26th YEAR No 128 The Crabgrass And I Customarily the lead story in Lawn Care is a digest of material from many sources and is written by our staff. But this page from the garden diary of R. J. DeGray was too good to keep. He has not only told his story well but with feeling. That is why we asked him to share it. ED. WSm^P' in 1948 When we moved into our present home I surveyed the long-neglected la w^, feeling something like Old MacDonald, with "here a little crabgrass, there a little crabgrass, everywhere some crabgrass." But the situation was not one to sing about so we promptly set to work and our garden diary for 1949 and 1950 records the blow by blow account of what seemed a losing battle. We tried to pull it up with our bare hands, only to find that every time we uprooted a stalk at the northeast corner of the lawn, a seedpod shook at the southwest corner. We tried herky-jerky mowing, mowing from different direc- tions, and one of us raked ahead of the in a vain attempt to chop off the raised stems before they could seed. The result was a herky-jerky backache and just as much ^ mower J W7 crabgrass as ever. Then, in 1951, we tried Scotts Scutl (phenyl mercuric acetate). According to our diary it was applied on June 25. It rained on June 26 and kept it up for three days. Scutl was applied again on July 1, just after a light rain, followed by four days of clear weather. By July 7 we felt like setting off a belated fire-cracker for here and the crabgrass was turning light green and there then the sickly yellow that foretold its eventual demise. The fight was far from over but by the time crabgrass seeding started in mid- August the pest was reduced to obvious patches and we were confident that with Scutl as our ally, another year would find the loathsome weed thor- oughly routed. H n c y! tlXST) j U^ / By last year our determina- tion to lick crabgrass knew no bounds so we went into experimenting. We used Scutl again on the east lawn but reserved the west lawn for parallel testing of other treatments. The appli- cation was on July 5, following a light hose sprinkling to help adherence of the compound to the blades of grass. The second application was made on July 12, again after a sprinkling. There was no rain until July 17. These good conditions gave ideal results. Occa- sional patches of surviving crabgrass were glaringly obvious and so few that we easily pulled them out by hand. No such success with our test area, the west lawn. An initial treatment with a liquid applied as a spray failed com- pletely and by August 1 the lawn was a mass of crabgrass. J Next we tried a powder de- signed for spray application when crabgrass is mature. We followed directions exactly, even to measuring off areas of 135 square feet, each to re- ceive 5 teaspoons in dilution. Applica- tion was made with a sprinkling can . how my arms and back ached. . By August 9 the crabgrass was as healthy as ever. The next time we used . Many diligent a commercial sprayer that wet down every last blade of grass. The whole job took back-breaking hours — never again! The results were fine for six days but before frost a whole new gen- eration was flourishing. The Scutl-ed east lawn, however, stayed completely free of the hated intruder. lawnkeepers the Crabgrass and disease control program earlier in LAWN CARE 127. Those who did not plants may find tiny, innocent-looking just appearing. Some are beginning to branch out and will start a serious invasion of the lawn if not checked. It is now high time to take the offensive with Scutl to prevent this intruder lawn. Advice Re New Lawns the season as suggested taking over the started from in Early to mid-summer is just about the most difficult time to start a new lawn. Late summer — early fall is the best time. If you must seed in summer to get out of the mud, it is probably better to use a quicker growing blend like Scotts Special. Some folks sow lawn clover — it grows fast, makes a satisfactory tem- porary cover. A straw mulch of an inch or two, will help keep down weeds and conserve moisture. Brings problems, though. If the wind doesn't drive it away, may mat down, smother grass. Unthreshed grain heads may sprout into coarse clumps. The best advice — try to put up with bare ground for a few weeks. Plan a mid-August seed- ing. Meanwhile — a) get soil test to learn if lime is needed b) add humus material or extra good top- soil to improve soil condition c) cultivate to improve d) most important — get lime, turf builder, seed and tools ready. Planting time gets around before you know tilth it Florida Too! . . . Quite a while ago your company sent some Scutl to the Department. I checked it for control of crabgrass in a young centipede lawn [native southern grass}. This material gave good control and did not damage the centipede. TAYLOR R. ALEXANDER Chairman, Dept of Botany University of Miami Orchids to Scutl In our mail these past weeks have been clip- f ings and comments rom lawnthusiasts about a feature article in one of the import- ant national home and garden magazines which had conducted a contest for the best suggestion on how to get rid of Crabgrass. Our well wishers were as pleased as we that the first and second prize winners used Scutl and gave it major credit for their success- ful battle against Crabgrass. Men- tion was made too of the geo- graphical adaptability of Scutl with one winner on the East Coast, the other in the South- west. As one reader summed it up — "Take a bow Scutl, you have slain the Dragon." Clover Mites Several readers have reported their homes invaded by Clover Mites this past spring. Some wondered they might have been introduced into lawns in seedings of Clover or grass seed. The answer is NO. if The name, Orchard Spider Mites, is more accurate. Eggs are deposited in fruit trees or shrubs in late fall. They hatch in spring and feed on leaves, sometimes causing damage to fruit. These minute eight legged creatures are of reddish color. Occasionally in the fall the mites invade houses where their pres- ence is most annoying. than usual because of Authorities consulted ran only guess at the causes of home invasions this spring is that the eggs hatchec The supposition earlier the mild winter and extra warm March. Since there was little tree foliage to feed on, they mi- grated to nearby grass. Cold weather then drove them into houses in search of warmth. Control in the house is difficult. The use of Pyrethrum fly sprays is suggested. Vac- uum cleaners have been used to take them up around windows and walls. Dusting with sulphur in a continuous band several inches out from the base of the house may stop further invasions. SUMMER PROGRAM — June and July DeLuxe Lawn* Good Lawn* Utility Lawn* Feeding 5 lbs Turf Builder 5 lbs Turf Builder 5 lbs Turf Builder Mowing to 1 % - 1 y/i Raise mower inches. Remove clippings Raise mower to 1 % - 2 ins Remove heavy clippings Raise mower inches or higher. Let clippings fall to 2 Watering Frequency to k e ep Try c o n s t a n t ly moist. Fast drying sails may need moderate watering two or three times weekly As required to keep grass from wilting and browning. Heavy watering except on fast draining soils Occasional watering in ex- treme periods of drouth Pest Control Weed Control Crabgrass Control O ne application controls grubs and other soil burrowing insects for several seasons. Two treatments may be needed to control grass damaging activities of chinch bugs Dandelions, plantain, buckhorn, vining weeds, practically all non-grass weeds — apply 4-XD with Scotts Spreader. On new lawns wait until after first cutting A course of repeat Scutl treatments, on infested lawns, with the Scotts Spreader EARLY TO MID-SUMMER — As Crabgrass develops into branching and spreading growth — 4 SCUTL-ings at 5 to 7 day intervals LATE SUMMER — Apply to damp vegetation, 4 SCUTL-ings rate. See directions in packages at normal rate or 2 at double Outdoor Living Get extra lawn pleasure. Chase out recurring invasions of chiggers and ants with Lawn a nd Turf Pest Control. Follow the Scott program to keep your turf healthy and green *See Lawn Care No. 125 — "Choose Your Lawn Goal" Hungry Trees and Shrubs . . . Why hasn't someone told me before that Scotts Turf Builder was so good for feeding trees and shrubs? This is how I found out. My neighbor across the road has lilac and forsythia and trees — like crab apple — which are the pride of our neighborhood. I just found out last season what makes them flourish: I saw him feed- ing them with your Turf Builder. flowering Old-timers along We've tried. See Lawn Care 124. • the Eastern Seaboard think the past spring was about the wettest ever. As a result some lawns got out of hand, especially because they could not be mowed. Some of the coarser grasses grew particularly rank and required special at- tention in cutting to trim them down to size. Some grass was torn up by birds that found extra reward in the soft soil — nice juicy fat grubs of the Jap beetle. The lar- vae were chewing grass roots near the soil surface earlier in the season than usual be- cause to any depth. Quick Henry — Scotts Pest Control. the ground did not freeze Scutl Has Many Uses 1. Controls growing 2. Pre-emergence crabgrass (i.e. before appear) grasses sprouting 3. Controls control if applied of weeds just time the harmful sprouts and before 4. activity of to grass color and vigor of de- fungus diseases Improves sirable grass varieties Repeated usage reduces growth of algae and moss and in- stances fleshy fungi such as toad- stools in some Free Ride for Chiggers According to one who has made a hobby of studying chiggers, they are transported from place to place on grasshoppers and similar migrating insects. Seems odd but maybe so. Anyway it is reported there are several broods of chiggers each year. Could it be they all hatch at once but have to wait their like hitch hikers on a busy corner? transportation, turn for Lawn W a t e r i ng N ot Expensive To be able to answer inquiries as to the cost of watering lawns, we conducted a sur- vey of water rates in different places. Our conclusion is that watering for the lawn is not costly. Where it is available, the gener- ous use of water on the lawn can give more satisfaction in appearance and comfort than most any other summer expenditure. Lawn Care holds no brief for water com- panies, public or private. But few who complain about the cost of water stop to consider that it's "cheaper than dirt". In a typical city, 1000 gallons is delivered wher- ever it is wanted for less than 50c. Amounts over the minimum drop to less than 25c per 1000 gallons. For instance our own town has what seems a very high rate. Even so, a large lawn of 10,000 square feet can have the equivalent of an inch of rain every week for three months at a cost of less than forty dollars. Here are typical rates that should enable you to estimate the cost of a dry summer's watering of your lawn — based on your local rate schedule. Quarterly Minimum Over Minimum Per 10 ins water 1000 gal on 1000 sq ft $2.40 3.00 4.50 $0.29 0.26 0.40 $1.82 1.63 2.50 2.65 2.75 2.50 2.50 3.40 1.50 5.10 2.00 1.64 5.10 3.00 3.75 2.50 1.50 2.25 4.00 2.00 3.00 5.25 3.90 0.09 0.18 0.26 0.26 0.34 0.10 0.23 0.13 0.10 0.32 0.24 0.20 0.28 0.17 0.20 0.20 0.26 0.19 0.37 0.42 0.56 1.13 1.63 1.63 2.13 .63 1.44 .81 .63 2.00 1.50 1.25 1.75 1.06 1.25 1.25 1.63 1.19 2.32 2.63 Wellesley Mass New Haven Conn Suburban N YC Philadelphia Washington D C Charlotte N C Altoona Penna Pittsburgh Cleveland Ohio Columbus Cincinnati Detroit Indianapolis South Bend Evansville III Winnetka Springfield, St Louis III Rochester Minn Des Moines Iowa Omaha Nebraska Kansas City Wichita Kansas Suburban rates may be higher. Denver cities where water included in the flat charge. is not metered. is one of a few is is Lawn watering watering Streamlined Spreaders New streamlined models of Scotts Spreaders are now in production. They are more compact, lighter in weight, yet sturdier than ever. A new agitator has been developed so the handy machine can now be used to spread lime quite evenly. Heretofore this has been difficult with the lawn- type distributors. Most lawns are just as well watered one time of day as another. The idea that it is bad to water grass in the hot sun bobs up repeatedly. Actually mid-day is a good time to water because it tends to cool the soil and the grass plants. This advice to turf only. It may be the wrong advice for watering flowers and vegetable crops. relates Chlordane Caution insecticides Chlordane is generally accepted as the best of modern for use on lawns. More and more people are using chlordane products for control of turf in- sects. Futhermore Chlordane is now being suggested for Crabgrass control. However, the results of our researches on clay and loam soils have indicated that excessive ap- plications have a tendency to build up con- centrations which are harmful to turf. The injury is of a delayed nature. O M S C O TT & S O NS C O. M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO M R - 6 69 5 1 3 53 —