Unit Four: Comprehensive Guide to Lawn Care, Composting, and Edible Gardening

Establishing a New Lawn

• Sequential Steps for Establishment:     * Conduct a soil test.     * Perform rough grading.     * Amend the soil and incorporate materials.     * Perform finish grading to level out the area.
• Species and Cultivar Selection Factors:     * Amount of sun vs. shade.     * Disease resistance characteristics.     * Regional appropriateness.
• Warm Season Grass Characteristics:     * Spreads via stolons.     * Displays peak appearance during summer.     * Takes longer to green up in the spring.
• Cool Season Grass Characteristics:     * Displays peak appearance during spring and fall.     * Typically turns brown during the summer heat.
• Sod Installation Procedures:     * Slightly moisten the soil prior to laying.     * Apply water within $30\,\text{minutes}$ of laying the sod.     * Continually keep the sod moist.
• Seed Installation Procedures:     * Rake or drag the area.     * Roll the surface lightly.     * Apply mulch.     * Water consistently for the first two weeks.
• Seeding Shortcuts:     * Use of mats.     * Use of biodegradable rolls.
• Sprigs and Plugs Installation:     * Used for warm season grasses only.     * Consists of small chunks of sod containing stolons.     * Spaced between $6\text{--}12\,\text{inches}$ apart.

Lawn Care and Maintenance

• Indicators for Watering Demand:     * Grass takes on a purple or blue hue.     * Grass blades begin wilting.     * Footprints persist on the grass after walking.
• Effects of Drought:     * Dying or browning of the grass.     * Crowns and roots enter a dormant state.
• Strategic Watering Amounts:     * To prevent dormancy: Apply $1\,\text{inch}$ of water every $2\text{--}3\,\text{weeks}$.     * To achieve active growth: Apply $1\,\text{inch}$ of water every $1\text{--}2\,\text{weeks}$.
• Optimal Watering Time: Early morning is the best time of day.
• Fertilizer Application Methods:     * Drop spreader.     * Rotary spreader.     * Application at a half rate.
• Fertilizer Timing: Apply only when the lawn is actively growing.
• Thatch Management:     * Definition: A spongy organic layer composed of roots and stems that accumulates above the soil surface.     * Impacts: Causes the grass roots to grow above the soil surface rather than into it.     * Removal: Managed through shallow power raking.
• Soil Compaction:     * Problems: Leads to reduced oxygen for roots, harder penetration for water/nutrients, and increased thatch accumulation.     * Causes: Lawn mower weight, foot traffic, and heavy rains.     * Remedy: Core cultivation or aeration.
• Recommended Mowing Heights by Grass Type:     * Cool Season Grass: $3\text{--}4\,\text{inches}$.     * Warm Season Grass: $2\text{--}3\,\text{inches}$.
• Benefits of Maintaining Taller Grass:     * Provides better competition against weeds.     * Reduces stress during the summer.     * Assists in water conservation.
• Mowing Frequency and Rules:     * Generally every $5\text{--}6\,\text{days}$.     * $1/3$ Mowing Rule: Never remove more than $\frac{1}{3}$ of the total leaf growth at one time.
• Handling Grass Clippings:     * Returning to Lawn: Returns essential nutrients to the soil.     * When to Bag Clippings: During rain delays that cause overgrowth, or when preparing to de-thatch or aerate.     * Alternative Uses: Can be composted and added to soil or used as mulch around flowers.

Managing Turfgrass Problems

• Common Issues: Weeds, diseases, insects, and vertebrates.
• Weed Control Strategies:     * Maintaining overall grass health.     * Manual removal.     * Application of chemical herbicides.
• The Disease Triangle: Requires a susceptible host, a pathogen, and a favorable environment to manifest.
• Disease Control Methods:     * Selecting resistant species.     * Proper fertilization and watering practices.     * Chemical applications.
• Insect Control: Use of parasitic nematodes or chemical insecticides.
• Vertebrate Control: Employment of traps, barriers, or controlling their food source.

Turfgrass Alternatives

• Advantages: Requires less irrigation, mowing, and fertilizer; serves as pollinator food; allows for the selection of specific tolerant plants.
• Disadvantages: Not as tolerant to heavy foot traffic; requires more labor initially; has a higher initial cost.
• Alternative Species: Stonecrops, mosses, ornamental grasses, and blooming perennial ground covers.

Composting Science and Practice

• Definition: The partial decomposition of organic matter (OM).
• Benefits: Effective use of waste material; results in an excellent soil amendment.
• Required Ingredients: Organic matter, decomposers, moisture, and oxygen.
• Compostable Organic Matter: Grass clippings, woody material, coffee grounds, manure, and hay or straw.
• Non-Compostable Materials: Pet waste, large chunks of wood, meat, bones, fat, and diseased plant material.
• Moisture Requirements: The pile should be evenly moist but never sitting in standing water.
• Oxygen Requirements: Requires good air flow throughout the pile.
• Decomposition Stages:     * First Stage: Bacteria and fungi are active; the pile temperature is high; microorganisms utilize nitrogen.
• C:N Ratio: The ideal Carbon to Nitrogen ratio is $30:1$.
• Inoculum:     * Definition: The addition of beneficial organisms to the pile.     * Sources: Soil, manure, or commercial products.
• Second Decomposition Stage: Larger organisms (bugs) continue the decomposition as the temperature lowers.
• Selecting a Pile Location:     * Convenient access.     * Far enough away so odors do not bother people.     * Located where rainwater can drain away.
• Container Requirements: Must allow air flow, be resistant to moisture, and feature a lid or cover.
• Container Types:     * DIY: Wine barrels, pallets, or blocks.     * Commercial: Plastic, galvanized steel, or wood.
• Building a Pile: Start with a base layer of twigs, then layer organic matter, layer in the inoculum, and moisten each layer as it is being built.
• Turning the Compost:     * Purpose: Speeds up and ensures even decomposition.     * Methods: Multiple bin systems, turning tools within a bin, or using rolling/tumbling bins.     * Timing: When internal temperature reaches $150^\circ F$, if it smells bad, or every $5\text{--}7\,\text{days}$ for rapid composting.
• Composting Variables: Time depends on Carbon:Nitrogen ($C:N$) rate, oxygen/moisture levels, temperature, and effort.
• Signs of Readiness: Dark brown color, fine texture, earthy smell, and no recognizable original components.
• Curing: Finished compost should be allowed to cure for $4\,\text{weeks}$.
• Vermicomposting: The specialized use of earthworms as the primary decomposer.

Mulching

• Definition: Any material used to cover the ground around plants.
• Purposes: Reduces weeds, minimizes water loss, regulates soil temperature, and improves aesthetic appearance.
• Categories of Mulch:     * Organic: Advantages include reusing waste, adding organic matter to soil, and a natural look. Disadvantages include degradation over time, limited colors, and the potential to attract termites.     * Inorganic: Advantages include being permanent, heavier (won't blow away), and availability in more colors/textures. Disadvantages include higher expense and failure to improve soil quality.
• Mulch Types:     * Organic: Bark, straw, and pine needles.     * Inorganic: Rock and recycled tires.
• Application Guidelines: Apply $2\text{--}4\,\text{inches}$ deep, stretching from the plant dripline to the base.
• Weed Barrier Fabrics: Often used in conjunction with mulch to enhance weed reduction.

Houseplants and Interiorscaping

• Benefits: Aesthetic/ornamental value and health benefits.
• General Care:     * Watering: Only when needed.     * Fertilizing: Use a general-purpose fertilizer once a month.     * Light: Needs vary based on the specific species.     * Temperature: Avoid placing near extreme drafts or heating vents.
• Common Problems: Yellowing or dropping leaves, dust accumulation, and pests.
• Easy Species to Grow: Spider plant, African violet, snake plant, pothos, and terrariums.

Edible Gardening

• Planning Factors: Size, location, soil quality, and timing.     * Size: Dependent on skill level, time available for management, and required harvest quantities.     * Location: Determined by topography, elevation, sunlight, and proximity to trees/shrubs.
• Soil Quality Requirements: Well-drained soil with a depth of $12\text{--}18\,\text{inches}$, a pH between $6.0\text{--}6.8$, and adequate levels of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium).
• Timing: Conduct soil tests and add organic amendments before planting.     * Warm Season Gardens: Summer gardens that will not tolerate frost.     * Cool Season Gardens: Spring and fall gardens that tolerate light frost but cannot handle heat; helps extend the growing season.
• Planting Methods: Standard flat beds, waffle gardens, or raised beds.
• Planting Sources:     * Seeds: Cheaper per plant but carry increased risk.     * Transplants: Less risk but provide limited cultivar options.     * Others: Tubers, crowns, bulbs, slips, and roots.
• Layout and Design:     * Sunlight: North/south orientation is ideal.     * Slope/Drainage: Beds should be placed perpendicular to the slope.     * Spacing: Plants need space to avoid competition for resources; rows need spacing for walking access.     * Placement Strategy: Utilize companion plants within a season and use crop rotation from year to year.
• Post-Planting Care: Mulching, watering, and monitoring for pests (weeds, insects, diseases, vertebrates).
• Managing Harvest:     * Excess harvest can be donated or given to friends and family.     * Preservation Methods: Dehydration, freezing, and canning.