Common Sense Lawn Care for Lakefront Properties

1. Common Sense Lawn Care for Lakefront Properties Tom Smith Executive Director Michigan Turfgrass Foundation

2. Why do we care? Ensure you and your family’s well-being and protect your community • What you do on your property can have impacts away from your property • Create an attractive landscape • Reduce time, costs and inputs • Attract beneficial wildlife • Preserve our water and land resources

4. A resource for Michigan’s Residents • 60 acres of research at the MSU Hancock Center • 13 faculty members; 15 graduate students and technicians • Almost 200 turfgrass students attending MSU

5. What does the research show? • Irrigation • Light daily irrigation at mid-day still provides the best quality turf • Other benefits include: • Reduced insect damage • Reduced water usage

6. Best Management Practices – Mowing • Mulching tree leaves into turf causes no problems (oak & maple tested) – returns organic matter • High heights of cut reduce weed competition • High heights of cut increase beneficial insects, which may help reduce pest insect damage • High heights of cut improve drought tolerance • Return clippings to recycle nutrients and organic matter

7. Best Management Practices – Fertilization • Reduce nitrogen on lawns that have been well-fertilized over time • Soil test for P & K • Moderate fertility will reduce weed competition • Early fall and late fall are the two most important times to fertilize • Leave unfertilized buffer areas near water and wetlands

8. Best Management Practices – Weeds • Increase mowing height • Fertilize moderately • Spot treat as needed to clean up lawns • Maple leaves mulched into turf appear to reduce weeds, especially dandelions • Corn gluten meal • Difficult to control weeds are best treated when in flower or in the fall (violets, ground ivy)

9. Best Management Practices - Grubs • Proper irrigation will manage active grubs as effectively as an insecticide • Use Merit or Mach II in early July for best preventative control • Bio-controls show some long-term promise • Tall fescue shows best grub tolerance of all turfgrasses used in Michigan

10. Think globally, act locally