Snyder Research Farm Offers Clinic for Homeowners Managing Large Properties

The “Back Acres Program ”

Homeowners of multi-acre properties are encouraged to consider dividing and managing their property into “Front Yard ”, “Back Yard” and "Back Acres” areas. We use demonstration sites incorporating various turfgrass species adapted to conventional and reduced mowing regimes. Four mowings per year is compared to 20 mowings per year.

Mowing low maintenance grasses twice in the spring and twice in the fall at 5 to 6 inches can provide basic aesthetic quality and competition to invasive weeds. Re-establishing the "Back Acres" into a typical lawn is addressed.

It is critically important never to mow “Back Acres "area too low as in scalping. We recommend setting the mower to the highest setting, usually a minimum of 5 inches to maintain a dense turfgrass canopy, resisting weed invasion.

We have found lawn herbicides valuable during the first year of turfgrass establishment removing weed competition, allowing low maintenance turf grasses to establish a dense canopy. Some "Back Acres" demonstration sites have remained relatively weed free without the use of herbicides for many years after the establishment year. Other areas have required herbicide applications every two or three years to maintain an attractive low maintenance lawn area.

Mid-August to mid-September plantings are much more successful than spring -- summer plantings.