Guide to a Healthy Lawn Garden

Guide to a Healthy Lawn & Garden July 2004 Contents Q & A’s about Perth’s Pesticide By-law Lawn Care: Steps to a Healthy Lawn Dealing with Weeds on your Lawn Dealing with Insects on your Lawn Tried and True Alternatives to Pesticides Commercial Products Lanark County Seasonal Lawn Care Schedule 13 12 10 6 4 2 1 Q & A’s about Perth’s Pesticide By-law 1. Can I still have a full green lawn without pesticides? Yes! Lush, green lawns are often chemically dependent, and therefore prone to disease. The goal is for people to have safe, healthy lawns and gardens that aren’t dependent on chemicals for their appearance. Many lawn care companies and garden centres, including Smyth’s Landscaping and Hendrik’s Garden Centre now specialize in organic gardening and non-chemical alternatives and can offer expert advice and service. 2. Can I still use “Weed and Feed” products on my lawn? No. Even though their packaging looks pretty tame, “Weed and Feed” products are especially hazardous because herbicides are applied over the entire lawn, not just where weeds are present. Also, they take a long time to break down, continually exposing humans, animals, birds and insects. Dear Perth Residents: As of April this year, a by-law regulating the use of cosmetic pesticides has been in effect for all properties in the Town of Perth. We all want to have a good looking lawn and garden. In the past, this may have involved using pesticides to manage weed and insect problems. This booklet offers you advice about how to have an attractive lawn and garden without using chemicals and provides suggestions about alternatives to conventional pesticides. Earlier this year, the Ontario College of Family Physicians released a comprehensive report concerning the impacts of pesticides on human health. Their review found evidence of serious harmful effects including cancer, reproductive effects and impacts on the nervous system. The colleges report identifies “positive associations” between pesticide exposure and brain cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer. These effects are found in both occupational and home and garden exposures. Many of the pesticides presently on the market in Canada contain active ingredients that were approved over 20 years ago. While the federal government is carrying out reviews of some of these, it is proving to be a very slow process. The goal of Perth’s by-law is to help protect the most vulnerable in our community - children, expecting mothers and the elderly. We all want to do the right thing. Please take a few moments to review this booklet and to adopt some if not all of its suggestions. Dennis Cordick Mayor Town of Perth 3. Where can I see a copy of Perth’s Pesticide by-law? Visit the Town Hall or check out their website at 4. What do I do if I have a serious pest problem I can’t deal with? The By-law allows pesticide use in the case of serious infestations. The property owner is required to make an application at Town Hall for a permit and pay a $25 fee. A Town representative will inspect your property, and if you do have a problem, a one-time permit will be issued allowing the use of pesticides, following the signage and application guidelines in the By-law. 5. Where can I find information on alternatives? To get information on alternatives to chemical pesticides residents can visit the Master Gardeners booth at the Perth Farmers Market, every Saturday from mid-May until Thanksgiving. You can call the following individual MG’s for help: Judy Wall, Rock Wall Gardens: 267-6684 or 264-8002 Paul Pospisil, Beaver Pond Estates: 273-5683 Useful websites: ecoPerth: City of Ottawa: City of Toronto: Organic Landscape Alliance: Books you can buy and are available for loan from the Perth Library: Real Gardeners’ True Confessions, Pat Stone Editor Dead Daisies Make Me Crazy, Lorren Nancarow & Janet Hogan Taylor Insect Disease & Weed ID Guide, J. Cebauko & D. Martin, ed. The Chemical-Free Lawn, Warren Schultz How to Get Your Lawn & Garden Off Drugs, Carole Rubin How to Get Your Lawn Off Grass, Carole Rubin 1 Lawn Care Steps to a Healthy Lawn • • lawns that have been treated with conventional pesticides and fertilizers. some thatch is okay, but anything over 1/2 inch can lead to problems. thatch is a perfect haven for insects and disease, and prevents moisture from reaching the roots of your grass, making it more susceptible to drought. • the best time to dethatch your lawn is in the fall. Get rid of it by using a heavy rake or a special tool you can find at garden supply stores 4. Aerate and overseed. • Cutting your grass higher means deeper roots for drought resistance and fewer weeds. • 1. Mow high – grass makes food through its leaves. • 2” is an absolute minimum, 3” is best • long grass blades keep its roots cool, shades out weeds, making it harder for them to grow – never cut more than 1/3 the height at a single mowing • only cut when grass is dry and make sure the mower blades are sharp • leave clippings on the grass, because it reduces the need for nitrogen fertilizer consider installing a mulching blade on your mower • • • • • aeration gives roots room to grow, helps nutrients and water reach the roots, gets oxygen into the soil, and helps reduce compaction for in-town lawns, it probably takes an hour or so to do, so split rental cost with a neighbour ($50 half day), many lawn care companies offer this service compacted soils encourage dandelions and plantain aerate once a year, the best time is between May and June, when ground is still soft and there are fewer weed seeds blowing around rake smooth and overseed with fescue or perennial rye avoid rolling your lawn as this increases compaction 5. Fertilize in the fall, only once a year. • • • • • 2. Water deeply and seldom (if at all!) • • • Kentucky bluegrass needs 1” of water a week, fescues and perennial rye grasses need half this much frequent light waterings cause shallow, weak roots, leading to dormancy during the first dry spell ask your lawn care professional about overseeding with a more drought-tolerant grass mixture don’t overfertilize because it weakens the grass apply organic fertilizer as it tends to release nutrients slower organic fertilizers contain trace elements, and don’t kill off soil microbes and earthworms look for low N percentage, relative to chemical fertilizers high N makes grassblades grow faster than it would naturally, adding stress to plant 3. Get rid of the thatch • 2 thatch is grass stems, shoots and roots (not clippings) on the surface of the soil that are not breaking down. It tends to occur in 6. Build up your soil, especially if you live in a new development • grass needs at least 6” of good well draining top soil • make sure soil pH is between 6.0 and 6.5, the optimum range for taking up nutrients • topdress with compost whenever you overseed and over time you will improve the quality of the soil in your lawn as well as increase its depth. 3 Dealing with Weeds in Your Lawn Despite what the ads say, a great looking lawn doesn’t necessarily mean weed free. A healthy lawn has some weeds. Think about it - how often in nature have you ever seen an area where only a single species of plant thrives? Pesticide manufacturers and lawn care companies have done their best to make us believe that a perfect lawn consists of only one kind grass and is totally weed free. Think back to our grandparents lawns. They were made up with a wide variety of grasses often including clover. Do you ever remember anyone talking about grubs or chinch bugs back then? Better than Kentucky Blue Grass! Lawns are healthier when several kinds of grass cooperate to deal with differing conditions. Here’s an outline of the different types of grass and where it makes sense to plant them. Bluegrass • type of grass grown for sod • needs lots of water and sun compared to other types • heavy feeder • goes dormant more quickly than other species of grass • preferred by lawn grubs Weeding Hand weeding can be a very satisfying activity, especially if you go at them after a rain when the soil is moist and the roots come up easier. Boiling water This is a great solution to deal with those pesky weeds that pop up in pavement or sidewalk cracks. Simply take a kettle of boiling water and pour it over the weeds. Be careful to ensure the boiling water doesn’t run into any areas where there are plants or grass that you’d like to keep. Tall fescues • good wear tolerance, often being used for sports fields • prefers sun • good drought tolerance due to its deep roots • may need to occasionally overseed because of winterkill • doesn’t form thatch Fine fescues (creeping red, chewings and hard/sheep fescues) • best for shady and dry areas • don’t take drought well • great for shade, sandy soils, where nothing else will grow Sour Power - Vinegar Known in the past for its weed killing abilities, use of vinegar as an herbicide is getting a revival. Depending on the percentage of acetic acid (you can get up to 25% acetic acid), vinegar can kill weeds entirely following a single treatment. Pour into a spray bottle and spritz the leaves of the weed you want to get rid of. Be careful not to spray grass or plants you want to keep, as vinegar kills whatever it’s sprayed on. Also avoid breathing in vinegar fumes or spraying it on your skin, as it can cause irritation. Perennial rye • good if you tend to have insect problems • look for endophyte enhanced cultivars, natural resistance to insects (Elf or Accent are trade names) • germinates quickly 4-5 days • good nurse grass Corn gluten meal Corn gluten meal, recently approved by the Federal government as a herbicide alternative, prohibits the formation of roots during the germination of seeds. It’s important to remember this means all seeds, not just weed seeds, so you should never apply it at the same time as you are reseeding your lawn. Wait at least 3 weeks after seeding. Several commercial products include corn gluten meal, but it is also available at local animal feed stores, as its main use is as a feed supplement. The application rate is 20 lb per 1000 square feet. Corn gluten meal has a nitrogen content of about 10% making it a slow release fertilizer as well. 4 Dutch White Clover • historically fine lawn seed mixes contained Dutch White Clover • stays green in droughts and does well in sun and shade • is very hardy, tolerating foot traffic and cold winters • helps add nitrogen to your lawn and competes against weeds Ground Covers instead of Grass Consider alternatives to grass – periwinkle, pachysandra, sedums, daylilies, thyme, etc. that don’t require cutting • the emissions for a gas powered lawn mower are equivalent to running 30 cars for the same period of time! 5 Dealing with Insects in Your Lawn Insect problems often develop in lawns that have been treated with pesticides. This is because pesticides tend to strip lawns of their ability to defend themselves by killing off good and bad bugs along with soil microbes, making the soil less biologically active. Prevention is the Key! Here are some things that you can do now to keep those bugs away! • Aerate your lawn. Many area lawn care companies offer this service. Alternatively, an easy to operate aerator can be rented from Rental Village for about $25 for two hours. • Rake out the aerating cores into loose soil. • Apply a thin layer of compost (pick up some at the Perth landfill, or get together with your neighbours and order enough for everyone). Compost is better than triple mix or just straight topsoil because it doesn’t contain weed seeds and it’s full of microorganisms that help break down thatch. • Overseed with a lawn seed mixture that has: - high percentage of endophyte rich perennial rye grasses (Dodds and Erwin and Home Hardware carry these varieties) - as low a percentage as possible of Kentucky Bluegrass - Dutch White clover – also available at Dodds and Erwin The Chinch Bug Test 1. Fill 2 or 3 buckets with bubbly, soapy water (dishwashing soap works well). 2. Pour the buckets over an area where the brown patch meets green lawn. If you have chinch bugs, this is where they will be most active. 3. Cover the area with a light coloured piece of fabric – an old towel or bed-sheet works great. 4. Wait about 15-20 minutes. 5. Lift up the fabric to see if any bugs have attached themselves to the underside. Put them in a clear, glass jar to determine if they are chinch bugs. Chinch Bugs What do they look like? They are small black bugs about 1/6 inch long, with white wings that have black, triangular spots towards the outer edge. Chinch bugs suck the sap from plant stems and roots, causing the plants to wilt and die. Chinch bugs travel from lawn to lawn as long as they find conditions that are favourable for them! So if your neighbour has the bugs, it is best to start preventative measures before you notice any signs of the bugs. Where are they found? Favourable conditions for the bugs include: • areas on your lawn with full sun • sodded lawns, or lawns with a high percentage of Kentucky Bluegrass • low-cut grass • lawns with poor nitrogen content OR high chemical nitrogen content • heavily thatched lawns • soil with low pH Chinch bug damage appears in your lawn as patches of brown and dying turf. The patches may continue to grow until they reach a portion of the lawn that the chinch bugs find unfavourable (i.e. a shaded patch). Because they are so small, the bugs are difficult to identify by sight, so we recommend that you conduct a quick and easy saturation test. 6 Treatment – Chinch Bugs are Moving In If you’ve done the chinch bug test and only a small bit of your lawn is affected, you can get rid of them by drenching your lawn with an insecticidal soap solution. This drives them to the surface and then vacuum them up with a shopvac (This is how the City of Halifax handles any chinch bug problems on municipal property!) You’ll find the area with the greatest number of bugs is right where the brown grass meets the green. Situation Out of ControlIf it’s looking like your lawn is totally infested with chinch bugs, the best way to get rid of them is with a product called EndAll, manufactured by Safer’s. It is available at many local retailers. Follow these steps for its application: 1. If your lawn is heavily thatched, rake it lightly to loosen it up. Be careful not to rake too aggressively, as you may damage the roots of your grass. 2. Thoroughly water your lawn to bring the chinch bugs to the surface. 3. Using the EndAll concentrate, with an application rate of 20 ml per litre of water, saturate your lawn. Take your time to make sure all the area is covered. This product kills both the adults and the eggs, so there is no need to reapply. Depending on the amount of thatch in your lawn, it will take between 20 minutes to 2 hours for the insect to absorb it. It may take as long as two days for the insect to die, but the insect stops eating grass once it’s ingested the EndAll. 7 This means that if you carry out a chinch bug test less than two days after you apply the EndAll, you may still find live bugs. If you try the chinch bug test after two days, you won’t find any live ones. The active ingredient in EndAll is pyrethrin, which is extracted from Chrysanthemum plants (Mums). It is a broad-spectrum insecticide, which means it kills good bugs as well as bad, so we don’t advise you do this unless you think you have a serious chinch bug problem. Chemical treatments are required in ONLY THE MOST EXTREME CASES. With chemical treatment, you will remove not only the Chinch bugs, but also all other soil microorganisms. With no life in your lawn, the thatch will not be broken down, and your lawn will once again be susceptible to Chinch bug infestation. In addition, Diazinon, and Dursbane, the chemicals typically used by Lawn Care companies to treat this problem are extremely toxic. Both are being phased out from commercial use because of serious environmental and health risks. brown patches. In severe cases, the turf will easily lift away from the soil like a carpet. Secondary damage takes place when skunks, raccoons and moles feed on grubs, leaving small holes in your lawn. The Lawn Grub Test: Using a shovel, cut into and lift up about a one-foot square piece of your grass and turn it over. If you see less than 5 grubs on the underside, then everything is fine. If your lawn is in good shape (dense with deep roots) then between 5 and 8 grubs is probably okay too, but you should keep an eye on the situation. However, when the number of grubs exceeds 10, you’ve got a problem. Sod Webworms What are sod webworms? If you see lots of little moths fluttering close to the ground around dusk in early to mid summer, and your lawn has a thatch problem, you’re probably looking at adult webworms getting ready to lay their eggs. The Sod Webworm test: Drench the area you believe to be infected with a soapy water mixture. This will bring the webworms to the surface where they are easier to see. Treatment - What to do if you have them! Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally occurring bacteria that is toxic to caterpillars, is a good way to control them. Because it takes about 14 days for the eggs to hatch, apply Bt a couple of weeks after seeing the moths. Repeat the application of Bt again the following spring. Trounce, a commercially prepared product manufactured by Safers is also effective. It is a mixture of insecticidal soap and pyrethrin. Treatment – What to do if you have them Apply predatory nematodes, which are microscopic sized organisms that search out, infect and kill lawn grubs. It takes between 24 and 48 hours for nematodes to begin their work. Prior to their application, gently remove thatch if it is more than 1” thick. This allows the nematodes to reach the soil. Water your lawn very well, and keep it moist for about 48 hours after applying the nematodes. Apply nematodes either first thing in the morning or in the early evening to avoid exposing them to ultraviolet light, which kills them. Nematodes do not overwinter well in the Perth area, so it is best to reapply each year. For the nematodes to do their job, the temperature of the soil must be at least 15°C or 60°F. Nematodes are harmless to humans, pets, birds, earthworms, bees and beneficial insects. Prevention: Because grubs are the larvae of winged beetles, there’s very little you can do to stop beetles from laying their eggs in your lawn. When you do see a beetle though, it’s a good idea to get rid of it by dunking it in a pail of soapy water. Like your body, the healthier your lawn is, the better it is at resisting insects or diseases. A healthy lawn has a variety of different grasses, especially fescues and perennial rye grass, grown in about 6” of top soil with a high humus content. Lawn Grubs What are lawn grubs? They’re the C–shaped white larvae of different types of beetles, including June bugs, Asiatic beetles and chafers. They have dark coloured heads and three or four sets of arms just below their mouths. Before pupating, most remain as grubs for two seasons, and feed on the roots of grass. Because they’re bigger, grubs tend to do the most damage in their second year. All lawns have some grubs, but problems tend to occur in unhealthy lawns with Kentucky bluegrass being the predominant type of grass. Even though grubs begin doing damage as early as mid-May, you can really see their effects when hot dry weather sets in. Your grass will appear wilted or with irregularly shaped 8 Let your grass grow to about 3 inches, particularly in the summer, as the depth of grass roots, is proportional to the height of the grass blades. Situation Out of Control: If lawn grubs have turned your lawn into a dead brown mess, here are some options: • rake away all the loose grass, rototill your lawn and let the birds get at your grubs. • apply insecticidal soap to the infected areas on a daily basis until the grubs are dead. To make your own, mix 1 tbsp. vegetable oil based soap with 1 litre of water. • apply predatory nematodes if the soil is warm enough (see above) 9 Tried and True Alternatives to Pesticides Gardeners have been using safe methods to control diseases and insect problems on their lawns and gardens for years and years. With the hazards of chemical solutions becoming more known, people are returning to these tried and true methods. Here are some remedies you might like to try: Multi-purpose garden plant spray A good all purpose spray, provided by Lanark County Master Gardener Helen Halpenny. She picked it up in Penny Reed’s gardening column in the Ottawa Citizen. • to control many garden pests and diseases. 1 1/2 tbsp. baking soda 1 tbsp. insecticidal soap 1 tbsp. cooking oil 17 cups water 1 tbsp. vinegar (added last) Mix ingredients in a sprayer and spray both the tops and bottoms of leaves. Use weekly to control many pests and diseases. Tips from Lee Valley Tools Neem Oil Made from the seeds of the tropical neem tree, neem oil is effective against all insects including lily beetles. Besides giving the plant a bad taste, it inhibits the insects maturation and egg laying abilities. It is harmless to nectar feeding insects. Neem also works against some plant leaf diseases, such as black spot on roses, powdery mildew and rusts. Use as a foliar spray: 1 oz neem oil to 1 gallon of water plus a few drops of pure dish soap. Because it breaks down in sunlight, apply every week or so. Garlic and onion foliar spray Effective against all leaf eating insects. Put 4 cups of water into a saucepan. Add one chopped garlic bulb, one small chopped onion and 1 tsp. cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat, cover and let steep for one hour. Strain with a cheesecloth then add 1 tsp. of pure liquid soap (i.e. vegetable oil dish soaps or Murphy’s oil soap). Pour the cooled mixture into a spray bottle and use on your plants. Leftovers can be kept for one week if refrigerated. Tips from Ed Lawrence, Canada’s Official Residence Chief Gardener How to get rid of moles: 1 part castor oil to 10 parts water. Add a bit of soap. Pour around hole For Slugs & Their Eggs: 10 parts water 1 part ammonia Spray or water over crowns and around plants before foliage opens. If you do spray on open foliage, then rinse with clear water. For aphids + Mealy Bugs/Scale: for aphids: 40 parts water 1 part insecticidal soap or dish soap for mealy bugs/scale: add 8 parts rubbing alcohol to above recipe Black Spot Rose Fungicide: 100 parts water 1 part baking soda 1-2 drops dish soap (can be made up to ratio of 20 parts water to 1 part baking soda) Dormant Oil Recipe for Tree and Shrub Insect Problems mix to form an emulsion: 1/2 pint (250 ml) 10 weight non detergent, non additive oil or mineral oil 1 gallon (4 1/2 l) warm water 2 oz. (60 Mls) liquid soap spray on, making sure to cover all surfaces until the tree is glistening. Use late March or early April on a non-windy day, no cooler than 7-10 degrees Celsius. Do not use on evergreens. Ant bait recipe: 1 tsp borax (available at Loeb’s) 6 tbsp white sugar 2 cups boiling water add first two ingredients to boiling water. Stir well. Cool. Dip cotton balls into solution and drop into a plastic container that has holes punctured into sides along bottom of container (to allow ants in and out). Put the lid back on to keep out wasps, bees and to prevent evaporation. Place the container along the regular path of ants. Check the balls every few days and remoisten as required. Keep using as long as ants continue to appear. 10 11 Commercial Products As more and more municipalities adopt regulations around the use of cosmetic pesticides, commercially prepared alternatives are becoming available. Common brand names include Safers, Chemfree, Green Earth, and Ecoclear. The following is a summary of the types of products for sale in Perth area stores. A word of caution - while not as toxic as conventional pesticides, some are dangerous to you and other beneficial organisms at the time they are applied. Please use them as a last resort and remember to wear protective gloves, or face protection if required. Late April/Early May Lanark County Seasonal Lawn Care Schedule • • • • • • • • DO NOT do any work on your lawn until it’s dried out VERY gently rake your lawn to remove dead grass and winter debris Canadian Tire Home Hardware Hendriks If you like, top dress with corn gluten meal to suppress weed seed germination Sharpen lawn mower blades Dodds & Erwin Hillside Garden Mid to Late May garlic based sprays insecticidal soaps rotenone dust * Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Aerate your lawn, topdress with compost and overseed with perennial ryegrass, fescues or dutch white clover. (If you’ve applied corn gluten meal, wait at least 3 weeks to overseed.) Hand pull weeds right after a rain and fill in bare spots with grass seed Insect Controls pyrethrin based sprays ** diatemaceous earth BT nematodes for white grubs neem oil sprays slug and snail barriers borax-based ant killers tree guard tape dormant oil / lime sulphur spray kits Adjust your mower to cut high – 3" is best DON’T fertilize – this causes too quick growth and also feeds weeds June • • • • • • • • Check for signs of insect problems and apply nematodes to prevent white grubs once soil temperature reaches 60°F and after a rain Hand pull weeds right after a rain and fill in bare spots with grass seed July –August Cut only when necessary. Hand pull weeds right after a rain Fungus Soil Products Control Weed Control acetic acid based sprays corn gluten meal fatty acid herbicide (coming from Safers) If you choose to water, water seldomly but deeply. During hot dry spells, allow grass to go dormant (go brown) and don’t cut it until it recovers after a rain September Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes sulphur based sprays slow-release fertilizers kelp products soil-testing kits rye and fescue grass seeds Dutch white clover seed If lawn thatch is greater than 1/2" dethatch and overseed Hand pull weeds right after a rain and fill in bare spots with grass seed October • • • Fertilize if necessary November Rake up leaves Cut grass one last time * rotenone dust is hazardous to humans if it is inhaled, so use a mask ** pyrethrin is extremely toxic to fish and other aquatic life so do not use next to a watercourse or where runoff could occur. 12 13 Thanks to the Laidlaw Foundation for their support in the preparation of this booklet. ecoPerth is showing the rest of Canada how a small town can respond to the issues of climate change. Partnering with local businesses, service groups, and individuals, ecoPerth is about making projects happen — projects that are environmentally sustainable and economically efficient. www.ecoperth.on.ca ecoPerth 80 Gore St. East Perth, ON K7H 1H9 phone: 613 267-1128 email: info@ecoperth.on.ca Contact Us At Taking Action on Climate Change