Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site umcp-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!mangoe From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) Newsgroups: net.garden Subject: Re: Grass Message-ID: <830@umcp-cs.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 18:49:37 EDT Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.830 Posted: Fri Jul 12 18:49:37 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 16-Jul-85 02:02:09 EDT References: <11461@brl-tgr.ARPA> <770@aluxe.UUCP> Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD Lines: 29 Grass is much maligned, at least east of the Mississippi. It is not hard to have a nice, dense, weed-free lawn, provided you will mow it fairly frequently in the spring, and apply the number-one weapon: Fertilizer! My parents apply a LOT of urea (~25 pounds/acre) in the spring. Urea is cheap at Southern States,its essentially organic, and you can't buy a higher nitrogen fertilizer (I think it's 25-0-0!). This makes the grass grow furiously, and, except around the bare spots, the weeds don't stand a chance. The first year you try this, you'll probably need to apply weedkiller; after that, about the only thing that can compete is shade-lovers like violets (which are a benevolent weed in a lawn anyway). The big problem you'll find is with shade. There is no grass I know of that will grow under a Norway Maple, and, as I said above, even in less intense shade, some things can compete. Out in full sun, only mushrooms stand a chance. The main problem you'll find with almost any other ground cover is that they can't stand any foot traffic. There's lots of pretty things like Vinca which do fine where feet do not tread. About the only things that can stand feet, though, are white clover, violets, and ajuga, and ajuga and clover attract bees like mad. Violets can't take all that much trampling either, but they multiply so voraciously that maybe it doesn't matter. I'll stick with a roll in the grass. With a few violets. Charley Wingate umcp-cs!mangoe