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************************************************************* LAWNS BY Lawns mean many
things besides an even green space not inflicted with other plants. For
some it is a place for the kids to play out of the mud, which requires a
tough grass that is well fed and watered without spending any more money
than possible. To the
“purist” it is a carpet of even color, and height, to be watched
over and protected from traffic, bugs and diseases with a willingness to
pay what ever it takes to get the result. These two extremes probably
live next door to each other. Now
think of the dilemma the turf grass specialist has who wants both to be
happy. Think of the
grass itself and what other duties it has!!! In my yard when a bare
space appears, grass is as likely as anything to fill in the space, so
it adapts and absorbs carbon dioxide, sulphur oxide, and changes them to
oxygen. My dogs never sit on the sidewalk.
They head for the 30 degree F. cooler grass to stretch out where
grass is breathing out moisture and shading the soil.
When the noisy cars go by and the kids laugh and shout, it is the
grass, trees, and shrubs that absorb that noise. When you move
into a new house that hasn’t been sodded and it rains, the new carpets
have to be protected from mud. But if the grass is there, it will do
much of the work. Houses are built high to keep water from running into
the basement. Again it is the grass that keeps the mud from running down
to the curb and into the storm sewers-a first rate janitor.
What happens on a dry and windy day? The grass catches many of
the particles that are later rained into their roots. To me a lawn is
a circus, a supporter of wild life. Have you ever watched Some summers
flocks of Blackbirds or Grackles drop down and start drilling holes and
I think, “Oh, oh, I have grubs. I
hope they find them all.” Another
thing I do is plant White Clover in the lawn as I have rabbits. Clover
is one of their favorite foods. I
think it takes at least some of the chewing off my other plants. Lilies
and a few others have a chicken wire fence around them as I don’t want
to take a chance. Those baby bunnies that look about 4 to 5 inches long
are almost lost in that tall grass. I
am not quite as fond of their bigger parents. Since my back
deserted me I can’t mow any more, but my garden helper keeps the mower
up at its tallest grass length and it stays that way all during the
growing season. Have you ever watched a fuzzy white, 20 pound Bischon
dog (“Snoopy”) take a nap in the sun in the spring? He finds a nice
thick spot and stretches out as long as possible.
Not far off is “Pepper”, a plump 60 pound Keeshond dog who
does the same thing. After it warms up, they retreat to the shade under
a Mock Orange shrub in their pen. They dig a fresh hole down to damp
dirt for their nap. Another
creature influencing the lawn is the squirrel. Here in Environmentalists
think lawns use too much water, too many chemicals, and the machines
make too much noise. They argue for ground covers. They are probably
right, but how many kids would enjoy playing in an ivy patch? And what
would happen to circus I enjoy watching? One report I
read said an average lawn can produce enough oxygen for an average
family. My bare feet loves to walk in that grass that is catching all
that rain and sending it back down to prevent those floods we get from
the run off from cement. I
like to put the ground covers where the grass doesn’t do so well such
as shade, slopes that are difficult to mow, and to put buffalo grass
where it is hard to water. Flowers
are my favorite of course but they don’t last very long. Copyright 2009 ************************************************************* wood ashes FOR A flower or BY
The newspapers and magazines have
recently published articles about adding wood ashes to flower and
vegetable gardens. Wood ash has many micronutrients that may be good for
your flower or vegetable garden. However, wood ash contains high amounts
of potassium (K) which is usually sufficient to high in most |