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1 .~lll{~I'.:.'filr.l~ r ;ll"tivily. Sllil IGlllpcr;lturl'':'; :,Is(l increase, so gr;lss in l'lli11P;ICtcd soillllay hl' 1-13 dq:rl'e.<; holler (Srhull/. 19:-)9)" C;r;lss grown in L'ompactcd soils also has shal- l{lwel" roots, more thatch, ;llll.l is gL::llL::r:\lly wcakrf. To .....hcl.:k for romr~lCtion, try t{) .sink;\ sl.:rewdrivcr into the ground without pounding. If the screwdriver dllcsn't casi I)' pellctrate the .soil. acrale witl};\ hand !.;()n:r(Jr rcnt a mel.:hallicll ;lcralor. Some{imc.s acmtion is .dl (11;11 is needed to turn a problem lawn into a thriving bWll. To complete the .soil analysis, it is nccc.ss;lry to determine soil texture and count earthworms. Two .simple methods are used to determine texture. In the flrSl,:l soil sample is mixed with wolter and !he propor- tion of settled soil components (clay. .sanJ, etc.) arc measured. In (he second. a hi:lndrul of moist soil is l'ollccled and squeezed through the fist. Ger.shuny I (1993) gives instructions for both tests. Neither ex- tremely s=-tndy soils nor extremely hC:Jvy clay soils make for good lawns, so it may be necessary to add organic malleL Earthworms are only part of the critical soil life community, but they are a good indicator species. If none are found in asquare foot of soil, this may indicate :1 problem with soil texture. A healthy soil community has over 10 wonns per square fOOl (Gershuny 1993). \Vilh this basic understanding ofsai} acidity, fertility, compaction, texlUre, and earthwonns,one can build soil that supports dense and healthy turf. I I I I I I II I Step 3: Grass Selection Choose the type of grass that will bc'c'asiest to. grow. For a low inpullawn, select hardy grass species adapted to theregion's climate. For a lowerinputlawn, selectnarned:- grass varieties to meet your specific needs. For the lowest inpm iawn. try the new low-~~pU~t slow-growing or dwarf grass mixe~_ I I Which Grass? All grasses are not created equal. Most orus realize that bananas trees cannot be grown in the upper Mid- west because they are not ada[)LCd LO the winlcrclimate or the short growing season. And yet, m<lny homeowners try (0 grow bluegrass which is best suitcu to the cool, rjjiny climate of England. Since hluegrass is a shallow- rooted and filst growing grass, it is prone to dry out vcry quickly in a hot or dry .summer. JI makes better sense to choose a more deeply-rooted grass (sul,;h as t<1ll fescue) or one that is adapted to drier conJitions (such as huJlalograss). Grass ~ckction ulso needs to rellcct winter conditions. Warm SC;Json grasses such as zoysia ~() dorm<.Jnl (turn hrown) in cold weather. They come out Ill' JurrJ]ancy when the weather is above 50 dcgrces, anu gruw besl when the lI.:rnpcr;J[llre is hctwccn kO and l)) degrees. COlli season grasses suell as rin<.; J"L:SCUCS w1l1.<;[;IY green through the will!l.:r hut go uormant JIl the '-.Ull1J1ll.:r. They grow hl.:~;t JJl ()fJ-7.'i dl..:grL::c tClllrt.:r;l- 1 I 1 I f' I Watershed Protection TeChniques . Vol. 2. No: 1 . Fell 1995 :~5 7 lures. The lInilL'd SI;\les has hl'L'Il divided intll ;-;ix m;lj(lr gr;lss gnlwillg zones as SIHlWlllll1 :igurc I. 'l.lll's~ zOlles help f:\Iide the selection of (he ~rj\ss spet:ies hl'St adapted 10 thL: Joc;d c1illl;lIC (see .bbk 2). Once a f.rass species has heen selected. it is imp\)r- t;\Ilt to ~clel~! the particular variety 111;11 suits the t1niqllc :-ilc conJitinl)s ;llld m~\iIlICnallcc requirements of llle lawn. ^ wide ran~e or cultivars (cul- i!~~\l"3~=':Wlo.~~W.~::::.~I.\Il\l~\\ml':E:E:=':'.RUT..1::::::;c:U(l. tjvalcd v<lrictics) is Ilt1W availahk. Cultivars have been Jevclopcd ror parliClil;lr charactcristics such as shadc tolerancc or improved disease resistance. Recent developments in~ elude slow-growing orcven dwarf cultivars and grasses th:lt require les;.; fertilizer and wilter. Others have hecn developed with cnJophytcs, fungi that enable Lhe grass to resist surface-feeding insects including aphids, cut- worms, chinch hugs and sod webwonns. Cultivars are given nnlTICS such as AURORA hard fescue or PRAI- RIE burralograss. A named cultivar also means that (he seed or sod is certified to be true to type. See the Ll.\vn Care Field guide for a list of sources and consult Cooperative Extension to learn more about loczlily- adapted cultivars_ Selection of grasses should reflect the condition of the growing zone_ il~\l,2=':WID.1Et1H.:::S<1~ijl.EITEIT].:?::.1l~U:~~d"U""\ .,.- .' .-. Step 4: MO"'ingan~Thatch Management 1\10\':' to the rig.ht hcightat the" right time, and recycle dipping\F()r a: low)nput1awn, leave clip- pings on th~:lawn to.-provid~nutrientsand moisture. For a IOlVer input lawn, set mowing height as high as ,possible, F9f- the lmve?stinput ]awn.~djust mowing height and' frequency-during the growing season and . monitor thatch. levels. Figure 1: Grass zones of the U.S. and examples of suitable grasses (adopted from Bucks 1.995 and Schultz 1.989) PERENNIAL RYEGRASS lh/!' liv/!' graSJ h>f)!!'j 01 Ill" VIIi/cd S/(J{/!'J crl'" I. Illl!' Nor.'ll/!'asf. 2. Ill/!' Soulll: .3. Ill" f'loins; 4. IIII!' :i<Ju!tJWl!'s!: "nd::'. Ilu Nor!.""'!!'S! rmd Iypical 'lNHS sp"c,'cs .foiled 10 IIlI!' ditlcu:lIl/of)t:s ~ trt:"pr6senlr Ihe "T{Ollsilion Zan/!'.