BY: Chuck Lebar, Owner, Magnolia Lawn
Spring is upon us and with it comes the time for enjoying the outdoors, trips to the lake, kayaking down the “Hooch,” having friends and family over for a BBQ – or just relaxing with the family on a warm, beautiful spring evening.
Mother Nature has provided many of us with beautiful flowers, fragrant honeysuckle, vegetables, and grass for our enjoyment, and then a lot of us take further steps to provide ourselves with a fresh, comfortable yard in which to relax. The largest portion of our outdoor area is generally the lawn, since it is able to take traffic and is reasonably easy to maintain.
To grow the lush lawn you want during spring and summer, there are a few things homeowners can do.
First, it’s important to know that in their native state, grasses commonly planted for lawns grow to about 18” in height, so planting them in the yard and mowing them at one to three inches, depending on the turf type, creates an artificial environment and invites problems. But with some planning, you can usually work around these problems.
There are three sources of maintenance for your lawn:
1) You or your lawn care provider – Fertilizers and control materials.
2) Mother Nature – Supplies sunlight, soil and water.
3) Good mowing and watering practices – Most Important.
To grow a good lawn: Pick the right grass for the environment. For example, bermudagrass needs full sun – all day, every day – to be healthy. It takes very little shade to harm bermudagrass, so if you have a partially-shaded environment, zoysia or fescue would be better options. Zoysia generally needs to be sodded, while fescue can easily be seeded in the fall.
Mow frequently and at the proper height. In general, bermuda and zoysia should be mowed at about one and a half inch, while fescue should be mowed at about three inches. No more than 1/3 of the leaf blade should be removed with any one mowing as mowing off too much at once will shock the plants and cause thinning. Mowing once per week during the growing season is usually sufficient. Clippings add nutrients to the soil if they are left behind after mowing, so they should not be bagged.
Most people tend to overwater. Water your lawn only when necessary. Usually one inch of water per week in the absence of rainfall is sufficient to keep your lawn healthy. Shaded or low-lying areas of the lawn will need less water, and some areas will rarely need to be watered. Water only at night between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. to keep the leaves of the turf grass plants dry during as much of the day as possible. Wet leaves encourage fungus development.
And most importantly… if you own a “Keep off the Grass” sign, discard it, grab a kid or two, and play in the grass!
