On January 5, 2011 New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law the most restrictive content standards in the nation for Phosphorus and Nitrogen in lawn fertilizers.  This law was designed to minimize or eliminate Phosphorus and minimize the amount of Nitrogen per application and amount used per year on lawns.  This law will help protect New Jersey’s surface and ground waters from impairment.  The law also requires specific fertilizer application practices. 

What will be your New Year’s resolutions for your lawn?  If your lawn could talk to you, what would it be saying?  I hope you are not hearing voices from your lawn talking to you, but if you could listen and if you observe, you can detect what your lawn needs and come up with a plan of attack.

For centuries the beautiful expansive great oak tree has delivered shade and lush green foliage to our yards and has been a long standing symbol of strength, stability and power, however, the acorn droppings can drive you nuts!

Fall is here and leaves are starting to drop.  It is the beginning of the end of another successful growing season.  I like watching football in the fall and relish the idea of putting the mower away for good.  However, it is not the end of your lawn care for this year.

The good news is, if we have not yet experienced our first frost we will soon.  This will kill any crabgrass in your lawn turning it purple in a few days.  The crabgrass plant will then turn dead-brown and start to look like an anemic spider stretching out across your lawn.  Do you have a lot of crabgrass spots in your lawn?  Scratch up these areas and re-seed your lawn with Black Beauty Ultra grass seed, the remains of the crabgrass plant provide a nice straw-like cover to new seedlings.   Fall is the best time to seed your lawn because the heat of summer is gone, the temperature is cooler at night and gentle rains promote strong root growth.  Weeds, insects and fungus are not as active during fall months.  At this time of year lawns grow vigorously and they like to be feed a good meal.  Apply Winter Survival Fall Lawn Fertilizer; which contains slow-release nitrogen and iron to feed the grass into the fall months while the iron provides a deep-green color to your grass.   Fall is also a great time to adjust soil pH if necessary. 

As leaves drop be sure to clear your lawn of them at least every week to avoid them matting down the lawn and potentially killing grass.  Leaves also shade some of the grass from the sun reducing leaf growth.  Leaves are acidic and will drive down your soil pH over time.  Removing leaves from sidewalks, driveways and patios helps prevent leaf staining.  Leaves contain tannins which can leave (no pun intended!) ugly leaf foot prints on your newly installed hardscape project.  Compost these leaves to use on your lawn or garden next year.  If you have not tested your soil recently or ever, now is a good time to make pH adjustments for a healthy lawn next spring.  Use the Jonathan Green Soil pH Test Kit to quickly and easily determine your soil pH.  An organic and effective way to adjust your soil pH is to spread Jonathan Green Mag-I-Cal.  Mag-I-Cal is a form of soluble calcium that will release trapped nutrients in the soil, adjust the pH and restore the soil life.  If you have compacted soil or drainage problems, now is the time to fix them.  Raking invigorates the soil, like aeration, promoting new healthy growth.  Renting an aerator at your local power supply store works great of you do not want to rake large lawn areas.  Rent an aerating machine with a neighbor or two.  

I mentioned putting the lawn mower away, not yet!  Keep mowing the lawn as long as green growth occurs.  You may not have to mow weekly late in the fall season.  When you think you are on your last mowing, cut the grass a notch lower to avoid conditions conducive to promote snow mold.  Keep removing leaves from you lawn even after your last mowing.  When your mower is ready to be put away for the season, drain any leftover gasoline, consider an oil change and filter replacement, sharpen the blade and store properly in the shed or garage away from children and pets.  I suggest that you get your mower ready for next year now than in the spring because most of us forget and drag the mower out for the first time in the spring when the grass is already too high.  

Remember, many states now have laws regarding the application of lawn fertilizers.  Be sure to check with your local extension agent to find out the details for your state.  Jonathan Green is based in New Jersey.  New Jersey has a new fertilizer lawn with “blackout dates” you must follow.  Homeowners may apply lawn fertilizers up until November 15^th while professional applicators may apply lawn fertilizers up until December 1^st.  Do not apply any lawn fertilizers next spring before March 1^st!   Apply all fertilizers at recommended rates to avoid overuse or underuse of the product and do not apply if there is a heavy rain predicted.   Do not apply fertilizer to any impervious surface like your driveway and sweep up any spills if they occur.  Do your part to keep the water quality in our streams, lakes and oceans clean.  Good luck and have a happy fall!

We all work hard to make our home and yard a little slice of heaven, a place to have fun and relax with family, pets and friends.  We like a manicured lawn, vegetable garden, a pool and a place to have a picnic to enjoy the great outdoors.  Sometimes this love for our lawn and garden involves eliminating pests, and we are not talking about the kids!  Frequently we are asked about the use of lawn and garden products and their exposure to children and pets.  Pets and children can be more vulnerable to pesticides since they are close to the ground and tend to roll around in the grass.  Everyone is concerned with their safety and the environment and there are some guidelines that should be followed when applying and storing lawn and garden products.  Be sure to always read and follow all directions on the bags!

Lawn and garden products are bought, applied and stored the most during the spring, summer and fall seasons.  These are the warmer growing months when weeds, insects and fungi are most active in the lawn.  We rely on pesticide products for our pets like flea collars and heartworm medicines for their safety every day without thinking twice.  A pesticide is defined as any substance used to destroy insects or other organisms that are harmful to cultivated plants or animals; this includes weeds, insects and fungus.  It is the responsibility of the homeowner to read the label completely to assure the proper dosage, rate of application and storage of any leftover product.  By law, all pet and lawn and garden pesticide products must be registered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before they can be sold in the United States.  Pesticide products go through an extensive review, sometimes for up to 10 years and millions of dollars to conduct studies and collect data evaluating short-term and long-term impacts on humans, pets and the environment.  A pesticide is approved once it is deemed not to pose any unnecessary risks to people, pets or local eco-systems when used according to label directions.

Some children and pets will be more sensitive to lawn and garden products including fertilizers than others.  While we all need to be conscious of the risks, most of us have some sort of products for use around the home to control interior pests.  Everything in life involves some risks and rewards that we need to evaluate and decide which path to follow.

To minimize the risk of harm, remove children and any pet toys, food and water from the area you plan to apply any pesticide.  The label on each product will have some specific instructions for re-entry times for children and pets.  The general rule of thumb is to wait until the dust has settled.  We like the idea of watering in any pesticide or fertilizer after application, letting the grass dry and then re-enter.  If you want to be extra careful, keep pets off of the treated area for 24 hours and wipe down their paws each time they return back into the home.  Be aware if your pet eats grass or digs up any outdoor bait products.  Granular products may take more than 24 hours to completely dissolve and disappear from the lawn.  Some products cannot be watered in or poor performance will result, particularly weed and feed granules or sprays.   Be sure to secure all pesticides properly out of the reach of children and pets!  I have heard of a few incidents where homeowners say their dog ate some organic fertilizers, which is because many organic fertilizers are made from dog food ingredients.  Remember, children are curious to explore a garage, shed or basement and pets are attracted to smells. 

Please use common sense when using lawn and garden products for their sakes.   For more information about how to keep pets safe and healthy, go to www.pestfacts.org.

Over the years, we have heard of homeowners struggling to establish newly planted grass seed.  If there is grass seed growing in the carpet of my car and in cracks in your sidewalk, why is it not growing where it is supposed to, on your lawn?  The natural tendency is to blame the grass seed, but we need to establish some realistic expectations and delve deeper into the reasons why your grass seed did not grow.

Many homeowners apply grass seed during spring months after they rake up their yards and find bare spots.  As we all know spring weather can vary greatly each year in the same area.   The main reason grass seed does not germinate quickly during spring months is cool and wet weather.  Grass seed that is planted in soil temperatures below 50 degrees just will not grow potentially for many weeks if it does not want to.  Usually for the soil temperatures to reach 50 degrees you need 7-10 days of air temperatures to reach 60 plus degrees.  Would you rather swim in the ocean in April or August?  August is the best choice because the water is much warmer.  The same goes for growing grass seed, it likes to germinate in August more than April because of warm soil conditions.  Water is necessary for seeds to germinate, but too much water can hinder germination too.  Excessive spring rains can delay germination and while watering newly planted grass seed is good for growth, overwatering will not make the grass seed grow any faster.  So, the rule of thumb is “be patient” when seeding in the spring.  

The species of grass seed you sow will help to determine when to expect germination.   Ryegrass is the quickest species of grass to germinate.  In the correct conditions, ryegrass can germinate in 5-7 days, usually 10-14 days if it is not too cold (see above!).  Tall, chewings and creeping fescues are the next species to germinate, usually 14-21 days.   The turtle in the race is Kentucky bluegrass; this species can take 21-28 days to germinate.  Let’s clarify what “germinate” means too, germinate means, “start to grow” not fill in to a complete lawn.  Be aware of the grass seed species in the mixture you buy and percentages listed.  A mixture containing only 10% Ryegrass will not germinate that fast if the rest of the mixture contains Kentucky bluegrass and Fescues. 

All grass seed needs some level of sunlight to grow, to produce chlorophyll and photosynthesis.   As spring comes along and the tree canopy increases, less sunlight is getting to the grass plants.  If your shaded area receives only 1-2 hours of sunlight a day you may have trouble growing grass.  If this same area receives 3-4 hours of sunlight, whether filtered or not, your chances of success increase greatly.  In shaded areas, trees and grass seed are like David and Goliath.  Who do you think will use most of the moisture and nutrients in the soil?  Frequently shaded areas have low soil pH value conducive to growing trees and not grass seed. 

Why are you re-seeding this area?  Was it full of weeds, killed from drought stress, insects or disease?    When is the last time you tested your soil, never?  Shame on you!  Test the soil in areas that you are having trouble growing grass seed before you waste money on grass seed and fertilizer.  Homeowner test kits are available at garden and hardware stores or send your sample to your local university extension office for analysis.  Jonathan Green offers a Soil pH Test Kit that is easy to do and you will have your results in five minutes.  How can you grow grass seed or any plant effectively if you do not know the parameters of your soil?   How can you expect to grow a great lawn in the soil between the curb and sidewalk where it gets foot and dog traffic, road salt, etc.?  You wouldn’t plant your tomatoes in that awful soil would you?  How do you expect grass to grow there?  The moral of the story is to improve the soil after testing with soil amendments to create an environment that the grass seed wants to grow in.   Did you use Jonathan Green New Seeding Lawn Fertilizer when seeding?  This will supply the nutrients necessary to get new seedling off to a good start.

Did your new grass seed fail because you applied weed control products that prevent grass seed from growing?  Pre-emergent crabgrass preventers do not allow new grass seed to grow for 3-4 months after application unless you use one containing Siduron or Tupersan like Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer plus New Seeding Lawn Fertilizer.  This product will prevent crabgrass and grassy weeds from germinating and lets you seed on the same day without injuring seedlings.  You cannot apply grass seed for 3-4 weeks after any broadleaf weed controls have been applied to the lawn.   If you sow grass seed you need to have the seed germinate and be mowed 3-4 times before you can apply broadleaf or grassy weed control products.

We have hundreds of certified laboratory tests on the grass seed that we supply to the market that reflects viable germination.  We are required to label grass seed packages according to federal and state seed laws.  If the lab tests show good germination rates, why didn’t it germinate on your lawn?  Try this experiment, get a Styrofoam coffee cup, put paper toweling in it, put in one inch of water, sprinkle the grass seed you just bought on top of the paper toweling, put it in a warm, sunny window, check it every few days and water if necessary so it does not dry out.  The grass seed will germinate in the cup after 10-14 days.  If it worked in this experiment you have to figure out why it did not grow on your lawn.  You need to determine why it failed, read this article again, and do not always blame the grass seed. 

Recently, Jonathan Green met with the Healthy Lawns & Clean Water group in Trenton, New Jersey.  We have been working with this group for the last few years helping to shape the new fertilizer laws for lawns that will go into effect in January 2012.  This group includes members from New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection, Rutgers University, NJ Golf Course Association, NJ Green Industry Council, Save Barnegat Bay and many other “Green Industry” suppliers, associates and environmental groups.   The NJ Fertilizer Law, A2290, was created to protect New Jersey’s surface and ground waters from impairment by minimizing nitrogen and phosphorous content in lawn fertilizers.  

As I drive around my neighborhood and the country, I see that many people really like their lawn.  They are proud of it; compare it to their neighbors to see whose lawn is greener, thicker and weed free.  Some complain that the neighbors send their dandelion seeds over to their lawns.  When you re-seed your whole lawn it’s like a fresh coat of paint in a room, beautiful, but with a pleasant smell.   Some say that lawns take up too much time, water, mowing and fertilizer.  However, the quality of lawns is getting better.  Both private research companies and leading universities continue to produce new, improved varieties of grass that perform better than even 10 years ago.   Jonathan Green has an extensive research and development department that constantly works to discover new and better breeds of grass seed for your lawn.  New lawn grasses are being bred to require less fertilizer, mowing and water and still look great.

Are there dandelions all over your lawn right now?  Remember when dandelions were everywhere last year and you wished your neighbor had done something to get rid of them because they all blew into your lawn?  So, this year once it gets warm, they will grow nicely in your lawn with that obvious yellow flower.