Dave's Wholeganic Lawn Care Guide

Healthy lawns from healthier soil is the foundation of this guide. Focus on building life in the soil so your grass can thrive.

If you want your lawn to be in the best possible position to fight any fungal problem, pests or disease, infuse it with life (beneficial bacteria & fungi) which leads to all kinds of other life including earthworms that naturally aerate the soil, and that’s how you have a lawn that doesn’t need much else other than proper watering and mowing.

How do we Build Life in the Soil?

🌱 Minimize the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and weed and feed products. These harm the beneficial microbes in the soil which are necessary in letting Mother Nature get your lawn healthy and green on autopilot.

🌱 Use organic fertilizers that contain organic matter like compost, poultry manure, and biochar to activate nature’s microbes and promote good bacteria. These microbes break down thatch and covert it into more nutrients for a more sustainable feeding.

🌱 Keep soil pH levels balanced to increase availability of essential nutrients for healthy grass growth. Soil pH also influences the activity of beneficial microorganisms in the soil, which play a vital role in nutrient cycling. New England grass varieties prefer soil between 6-7pH.

🌱 Prevent soil compaction with core aeration so grass roots can grow deeper, increasing it’s ability to withstand hot dry summer conditions. Recommended every Fall for regular maintenance.

❌ Don’t use pre emergent in the Spring if your lawn is thin and patchy or not up to your expectations. All that does is block weeds from growing only for more weed seeds to resettle in those same open areas. Instead focus on growing in a thicker lawn by overseeding with new stronger grass seed. The best way to prevent crabgrass and other weeds from growing is to crowd them out. Then spot spray weeds as needed to reduce their presence. If using a fertilizer company be sure to tell them you are seeding and not to apply pre emergent.

Early Spring - End March/April

Dethatch/Overseeding/Synthetic Fertilizer

1) Mow extra low at about 2” and bag the clippings. This will remove leaves, twigs, and other winter debris as well as suck up any weed seeds that are lingering in the grass.

2) After mowing the grass down low, use a dethatching machine, rake, or lawn mower comb attachment to lift up matted down grass that is suffocating the lawn. This will allow air, water, and nutrients to better reach the soil and get a jumpstart to the lawn care season.

3) Fertilize immediately after dethatching with Lesco 25-0-6 at a light rate of 2.5lbs per 1000 sq.ft. available at SiteOne in Agawam. The lighter rate of 2.5lbs per 1000 sq.ft. works well for a quick green up without causing too much top growth.

4) Optional: If the lawn is thin with bare patches or winter damage, overseed with a blend of Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and Fescue similar to Jonathan Green’s Black Beauty Ultra for improved drought and disease resistance. Don’t apply pre emergent when overseeding as this will block new grass seed from growing. Be sure to substitute the Lesco 25-0-6 fertilizer with a more balanced fertilizer like Lesco 19-19-19 @3lbs per 1000 sq.ft. also available at SiteOne in Agawam.

Late Spring - Memorial Day

Organic Fertilizer & Spot Spray Weeds & Grub Control

1) Apply Milogranite 6-4-0 @12lbs per 1000 sq.ft. available at your local hardware store Home Depot or Rocky’s Ace. Milorganite works as a slow-release, organic fertilizer by relying on soil microbes to break down the nutrients, which are then released to plants as needed, providing sustained feeding and promoting healthy growth for up to 8 weeks.

2) Spot spray weeds with SpeedZone broadleaf herbicide available at SiteOne in Agawam or Ortho Weed B-gon from your local hardware store.

3) Optional: Apply Dylox or Acelepryn for grub control available at SiteOne in Agawam or spread Scott’s GrubEx from your local hardware store.

4) Optional Beat the Heat Recipe:

Mix in a 1 or 2 gallon handheld pump sprayer and apply to 2,000 sq.ft. of lawn evenly.

1 Gallon Water

1 Cup GS Plant Foods Sea Kelp

1 Tsp Superthrive

*For larger size lawns use a 4 gallon backpack sprayer such as the Cyclone 3 and multiply the recipe by 4 to cover 8,000 sq.ft. Sprayer -> https://fzspray.com/collections/backpack-sprayers/products/cyclone-3-battery-powered-backpack-sprayer

Early Summer - 4th of July

Organic Fertilizer & Spot Spray Crabgrass Weeds & Grub Control

2) Broadleaf Weeds: Spot spray weeds with SpeedZone available at SiteOne in Agawam or Ortho Weed B-gon from your local hardware store.

Crabgrass: Spot spray crabgrass with Quin-Way (quinclorac) available at SiteOne in Agawam or Ortho Crabgrass Control from your local hardware store.

3) Optional: Apply Dylox or Acelepryn for grub control available at SiteOne in Agawam or Scott’s GrubEx from your local hardware store.

4) Optional Beat the Heat Recipe:

Mix in a 1 or 2 gallon handheld pump sprayer and apply to 2,000 sq.ft. of lawn evenly.

1 Gallon Water

1 Cup GS Plant Foods Sea Kelp

1 Tsp Superthrive

Mid Summer - August

Weed Control & Prep for Fall Renovation

Broadleaf Weeds: Spot spray weeds with SpeedZone available at SiteOne in Agawam or Ortho Weed B-gon from your local hardware store.

Crabgrass: Spot spray crabgrass with Quin-Way (quinclorac) available at SiteOne in Agawam or Ortho Crabgrass Control from your local hardware store.

Bentgrass: Spray bentgrass with Tenacity (mesotrione) available at SiteOne in Agawam or the genergic version Torocity which has the same active ingredient mesotrione for half the price available on Amazon. Tenacity or Totocity will not hurt your current grass however it will need 3 weekly applications sprayed on affected areas to completely kill it off. If planning to renovate with new seed in the Fall, be sure the last application is applied at least 2 weeks before seeding.

Early Fall - Labor Day

Aeration/Overseeding/Starter Fertilizer

1) Perform core aeration as regular maintenance to relieve soil compaction or combine it with overseeding to repair and renovate lawn damage. Be sure to use irrigation flags to mark sprinkler heads and any other surface objects to avoid damage from the machine’s 3" coring tines.

2) Overseed with a blend of Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and Fescue similar to Jonathan Green’s Black Beauty Ultra for improved drought and disease resistance.

3) Apply a starter fertilizer such as Lesco 19-19-19 @3lbs per 1000 sq.ft. available at SiteOne in Agawam to ensure new seeds establish quickly and grow strong roots before Winter.

Late Fall - Thanksgiving

Organic Fertilizer & Dolomitic Lime

2) Apply Dolomitic Limestone to maintain proper soil pH. Perform a soil test to calculate how much Lime is needed. You can send soil samples to UMass Amherst Soil Testing Laboratory and get an analysis for about $20.

https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory

Weed Control

Pre and post emergent herbicides stress the grass out making it more prone to disease by harming the beneficial bacteria and fungi. It’s best to take a more organic approach and focus on growing in a thick lawn and then spot spray weeds as necessary.

Here are some examples of higher concentration weed control products for larger size lawns available at SiteOne in Agawam ->

Mesotrione (Tenacity) can be used to control bentgrass by turning them white followed by 2 more weekly applications.

Halo Selective (Pro Sedge) is used to control nutsedge. It is a must that you use a surfactant to get proper control.

2, 4-D, 2-Ethylhexylester (SpeedZone) is a great broadleaf herbicide to control weeds without damaging the existing lawn.

Quinclorac (Drive XLR8 or Quin-Way) with Methylated Seed Oil is excellent for treating crabgrass.

Watering

In order to achieve a pristine golf course looking lawn the first priority over anything else is to make sure your sprinkler system is working properly. Perform a sprinkler tuneup to check for leaks and non working heads. Make sure every head is spraying efficiently. Check/adjust the spraying radius and replace any nozzles that may be clogged or not spraying proper distance.

Water in the early mornings deeply but less frequently to discourage disease. For example double up your zones for watering times but schedule it for every other day instead of every day. This will encourage grass roots to grow deeper and discourage the growth of fungus causing lawn disease. I personally try and hold off using my sprinkler system as long as I can which is usually not until the end of June or early July.

Organic Fungus Control

Chemicals do not work they only kill good and bad fungus which invites bad fungus to take over again. It’s best to build up the soil with good Mycorrhizal fungi. Apply soil conditioners with bloom of cultured cottonseed meal, feather meal, and soybean meal. I regularly apply Milogranite each season to build up a better soil profile.

Mowing

Bag vs Mulch vs Side Discharge?

This is where the phrase “let Mother Nature get your lawn healthy and green on autopilot” comes into play. Everyone has that neighbor with the best lawn and doesn’t hire a fertilizer company or bag the grass. That’s because the soil is rich and full of microlife, and the grass is dense with minimal to no weeds or disease. The grass clippings will be consumed by microbes and converted into more nutrients, eliminating thatch and reducing the amount of fertilizer needed for a lush green lawn. If weeds and/or disease is present, bag the clippings to reduce these problems from spreading until they are minimized and under control.

As for mowing height, it is good practice to never cut off more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time to prevent stress. I personally cut between 3.25-3.5” in the Spring and slowly raise it up to 4-4.25” by end of June and continue to cut it at 4.25” during July and August to help block out crabgrass. Towards the end of July and Early August I try and avoid mowing as much as possible. In the Fall I slowly lower it back down towards 3.5-3.25”. The last mow of the year will be in November at a height of 3.25” to give it a nice clean up before Winter. It’s also good practice to change mowing direction every other week to reduce ruts and soil compaction.

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