25th Year No. 119-PS PUBLISHED FIVE TIMES YEARLY FOR LAWNTHUSTÄSTS HOW TO MAKE YOUR LAWN HAPPY Lawns wake up earlier in the spring than most folks realize. In fact it can hardly be said lawns have been asleep at all. Bermuda and other subtropical grasses may go into quite a solid dormancy wherever temperatures get around the freezing point. However, the more desirable grasses indulge in various degrees of winter activity. Even where they are tucked in by a blanket of snow there is evidence of activity in the root zone. Along the West tempered Coast where climates are there in the blade structure. is also activity Therefore the spring starting gun for the homeowners lawn chores is de- termined largely by when the weather permits outside work and the individ- uals inclination to do it. Grass is often ready to receive help before it gets it. Early starters get the better lawns. In effect, they prolong the period in which grass can benefit from their en- deavors. They afford the turf more time to recover from winter injuries and get in sound condition before summer. That season with its hotter, drier days is generally considered the most adverse for lawns. The following spring treatments are sug- gested to help you get the maximum year round en- joyment from your lawns. PqLKF Apply Lime If Needed. Many west- ern soils are adequately supplied with lime and additional amounts afford no advantage. The need is largely con- fined to humid regions such as the north coast counties in California and the western portions of both Oregon and Washington. forms of lime most readily available at nurseries, hardware, or garden supply stores are Hydrated and Raw Pulverized Limestone. Thirty-five pounds of the Hydrated or 50 pounds of the Raw Limestone per 1000 sq ft are considered normal rates to use. The Lime can be broadcast most any time but it is best in late fall, winter, or early spring. If used during the grow- ing season there should be a delay of at least two weeks before sowing seed or applying fertilizer. Every Lawn Requires Food. A pick- me-up meal when the spring alarm goes off is the one most appreciated favor you can do your lawn. Mature grass sheds off many of its fibrous roots each year and generates new ones, mainly in the spring. A good crop of new strong roots goes a long way toward developing healthy turf during the seasons to fol- low. The role of the spring feeding is to furnish the nutrients needed for this regrowth. Then the healthy inward condition is in turn reflected in the very evident sparkling green color of the foliage. Feed your lawn right. What it needs in the spring is nourishment, not a stimulant. Give it food that "puts on meat" and not simply stretches out grass to sudden, needless, exhausting topgrowth. Give it a specific grass- food containing not only water soluble nutrients which the grass can readily absorb, but also organic nutrients. The latter will release nourishment slowly as it decomposes. Good Housekeeping. Since the area was last raked twigs have fallen from nearby trees and leaves have dropped or blown into the turf. They decom- pose too slowly to ignore. Rains or snow beat them down so that they smother the grass plants underneath. A thin and pock-marked lawn may result if they are not removed. Use whatever type of rake works best for you but clean out leaves and other debris before sowing any seed. Lucky owners of lawn sweepers find leaf removal so quick and easy that it is never neglected. It is wise practice to sow a little seed over the whole lawn each spring. This is a reinforcement maneuver. It strengthens weak spots and adds new blood to the lawn. It improves the color too. One pound of seed is ample on each 500 square feet, if it is top quality. Otherwise use two pounds. Treat the Bald Spots. A common cause of thin or bare spots is compac- tion of the soil from traffic, especially during wet weather when the soil is soft. Oxygen is squeezed out of the soil, the grass thins out and very often Poa Annua or other weeds take over. Loosening of the surface soil can be done with a hand-claw cultivating tool or an iron garden rake. A flat spade, edging tool or axe can even be used to make cross cuts in the soil. Compacted spots will be aided if, in addition to loosening the top soil, they can be perforated several inches deep. An ordinary spading fork works very well for this purpose. It should be driven deep and then wobbled to enlarge the holes. On sale at most garden supply firms are hollow-tined perforators which are better because they eject cores of soil, without com- pacting the walls of the cavities. Into the holes can be brushed coarse sharp sand, perlite, vermiculite or compost in an effort to improve the circulation of air and moisture. Seed is then sown and lightly tamped just into the loosened soil so it is partially covered. Help the Late Fall Lawn. If your new lawn was planted too late last fall to get much of a start you can bring it along nicely by spring fertiliz- ing. The earlier the better. Any discoloration caused by frost on the tender grass will automatically disappear as the grass resumes grow- ing and the discolored portions are cut off in mowing. Start mowing as soon as the soil is dry enough that wheels don't sink in. Cut frequently to keep any winter- annual weeds defoliated. A continua- tion of this process will eliminate most of the native coarse grasses like Bar- leys, Wild Oats and Bromes, the seeds of which are present in many soils. The broadleaved weeds, such as Filaree, Mustard, Mallow, Pigweed, Thistle, and Bur Clover can be dis- posed of chemically by means of the modern weed controls. Hand weeding is as outdated as high button shoes. It very often leaves pieces of roots in the soil from which the weed revives or multiplies. It leaves the lawn full of holes and the surface is never again quite as smooth. In contrast, you can apply the dry form weed control to a whole lawn in just a few minutes—a thousand square feet in 8 minutes. It is absorbed in- side the plant, kills to the very root tips. job than an entire spring season of hand digging. It does a better Which Scotts For Your Lawn? Two blends of grass seed carry the Scotts trademark. One has been known for over thirty years simply as "Scotts Lawn Seed". The other was called "Special Purpose" but that designation is being shortened to "Special." In good times and bad the goal has been to furnish blends of the best grass varieties of quality as near perfect as modern machinery and human care can make them. To accomplish that we are constantly in touch with the producing areas of the best seed, not only in USA, but in foreign countries, too. Top of the harvest seeds from all over the world are assembled for the famous Scotts cleaning and reclean- ing, rigid tests and then blending. Con- trol of quality is positive throughout. Scotts Lawn Seed is designed for use where a deluxe lawn is desired. This SOLUTIONS TO YOUR PROBLEMS just Here in previous issues of Lawn Care you may the answers you've been looking for. Some of the subjects discussed: find 115 Choice of Seed 107 Liming Bermuda Patches 114 Subdue Western Weeds 104 Pest Free Lawns 105 107 Start Lawns Right You can get any of them with- out charge or obligation. Just send a postal to Scotts at Palo Alto, California. A complete set of all previous bulletins in paper binding is 25c and in a loose-leaf binder, $1.00. is the seed that produces the prize-win- ning picture lawns. It is assumed that the lawn will be growing in moderately good soil that holds moisture, that the turf will be fed adequately and lime used if needed. True, a deluxe lawn takes a little more care than an ordinary one but nothing surrounding the home gives such de- light as sparkling green grass — thick, clean and velvety. Not everyone is so fortunate as to have even fair soil. If growing condi- tions are not so good, the "Special" blend may well be selected. This seed grows faster so it may be preferred for late spring plantings of new lawns. The grasses are somewhat wider and more rugged so many use the "Special" for their back lawns and "Scotts Lawn Seed" for their front lawns. "Special" is composed of larger size seeds and is sown heavier than Scotts Lawn Seed. Thus the cost is about the same. Grass Under Trees. The problem of growing grass in situations of reduced sunlight is not solved by sowing a so- called shady place mixture. Failures in the shade are due more to poor growing conditions and lack of proper maintenance than the grasses used. Providing top grade seed is used, the more desirable grasses such as Ken- tucky Bluegrass, Fescues and Bent- grasses will thrive in spite of reduced sunlight. As a matter of fact, moderate shade is more favorable than intense summer sun. Grass under trees needs extra feed- ing and watering because of tree root Sirs: The officials of one of our motor plants were disturbed because of their lawns being brown just when they most wanted them green — in anticipation of the Windsor visit of the Royal couple, Prince Phillip and Princess Elizabeth. We recommended and supervised the application of Turf Builder. The change from brown to spar- kling green was in the nick of time . . .. gave those lawns rave notices. COCK BROS LTD Windsor, Ontario New lawn seeding. On Right, treated soil and Left, untreated soil. The wraps of secrecy were recently lifted from a new soil conditioning material named Krilium, by the Monsanto Chemical Co. Experimental quantities were made avail- able for trial in Scotts famous Lawn Re- search grounds. It is too early to predict how this material can best be used on lawns but as the pictures indicate, it was quite a help in getting a solid stand of grass in a hurry on heavy soil. competition. When trees are in full leaf, mowing should be extra high, 2 inches if possible. In extreme conditions, a substantial thinning out will occur each year be- cause of softer growth and the havoc of matted leaves. In these critical spots a little seed can be scattered each spring to maintain a green covering. One or two pounds are all that is required in most cases. It is the combination of tree roots and matting leaves that requires extra attention if a green lawn is to be kept growing under California Live Oak trees. Under Acacia trees and Pepper trees, there is the added factor of con- siderable debris shed by the tree. This eventually builds up to a thick mulch that smothers grass and needs to be periodically cleaned out. Krilium stabilizes the soil surface, re- ducing crusting and conserving moisture. There is evidence it can reduce washing out of new seedings on slopes. It also im- proves soil aeration and moisture retention by causing changes in the structure of soil particles. This new material looks promising as an aid to more beautiful Western lawns but will not be available commercially before 1953. Lawn Work Easy With a Spreader If you have a Scotts Spreader this is a good time to clean and oil it. Write for a free Spreader Service Manual. A precision spreader has many uses. It is not just an applicator for Turf Builder though it does make simple work of frequent feeding. It can also be finely adjusted for sowing the prop- er rate of seed. Later on it can be used for applying weed controls and to check damage from grubs and Lawn Moths by distributing Pest Control evenly and accurately. The average size lawn can be treated in half an hour with a good spreader. Sirs: After several applications of 4 - XD on our nutgrass, I see a decided decrease in the number of shoots of it. I believe that with continued use we shall be able to lick it completely. Many trees shed needles profusely. It is their smothering effect rather than any toxic residue that is harmful. O M SCOTT & SONS C O. (ScS&Ù M A R YS V I L LE - - O H IO MRS J H RICKENBACKER Turlock, Calif EVERY PACKAGE OF SCOTTS LAWN CARE PRODUCTS BEARS THIS TRADE - MARK AND IS S E A L ED FOR YOUR PROTECTION