Expert’s mowing, growing tips

By Dean Fosdick

Fenway Park’s David Mellor advises owners with tips from his ‘Lawn Bible.’

Home turf means something different to David Mellor than to most gardeners.

His is Fenway Park, a monument to America’s favorite pastime and one of the country’s most challenging lawns to tend. As director of grounds for the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, he’s often asked by fans about stadium-quality lawns.

“Many of the challenges I face at the park I have waiting for me on my lawn at home,” Mellor said. “Shade from the upper deck is similar to the shade from maturing trees. Planting the proper grass in the proper areas. Handling high traffic and wear.”

Then there’s drought resistance, a vexing problem for many home groundskeepers. While many Midwestern states made headlines with devastating floods this spring, drought persisted across large portions of the Great Plains, the nation’s Southeast and Southwest.

Mellor, author of “The Lawn Bible: How to Keep it Green, Groomed and Growing Every Season of the Year,” advises property owners to stay ahead of the problem by designing for drought. A healthy lawn and root system will hold onto moisture in the soil.

Here are his tips for a drought-proof lawn:

UTest the soil and do a nutrient analysis. “That will tell you what combination of fertilizers and soil amendments will work best for your lawn,” he said. “Feed grass at least once a year, preferably in the fall.”

URead labels carefully. “Go easy on the nitrogen-rich nutrients so you don’t get a quick flush of growth that can’t be sustained. Also be careful of fertilizers with lots of salt. They can burn lawns,” Mellor said.

UBuy seed mixes, not just a single grass variety that will more easily fall victim to disease or drought. Choose quality seed that will deliver the best value.

UBe smart about where and when you water. Don’t waste increasingly precious water on driveways and sidewalks or watch it evaporate in the heat of a midday sun.

“Get a timer from the hardware store and water while you’re sleeping,” Mellor said. “Two a.m. to 7 a.m. is the best time for watering. Then it’s there when the grass really needs it.”

UConditions vary by region, but a good practice for residential lawns is providing at least an inch of water per week. Water infrequently, but deeply, or enough to moisten the roots. Concentrate on areas near buildings or slopes, which tend to dry more quickly.

UDo some rain gathering. Place containers beneath downspouts to collect roof runoff and then use that cache of soft, untreated water for irrigating your lawn and garden.

UConsider reclaiming household “gray water,” which is the once-used discharge from kitchen sinks, the laundry, dishwashers, bathtubs or shower stalls. Although it isn’t clean enough to drink, it does contain less nitrogen and far fewer pathogens than “black water” or sewer wastes.

Be on the lookout, however, for local regulations limiting gray water use. Also be careful about irrigating with water containing potentially damaging detergents.

UKeep mower blades sharp and working at the right height. Mow less frequently as the drought wears on. Keep lawn traffic to a minimum.

“Blade-cutting length will vary slightly with [grass] varieties. But a good standard is 21‚Ñ2 to 3 inches high,” Mellor said.

URecycle the grass clippings, which is another good way to retain moisture. Mellor leaves clippings behind on the field at Fenway and on his lawn after he mows at home.

U“Keep a map of your lawn and the trouble spots from year to year,” Mellor said. “Work on it over a long period.” The look of a lawn doesn’t have to be stadium or pool-table perfect — particularly during a drought when it may go dormant, baking slowly but relentlessly in color from green to brown.

Lawns usually bounce back quickly, though, once the rains return.