Early Summer Almanac

There isn’t much to do in these months. If your lawn is really hurting (yellowed, or not very green at all) you could do a fertilizer application at about half strength as long as the temperatures aren’t unseasonably hot.

Too much fertilizer at this time of year is a bad thing. The hottest part of the year is July and August and the fertilizer stimulates the grass to greater activity when it is trying, and needs to, go dormant.

The annual fertilizer schedule for turf grass starts in September. It’s like a snack before bedtime. Two small fertilizer applications in September and October and another in May are all the food lawns need. Remember, with organics, we are really feeding microbes which in turn break down the fertilizer and makes it available for the grass plants.

There are two types of nutrients in our soil: total and available nutrients. Total nutrients are exactly like it sounds; all the nutrients present. Think of it as the pantry. Available nutrients are present in a form plants can take in or eat. It’s the food on the plate. Another way to picture the difference is, say, I order a hamburger at a restaurant and they bring me a cow. Lots of food but I can’t take it all in. A few things need to happen to Ol’ Bossy before I can eat.

The cooks in this scenario are the soil microbes. They break down and convert organic matter, minerals and other nutrients so plants can eat. They also help plants get water and air and they neutralize contaminants. Microbes make the soil a sponge so water, air and food can be stored in greater abundance. Roots that can grow more deeply sustain the grass through the heat of summer and droughts.

May and June are good months for introducing and increasing soil microbes into the soil.
1. Adding compost, usually as a top dressing (a thin layer on top of the soil) 1/4″ to 1/2″ for existing turf.
Here’s how to do it:
a. Mow grass short to about 2″.
b. Scatter compost as evenly as you can, some piles are ok. If it’s bagged compost, just cut a small 6-8 inch slit in the corner of the bag and swing the bag in wide lateral arcs, back and forth until empty. If using bulk compost, load up a wheelbarrow and either dump small piles or scatter with a shovel or pitchfork.
c. Then using leaf rakes, spread out the clumps of compost so it doesn’t smother the grass. If you can see
very little compost as you stand across the street - you have done well.

2. Spray with an aerated compost tea.

Now the question of what compost to use? Compost for lawns needs to be of very high quality and properly composted so that weed seeds and contaminants are “cooked”. Avoid using compost from large bulk suppliers and city or county sites. They contain a lot of weed seeds that will grow in your yard. Trust me on this - I’ve learned the hard way and not only once!

There are two products that are really great for compost.
1. Mississippi Topsoils has a great bagged compost that is available at many nurseries and garden centers.
2. The Landscape and Concrete Center at 313 West 61st Street in Richfield, MN, 612-866-0430 has a wonderful farmpost (that’s Minnesotan for manure) that is superior to every other compost I have seen and they deliver!

How much compost do I need?
To determine the amount of compost, farmpost or whatever, you need to use this formula.
Square footage of area to be treated (length x width)
x .02 for 1/4″ thick This gives you total cubic feet.
Total cubic feet divided by 27 = cubic yards

Most bagged composts are 2 cubic feet but be sure to check the bag.

There, now you have drought-proofed your lawn but be sure to water about an inch per week. Remember, our turf grasses are not native. They originated in moist climates with less temperature extremes. These out-of-town guests are fussy and demanding but they aren’t leaving any time soon.