer by using the same effluent water? There probably will be some negative effect too, but it's what we've got. We've got to break up that ground because right now with that salt layer, we can't get great root growth."

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Reed leaders working to improve football field conditions

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March 1st, 2014 11:00 am by Marci Gore

Although were not completely out of the woods yet, the warmer, sunnier weather weve had these past few days does hint at the end of what has been a very long and very cold winter.

Local gardening expert and horticulturist Roy Odom II says now is the perfect time to think about getting our gardens and landscaping ready for spring and summer.

February is a great time to prune fruit trees and fruit bushes, Odom said. Mainly what you want to do is just remove any overgrowth, anything thats just really sticking out.

However, dont prune anything that blooms in the spring, Odom advises.

Anything that blooms before June, things like azaleas, rhododendrons, forsythia, dogwoods, red buds, you dont want to be whacking on right now. If you prune those right now, youre cutting the bloom buds off, he said.

Odom says February is also a great time to check for any winter damage.

With the cold weather, theres a lot of burned foliage. But dont get too eager to start cutting things back. Keep in mind that just because foliage is burned, this doesnt mean that the stems and trunks are dead, Odom said.

It is also a good time to cut back liriope, sometimes called monkey grass, Odom said.

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Late winter a good time to plan garden

Q My sister from Minnesota sent me a clipping of a Forum article (Jan. 11) in which you had a photo of pink paintbrush grass (Melinis nerviglumis Savannah).

I am interested in finding this grass, and Im wondering if it is available around the country. The soil here in Amish country is very rich. Would this grass do well here, or is it more of a prairie grass?

Joyce Nickel, Lancaster, Pa.

A I received much mail regarding the beautiful photo of the Savannah paintbrush grass taken at the North Dakota State University display gardens. It is native to Madagascar and the African grasslands.

Because it is hardy only to Zone 8, just the Deep South can consider it perennial. The rest of us across the United States can enjoy it as a beautiful annual grass attractive in flowerbeds and containers. It will do beautifully in Pennsylvania as it does across much of the country.

Rose-pink flowers/seedheads rise above slender blue-green grass foliage in an attractive, round clump. When blooming, the average height is 14 to 18 inches. Plants can be spaced 9 to 12 inches apart and full sun is preferred.

Seeds are easy to start indoors and should be planted 10 weeks before outdoor transplant date. A March 15 indoor seeding date will produce nice transplants by late May. Seeds are available through one of my favorite companies Park Seed http://www.parkseed.com.

Q Although Ive addressed rabbit problems in previous questions, judging by the mailbag, this continues to be serious trouble for homeowners this winter. Readers have indicated that rabbit numbers are at near-plague levels and damage has been extensive to shrubs, evergreens and young trees.

They have eaten my clematis vines down to soil level, and have begun tunneling lower. What can be done in late winter to avoid complete demolition? On behalf of all whove written Ill sign this

Elmer Fudd, Almost Everytown

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Fielding questions

Spring is just twenty days away. Even though Old Man Winter keeps hanging on; dont be fooled. Spring will arrive. When it does, I plan to be ready. My first proactive action is to attack crabgrass. (It really makes me crabby.) I love a beautiful lawn so I will be ready in plenty of time to prevent most of those ugly, grassy nuisances from every showing their faces in my presence. (I told you it makes me crabby.)

If your lawn was damaged this past summer chances are that there is open ground ripe for crabgrass. Even the best of lawns may have an invasion along the driveway and sidewalks. So, when, where and what should be done?

Crabgrass is a summer annual grass that germinates in the spring and dies with the frost in the fall. Hot, dry environments, like Kansas summers, encourage crabgrass because cool-season lawns are struggling at that time. Crabgrass will often take over if the lawn is not well taken care of. A healthful lawn is always the best weed preventer.

There are two chemical methods to control crabgrass: pre-emergence (before it appears or slightly after), and post-emergence (after it appears).

Pre-emergence products dont actually keep the seed from germinating; instead just after germination the new plant absorbs the chemical from the soil and dies. With few exceptions, most crabgrass preventers will have no effect on existing crabgrass plants. Crabgrass germinates when the soil reaches 55 degrees or warmer for 3-5 days at the inch level. This happens typically around May 1 so April 15 is a good date to shoot for if a spring application of product is made. Note: not all spring weather cooperates with gardeners. A good indicator for timing product application is to watch the Eastern Red Bud trees; when they begin to reach full bloom its time to apply crabgrass preventer.

Dimension and Barricade are the only two products that will give season-long control of crabgrass from a single application. In fact, they can be applied much earlier than April 15. Dimension can be applied as early as March 1 and Barricade can be applied in the fall. Both will retain their effectiveness. Because of the way these products work (killing seed as it germinates) new grass seed cannot be planted during the same season.

If you need to plant grass seed in the spring (fall is the better time) here are a couple options:

i. Tupersan can be applied while seeding. It will allow the grass seed to germinate while preventing crabgrass and various other weeds. The drawback is that it must be reapplied in 8 weeks and is not overly effective as a weed preventer.

ii. I prefer allowing grass seed to germinate and two weeks after it emerges from the soil applying Dimension. Dimension is one of the rule breakers because it can kill crabgrass at germination and in its very young stage (2-3 leaves). Dimension is also the best choice when treating a lawn that was planted last fall. It is kind to young tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass seedlings.

Note: Products that contain Dimension and Barricade may use the common name rather than the trade name. The common chemical name for Dimension is dithiopyr. A product with this in it is Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper by Hi-Yield. The common chemical name for Barricade is prodiamine. This is found more often in a weed and feed product like Fertilomes All Seasons Lawn Food + Crabgrass Preventer. (It is best for your lawns health to apply preventers in April and fertilizers in May so using Barricade in the fall is a good idea.)

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Jamie Hancock: Get mean now in battling crabgrass

Rhododendron Blue Peter. Picture by ULF Eliasson

GARDENING

MOSS. Isnt it just a pain in the grass?

It creeps up on you and, almost before you know it, you appear to have a moss lawn.

Richard Day wrote asking my advice about his lawn at Magdalen Crescent, Cowes, which is suffering from the green invader.

He had the lawn replaced four years ago, first noticed some moss on it around a year ago and then, this autumn, it had become half moss, half grass.

"Unfortunately, the lawn is overshadowed by a large leylandii hedge and is very wet in the winter," he told me.

"I have looked on the internet but there appears to be conflicting ideas on how to deal with the moss. One is to replace it with artificial turf!"

I am afraid moss is an inevitable consequence of shade and moisture and the acidity from the leylandii hedge will give it a boost too.

If I was the sort of gardener who wanted a billiard table surface, I would consider myself plagued with the stuff because my lawn is probably more shaded than Richards, situated as it is beneath a canopy of oaks.

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Foster Lawn and Garden, 51 Huron St, Minesing 705-726-9189

Foster Lawn and Garden has been a staple of the Simcoe and Barrie region for over 22 years. Starting out as a single owner/operator Foster Lawn and Garden has now grown to be one of Barrie and areas most recommended Lawn Care, property maintenance and landscape companies covering estate properties, residential, and commercial clients for all their landscape needs, whether it be hardscape (interlocking stone, retaining walls), softscape (garden design, tree and shrub planting and sodding) or property maintenance.

Over the years, FLG has gone above and beyond to help our customers achieve a healthy and lush yard. Today, we now provide weed and grub control, in addition to our fertilizing programs, as well as chinch bug and the all new crab grass control at competitive rates. If youre looking for more advanced services such as dethatching, aerating, slit seeding. rototilling and tree and stump removal, we also have you covered.

When it comes time to spruce up your property for the spring and summer months, FLG can give you a helping hand with beautifying your landscape. If you want to start from scratch or if it is a garden makeover Foster Lawn and Garden can design, build and maintain it for you.

FLG isnt just there for spring and summer, but fall and winter as well. During the fall months Foster Lawn and Garden is there to help by offering Fall fertilizers, fall clean ups of lawns and gardens, tree pruning and removals. When it gets colder and winter sets in, Foster Lawn and Garden provides you with snow plowing, snow removal, sanding and salting as well as shoveling walkways and roof snow and ice removal. We can also provide you with Firewood to help get you through the winter months.

See for yourself how Foster Lawn and Garden strives to meet and exceed our customer's needs and expectations at a competitive rates Expect the best, were greener than the rest. Call Foster Lawn and Garden at 705-726-9189, email them at flg1966@live.ca

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Foster Lawn and Garden

The winds of spring have begun to blow, making it time to start preparing lawns and gardens for the upcoming growing season.

Before getting your hands dirty, it's important to find out what's going on beneath the surface of your yard.

"They should start with a soil test if they haven't had one in the last couple years," Mike Miller, host of Garden Hotline on KMOX radio in St. Louis, said.

The soil test will tell a gardener what nutrients need to be added to the soil to make it ready for spring.

Application of a pre-emergent herbicide is the next step for the person with a green thumb, but Miller recommends purchasing a soil thermometer rather than marking a day on the calendar for application.

"When you see several days in a row when soil temperature is 55 and up, that's when you should get pre-emergents," Miller said.

Pre-emergent herbicides need to be applied before the weeds have been allowed to germinate.

"The crabgrass roots are so strong," Candice Healey, sales representative at Weed Man in Carbondale, said. "Once they've established roots, there's not a whole lot you can do after a certain amount of time."

Healey's company uses a granular, slow-release fertilizer with its herbicides to feed the yard over a longer period of time.

"With slow-release, it sits there until it gets liquid," Healey said. "It will last longer, so it works over a period of time instead of just working and then stopping."

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Sprucing up your yard for spring