If you sow the seed first, let the grass grow to a height taller than 3 inches, then mow to a height of 3 inches, then apply FertilForce™ Pellet Concentrate! A pre-emergent, such as FertilForce™ Pellet Concentrate, prevents seeds from germinating. Therefore, it must be applied before the seeds germinate. It does not kill existing weeds. A post-emergent, such as FertilForce™ Pellet Concentrate kills already existing weeds. It is sprayed directly on the foliage of the weeds.

Chemical Insect Sprays are not god for the inside of the plant and are not human safe, but FertilForce™ Pellet Concentrate protects against insects, and Shield-All controls plant diseases internally.

For spray products, it refers to the air temperature at time of application. For nematodes, it refers to the ground temperature at time of application.

Anytime but Spring application should be when the forsythia and daffodils begin to bloom. Fall application should be used between August 15 - September 15.

To establish a lawn in western Washington, choose a combination of turftype tall fescue grasses and turftype perennial rye grasses. A mix that adds up to about 90% of these two grass seed types will grow well in either sun or light shade in western Washington. Turftype perennial ryegrass takes full sun and stands up to traffic. Turftype tall fescues are adapted to shadier locations. In combination, the mix works for a lawn in average light conditions.

In this area the best time to put grass seed down is in the spring during the months of April and May and in the fall during the month of September.

As with coal or wood stoves, and wood pellet stoves, routine maintenance is required. Pellet handling and ash removal make this less convenient than fossil fuels. There are some emissions as is the case with burning anything, but nothing like the wood stoves of the past.

In St. Louis, we are in the transition zone between ideals for northern and southern grasses. Tall Fescues are best adapted for our area where there are extremes of cold winters and hot summers.

Start with top-quality grass seed. Work the soil up a little with a rake. If you are overseeding consider using a slicing machine. Evenly sowing larger areas by hand is difficult, so use a spreader. Cover the seeds by raking a little soil over them. Fertilize and mulch only if it's on a hillside. Use very little mulch. Water, water, water.

Why not? Remember, just before a snow, top dress with a light sprinkle of soil so the birds don’t think you’re a horticultural philanthropist.

Fall is the best time to sow because there is a more developed root system by the time summer drought stress occurs. Spring is the second best time because the temperature and moisture is good for germination.

A blend of fine fescue, bluegrass and certain varieties of perennial rye can tolerate a fairly shady area. However, dense shade may require ground covers or shade type perennial plants. More important is cultural practices such as irrigation and more frequent light applications of fertilizer to make up this loss taken by trees.

Adopt six or seven cats. Seriously, though, cover the seed with one quarter inch of topsoil, pat down or roll gently. The faster it sprouts, the more you keep and the less the birds eat. You can also slit an old tennis ball and force it over the end of a six- to seven-foot piece of old garden hose. Draw two mean eyes and a nasty mouth, and place yellow strips of tape like Xs down the hose. Let this lie on the seeded area until the seed sprouts. Why? The birds think it’s a snake.

None, really. That’s not exactly true, but then they haven’t developed an Astroturf seed yet. There is no true shade grass; all grasses like some sun. However, the best of the bunch that can get along with less sun than the rest is Poa trivialis. Kentucky 31 tall fescue, Zoysia, Japonica, Zoysia matrella, Astoria bent, Highland and Penncross bents, as well as creeping red, Illahee, and Chew-lugs fescue, all will tolerate light shade.

Most any type of grass seed can be used in Hydroseeding, factors such as climate conditions will be the determining factor as to which grass type is recommended. A Pro Turf Care professional will help you make the right decision for your lawn.

No company is doing this, but several are attempting to modify their stoves to better manage high ash fuels.

Most likely not. Average pellet stoves with a standard burn pot are not designed to cope with high ash content. In general, corn stoves will have more potential to handle grass pellets because they are designed to deal with a somewhat messy residue. This is no guarantee that corn stoves will burn grass, corn stoves sometimes have difficulty dealing with corn.

Not yet. The major advantage of boilers over stoves is that they provide hot water and central hot water heating. Commercially available pellet boilers are designed to burn wood pellets and possibly corn pellets. They have no means of dealing with high ash content. They can successfully burn grass pellets, but will generate a large clinker that would need to be removed from the burn chamber every 6 hours or so, in order for the boiler to continue functioning.

All grass species and mixtures. Legumes may not work quite as well but also may be acceptable. Grass crop selection should match the soil type, for maximum sustainability and productivity.

The Northeast. For many decades the Northeastern US has been officially labeled as the “Hay & Pasture” Region of the country. Like much of Europe, the temperate humid climate is not so hot for corn, but perfect for grass.

Not much. One “Proof of Concept” demonstration of a pelleting unit providing fuel for local clientele with stoves capable of burning grass might be all the jump start required.

At the current time, the Harman corn stove appears capable of handling grass pellets at least up to 5.2% ash content, without any modifications to the stove.

Routine (weekly) maintenance is recommended for burning any type of pelleted material (including wood pellets) in any pellet stove. Aside from dumping ash at necessary intervals, the heat exchanger and burn pot area will need cleaning at least once a week. The flue pipes should be inspected for buildup at regular intervals.

Grass has no political lobby. A grass roots effort is not enough. (Washington State has funded a project to burn bluegrass stubble in a downdraft gasifier).