24th Year 117 T.M. REG PUBLISHED FIVE TIMES YEARLY FOR LAWNTHUSIASTS FOLLOW NATURE—SEED IN THE FALL There is one best time to start a new lawn, to renovate a poor one or to give a beauty treatment to any lawn. That is late summer or fall. In most climates from the last of August thru September and into October is ideal for sow- ing seed and for growth of seed- ling grass. If It's never too late to seed in the fall—as long as the soil can be worked. the ground can be prepared in No- vember it's better to proceed even though the seed will not germin- ate until the next spring. The lawn will be ahead of one where the final preparation is delayed until the passing of winter. In their natural state, grasses bloom in summer but nature delays the drop- ping of seeds and their after ripening until August or September. The seeds then fall on warm soil at a time when hot days are growing shorter, cool nights longer, dews heavier, and soil moisture more favorable. There is economy in fall seeding. The cultural loss from planting is less be- cause of better natural conditions for germination and seedling growth. Weed competition is reduced and there is less disease—all in all a better chance for each seed to produce a mature plant. When the right seed is selected for fall planting, a lower rate of seeding will produce equal or better turf than a much heavier rate of spring seeding. M R - 9 40 Based on careful tests over many years it can be expected that with average soil conditions, a planting of 4 pounds of good seed per 1000 sq ft in the fall will produce thicker and better turf than 6 to 8 pounds in the spring. What to Sow What is the right seed for fall plant- ing? ( 1) It must be composed of perennial varieties that will not win- terkill. ( 2) The seed should be of properly cured and thoroughly recleaned quality, free of bulky chaff and coarse varie- ties. Such seed can be planted sparingly. Most folks plant two or three times as much as they should. This is not only wasteful—it is harmful. The grass comes up too thick—it is just as wrong to try to grow too many grass plants on a given area as to house a hundred peo- ple in quarters meant for ten. Folks often have the idea they should sow heavily because "the soil is poor." That is a mistake. Poorer soils will not support a large number of plants as well as a few. Liberal use of grass food before sowing will help, but extra heavy seeding—never! Feed in the Fall A good place to invest part of the saving in using less seed is in lawn food. This will help the new seedlings get off to a better start, insur- ing quicker coverage, more vigorous growth and a uniform stand of new grass seedlings. Fall feeding is especially important after an excessively rainy spring and summer. Surplus moisture causes a heavy loss of nutrients because of leach- ing and rank vegetative growth. A good feeding in late summer or fall will re- store the nutrient reserve and strength- en grass roots against the rigors of a coming winter. Fall Lawn Program Stop Weeds Fortunately most weeds are now easily controlled by chemical applications. The worst and toughest summer weed is crabgrass. It is stopped by the simple Scutl-ing process, two or three applications at weekly intervals. Dandelions, plantain, ground ivy and other non-grass weeds are killed by spreading 4-XD or W E ED & FEED. Since it is not advisable to apply SCUTL and other weed controls simul- taneously, the suggestion is to first use few 4-XD or W E ED & FEED. W a it a days, then start the SCUTL program. The lethal action of chemicals on weeds is through the leaves. A rain or sprinkling within twelve hours of ap- plication will reduce the effectiveness and may necessitate a repeat. Whatever is used—be sure to follow the direc- tions that come with the product. Feeding Is Next This may precede the last application of weed control or be applied afterward. If the latter, wait a couple of days as otherwise the walk over the lawn will knock off many par- ticles, lessening weed control. Prepare for Seeding To be sure that residue from weed controls will not af- fect seeds, a heavy rain or sprinkling should soak the ground between times. This does not delay the program be- cause abundant surface soil moisture is needed to germinate the seeds anyway. If the weather continues dry and the lawn cannot be watered, finish up weed- ing and feeding so that seeding can fol- low the first soaking rain. Seeds need moisture to germinate and the root hairs from the sprouting grass must be able to reach soil moisture quickly. Little moisture is available to seeds lying on top of the ground ex- posed to sun and wind. If seed is sown into a rather good turf, shade from the grass will protect the seed and sprouts to a degree. But if sowing is in thin grass with sizeable bare spots some help is needed. Any roughening, perforating or loosening of the soil gives the seed a better chance. Tools that can be used to aid in perfor- ating the surface for better seed recep- tion include the heavy iron garden rake, a spading fork like the kind used to dig potatoes, a spike tamp. A flat spade, ice hoe, an edging tool, a mattock or even an axe may be used to cut shallow gashes in the soil where seed may lodge, be protect- ed from the sun and find a mois- ture suppply. If the roughening operation severs roots of estab- lished grass no particular harm is done as the plants will soon heal the injury. Most seed is sown by hand, but a two-wheel mechanical spreader of good design for seeding will save both seed and time and insure more even growth. A good practice after seeding is a shallow covering of soil that has been screened through a quarter-inch mesh screen. Some folks are expert at scat- tering this with a shovel, others broad- cast the soil as they would seed. Only a light covering is advised, not over a quarter-inch; heavier covering will re- tard early growth. One cubic yard will dress 1,000 to 2,000 square feet. Top dressing also serves to smooth up an uneven surface. Aside from nurseries or landscape contractors, greenhouses are possible sources of supply of satisfactory top- dressing soil. The latter offer what they call spent bench soil. In some commu- nities, compost is available from com- mercial mushroom growers. Black muck or raw peat is no good. The important thing is friable physical condition like a good garden loam. Do not judge on color alone. One trouble with topdress- ing is that it may bring in weeds. Care After Seeding If possible keep newly seeded areas moist. This hastens germination and seedling growth. Once started, watering must be continued until the grass is well rooted. If it's not feasible to follow this watering pro- gram do not start it. Sooner or later rainfall will come and when there is enough moisture the grass seed will germinate. The standard recommendation for most lawns is cutting one and one-half to two inches high, especially through hot weather. This practice should be modified as new grass starts coming up in an old lawn. Closer cutting, at an inch or so, to prevent the old grass from smothering the new, is advised. The mower may be raised as colder weather approaches although there is advantage in having grass go into winter with a fairly short growth. • Honeysuckle and other vines oftimes grow into shrubbery beds and other places where not wanted. Hand pulling is only a tem- porary solution because the roots soon send up new growth. One possible solution is to shake 4 X-D on the leaves of the unwanted plants—doing this when the leaves are moist so the granules stick to them. Honeysuckle will be dead as a door nail in a few days. Weed Seeds in Topsoil SIRS: We got some topsoil about two years ago that turned out to be trash. It was of poor quality and impregnated with Bermuda Grass seed and onions. I was surprised to see at least six morning glory vines start, al- though none had been in the yard for the ten years since we built our home. Those seeds no doubt have been in the soil waiting for a chance to express themselves. G. P H I L IP S T O U T, Industrial Research Laboratories. Baltimore, Maryland. Owners of Scotts spreaders have a valuable tool that makes lawn work easier and more pro- ductive. They get the most out of their investment by regular serv- icing according to the suggestions in the Spreader Service Manual. There this man- ual. Just drop a postal card to Scotts, Marysville, Ohio, asking for a copy. is no charge for Flushing Out Chinch Bugs A LAWN CARE reader reports that in late June, brown patches occurred in scattered locations in the sunny part of his lawn. The browned spots were ir- regular in shape, in some cases all the grass was off color, in others the grass just thinned out. This damage developed during a rather wet period so Chinch Bugs were not very suspect. Even so, remembering the emphasis in LAWN CARE of Chinch Bugs working in hot, sunny lawn areas this alert reader decided to look for them. (LAWN CARE digest chapter 1 0 ). Knowing how difficult it is to find Chinch Bugs, this owner hit on the nov- trying el idea of to the bugs o n to a p i e ce of white cardboard. A t he hand at the edge of the affected turf and he had hundreds of black- ish colored adult and reddish-brown young Chinch Bugs on his cardboard—the reason for the brown grass. f l i ck of flip It took the owner only a few min- utes to get out his spreader and stop his Chinch Bugs with PEST CONTROL. Cop Scents Foul Odor GRASS MUST EAT 'twaren't 'Twaren't hay, and legal, neither, so a pair of New Jersey ferti- lizer peddlers, whose product reported- ly was not all they claimed it to be, ran afoul of the law in Bridgeport, Con- necticut, according to a recent story in the Bridgeport Post. Hoping to make their usual easy and fruitful sales to an unsuspecting victim, the men acciden- tally called at the home of a police sergeant. Scenting trouble, he called headquarters, had the peddlers taken in c u s t o dy f or peddling without license and fraud- ulent misrepresentation. The investigation disclosed that the "fertilizer" was the usual tired, worth- less "humus" that the first wind drives away, a racket not meriting attention of the Kefauver committee but exposed in LAWN CARE a dozen times, most re- cently in No 113. Soil Samples Quarantined The Scott soil testing service as outlined in Lawn Care No. 115 is available to LAWN CARE readers all over the country. However, some do not realize they are lo- cated within the Jap Beetle quarantine zone of the East and accordingly are restricted from sending soil to Marysville, Ohio. Any samples originating in the quaran- tine zone (practically all places east of the Alleghenies ) should be addressed to: O M Scott & Sons Co Ridgefield, New Jersey If in doubt, call your Post Office and in- quire if you are within the Jap Beetle quar- antine zone. You can't expect a lawn to thrive On air and dew and wishes. How long would folks like us survive Confined to loaves and fishes? Grass has to eat the same as us To make it lush and mellow. When starved it may not make a fuss, But, boy, can it turn yellow! Do You Need Help This is issue 117 of the Lawn Care bulletin service published continuously since August, 1928. Through boom- time and depression, war and peace the annual cycle has been maintained. Though issue numbers have been dropped, every discussion of lasting interest is still in print in the digest chapters or reprints of earlier issues. Some of the important subjects covered and available for the asking are: Digest Chapter 1—4 5 6 New Lawns Proper Mowing Watering Lawns Liming 13 Grass in Shade 10,11 Summer Problems Weeds and Crabgrass.... 8, 13 Soil Test Service... ... Issue Number 114 111,116 115 L A WN CARE B O O KS All digest chap- ters and the more important recent issues are avail- able in convenient permanent form. The set in a loose- leaf ring binder w i th r o om f or many additional issues is one dollar postpaid. The digest and current in a heavy paper cover is twenty-five cents, postpaid. issues O M S C O TT & SONS CO. M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO © EVERY PACKAGE OF SCOTTS LAWN CARE PRODUCTS BEARS THIS TRADE - MARK AND IS SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION