ECOS UPDATE

BY MICHAEL LOEWEN, CO-CHAIR ECOS

COS has had a busy summer so far. Here is a brief recap of ECOS's activities:

DONATION TO ECOS

Judy and Mike Lascelles have donated $500 to ECOS for T-shirts for our many volunteers. We hope to have the shirts ready for distribution in mid-September when we officially launch our interpretative centre at Brewer Pond.

WETLANDS FESTIVALS

On July 15, ECOS staged wetland festivals in Heron Park along Sawmill Creek and at Windsor and Brantwood Parks along the Rideau River. Bruce Di Labio offered three short birding tours of these areas, Albert Dugal, a botanist, surveyed the plants along Sawmill Creek, while Mike Rankin brought his turtles and indicated what kind of habitat they need in the Rideau. In addition, Mike Loewen explained what could be done to improve water quality in the river.

More than 100 people participated in these three festivals which were filmed for airing on the Weather Channel later this summer. Special thanks to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton for funds to offer these festivals. In September, there will be a second festival at Brewer Park. Check the September issue of The OSCAR for more details.

TEN STEPS TO NON-TOXIC LAWN CARE

(reprinted with permission of the Sierra Club of Canada)

The golf course syndrome has created the unrealistic ideal of a 100% weed free lawn. Unfortunately, the quick-fix chemical approach comes with a hefty environmental and human health price tag. Changing the focus from pest eradication to prevention of pest problems using the following steps will help us and our neighbors understand that the occasional weed and insect is a sign of a normal, non-toxic lawn.

• MOW HIGH - setting your mower's cutting height to 2.5" or preferably 3" will discourage invasion by weeds and insects. Two inches (5 cm) is the absolute minimum for healthy grass, three inches (8 cm) is best. Long grass shades its roots keeping them cool and shading out weeds. Keeping mower blades sharp at all times is crucial to preventing diseases from setting in.
• WATER DEEPLY & ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. Bluegrass lawns need about one inch of water once a week. (Fescues and perennial ryegrass need only half that much.) Put a small can on the lawn before turning the sprinkler on to measure watering accurately. Frequent light sprinklings encourage shallow, weak roots. To minimize evaporation, water before 8 am or in the evening.
• MULCH CLIPPINGS. Mow often enough so that no more than a of leaf length is removed at one time. Leave clippings in the grass reducing the need for fertilizer by 30%.
• USE ECOLOGICAL PEST CONTROLS. A mixture of dish soap and water sprayed during warm weather will discourage insects. Remove the odd weed by hand (try to get it all). If you continue to have problems, check the soil pH - it should be 6.0-7.0. Add lime or sulphur to increase soil nutrients and promote beneficial microorganisms.
• DIVERSIFY. Reduce the size of lawn! Plant perennial flowerbeds, expand a herb/vegetable garden or plant wildflowers.
• RAKE. Raking removes thatch (layer of dead grass compacted over winter). Wait until the grass has dried out after winter. If it feels spongy you may damage roots.
• FERTILIZE. Fertilize twice a year if possible. Although not essential, spring fertilizing maximizes lawn's health and immunity against pests. Use only a slow-release, granular, 100% organic fertilizer likecompost or bone and blood meal, which feed natural beneficial soil organisms (chemical fertilizers kill them). Over-fertilizing weakens grass and promotes shallow root growth.
• AERATE. Grass roots must breathe air to work properly. Rent a small aerator once a year or ask an organic lawn care business to do it. June is best, when fewest weed seeds are blowing around.
• TOP DRESS WITH COMPOST. If you don't have a compost heap, buy composted cow or sheep manure. Spread at about 100 pounds per thousand square feet. This is best done immediately after aeration, ideally between mid-June and the end of August.
• OVERSEED. Rake lawn smooth, overseed with red/chewings fescue grass seed and water.

The following are excellent grass varieties for lawns in Ottawa:

1. BLUEGRASS has V-shaped leaves with fairly blunt ends. If you buy sod, this is what you get. It needs a lot of water and sun compared to other grasses.
2. FESCUE has very fine leaves with slightly rolled edges and visible veins. For shady areas, "CHEWINGS FESCUE" is the best, good-looking grass. For dry areas, "CREEPING RED FESCUE" is best.
3. PERENNIAL RYEGRASS has leaves with prominent veins, shinier below than above. If you regularly have insect problems, this is your grass, varieties 'Cutter' and 'Edge' in particular.

NON-TOXIC WHITE GRUB CONTROL

(reprinted with permission of the Sierra Club of Canada)

With many things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure With white grubs, on ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.

White grubs are beetle larvae. Most in Ottawa are "June bugs"(Phyllophaga spp.), but some are Japanese Beetle and every few years (1999) there is a peak of European Chafer Beetle. They eat grass roots.

By the time the damage is apparent, it is too late to correct the problem that year. The roots have already been eaten. You have to concentrate on next year's lawn. Begin by overseeding.

An exploding population of white grubs is a sign your lawn is unhealthy. Nearly always, you are using too much fertilizer creating weak, soft grass roots - a salad for grubs, especially in the hot dry summer. Healthy soil with nutrients released slowly by decomposition, lets grass roots grow steadily all year. "Green-up" fertilizers, particularly liquid ones, force grass to grow far faster than it would naturally.

Reduce use of artificial fertilizers. Local organic turf specialists apply far less nitrogen than recommended on most fertilizer bags. Mow high, often and lightly, and leave clippings on the lawn - they are the best slow-release fertilizer there is for your grass.

Water no more than once a week, but water deeply so grass roots grow deep and strong. Put a container on your lawn when you water, and don't stop until there is at least 2 cm of water in it. For most sprinklers, that takes a full hour.

Don't use insecticides. Put up a nesting box for starlings. They raise their young on white grubs and make only tiny holes in the turf to get them. (Skunks eat them too, but leave paw-sized holes.)

If you sprayed your lawn with insecticides in the past few years, you have killed most natural parasites of white grubs. Redress this imbalance by restoring the natural nematode population. Cold-tolerant strains are available at several local garden centers.

Non-toxic, bird-friendly, lawn care really works.