22nd Year No. 106r T.M. REG PUBLISHED FIVE TIMES YEARLY FOR LAWNTHUSIASTS —Friend or Enemy CLOVER IN LAWNS The growth of clover is an interesting phenomenon of nature. Farmers know that some years it grows more abundantly than others. For reasons hard to exolain it may disappear a season and reappear later without reseeding. About the same situation exists in the type of clover found in many lawns. Sometimes this clover is seeded by the owner, but often it is strictly volunteer. Its source seems a mystery. The expla- nation is that some clover seeds have an extremely hard, impermeable seed coat. Such seeds may resist germination or decay for 25 or 50 years. Even in a closely cut lawn, clover is apt to bloom and produce seeds. These fall to the ground and some eventually start new plants to continue the cycle. It Advantages of clover in a lawn lie in its prolific top growth and extensive root system. is somewhat more drouth resistant than grasses so it usu- ally stays green longer. As there is some spreading, almost vining growth close to the ground, clover may help the lawn present more of a green cover right after mowing. Even if the plant dies the roots add valuable humus to the soil. Clover takes nitrogen from the air but little more than is needed for its own growth. One disadvantage of clover is that it is not a grass so its vegetation is of a different texture. Another is that most lawn lovers object to the white blos- soms in mid-summer. Actually this is no longer a valid objection. Some of the newer controls for broad-leaved weeds are formulated so they do not Clover blossoming controlled by one June application of weed control. Scotts Lawn Research photo. 684-2-51 permanently injure clover plants. They simply inhibit the blossoming tendency, thus eliminating one objection to clover. If desired, weed controls may be used to practically eliminate clover. This requires applications at 3 to 4 week intervals through the summer and early fall. One or two such treat- ments will greatly reduce blossoming of clover. Where it is desired to bolster a lawn with clover it is suggested that the seed be sown separately and lightly in late winter or in the spring. Fall seedings are risky because of winterkill. In fact, another objection voiced against clover is that it may kill badly in severe win- ters, leaving ugly patches to be repaired in the spring. Some theories have been advanced that lime or fertilizers, used independ- ently or together, may have some bear- ing on clover prevalence in turf. There seems little basis for such contention. If a lawn needs lime, it should be applied and regular feeding is a neces- sity on all lawns. • SIRS: I used a package of Scotts Lawn Food plus Weed Control and the results were marvelous. One of my neighbors sent for a trial order and I helped him apply the material and again with satisfactory results. So Scotts fame is spreading in this neighborhood. Cornell, Wis. 6 ANDY BORK. Each spring various people advise the plant- ing of White Clover to control Crabgrass. Un- fortunately Crabgrass timid. More drastic measures have to be taken to keep it under subjugation in most lawns. is seldom that • INSECT CONTROL NOW EASIER Fortunately lawns escape the ravages of most of the insects and diseases of the flower and vegetable garden. Grass enemies are relatively few compared to the beetles and aphids, mealy bugs and lady bugs, potato bugs and corn borers, mildew and rust that force the gar- dener to give weekly or daily therapy to his prized roses or tomatoes. In many sections of the country, in- sect and animal pests harm lawns not at all. Even in infested areas, most lawns escape especially if they are on reasonably good soil and receive proper preventive maintenance. One such step is to guard against Beetle Grub dam- age by having the toxic agent in the soil before grub activity begins. Prior to the development of D DT and successor chemicals such as Chlor- dane, Toxaphene, Benzine Hexachlo- ride, Thiophos, the job of controlling pests in grass was extremely obnoxious, to say the least. This generally involved working with poisonous substances, laboriously mixing and applying sprays or choking dusts. Apprehension fol- owed lest a member of the family or a pet be sickened by one of the toxic ingredients. treatments had added hazards of explosion and fire. Some Wild Garlic or Wild Onion is tough to kill but many users have reported good results from one application of Scotts Weed & Feed when the first shoots appear, another after the plants are fairly well grown. While many of the new insecticides are relatively harmless to warm-blooded animals, they still have to be applied as sprays or dusts. This is quite a job and if there is much wind, the material may settle on the neighbor's property or even on the wife's white wash. Most objections to lawn insecticidal use have been overcome in a conveni- ent Scott preparation called Pest Con- trol. The newer chemicals are blended into dry carrier materials so the appli- cation is easily made with a spreader— even in a fairly brisk wind. This dry compound provides control of most insects harmful to lawns. While Pest Control does not hurt or even shock grass, there is no point in using it unless insect trouble is present or suspected. No attempt is made here to describe the various pests or the way they injure grass. The reader is referred to earlier issues or to the LAWN CARE Digests. Ants. There are as many different kinds of ants as breeds of dogs, but whether Lasius niger or the common picnic variety, they dam- age grass only (LAWN CARE Digest Chapter 11). Their mounds or burrows are unsighdy, interfere with mowing, and may smother young grass plants. They be- come real pests if they move from the lawn into the garden or even the house. indirectly. Ant activity starts in early spring as soon first-warmed as the soil warms, usually on terraces or slopes facing west or south. intricate Ants are special pests in the garden because their tunnelling permits excessive evaporation from the soil. This may result in fetal drying of the roots of valuable plants. A more serious indictment of ants is that they foster objectionable aphids. They carry the eggs underground in winter and actually transport young and adult aphids to "host" plants during the growing season. It is not easy to eliminate ants. While no one control will get rid of them under all circumstances, the combination of materials in Pest Control has been found effective and easy to use. the The best treatment is a broadcast applica- tion over lawn area. A small amount of material may be placed in each hill or mound but this is quite a job if there are any number of them. infested Pest Control may be applied any time ants are bothersome, and repeated safely as occa- sion requires. This is not likely to be more than once or twice a season. Beetle Grubs. There are many kinds of beedes but only a few lay their eggs in sod. Of these the most common are Japanese, Asi- atic and May beedes. Their eggs hatch into larvae or grubs that feed on grass roots, even- tually killing large patches of turf. (LAWN CARE Chapter 11.) Jap and Asiatic grubs are to be found in the East from southern Maine to Georgia, west to the Alleghenies. Scattered infestations occur around Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago. Activity of the May beetle or June grub occurs mosdy in the Middle West. Since beede grubs feed through the growing season, control may be applied almost any time, even when the ground is frozen. Except where the compound is worked into cultivated soil, to grub-proof before seeding, any grubs already present in the soil will not be affected until the material works down to where they are feeding. This may take several weeks de- pending upon the soil type and weather. Chinch Bugs. Fortunately chinch bugs are turf pests in only limited areas along the East Coast from Boston to Miami. Occasional infes- tations occur around Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Chicago. tiny in DIGEST CHAPTER 10, is one of the most difficult of pests. insect, described in detail This Controls for chinch bugs must be applied during or a few days before they start feeding on grass plants by sucking the juices. This takes place only in warm, dry weather. As the effectiveness depends upon the Pest Control being on the plants or at least at the surface of the soil, application is made about the time the in May or June. Repeat treatments may be needed at four or five week if chinch bug activity continues. is expected infestation intervals first the West Coast Sod Webworms. On these pests are better known as Lawn Moths. A similar pest is called Skippers. The moths are small, having a wing spread of one inch or less, white to yellowish-tan in color. Insects of this type lay eggs in the grass and these hatch into grass-eating larvae. (LAWN CARE Digest Chapter 10.) Except on the West Coast, web- worms are not a serious lawn problem. They may be bothersome in other parts of the coun- try if the weather in late spring and early summer is unusually dry. This pest also feeds above the surface. Pre- treatments are not prescribed until ventive there is good evidence of activity. This would be when a large number of moths are ob- served flying over the grass, especially in the evening or when birds are unusually active in tearing up the grass. A treatment with Pest- Control should last at least four weeks or pos- sibly the full season. Army Worms, Cutworms do little direct dam- age to turf. If they are present in such num- bers as to attract unwanted birds, they may be substantially reduced by a standard Pest Control treatment. Chiggers. There is good news for those who like to lounge on their lawns but hesitate to do so because of chiggers. Fortunately occa- sional applications of Pest Control spell doom to this nymphal mite. Mole Crickets are pests in lawns and putting greens of the deep South. They are difficult to kill so a double dose is recommended. Earthworms, also called Fish-, Dew-, Angle- worms, and Night Crawlers. For all he is a lowly creature, there is no question but that the earthworm has been and will continue to be Scientists say the cults, societies and commercial hullabaloo about propagation and preservation of earthworms— hybrids or the common garden variety. in soil justification important is no fertility. for there In spite of the faddists, earthworm activity in lawns without dooming can be curtailed the world population. The question is how. The claim has been made that fertilizer harms earthworms but that theory has been exploded. Arsenate of Lead at 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. seems to reduce earthworm numbers but most folks dislike to use this poison on their lawns. Some report good success with Pest Control at double rates. Results have been erratic so applications are suggested on a trial basis. Moles, Skunks, Raccoons and other burrowing animals often damage lawns but not because of their fondness for grass. They are after the juicy grubs or worms buried under the sod and they don't replace the divots! If any of these four-legged animals are at work, or if birds tear up the sod, the grass area needs a treatment to destroy whatever insect or larva is attracting them. SIRS: Now . . . I've used a spreader as you suggest on Page 4 for LAWN CARE No. 98 but under paragraph 6, wind or no wind, I merely put a bag or two of fertilizer on the spreader, slit- ting the under side lengthwise of each bag, and start off with it. Saves handling and certainly prevents any blowing. Material runs out of the bag the spreader as I walk. into L. DODGE, Head Gardener,, Girard College Philadelphia, Penna. Chickweed, Wild Onions Are Tough To Kill Most broad-leaved weeds succumb readily to the new weed controls. Oth- ers are resistant at certain seasons. Chickweed is a vigorous grower in cool, moist weather. At such times, weed control has little effect so appli- cations are better made in early sum- mer or early fall. Repeat treatments are apt to be required. Some plants will escape and Chickweed is such a prolific seeder that seeds in the soil will con- tinue to send up new plants. About the same difficulty exists in trying to rid lawns of other low-grow- ing, vining weeds such as Speedwell, Heal All and Black Medic (Trefoil). Wild Garlic or Wild Onion is more vulnerable in late winter or early spring just as they get off to a good start in the new season. A double strength treatment is recommended (this is safe in cool weather) because of the natural resistance of these bulbous weeds. Wild Garlic or Wild Onion cannot be con- trolled in one year because not all bulb- lets will germinate in any one season. O M S C O TT & S O NS C O. M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO E V E RY PACKAGE OF S C O T TS LAWN C A RE P R O D U C TS B E A RS T H IS T R A DE • MARK AND IS S E A L ED FOR YOUR P R O T E C T I ON