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The INDEPENDENT, July 15, 2004
Can You Dig It?
By Schann Nelson
Gardeners, in general, always seem to
be looking forward to the next season. In
my case, this is because I’m happier plan-
ning what I will do, rather than actually get-
ting out there and doing the tedious jobs
that need to be completed now, such as
weeding the vegetables or dead-heading
the flowers, though I will talk later, just a bit,
about weed management.
One of the most interesting classes in
the Master Gardeners course (for me) was the lawn and turf class.
Like most people, my “lawn” is just an area of the yard that gets
mowed and is not something I pay a lot of attention to. However,
a luscious green lawn is very important to some and has more in-
herent worth than I suspected. According to our instructor, Ameri-
can lawns average 2200 sq. ft. Since an only slightly larger lawn
of 2500 sq. ft., lawn produces enough oxygen for four people for
one year that’s a lot of oxygen being produced by suburban
lawns.
Grasses evolved side-by-side with grazing animals and
each grass has a set height at which it goes to seed. For ex-
ample, the plains grasses that evolved with buffalo, set seed when
they are quite tall and, thus, are not suitable for lawns, while
grasses evolved in the presence of sheep grow very close to the
ground. If a grass plant is not grazed, it will immediately set seed.
In our modern world, the lawn mower has replaced the grazer.
About a quarter of the world’s plants are in the grass family, in-
cluding most of the food grains.
If you want a really great lawn, close consideration of what type
of grass to plant and a good watering and fertilization schedule
are essential. I will be discussing only grasses for lawns; grasses
and turf maintenance for athletic fields and golf courses is best left
to professionals. While most easily obtainable lawn seed mixtures
include a large percentage of Kentucky bluegrass (which is not
actually native to Kentucky, but comes from Europe). The OSU
Extension Service does not recommend planting of only Kentucky
bluegrass in this area because it does not survive in Western Ore-
gon for more than three to five years. Fine fescues include creep-
ing red, chewing and hard fescues. These are drought and shade
tolerant but, depending upon variety, may develop disease prob-
lems and are not suitable for play areas or heavy traffic. Turf-type
ryegrasses are extremely wear tolerant, but require fertilization to
resist disease and invading species. The final type of turf grass is
bentgrass. Only colonial-type bentgrasses are recommended; do
not use creeping bentgrasses. Bentgrass performs well under low
fertility, in moderate shade and on acid soil.
So, what’s a person to do with that patch of under-performing
lawn or bare earth? First, consider the site. If you have more than
50-percent shade, consider using other groundcovers, as no type
of grass will grow well in this much shade. Roughstalk bluegrass
(Poa trivialis) tolerates both wet and shady sites. Drainage is a
consideration, as fine fescues and turf-type perennial ryegrasses
don’t like wet feet, a bentgrass or fine fescue would be a better
choice. Any of the grasses recommended by the Extension Ser-
vice will withstand moderate use but a better choice for a play
area would be predominately perennial ryegrass. Another option
is to consider the eco-lawn mixes now available, which include
clovers, daisies and yarrow. These mixes are more drought toler-
ant and require less fertilizer and mowing. Nichols Nursery has a
mowless lawn mixture that is only 30-percent grass, according to
our instructor.
Lawn maintenance is essential. Mowing height should be in ac-
cordance with the type of grass. Mowing should not remove more
than one-third of the leaf blade and should be done as soon as
there is enough grass to cut. Deep, well-drained soil is optimal for
a healthy lawn. Grass roots follow the water down. In our clay
soils, particularly where construction has compacted the soil, this
can be a problem leading to shallow and underdeveloped root
systems. Roots need oxygen and water. Over-watering can dra-
matically increase lawn problems. Generally, the effective root
zone is three times the cutting height. Infrequent, thorough water-
ing of the root zone is best. You can measure the amount of wa-
ter your sprinkler system puts out by placing short cans (cat food
or tuna type) in several spots on the lawn. In general, lawns in
western Oregon need one-inch of water per week all year long.
When grass goes dormant during the summer months, shallow in-
termittent watering can be very destructive by encouraging fragile
and shallow new growth that can die when watering ceases.
Fertilizer is the final component of good lawn maintenance.
Lawn fertilizer should be in a 3-1-2 ratio, meaning that there are
three parts of nitrogen, one part of phosphorus and two parts of
potassium. Don’t be fooled by bigger numbers, it’s the ratio that’s
important. The label on the bag may say 12-4-8 or 6-2-4 or 15-5-
10 but the ratio remains the same. Grass grows most actively in
the spring and fall and is dormant in both summer and winter.
Never apply more than one pound of nitrogen per thousand
square feet per application. Avoid fertilizing during hot weather. A
good program is to apply one-pound of nitrogen four times per
year: early May, late June, mid-September and early November.
Because organic fertilizers take longer to provide nutrients these
times should be adjusted to February, late
April/early May, late August/early Septem-
ber and early November. Organic fertiliz-
ers will also provide helpful micronutri-
ents and, possibly, soil organ-
isms. More chemical fertiliz-
er is used on American
lawns that the entire coun-
try of India uses on all crops.
You can spread high quality compost with a rake. Try it!
Thatch control is much discussed, but is generally not needed
in home lawns in western Oregon.
Please see page 21
Chris Burkett to
sign new book
at Grey Dawn
Christopher Burkett will be
signing his new book, Resplen-
dent Light, July 16 from 6:00 to
9:00 p.m., at Grey Dawn
Gallery, 879 Bridge St., Ver-
nonia.
Resplendent Light is a col-
lection of 68 square photo-
graphs that Burkett has taken
with his Hasselblad camera. Of
these, 26 are new images tak-
en over the years, but not pre-
viously printed. An essay by
James Enyeart accompanies
the images. The format of the
book is a companion to Bur-
kett’s previous book, Intima-
tions of Paradise. The trade
edition retail price will be $65.
Hand-bound book/print sets
are available for pre-publica-
tion ordering now at Grey
Dawn Gallery. The print size
will be 11” square, then double
matted. There will be three im-
ages available to choose from.
The pre-publication price of
$500 will increase to $750
when it is ready for shipping.
Church Directory
V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH
F IRST B APTIST C HURCH
Grant Williams, Pastor
957 State Avenue
Vernonia, 503 429-6790
Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 9:45 a.m.
*B.L.A.S.T. w/Nursery 10:00 a.m.
*Bible Learning and Scripture Training
Wednesday
Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
John Cahill, Pastor
359 “A” Street
Vernonia, 503 429-1161
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship
Saturday, 6:00 p.m.
G RACE R EFORMED B APTIST C HURCH
D.J. Dickey, Pastor
Grant & North Streets
Vernonia, 503 429-1919
Sunday Services: Adult Prayer &
Children’s Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:15 a.m.
Evening Worship 5:00 p.m.
Evening Service will change to
3:00 p.m. on Sept. 7,2003
Wednesday Service:
All Family Bible Study, 7:00 p.m.
A SSEMBLY OF G OD
Darwin Harvey, Pastor
662 Jefferson
Vernonia, 503 429-4615
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.
Bible Study, Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
Youth & Kids , Thursday 7:00 p.m.
S T . A UGUSTINE (C ANTERBURY )
E PISCOPAL C HURCH
375 North St. (Vernonia Grange Hall)
Vernonia, 503 795-2173
Sunday Services 10:00 a.m.
V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH
Gary Taylor, Pastor
500 California Ave
Vernonia, 503 429-5378
Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Nursery available
Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m.
Sam Hough, Evangelist
410 North Street
Vernonia, 503 429-6522
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Every Wednesday:
Ladies' Bible Study 9:30 a.m.
Ladies’ Worship 10:00 a.m.
Children’s Choir 3:00 p.m.
Family Bible Study 6:30 p.m.
S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH
V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH
Pastoral Associate Juanita Dennis
960 Missouri Avenue
Vernonia, 503 429-8841
Mass Schedule
Sunday 12:00 Noon
Religious Education
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
850 Madison Avenue
Vernonia, 503 429-1103
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.
Children’s Sunday School
S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST
Jeff Cheney, Branch President
1350 E. Knott Street
Vernonia, 503 429-7151
Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m.
Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m.
Relief Society, Priesthood and
Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.
N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH
Kevin Reiner, Pastor, 543-2254
2nd Ave. and Nehalem St.
Vernonia, 503 429-8301
Sabbath School 9:15 a.m.
Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m.
Prayer Meeting, Wed. 7:00 p.m.
C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST
OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS