“Rolling Your Lawn” – wtf for?

I’ve noticed signs all over the place for people paying lawn care “professionals” to come and roll lawns. I’ve got one question – why are you doing this?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not “hating” the lawn roller business, or anything that will make people defensive about the practice (god knows there are PLENTY of other businesses I could harp on about to do that) – no, what I’m wondering is what is it that makes people think it’s a good idea?

The way I look at it – lawn rolling compresses the soil and the grass together.

So what? Why is this important? Well first, this means less air is getting to the soil. As Ricky would say “It doesn’t take a rocket appliance to understand this” – Obviously this is quite important as air meeting the soil is essential for good solid root growth. Secondly, water “rolls” off the lawn and down into the drain.. umm.. so less water is also getting to the roots and soil of the grass (still waiting for this to become a good thing). I can’t think of something more dumb than to roll the lawn, then fertilize it, then have it rain or something.. say goodbye to all your fertilizer! It’ll all be washed away with the rain and not get to the roots.

I’m not saying that I’m an expert in the field of lawn care, take a look at my lawn and you could figure that part out. But I do have to say that the main reason it’s not in great shape is in my lack of time to properly take care of it. I’m hoping that this year will be a great time to start the multi-year process of building a great thick turf of grass. Ironically enough in the back yard (where the beagles basically live), I have a VERY healthy lawn, with few weeds. I think the reasons for this are partly due to the natural ‘fertilizer’ which is “dropped” randomly around the yard – and the fact it gets more sun than the front of the house (along with the fact it’s not next to the street). In any case – it’s the front which I want looking great, so I’ll keep you up to date with my progress.

Dandelions

Ha, want to know some fascinating stuff about those garden pests that you want to get rid of?

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are a curious plant in that humans have deliberately spread its cultivation around the world.

You see, this plant has been historically considered one of the most edible of plants in the vegetable gardens. The Celts ate it and introduced it to the Roman legions when Caesar invaded the north. Anglo Saxons and the Normans used it as a preventative for scurvy. It was a staple food and medicine (diuretic) in the monastery gardens of the middle ages. Puritan settlers brought seeds to North America as a common garden vegetable.

• Treat the young leaves of dandelions as you would spinach. It can be used fresh or stir-fried and I’m told that they taste best when grown in the shade and are blanched.
• Slice the roots and peel them; they can be eaten raw in salads or roasted/fried as part of a vegetable dish.
• The yellow blossoms can be eaten fresh, fried, mixed into breads or made into wine.
• When we were kids we discovered that eating the blossoms made our spit turn a fascinating yellow (the flowers are slightly bitter).
• Dandelion leaves can be made into a health tea and the roots dried and ground up for coffee (like chicory).
• Just to make your day, this plant is a fine source of iron, copper, potassium and half as much phosphorus as spinach and twice that of cabbages. It has the same calcium content as spinach and is an excellent source for vitamins A and C. The roots are said to be a digestive stimulant.
• And its name apparently is a corruption of the French “dent-de-lion” (lion’s tooth).
• Depending on which botanist you consult, you’ll find there’s 50 to 60 species and in almost every country of the world, it is considered a weed.
• They produce new plants by either seed (those fluffy seedheads) or by vegetative means (if the roots are broken, each bit will produce a new plant).

Read more: http://www.beginner-gardening.com/dandelions.html#ixzz0noLlEz8v

Anyone out there have some great tips and tricks for a perfect lawn? Some great products that you’d like to promote?