WATERING
1. On average, your lawn should be receiving approximately 1 to 1.5 inches of water (this includes rainfall). In the summer time, this may need to be increased to 1.75 inches if your lawn begins to yellow.
a. It is important to remember however that over-watering the lawn is not good either. Too much water encourages fungus development and possible lawn diseases.
b. If you’re unsure of how much water your lawn is getting, go out and get yourself a rain gauge or aluminum pie to measure how much water your lawn is getting.
2. Contrary to popular belief, you should NOT water your water consistently every day. It is recommended that you water your own in one large session. If you spend approximately half an hour watering your lawn, you’ll be right around your target goal.
a. Sprinkling encourages the grass to grow shallow roots, which increases the probability that your lawn will burn during dry periods.
3. It is also important to remember the weather and time of day when watering. If you water during prime tanning hours, you can be sure that most of the water will evaporate. Thus, the best is to water early in the morning before the sun can zap away your efforts.
a. Although the night time is cooler than the afternoon, it is recommended that you do not water at night since water sitting over night promotes fungus and disease growth in lawns.
4. If possible, try to make sure you to wet the entire root zone
MOWING
1.Keep your lawn mower blades sharp.
a.Dull blades do not really cut the grass they tear it. You want you want to keep your blades sharp year round, as it is important to cut the lawn instead of tear it. Tearing the lawn leaves it more open to diseases.
2.Mowing your grass really low can put the lawn into shock and allow weeds and insects to take over. Additionally, mowing with a dull blade increases water loss from plants, increases chances that you’ll pull the roots of the grass up, and requires more gasoline to power the mower.
3.Mowing can be a time consuming activity. This makes it tempting to take the grass down a little shorter. But grass is not like hair. You can shave your head and your hair will still grow back just fine. Try buzzing your grass down too short and it will leave your lawn in a world of trouble. A stressed lawn will struggle to regrow as it attempts to recover from being cut too short. While this is happening, weeds will move in.
4.Many people cut their grass too short. Optimal length is around 3 in. This helps shade out weeds, keeps the sroots cooler and provides enough grass leaf to encourage deeper root growth.
5.This is easiest way to ensure the health of your lawn through the summer.
a.When in doubt, just raise the mower all the way to its tallest setting.
b.You never want to cut more than about one-third of your grass in any single session. Yes, this does mean you’ll need to mow with a little more regularity, but don’t fret: the growth of your lawn will slow considerably as the temperature average goes up.
c.By maintaining a tall lawn, you deter weed growth and allow the grass to root deeper into the soil.
d.Raise mower another 1cm (½”) during hot weather to improve drought resistance.
6.Change direction of the cut each time to keep coarse grasses under control and ensure an even surface.
7.Never mow your lawn during the warm periods of the day as this will do absolutely nothing for your lawn, it can actually cause it to “burn up”. It protects the roots from the sun.
8.Also, mowing your lawn during the cooler morning and evening hours of the day is better not only for your lawn, but for yourself as it reduces the risk of heat stroke and dehydration.
ADDITIONAL ADVICE
1. Soil is the base of every great lawn. If you’re still having issues with your lawn after following the advice above, be sure to make sure that your lawn has good soil. Without proper and healthy soil, no amount of lawn maintenance and lawn products will save your lawn.
2. Mulching is extremely important for maintaining a great lawn. It provides your lawn with many needed nutrients, helps to prevent weeds, and control insect dissemination.
3. If you choose to aerate your lawn, be sure to do it before application of fertilizer in order to increase the roots exposure to nutrients.
4. When applying fertilizer, apply it twice in overlapping directions (e.g. up and down for the first half, left and right for the second half) in order to ensure that your lawn is covered evenly.
5. Do not remove your lawn clippings after mowing. The lawn clippings provide a magnificent source of nutrients for your lawn and provide shade for the roots in the event of a dry spell.
6. If you’re still having issues with your lawn and can’t figure out your problem, be sure to consult your local lawn care specialist so that you don’t misdiagnose the problem and accidentally cause more harm than intended.