Inspecting Your Lawn

A lawn is more than soil and turfgrass. Once the grass takes root, spreads, and becomes established, the grass and soil form an intricate relationship, creating a living carpet that can be negatively affected by many different problems. Some of these, such as fertilizer burn, show up quickly and blatantly. Others, such as thatch buildup, become worse slowly. To catch any problem before it has the chance to profoundly stunt the growth of your lawn, look a little deeper than the surface. A thorough inspection of your lawn starts with slicing out a chunk of the turf and soil and taking a good, hard look in profile, with an eye to all the potential troublespots.

Look first at the top growth. It will tell you whether you’re doing everything you need to do to properly maintain the lawn. Are the blades yellow? That may signify a deficiency of iron or nitrogen. Are they ragged at the top? This is a sure sign that you need to sharpen your mower blades, and a potential entry point for disease.

Also look at the base of your grass plants. Thatch buildup (see page 50) can slowly choke out your grass and needs to be remedied before you have a severely weakened lawn that has no energy to prevent opportunistic weeds from taking over. Are the crowns of the plants healthy and producing stolons, rhizomes or tillers? Stunted growth may point to a number of problems.

Of course, what happens below the surface is just as important. A side view of your soil will tell you if pests are trying a sneak attack, or if the lawn is becoming overly compacted from too much foot traffic. Check soil texture to make sure it is not too dense or too loose. This is also your chance to ensure that your grass plants are growing a deep, interconnected, healthy root system.

Whether you find problems or not, a basic inspection of your lawn’s structure tells you volumes about what’s going on above and below the surface. That’s what makes it one of the easiest ways to check on lawn health and get a jump on any problems that do exist.

How to Evaluate Your Lawn

Use a spade or square-edged shovel to cut a wedge out of the lawn. Take the sample from an inconspicuous area of the lawn. Cut at least 6" deep.

Closely examine the soil chunk for any obvious problems, such as burrowing insects, compaction, or conditions that need amendment, such as heavy clay.

Expose the root structure. Ideally, the roots should run at least 4" to 5" deep, and should form an intertwined network. There should be plenty of new, white root growth.

Determine the extent of thatch buildup. Measure to check that the thatch layer is not more than 1/2" thick or compacted, which indicates the lawn needs to be dethatched.

Inspect individual leaves. Look for signs of disease and discoloration due to malnutrition. Check the tops to ensure the lawn mower blades are cutting cleanly, not tearing.

Replace the wedge from the spot where you dug it out. Tamp it down gently, sprinkle a little soil around the seams, and then water the spot well.