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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1983)
Follow 3 rules — get a great lawn by S T E V E H U N T E R of Th e O u tlo o k s ta ff Some home lawns look like golf courses while others ap pear to be weed farms It is easy to grow weeds, but how does one try to achieve a lawn that looks like a golf courses? Feed, water and mowing are the three main steps to maintain a lawn. But each step requires certain pro cedures. Bill G riffith , Northwest T u rf Care and Scott Carter, S o ter C o m p an ies , In c ., s h a re d so m e of t h e ir knowledge about proper lawn maintenance. Both experts said before you begin to feed, water and mow vour lawn, it must be d eterm in e d w hether the lawn needs to be thatched. “ It depends on the thatch lay er,” said G riffith about the m aterial that builds up between the grass and the soil. “ When it gets over one- half of an inch thick — it becomes a problem because water and nutrients can’t get to the roots.” Carter said if a lawn is brown now it needs to be thatched. He recommends thatching once a year if you do not catch your grass clip pings and every other year if you do use a catcher Spring is the best time to thatch, which means to cut the grass as low as possible and then use a thatching machine to remove the dead layer. Next, the lawn must be watered and fertilized and it takes about two weeks for it to become green and tall again. But to keep it green, you must regulary feed, water and mow Feed — Carter believes to get the best performance from fertilizer, it must be us ed every six to eight weeks fro m A p r il th ro u g h November. "Most people just fertilize three times a year because of financial reasons,” said Carter. “ But for the best looking lawn you need to feed it more often to m ain tain it and to keep diseases aw ay.” G riffith said A pril and May are the ideal months to fertilize weeds because the dandelions and others are just starting to grow. Fertilizers are available to kill just certain types of weeds and others combine weed killers and nutrients for the grass. In order to get the grass green and make it grow, a balanced fertilizer that con tains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be us ed now on the lawn. The nitrogen greens the grass and the other two minerals help it grow. W ater — G riffith said the key is not to water too much because that is more h arm ful than water too little. He suggests to water in the ea r ly morning, definitely before noon. “ Don't water in the hottest part of the day,” said G rif fith. "The heat and water combined can burn the roots of the grass The evening's OK, but the lawn stays wet all night, which may cause disease.” Carter said a device called a core rem over can be bought and used to deter mine whether the lawn needs to be watered. It pulls up two to three inches of soil and if it is dry and crumbles — water is needed “ We have a real clay soil in this are a ,’’ said Carter, “ th at’s real slow to absorb. If you overwater, i t ’ll wash everything into the street. So. short cycles are the best.” Mow — C arter recom mends to cut the lawn once a week and never cut more than one-third of the grass leaf surface, which helps to thicken the grass and saves it from burning. G riffith said if the grass gets too long, the lower part of the grass leaf cannot get any sunlight to help it grow. He also said to make sure the mower blade is sharp and well-adjusted. “ While cutting, it is better to vary the traffic pattern,” said G riffith. “ I f you mow the same direction it tends to lay the grass down. I cut it about three different ways.” SPECIAL BUY! CORRY’S KILLS SLUGS A SNAILS * Now. Improv«! #5 REG. *5.99 Formula m « t slugs and «nods than olhtr controls * Long lasting - Ram w * not wash It away * Approved lor Vege table Cardans — Strawberries too! $499 Good thru A p ril 27 HARRIS SEEDS 1313 POWELL GRESHAM OR. M o n . S a t. 8 5 : 0 0 S u n . 1 2 4 : 3 0 665-1 1 68 Trees, shrubs need extra care after a hard winter Trees and shrubs in the home landscape are often left the worse for w ear after being exposed to w inter wind and ice damage Ray M cNeilan of Gresham, an Oregon State University Extension home gardening agent, says damaged trees and shrubs stand a better chance of healthy recovery if given prompt care Where broken limbs are concerned — if the limb didn't tear the tree bark when it broke off — the damage is comparatively minor, McNeilan says. Remove any portion of the lim b that is still attached to the tree trunk using proper pruning procedures. Repairing injuries where limbs have broken off the tree and damaged the trunk a re m ore co m p licated, according to McNeilan. The rough edges of the trunk wound must be smoothed down and straightened with a sharp knife. Then shape the wound into a vertical oval to perm it a smooth flow of sap around it. This will pro mote faster healing. A wood chisel m ay be needed to smooth the exposed sap-wood. There are many sealing compounds available for sealing trunk wounds. McNeilan suggests checking with local garden or nursery stores for recommenda tions on the most effective types. SALE-A-BRAT1ON SAVE 40% When you buy Boll Custom Mini Blinds at Gresham Decor Center Limited Time Offer ...Enter the Bali Blind: Colors of Spring Sweepstakes Over $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 in prizes! Come in for details GRESHAM DECOR CENTER (MtwiircA"/ 1455 NE Burnside, Gresham, 557-3648 V PAINTS / P L A N T A D E P O S IT & W A TC H IT GROW Join Your Community Credit Union — Open To All Who Live Or Work In East County. 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