STEVE KAWARATANI:Time to plant your lawn

“I admire lolling on a lawn by a water-lilied pond to eat white currants and see goldfish.” -- John Keats

“Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand.” -- Muhammad Ali

It has become all but a foregone conclusion that our first garden (or even subsequent gardens) will include some sort of lawn area. This is probably due to a vague recollection of Victorian gardens in our collective consciousness, replete with vast acreage of emerald green grass, a pond sprinkled with water lilies and a white gazebo.

Through the advent of imported water and automatic irrigation systems, even smallish gardens in arid Southern California seem to contain this requisite landscaping element — the mowed lawn.

Images of croquet, lawn chairs and children’s swing sets fill my imagination. It is simple to grow a lawn from seed. Besides water, all it needs is sunlight, the right sort of prepared soil, and the appropriate lawn grass seed.

There is no question that lawns sown in the fall are usually more successful than those begun at other times of the year. The reasons are obvious enough. Moderate temperatures allow for rapid seed germination, and the new lawn enters the winter encountering almost no weed competition.

Autumn days provide ideal sunlight and warmth, and there is even the possibility of early rainfall. Winter storms that sometimes continue through the early spring allow the sprinkler clock to stay on “rain.”

Fall planting of a lawn should be done as soon as possible after really hot weather is over, which usually means about now through mid-November. Once the rainy season begins, conditions are no longer as ideal. Of course, the seeded area should be thoroughly cleared of the summer accumulation of weeds and just as thoroughly prepared as for any spring planting.

Climatic considerations mandate selecting the grass varieties for Laguna. Although our temperate locale and the availability of irrigated water allow the use of cool-season grasses like bluegrass and bent grass, I generally recommend the tall fescues (Southland’s Marathon is a well-know brand), because they require less water and stay green year-around, unlike the hybrid Bermudas or St. Augustine grass.

A good lawn always begins with a good soil preparation for grass roots. In Laguna, I recommend adding 6 yards of redwood compost and the addition of 200 pounds each of gypsite and Gro-Power per 1,000 square feet. These materials need to be thoroughly incorporated into the soil at a depth of 6 to 12 inches.

Rake and roll the area thoroughly, ensuring that all lumps are broken up and the soil left in as smooth and fine a condition as possible.

Early-morning sowing is advised to avoid the winds, and the seed is then raked lightly into the soil. Apply a ¼-inch layer of mulch over the seed to protect it from drying out and birds. Keep the mulch dark with water until the grass begins popping up. Water gently — don’t wash the seeds out. In four to six weeks, you’ll have a great lawn!

When travels find us away from Laguna, Catharine and I miss the waves that pound the sand; it’s part of the treasure of living at the beach. We have discovered, however, that a patch of grass in a secluded spot can usually be found. It is the lovely grass beneath our bare feet and the clouds above that seem to enhance our visiting experiences. But it is true; the grass is somehow always greener back home. See you next time.