IN THE GARDEN NO BETTER TIME THAN RIGHT NOW TO PRESERVE LAWN AND ORDER.

Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN

This time of year is when panic usually sets in regarding the lawn. Where irrigation is inadequate, brown spots proliferate with each new heat wave; where water is plentiful, weeds spread wildly without remorse.

I would not worry too much about brown or even dead patches. Once the weather cools, you can upgrade the sprinkler system and reseed. Weeds are a different matter, growing with gusto until the onset of cold November nights.

Crabgrass is the most insidious of lawn weeds. Nurseries carry chemicals for killing existing crabgrass and now would be the time to apply them. There are also chemicals that prevent crabgrass seeds from sprouting, and they should be spread in late February and again in May.

An equally pernicious weed is yellow nutsedge, sometimes erroneously called nutgrass. Nutsedge first appears as a patch of benign-looking slivers. Watch out! Within two or three years, your lawn may be nothing but nutsedge.

Another weed to watch for is oxalis, commonly known as sorrel. Just about now, its seed capsules are beginning to ripen. Be careful when removing this weed not to touch its capsules, which will explode from the mildest touch, launching seeds into every corner of the garden. Chemicals are also available for the eradication of oxalis.

TIP OF THE WEEK: If you see a ropy grass crawling along here or there, know that you have the beginnings of a kikuyu infestation. This grass must be sprayed with a systemic herbicide in order to be killed. However, if you let kikuyu take over your yard, you will at least find it impervious to drought and dogs.