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The Weekly Florists' Review 



Afbil 8, 1909. 



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HOW TO MAKE 



GOOD LAWNS 



SOD AND SODDING. 



For Lawns and Parking. 



There are few florists who do not at 

 some time encounter the need of produc- 

 ing or renewing sod. In my own state 

 (Iowa), blue grass is so universally used 

 for this purpose that the whole question 

 resolves itself into one of growing blue 

 grass successfully. 



The very fact that the practice is so 

 common may make it af)pear a waste of 

 time to discuss it. Everyone knows that 

 all that you need to do is to put a piece 

 of sod or a bit of grass seed in contact 

 with the fertile soil of Iowa, and of 

 course the grass will grow ! 



Yet there are many who do not un- 

 derstand the proper treatment of grass, 

 and even those Who have repeatedly tried 

 the process may find something of inter- 

 est in this brief paper. The discussion 

 here presented is restricted to the con- 

 sideration of sod for lawns and parking, 

 though the fundamental principles in- 

 volved are applicable to blue grass pas- 

 tures as well. 



Developing a Strong Root System. 



Blue grass is usually grown for the 

 purpose of developing a dense, perma- 

 nent sod. For this purpose it is essential 

 that a vigorous root system be developed, 

 which will not only sustain a rich carpet 

 of green during the growing season, but 

 will maintain the life of the plants dur- 

 ing the winter and the dry summer. 



It is a fact well known to students of 

 plants that as the surface features be- 

 come harsher and the supply of food 

 and wateif becomes less constant or less 

 certain, the plants growing upon sucu 

 surfaces produce relatively larger root 

 systems and smaller tops, and are thus 

 able to withstand dry conditions, during 

 both winter and summer, which would 

 prove fatal to plants with roots lying 

 nearer the surface. 



In view of this well-established prin- 

 ciple, it would appear to be advantage- 

 ous to somewhat abuse blue grass, a plant 

 quite adaptable to a variety of condi- 

 tions, in order that the root system may 

 be enlarged, and the perpetuity of the 

 sod be thus insured. Experience has 

 shown that this is really true, for blue 

 grass forms a finer and more lasting sod 

 upon poorer soils than upon the richest 

 loam, and it is a significant fact that 

 blue grass and trees, the two greatest 

 and most common beautifiers of our sur- 

 roundings, may be grown upon soils 

 which are inferior, or almost worthless, 

 for other purposes. 



The Soil is Often Too Rich. 



Yet most persons who sow blue grass 

 seed for sod consider it desirable to 

 spread rich soil, or a large amount of 

 fertilizer, upon the surface before sow- 

 ing. Indeed, the writer has known of 

 cases in which property owners removed 

 the poorer surface soil and replaced it 

 with rich soil at considerable expense, 

 and to the detriment of their sod. This 



practice is apparently sustained by the 

 fact that' in rich soil blue grass quickly 

 sends up vigorous blades and culms, but 

 the roots do not penetrate to greater 

 depths, and the first snowless winter or 

 dry summer will cause m-any of the plants 

 to perish. The blue grass will also be 

 more easily crowded out by weeds. .In- 

 several cases which have come to the 

 writer's attention, one of them in his 

 own experience, a part of the filling of 

 a lot was made with rich soil, and a part 

 with poorer subsoil^ and in every in- 

 stance the rich soil produced more vigor- 



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Artistic arrangements in Art 

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Friday and Saturday 



April 9th to 10th Inclusiye, 



Orchids, Violets 



Gardenias and Roses 



SAMUELSON 



FLORIST 



(Established 1887) 



Telephone Calumet 1600-1601 



2127-2129 Michigan Ave. 



Mall Orders Receive Prompt Attention 



Jc 



An Attractive Retail Advertisement. 



ous looking grass at first, but an inferior 

 sod in the end. 



The principal subsoils of Iowa are 

 loess, the yellow clay which covers most 

 of the western, northern and eastern por- 

 tions of the state; the drift, consisting 

 of joint clays with more or less sand, 

 pebbles and boulders, and appearing at 

 the surface chiefiy in the north central 

 part of the state; and alluvium, a com- 

 bination of the materials of the two pre- 

 ceding, with an admixture of organic 

 matter, found along our streams and 

 lake borders. 



Good Sod on Poor Clay Soil. 



On the uplands loess and drift, whi.h, 

 are chemically practically the san, ■ 

 everywhere form the subsoil, and wheri 

 this comes to the surface it is regard*' I 

 as a poor soil. Yet upon these veiy 

 clays, particularly that known as loess, 

 blue grass will form a sod unequah ] 

 elsewhere. 



The writer has had excellent succe^-s 

 in developing sod on lo6ss clay in i>- 

 sponse to the following treatment: T!j(^ 

 surface of the clay is graded to insiuo 

 good drainage, as blue grass does nut 

 thrive on poorly drained areas. If tlie 

 grounds have been graded so that un- 

 disturbed clay is at the surface, it should 

 be plowed or spaded. On recently filleil 

 surfaces this is not necessary. The sur- 

 face material is then reduced to as fino a 

 condition as possible with an ordinary 

 garden rake, and upon it pure blue grass 

 seed is sown. A thin sprinkling of fine, 

 well decayed fertilizer will help the 

 young plants, but coarse and compara- 

 tively fresh manure should be avoided. 

 The surface is then reworked with tlio 

 rake until the seed is just covered. 



Treatment of the Yoang Grats. 



If this is done very early in the spring 

 of an ordinary year, no further treat- 

 ment is necessary for some time, as the 

 natural rainfall and slowness of evapora- 

 tion at that season of the year will pro- 

 vide sufficiently for the seedlings. Dur- 

 ing dry seasons or periods, and espe- 

 cially if the effort is made rather late in 

 the season, artificial watering will at 

 first be necessary, but an excess of water 

 should be avoided, as the plants are 

 forced to rapid growth, and become ten- 

 der. The writer has succeeded in this 

 way \v getting good sod from seed sown 

 late in Jr.ne. ' 



Ordinarily, pure blue grass seed should 

 be usou This gives a more uniform, 

 denser stand, which adds much to the 

 beauty of a lawn. When other seed, such 

 as barley, oats, and so forth, is mixed 

 with the blue grass, the latter is likely to 

 be more or less crowded by the more 

 rapidly growing grains. If such seed is 

 added as a protection to the blue grass 

 seedlings, it should be in relatively small 

 quantities. Clover, with its tendency to 

 mat, also crowds out the blue grass, at 

 least for a time. 



Mowing and Wnteting. 



Frequently a crop of weeds will at first 

 overtop the blue grass, and these will 

 serve as nurses for a time. They should,, 

 however, be checked before they are too 

 tall to cut with a lawn mower. The first 

 cutting will serve this purpose, and will 

 usually leave a fairly pure stand of blue 

 grass. Cutting should be repeated fre- 

 quently enough to prevent the blue grass 

 from getting too tall for the lawn mow>r. 

 This will give a denser and more uniform 

 sod. 



The subsequent care of the lawn ca Is 

 for but little comment. It should not ^e 

 watered frequently, for the reasons al- 

 ready stated. It should not be cropp'd 

 too closely, especially during dry seasois. 

 However, a reasonable amount of cuttiig 

 keeps it denser and more uniform. I^n • 

 places from which the snow is readily 

 swept, or during snowless winters, a d'T 

 mulch, to be removed early the followi'ig 

 season, will be of advantage. All tl is 

 may be troublesome, but is practical'^ 

 on small tracts. 



Objections to Soddinjf. 



The laying of sod is a practice not ^o 

 be encouraged, except in rare cases whore 



