Home Turf — What a Bargain!

by Ann M. Mason, Fairfax Master Gardener
Spring is shifting to summer and now turfgrass seems to grow vigorously. In my neighborhood, the 8 am lawn mowers are in full swing! As you walk around your yard you may view sparce areas lacking turf or areas where lawn weeds grow abundantly. As you wonder what you can do to improve your lawn, consider the Fairfax County Master Gardener Home Turf Program. For a minimal cost ($45), we will send out a three-person team to evaluate your lawn and make detailed suggestions for its improvement.

Imagine that — a house call!
How does it work? First, you must submit an application form, available at our website. If you need assistance with applying our Master Gardeners staffing our booths at clinics in farmers’ markets, libraries, and community gardens in Fairfax County can help with added information. Once you apply and submit the registration fee, we will schedule a day to come to your house. The visit, which usually lasts a couple of hours or more, will include our Master Gardeners taking a soil sample(s) for analysis by Virginia Tech. We will measure the area of the lawn and identify the type of grass and weeds. We will also identify any special problems such as compaction, wetness, shade and mowing issues. After gathering all the data, we will prepare and send you a detailed, personalized, three-year Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) to improve and protect your lawn. Does your lawn need lime? How much and what type of fertilizer should you put down? What about weed control? We will supply the answers.

But a warning: the Home Turf program is very popular.

With the Home Turf program, you can take personal control of your lawn. The Home Turf team and your personalized Nutrient Management Plan will tell you the correct amount, type and application time of fertilizer that will make your lawn look great as well as keep nutrient runoff to a minimum.

Whether you hire a lawn service or do it yourself, you will have the information to do it right with the correct amount of nutrients to minimize the fertilizer runoff into County watersheds and to the Chesapeake Bay.

And the County benefits, too. Proper lawn cultural practices can improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. The Home Turf team works closely with the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. That agency provides free service to the public to improve water quality in Fairfax streams. Through the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program, the Soil and Water Conservation District even has funding to help homeowners cost-share the remediation of difficult areas like slopes, erosion, riparian buffer areas, and stormwater runoff, that contribute to nonpoint source pollution.

But a warning: the Home Turf program is very popular. We have a limited number of people trained to evaluate your lawn. If you want to participate, we urge you to apply soon. Registration opens May 1. The program is available to residents of Fairfax County, Falls Church City, and Fairfax City.

And yes, when the Master Gardeners arrive at your property, of course you can ask us what’s wrong with your Japanese holly, hydrangea, or other landscape plantings. We can answer that, too.

Registering in Home Turf really is a terrific bargain!