Question
QUESTION: Hello I live in Freetown, MA and I've been trying to have a descent looking lawn for a few years now by using only organic products.  I've tried WOW which is a by product of corn syrup products which didn't seem to control the weeds (crabgrass) and I switched to crab shell in the fall and thinking of reapplying the crab shell this month.  I'm hoping this will work. I'm always throwing seed down in fall and spring but the crabgrass and clover just take over instead leaving me with muddy dirt instead of grass in the winter and spring. I also read that I should put a compost on the lawn could you suggest where and what kind of organic compost I should be putting on my lawn.
thanks,
Joan

ANSWER: Ever go on a diet?

Some people think all you have to do to lose weight is stock up on Lean Cuisine and Jenny Craig.  But there's more to it, right?  You have to cut out certain foods.  You have to exercise.  You need fiber and fluids.  Dieting is not just a matter of going out and eating Diet Food.

Same with Organic Gardening.

Effective Organic Gardening is not like eating Organic Vegetables.  You have to buy the right stuff, at the right time, on the right place.

The measures you've taken so far can be effective, but they need more.  WOW is Corn Gluten Meal based -- it has to be applied in early Spring, just before the Forsythia begins to bloom.  It doesn't work on Perennial Weeds at all.  Those, must dig up yourself.  All Weeds must be prevented from Seeding -- which means you must Mow diligently and devotedly, even when the temperatures soar.

No, ESPECIALLY when the temperatures soar!

Most Crabgrass is Annual.  But there are Seeds down there that have been there for decades.  Tilling is one way to bring them to the surface and get them to grow; you don't want that, so don't till.  Dandelions all over the neighborhood will come to rest on bare spots on your Lawn this Spring; when you see a Dandelion, ATTACK with a Dandelion fork, get the whole tap root, and make yourself some Wine or Salad.  By mid-Summer they will be nonexistent.  You can compost them too for a tasty treat for your Grass.

Crab and Oyster Shells are excellent amendments you don't hear about too often, probably because they tend to get expensive.  But let's face it, it's fun to feed your microbes population.  The Ammonical Nitrogen they generate is a first rate Soil builder.  Keep doing that.

Your choice of Seed is critical.  What are you growing, and what kind of light and Soil do you have?

Finally, I did not see that word I wish someone would type at least once this week: SOIL TEST.  All that effort, and you did not test your Soil?  Tsk, tsk, Joan.  Why not?  Need a place to get that done?  Just ask and you shall receive.

Once I get your Grass selection details, we can go over some of the procedures for making it happy.  Cool Season Grass grows best in Fall, but we may get that started sooner depending on how the Weeds are working out this Spring.  Let's get started.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: OK need a place to get a soil test done.  If you need my zip code it's 02717. My backyard is full sun and front yard is partial sun but gets late afternoon full sun. I've cleaned up the old dead crabgrass and pulling up the clover by hand which is time consuming. You didn't mention about compost for the lawn. I appreciate your feedback.
Joan

Answer
Terrific!  Soil testing in your neighborhood is a service provided by University of Massachusetts:

http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest

Order the Standard Soil Test with Organic Matter plus Soluble Salts.  Total damage report comes to about $16 USD.  Around here, that would get you almost 5 gallons of gas.  Follow their instructions carefully so that you get accurate results.

Full Sun grows different Grass and Weeds from Part/Afternoon Sun.  Grass is basically a Sun-loving plant.  But some will put up with less Sun than others.  There are several things you need to worry about while you're waiting for the results:

1.  Germinating Crabgrass in the Spring.  Those dormant seeds are barely stirring right now, but once they get started, it is very hard to stop them.

2.  Soil fertility.  You can't grow great Grass unless you've got great Soil for it to grow in.  Grass is not genetically born to look beautiful.  It has to be cared for AND it has to have beautiful-looking genes.  You mentioned Compost -- I did not include that as well as a lot of other stuff, but since you brought it up, Yes.  Compost is the perfect Soil amendment no matter what kind of Soil you have.  If you've got it (I suspect Massachusetts has more Compost Piles than any other state, including Vermont), this is a great place to use it.  Other Soil enrichers: (a) Cover crops like Clover and Alfalfa; (b) Organic amendments like Shells and Bonemeal.  You can't buy great Soil, by the way.  You have to make it.

3.  Seeds.  I buy my Seeds online from Seedland.com, mainly because I am lazy and also I am picky about Seed.  I could go into a treatise on Seed selection, but if you scan their website for their descriptions of Fescue, Bluegrass and Rye blends, I think you will find some varieties that are perfect for the combination exposures you have.  Easy to find them:

www.seedland.com

Your local garden center may have some quality Seed around.

4.  Make sure your local Birds are HAPPY.  Birds are Man's Best Friend -- one of them, at least.  These creatures perform a valuable public service, devouring Weed Seeds and bad insects for FREE!  They like Water features, complementary Food, and places to hide from Cats.  Got bugs?  Not enough Birds.

5.  Make sure your local Earthworms and other fauna are HAPPY.  Rototilling, concentrated Fertilizing, drying out their Soil makes them SAD.  Avoid those.  Earthworms and Ants till your Soil like the pro's they are.  Make them your BFFs too.  You cannot have too many BFFs when it comes to your Lawn.

There are a few other things I might think of after I post this, but
not to delay any longer, the last one I can think of is:

6.  Don't drive over, run on, or otherwise travel across your Lawn when the Soil is wet.  That includes NOW, when snow is melting.  Moist Soil instantly COMPACTS.  Un-doing that takes time, more Ants and more Earthworms, more amendments.  Easier to avoid it than to fix it later.

Consider a blend of primary Grass with Rye for its quick germination.  The sooner you fill in any bare spots, the sooner those spots become off limits to invaders.  Rye's good for that.  That's why builders love to use it.

Your Soil Test will describe any weird habits your Soil is hiding from you and you'll know how to tweak your plot to make it the ultimate Grass growing medium.  But once you have it growing, you MUST MOW IT ON SCHEDULE.

Why?

Let's learn a little about mowing.

Mowing at the ideal height is a secret weapon you didn't know you had.  Mowing invigorates your Grass.  Invigorated Grass is strong --
stronger than Weeds!

Weeds HATE when you mow.  Chopping off the top of a Weed is like a punch in the stomach.

But mowing the tips of your Grass is like a massage.  It's great for the roots.  It messes up the Weeds.  So you kill 2 birds with one stone when you mow your Lawn correctly.

Not all Grass has the same preferred mowing height!

If you grow Tall Fescue, you'll have a Lawn that grows fast and likes to be mowed high.  In Spring and Autumn, that means 2 1/2 to 3 inches in the Sun.  Shade-grown Fescue must get mowed more often, because blades grow longer and faster than Sun-grown Fescue.  If you grow Colonial Bentgrass, you'll have a Grass that feels great if you give it a crew cut 2 or 3 times a week at peak growth periods.  Bentgrass does not grow in Shade, so there's no mowing plan for that.  Let me know what you pick out, and we'll decide how much you need to mow it.  Mow, mow, mow your Lawn all Spring and Summer -- easy duzit in hot weather (a little longer and less often -- but enough to keep Weeds from setting seed) BUT...

N-E-V-E-R NEVER mow wet grass.  That includes dew-covered blades on a beautiful Summer morning.  You will cause all kinds of problems that we can't go into right now but ask if you want to elaborate.

As for the Corn Gluten Meal treatment this year, you cannot apply CGM if you want to plant Grass seed.  Reason being, it may halt the growth of your Grass while it's fighting criminal trespassing Weed seeds.  MANAGE your Weeds this year by mowing diligently, fertilizing carefully, watering properly and doing what needs to be done to make your Grass thick and healthy.  In the Fall, you can over-seed as needed, and then next Spring 2009 you can whack the willies out of new Weeds with the CGM.

One for the road:

7.  Accept the LESS THAN PERFECT Lawn.  This is not a paint job on your house.  This is where you play.  This is the kids' swing set and the Frisbee game and the tree house.  This is the field.  This is the life.  A Dandelion here, a sprout of Purslane there, a patch of Clover, a path etched by the pitter patter of little feet doth make the most wonderful Lawn of all.

AllExperts and you, making the world a better place, one Lawn at a time.

Thanks for writing.  Your question followups welcome.