In order to establish a new lawn or
revive an old one that has become weed-infested, the best approach would be to
completely eliminate the existing grass (weeds and all). This is done by the
application of non-selective organic herbicide or by taking the purely naturalistic
route – tilling and raking. This can be tricky business as leftover seed may
still remain after an application of herbicide (or tilling) even though everything
may appear to have been rooted out or died.
I must venture a note of caution, at
this point, though. Haste, indeed, makes waste. Many a freshly planted lawn has
become a homeowners’ nightmare simply because of a lack of thoroughness and
patience at this preliminary, yet crucial, stage. Any live roots of the old
lawn which remain will continuously spring forth, mingling with the newly
planted turf, and will most likely overpower it. Some grass species, like
Zoysia, have roots which extend as much as four inches below the surface and
will reappear with new growth if conditions are once again favorable.
Before rushing into the process of
laying new turf or sowing seed, therefore, the gardener must first thoroughly turn
over the soil, and then ensure it remains well-irrigated for another two weeks.
In this span of time, any leftover seeds which survived the initial onslaught of
herbicide and/or tilling, will sprout and can then be
permanently dealt with. Only then can
you be certain that your new lawn will indeed be fresh and attractive with no
‘carryover’ of weeds.
There's nothing more unsightly than a weed-infested lawn!
Finally, once the new lawn is fully
established and has grown to maturity, the gardener must avoid the mistake of
mowing too close (‘scalping’). This creates favorable conditions for weeds to
reappear. Mowing must be regular, with no more than one third of the length of
the grass blade removed at any one time, while maintaining a reasonable cutting
height.
This, of course, means that the type of
mowing equipment used becomes a major factor at this point. More recently,
particularly in the city of Abuja where I reside, standard lawn mowers appear
to have taken the back seat to string trimmers. This is actually unfortunate,
as mowing height is better achieved and maintained with standard lawn mowers.
The likelihood of scalping with a
string trimmer is greatly increased, regardless of how experienced the operator
may be. On the contrary, almost all the available varieties of lawn mowers in
the market today have levers for adjusting mowing height. The absolute minimum
for mowing height should be one and a half inches and, depending on the grass
type, can range to well over four inches.
The string trimmer, undeniably, has its
place and function. Where the surface is sloped, uneven or where the aim is
simply to control brush, the string trimmer comes in quite handy. That is why
it is also referred to as the brush cutter. Furthermore, on embankments where
the use of a mower could prove hazardous, the string trimmer is the tool of
choice. Finally, of course, string trimmers are the perfect tools for trimming
turf which encroaches and overlaps along driveways, walkways or other paved
surfaces.
“Laws are useless, when men are pure, unenforceable when
men are corrupt”
I’m sure you’re already getting the
drift. When a system is corruption-riddled and becoming less and less constructively
productive, for God’s sake, overhaul and SANITIZE! Insanity has been aptly
defined as the repetition of the same action over and over again, each time
expecting different results. The worn-out process of reacting to change is
grossly ineffectual for the times in which we’re in. The proactive approach, on
the other hand, precipitates positive change by the engineering of appropriate
solutions to problems which have been anticipated beforehand or, even better,
precluding the occurrence of such conundrums in the first place.
Corruption in our dear
country is already a hydra-headed monster. It is time to fight, not feed, it. The unmitigated perpetuation of
self-destructive corrupt practices has combined to further exacerbate already
stringent living conditions in Nigeria. As we pussyfoot around blatant acts of
corruption, lack of patriotism and even barefaced acts of economic sabotage with
an uninspired, insincere and ineffectual approach, the deleterious effects continue
to proliferate exponentially.
Let’s construct a hypothetical scenario
of corruption in our society and its resultant effects. Mr. Saul Pawa is able
to secure a contract for the supply of military hardware simply because he is
best friends with a high-ranking defense official. This is in spite of the fact
that his company, Thlandir Ltd., has not met the Contract Award Criteria on technical merit. Even though Thlandir
Ltd is fully mobilized for the purchase of brand new, top-of-the-shelf military
hardware, Mr. Saul Pawa proceeds to procure fairly used equipment from a shady
source who promises to deliver them to Nigeria ‘just like new.” The items are
subsequently delivered and, on closer inspection, some of the receiving inspectors
notice that this equipment has not only been refurbished and repainted, but is
in fact, less than half the quantity of what was specified in the award letter.
The team leader is hastily pulled aside, palms are greased and the supply is
consequently approved. The following year, many of these items are rolled out
in the Army Day Celebrations parade,
before an admiring, unsuspecting Nigerian President,
Army Chief and public.
Years later, most of the compromising
inspectors are able to retire early, with three of them combining to establish
a private security outfit. The team leader, also retired, is now a respected
community leader and philanthropist. She is in constant touch with Mr. Saul
Pawa who has relocated to the United States of America where he owns some fine
real estate. Meanwhile, our high-ranking defense official, having also retired
from service, runs for political office and wins with a landslide victory. His
campaign slogan is “Let’s make Nigeria better!” Everybody’s happy.
Fast-forward a number of years later
and the nation is plagued by incessant attacks from a group of insurrectionists
who are hell-bent on establishing a break-away republic. Everybody agrees that
the rebels are no match for Nigeria’s all-conquering military who have never,
in their proud history, come out second best in armed conflict. The order is
given for deployment and the military equipment is rolled out, only this time
it is not for show, but for real.
Scandal! Half of the equipment breaks
down even before getting to the front lines. There is also confusion amongst
defense officials concerning the exact quantity available, as stock appears
inexplicably low. Tragedy! Even worse, the equipment that is used is so antiquated
and non-operational that it results in heavy army and civilian casualties and a
subsequent unprecedented loss of morale amongst the troops. A probe panel is
set up to investigate the direct and remote causes of this humiliating
catastrophe. Investigations unearth a trail of dirty dealings that clearly
implicate some individuals close to the corridors of power. Nothing comes of
the befuddling panel report which, at best, is inconclusive.
Now replicate this unfortunate
scenario, or create similar ones a thousand times over, at varying levels in
the health, education, power, petroleum, transportation and housing sectors,
and you will begin to understand the enormity of the problems faced by an
intrinsically corrupt nation.
I often wonder why we, as a society,
appear afraid of upsetting an applecart which already contains so many rotten
apples. If one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch and we’re already stuck with
a quarter cartload of bad apples, isn’t it about time we cleaned up the entire
mess? The horrible stench will keep many away anyway, so why not just close
shop temporarily and “weed out” all the bad apples. Our neighbors and customers
will respect us the more for it and will in due course be more confident
visiting and doing business with us.
Just musing…
