| Preparation and maintenance are the keys to turf grass success | |
| Here are a few basics to help get you over the minor challenges that growing turf grass can present after you're selected grass type that suited to your climate. | |
| First Step | |
| Clean the Lawn | |
| Rake up accumulated leaves in the fall and spring. Look for other forms of debris and remove from the area. The accumulated debris from the lawn whether it's from tree leaves or other items, block the sunlight and will cause the grass to fail. |
Because grass is best when it is regularly cut (grass is one of the few plants in the world that actually thrive from being cut) mowing the lawn should be looked at carefully. Ideally, lawns should be somewhat level for ideal mowing. That doesn't mean you have to live on a completely flat property, it does mean that your lawn should be as even as possible to avoid having the mower jump up and down as you push it. This up and down motion often results in scalping the lawn which causes many problems for the health of the grass. If your yard has high or low spots in the lawn try doing the following: |
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| Fill holes with topsoil and add grass and over-seed. | |||
| Remove bumps by cutting an X in the raised area with a shovel. Carefully peel back the sod and remove as much soil as necessary. Place the sod back in place and water. | |||
| Soil tests are the best | |||
Do a soil test. Follow the recommendations that accompany soil test results. When applying fertilizer, follow directions carefully. Only add necessary amendments recommended by the test results. This will tell you if your soil needs additional elements to successfully grow grass. The test might show that it's pH levels are out of whack and you might need to add lime periodically. The soil test will tell you if there's enough phosphorus in the soil, and if there's plenty, then you can use a phosphorus-free fertilizer. The soil test will also tell you how healthy the soil is, that is, if your soil has lots of microbe activity or is it a sterile piece of dirt. If there's a lot of microbe activity, that's good, if it's sterile, then you'll want to add additional organic material. |
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| Compacted soils | |||
Check for soil compaction. Compacted soils do not create an environment good for root development and for microbe activity. Aerating compacted soils regularly helps to loosen up the soil and provide additional opportunities for root development and increased microbe development. Aeration also helps to keep thatch layers in check. Early spring and summer are the best times to aerate your lawn. Compacted soils prevent water and air from reaching the roots and also causes runoff. Areas that repeatedly have standing water after heavy rains are likely to be compacted. |
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| Excess thatch build up could be a problem
Check for excess thatch and remove. A thatch layer that's too thick (over 1/2") promotes a shallow root system that can't survive dry weather. This is best done in the fall and before fertilizing. Remove the debris caused by dethatching. Only grow grasses suited for your climateWhether you are repairing a bare spot, seeding a new lawn or reseeding an existing one, grow the right kind of grass for your growing zone. Follow the fertilizing and irrigation schedule that applies to your turfgrass variety and follow a regularly scheduled maintenance program. Maintenance of your lawn helps keep your lawn healthy Watering On occasions, Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate in providing enough water at the right time throughout the growing season. At times when the rains don't fall you may want to consider additional water. If this is the case, to get the best results, water deeply in the early morning. Deep watering reaches the roots, where healthy grass comes from. Infrequent and shallow watering does more harm than good. It would be better not to water your lawn at all than to follow this schedule. That being said, don't over-water. Your lawn only need about 1/2" of water a week to survive. Providing more than 1/2" of water through irrigation not only is wasteful, but it may cause problems for the lawn. Don't water the street, sidewalk, or driveway! Don't water just after fertilizing. MowingMow grass to the proper height with a mower with a sharp blade. Never cut off more than 1/3 of the blade when mowing. Grass needs the surface area of the blade to sustain itself. Removing too much of the blade creates an environment ripe for disease. Don't blow grass clippings into the street. They end up in the storm sewer and only add additional nutrients to already nutrient laden streams and rivers. Improve light penetrationPrune trees and shrubs to let sun and air circulate. This helps promotes growth and discourages disease. Inspect for damage regularlyInspect for disease, insects and weeds on a regular basis. Mowing is a great time to keep an eye out for these problems. Learn to recognize and treat problems quickly and appropriately before they become big problems. Maintain equipment with periodic checkupsTake care of lawn equipment, both before and after the growing season. This insures that your lawn mower will work as it's supposed to, but will do an excellent job of cutting the grass in a way that doesn't damage the turfgrass in the process. Remember to choose and apply fertilizers wisely and to follow label directions carefully. In the case of lawn care, more is not better. Use pesticides wisely and only when absolutely necessary. Knowing the correct product to apply at the proper time is the key to a perfect lawn. Trimming/Edging Your Lawn
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Trimming your lawn is like putting the icing on the cake—not required, but it adds so much to that manicured touch. To some, trimming is an extravagance and needless extra effort and expense. Yet to others, the lawn just isn't finished unless it's been trimmed. I personnally like the trimmed look to a certain extent. I will do a complete trimming about every 3 - 4 mowings. I will only do an edging about three times during the year. What's the difference between edging and trimming? Edging is a vertical cut and trimming is a horizontal cut. Both use different pieces of equipment or attachments. Trimmers are usually done with heavy nylon string that rotates in a circular motion, parallel to the ground. Edgers usually have a short metal blade similar to a lawn mower blade, but is positioned perpendicular to the ground.