SEEDING

SEEDING All sorts of seed and mixtures of seed are on the market, all guaranteed to make a lawn like velvet. Unfortunately only in exceptional circumstances do they succeed in doing so. Years ago professional landscape architects used to call for a mixture of Kentucky Bluegrass, Redtop, and White Clover for any and all lawns; but since the discovery that it is easier to get a weedless lawn if the soil is acid, and since it is well known that White Clover and Kentucky Bluegrass don't like acid conditions, this formula has had to be revised.

The writers have found that a mixture of one part Redtop and two parts Red Fescue is admirable for the average situation here in the Northeastern states. The Redtop comes up and matures quickly, making an immediate stand of grass and discouraging weeds. Then the slower growing Fescue comes on and takes its place, making a hard, close, uniform turf, which is quite disease free and stands drought and some shade. It thrives in sunny places. It responds to acid reacting fertilizers of the ammonium sulphate or nitrate type. It is permanent. In very shady situations something else has to be used. Poa trivalis is good, since it is more like the Fescue and can be blended into it at the edges of the shady area without showing a pronounced break. MEADOWS AND ROUGH PLACES

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