Question: What is a responsible way to get rid of invasive ferns in your lawn?  Answer: Rebecca Long, Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture Professional I suspect the reason you have ferns and Canada-mayflower, Maianthemum canadense (which is actually native to Maine and therefore beneficial for pollinators and wildlife!) encroaching on your lawn is a combination of things; the […]

Question: We are working with a landscaper to grade our yard and address the overall health of the lawn. We haven’t done anything to the lawn since we moved in six years ago and it has grown many mossy spots. The landscaper is recommending: lime, grass seeding and grub treatment. I try to be very […]

Question: I’m getting wild plantain infestation after amending and reseeding my 1,500-square-foot lawn this past spring. I’d like to topdress with compost and new grass seed at the end of this season. Can you recommend the “safest” selective herbicide to control this? Or would you recommend I start new with “safest” broad spectrum herbicide and […]

Question: I have allowed my front yard to become a meadow this year. It is a small front yard in Portland, with two large maple trees along the street. (Plus a third one just on the neighbor’s side of our driveway). Should I mow the meadow this fall, in order to accommodate raking the substantial […]

Question: I would like to know the best time in spring to use a lawn fertilizer with a pre-emergent herbicide? Answer: Dave Fuller, Agriculture and Non-timber Forest Products Professional  Pre-emergent lawn herbicides need to he applied before the soil temperatures reach a point where the weed seeds begin germinating. A great indicator for timing is […]

Question: What can I plant over a leach field? There is a small hill ( about eight steps up) to the septic tank. There is also a slight dip downhill from the other side of the leach field. What is safe and okay to plant in these areas? Answer: Katherine Garland, Horticultural Professional This is […]