Why Dartmouth's Grass is Always Greener

It happens every year: April rains turn the Dartmouth lawns into brown arenas more suitable for mud wrestling than for pomp and circumstance. Then POOF, two weeks later there's a plush green carpet of grass, ready for Frisbee and Commencement. How do they do it? And can frustrated suburbanites apply this education to their own benighted lawns?

The secret is in the recipe, according to College turf manager Randy Brown.

When mud season begins to ebb, Brown marshals his Facilities Operation and Management team to rake and till. Then comes the magic part: a glowing blue seed mixture spurted from a 300-gallon Hydro Seeder. Fertilizer, seed, water, shredded newspaper, and blue dye are blended together into an oatmeal consistency and sprayed over bare areas. The seed germinates in three days, with less hassle and expense than the traditional method of covering the mess with hay. Plus, birds tend to shun the fluorescent blue paste. Randy Brown's tips for your own lawn:

• Plant grass in May.

• Mix varieties of perennial grasses to prevent disease wipeouts of an entire lawn.

• If you fertilize your lawn only once, do it in late August.

• Look for fertilizers with high-phosphorus mixes when planting, high nitrogen for established grass.

• If you have weak or dry grass, raise your mower's cutting blade to two and a half inches.

Your lawn can match the Green's green.