KOSCIUSKO — Do you dream of having a beautiful lush, green, weed and disease free lawn? If you do, then attending Lawn Care 101 from 6 to 9 p.m. April 15 and 22 at the Purdue Extension Office in Warsaw at 202 W Main St., Warsaw, will help turn your dream into reality.

This series is open to the public. The registration fee is $10 per session or $15 for both sessions or $25 for both sessions and a soil test if received by April 10.  This includes six hours of educational instruction, handouts, refreshments and other lawn care related information. The registration fee covers one or all members of the family.

If you have any questions or would like a copy of the registration flyer with complete session details, please contact the Purdue Extension – Kosciusko County Office at (574) 372-2340 or visit the office’s website at extension.purdue.edu/Kosciusko.

Highlights of each session are:

April 15 –Getting started and maintaining a lawn

The first session starts out with the building block basics for a stress-free lawn. The importance of soil health will be discussed along with how to interpret soil tests. Fertilizer schedules and application techniques will be reviewed for all levels of lawn maintenance. Once you know more about your soil you can successfully establish a new lawn by either seed or sod. Characteristics and growth habits of warm and cool season grasses will be shared. Once you have a lawn you are ready to properly maintain it by mowing and irrigating. If you have a more established lawn, will aeration and dethatching improve it? Finally, maybe your lawn is just tired and ready for a renovation. Steps will be provided on how to do this successfully. 

April 22 – Commonly encountered turf pests

No matter how well you maintain your lawn, pests are always lurking. In this session, you will grow your lawn CSI skills. Those all too common and sometimes challenging weeds, turf diseases, insect and large animal pests will be discussed. Learn common signs and symptoms, control options and timing of applications to successfully handle these challenges. The series will wrap up with an overview of organic and natural lawn care options.