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Hot Topics
Tips and
Information
for a Beautiful Lawn.
Watering Your Lawn
The proper watering or irrigation of your
lawn will vary from week to week and property to
property but there are some general rules of thumb to
follow:
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It
is better to water less frequently (once or twice a
week) for a longer period of time, than to water
every day for a short time. Infrequent deep watering
promotes greater root development.
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Wait
until the soil becomes dry before watering...one of
the largest mistakes homeowners make is watering too
often. It is better to wait until the soil is dry
to a depth of 3” to 4” before watering. This will
promote deeper root growth and a stronger root
system.
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A
good goal for watering your lawn is to apply 1 to 1
½ inches of water per week during summer growing
season. Exact amounts will vary due to soil types,
soil compaction, etc. For more help on your
specific conditions and needs please
contact us.
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Slope and soil compaction will affect watering
amounts/time. If your turf does not want to accept
water and the water begins to run off quickly, you
should consider
aeration for your lawn.
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It
is helpful to know how much water your sprinkler
puts out. For help with this see
irrigation and
sprinkler calibration. Would you like a
“Rain Gauge” to help you identify the amount of
water you are applying during any “watering
session”....just call our office for your rain
gauge! (And, its free for our customers!)
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We
should all remember...WATER is our most precious
resource and a lot of the water we use to irrigate
our lawns and shrubs is wasted! The helpful
watering tips above will help insure the health and
beauty of your landscaping and prevent our most
precious resource from being wasted!
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Irrigation Systems
While
Irrigations Systems can be a tremendous asset to a
Landscape Maintenance Program there can be some equally
difficult negatives with an Irrigation System.
Developing a good understanding of the needs of your
landscaping and your soil goes a long way to delivering
maximum effectiveness for a system. Sometimes this can
be a difficult equation and please know that will be
happy to meet with you and help in developing a program
for your system if you would like, just give us a call.
Some
Irrigation System thoughts:
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Irrigation Systems can provide for precise and
accurate irrigation/watering
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They
can save large amounts of time and trouble for you
when watering your lawn & landscaping
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Many
times, homeowners with Irrigation Systems will “over
water” their lawns while “appreciating
and utilizing” their new system! Sometimes,
new system owners will run the system because they
“like to see it working” rather than “Calibrating
and setting it according to the need of the
Landscaping”.
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Most
systems are opened in the spring during March and
April or during the “rainy season” which can lead to
over watering if the system is not monitored.
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Many
systems do not utilize “sensors” to address over
watering...these are great innovations!
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Some
systems lack the ability to separate ornamentals
from turf creating a disparity in need!
-
Too
many times, there is a disconnect between the
Sprinkler Company’s knowledge of the landscaping
needs and Lawncare Company’s knowledge of Irrigation
Systems operation and the turf and landscaping are
the big losers. We will be happy to meet with you
to develop a good program for your lawn and
landscaping...just give us
a call.
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Jamison...Your lawn partner has a background in
Commercial Landscaping and can offer you
consultation surrounding the set up of your
Irrigation System AND the irrigation needs of your
lawn and landscaping. We are happy to work with you
in this most important area.
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Mowing Your Lawn
Mowing practices will vary some by grass
type but there are several rules of thumb that basically
apply to all turf grass types. We have listed several
of them below:
Your mower blade should always be
sharp!! A good rule of thumb would be to sharpen your
mower blade twice each summer or cutting season to
assure a good cut. A dull mower blade can change the
way your lawn will look!
When mowing your lawn, you should mow
frequently enough so that you never remove more than 1/3
of the blade or 1/3 of the current height of grass with
any one mowing.
Spring
time mowing:
The only exception to this rule is with warm season
grasses in the spring. It will aid the turf in coming
out of dormancy to cut the dead blades of dormant grass
and bag and remove them. By cutting lower at this time,
you will allow the sunlight to reach the crown of the
plant and stimulate new spring growth. Cutting it
shorter at this time does not include cutting so short
that it cuts into the soil or damages the crown of the
plant.
Avoid “scalping”, that is setting
your mower blade so low that it cuts down to the soil!
This can lead to severe turf damage to the scalped
areas.
As a rule of thumb, it is best to mow on
higher settings as the fall approaches. This will help
the grass develop a deeper root system which will in
turn promote better survival in case of a very cold and
severe winter.
Best
Mowing Heights by Grass Types:
Bermuda
– Best when maintained from 1” to 2” in the spring time.
Bermuda
can be cut taller as the growing season progresses.
Bermuda is more wear tolerant when cut at shorter
heights (1/2” to 1”) but for many homeowners, a
playground is a secondary plan for a Bermuda lawn and
chose to maintain the turf at a height of 2” to 3 ½”
because the turf will maintain a deeper green color and
a stronger root system.
Zoysia
– Best mowing heights for Zoysia lawns is
between 2” and 3” and cut every 5 to 7 days. Mowing at
lesser height or less frequently will generally result
in poor turf quality. It is imperative that the mower
blade be kept very sharp for this turfgrass. A dull
mower blade can damage this turf and cause it to take on
a “brown hue” due to the “torn edges” produced by a dull
mower blade.
Fescue
– Fescue is best maintained at heights of
1 ½ to 2 inches. A sharp blade is important to provide a
clean cut and lessen the opportunity for diseases to
damage turf.
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Fescue
Turfgrass
Fescue Turfgrass is a “cool season grass”
and as such has a completely different maintenance plan
than Bermuda
and Zoysia Turfgrasses. The “growing season” for Fescue
is the fall and winter but it will remain green
throughout the “entire” year. It is a “popular choice
for the shady portions of your lawn” and being a “cool
season grass”, Fescue does not like the heat of the
summer season. Fescue growth will be slowed in the
summer and many varieties of Fescue will not tolerate
direct sun.
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Watering Fescue is imperative...a good rule of thumb
would be to water it twice each week and more in the
hotter summer months.
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Even
in the best of conditions in our area, Fescue will
not do as well as
Bermuda
or Zoysia...the summers are just too hot for
vigorous growth of Fescue in our area.
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Fescue due to its nature will need to be re-seeded
every year or so to maintain a thick stand of turf.
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Fescue Seeding should be scheduled in October and
November
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Following Fescue Seeding...more water is needed to
assure good germination! We would recommend
watering each day following seeding until
germination occurs.
Fescue Seeding...
Why fescue seeding? In the mid-south
region, our warm season turfgrasses, Zoysia and Bermuda
are better suited for our climate and require more than
6 hours of direct sunlight to prosper. Fescue on the
other hand, will grow well in the shade of your trees
and can eliminate those “undesirable bare ground areas”
under the trees.
The Fescue family of grasses is the only
grass available that can be sustained on a year round
basis in heavily shaded areas. Fescue, regardless of
variety, will thin out over time. That is why it
is necessary to overseed periodically to increase turf
density. The average period between seedings is 1 to 3
years depending upon a variety of factors such as
sunlight, irrigation and fertilization.
For optimal results, fescue seeding
should be done from circa September 15th through October
31st. This allows the fescue seedlings time to
germinate and begin growth during the last warm weeks of
the fall. These seedlings will then have time to grow
and reach maturity, as well as develop a good strong
root system, so that they may be able to withstand the
stress from the cold winter months as well as the heat
of the coming summer. Due to the lack of time to develop
an adequate root system, and the high mortality rate of
seed planted in the Spring, it is our policy that we
will not perform fescue seeding in the Spring.
The
Fescue Seeding Process:
The first step is to mow the area to be
seeded as closely as possible and remove the excess
clippings.
Second, an application may be made to
remove any weeds that should be eliminated before the
establishment of a new stand of Fescue.
Next, aerate the area to be seeded.
(See
aeration)
After aeration, the seed is to be
broadcast over the designated area making sure to shield
areas where seed is not desired (flower beds, warm
season grasses). It should be watered lightly
following the seeding. Proper watering of newly seeded
area is imperative to its growth and development!
Newly seeded Fescue areas should be watered daily until
germination occurs.
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Bermuda Turfgrass
Bermudagrass is “the turfgrass of choice”
in our mid-south area. This may be true because
Bermuda
requires little work to take good care of it. If it is
properly watered, fertilized and mowed, it has fewer
problems with weeds, insects and disease and is a fast
growing turf that will provide a thick dense lawn.
Some thoughts on Bermuda:
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Bermuda is the most easily maintained Turfgrass for
our area
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Bermuda is fast growing, wear tolerant and
reasonably resistant to disease
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Bermuda does best in full sun with 8 hours of
sunshine.
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Bermuda will recover quickly from any type of
damage...as opposed to Zoysia that has a much slower
growth rate that would require 2 to 4 times longer
to recover
Bermuda should be mowed with a sharp
mulching mower blade and the clippings should remain on
the lawn. Removal of the clippings will remove many
nutrients unnecessarily. During the summer months it
should be mowed from 1 ½” to 2” in height and in the
later summer and early fall at 2 ½” to 3”. The extra
height going into the winter will offer protection for
the root system from the winter freeze.
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Zoysia Turfgrass
Zoysia is another turfgrass of choice in
our area because of its “slower growing nature” and
thick, dense, “carpet-like” presentation. Due to its
thickness, Zoysia will actually help prevent weeds by
preventing the sunlight from getting to the soil where
the weeds seeds are waiting to germinate.
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There are many new varieties of Zoysia Turfgrass and
most are somewhat more susceptible to disease.
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One
of the more prevalent diseases in Zoysia is “Brown
Patch or Zoysia Patch”...it is a fungus and can
produce an “orange cast or look” in the turf. It is
a VERY difficult problem to control and will infect
lawns in both the spring and fall seasons.
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Should damage occur in a Zoysia lawn, re-growth will
be slow process (Substantially
less than Bermuda)
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One
of the “More Difficult Problems with Zoysia”
is “over watering” by homeowners with Irrigation
Systems and to add to the problem, “Zoysia does not
like wet feet” (standing water or saturated soil)
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Due
to the thickness of Zoysia, “thatch build up” can
become a problem and can harbor disease.
When mowing Zoysia, a sharp mower blade
is imperative! It is recommended that the mower blade
be sharpened at least twice a season. It is recommended
that the clippings be removed during the later season
cutting to prevent the thatch build up. Alternating the
direction of your mowing is recommended. During the
summer months it is recommended that it be mowed at a
height of 2” plus and later in the summer at the mowers
highest setting.
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Weeds...Weeds...and more Weeds!!
Below are a few “Need to Know Facts”
about WEEDS from our area that may be of interest to
you! And, rather that showing you pictures of different
weeds with lots of technical facts, we would rather
share some need to know information that will truly be
of benefit:
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In
our area, we have two distinct weed seasons (summer
& winter) and with them we have, two “seasons of
weeds”! That’s right, Summer Weeds and Winter Weeds
and we must make treatment for each at different
times!
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Whether we like it or not...weeds are a fact of life
in our lawns...though we can control many weeds with
pre-emergent herbicides, some weeds cannot
be controlled with pre-emergent herbicides!
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PLEASE NOTE...within each season there are some
weeds that CANNOT be controlled with pre-emergent
herbicides (i. e. Nutsedge or Nutgrass and Virgina
Button Weed to name a couple)! These must be
addressed after they emerge or start to grow with a
“Post-emergent Herbicide”.
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Also
please note...there are NO weeds that cannot be
controlled, HOWEVER, the time needed to control will
vary with the season and weed in question – so when
you have questions about what a weed is or how long
it should take to die, or whatever...just give us a
call and we will be glad to meet you on your lawn to
discuss the situation individually.
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An
old saying in the Lawncare Industry, “One year of
seed production equals 7 years of weed
production”...translated, it means the weed seeds
produced over the year can remain dormant waiting on
the right conditions to germinate for 7 years...in
truth and in fact, some can remain for up to 10
years!
REST ASSURED...our program is a
comprehensive weed control program that will address all
your weed problems at the appropriate time, but again
don’t hesitate to call if you have a question or problem
weed!
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Shade
and it’s affects on your lawn!
If you
have large trees and lots of shade,
establishing a thick, healthy Bermuda or Zoysia Lawn is
tough to impossible! If these two turf grasses do not
have “at least 6 hours of full sun each day” they will
NOT flourish! If you have a question about what turf
grass you should use, just give us a call and we will be
happy to make and assessment and share with you our
recommendations and the foundations for them.
If you have large bare areas under the
large trees and you would like green grass to grow
there...there is an answer for you...Fescue Turfgrass...see
Fescue Seeding. Below are some “Need To Know
Facts” about Shady Conditions and Turfgrass:
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Less
than 6 hours of sunlight, will produce thin Bermuda
and Zoysia Turfgrasses
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Bermuda thrives in 8 plus hours of sunlight each day
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Zoysia thrives in 6 plus hours of sunlight each day
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Note...with any amount less than 5 to 6 hours
sunlight each day, the use of FESCUE TURFGRASS
should be considered.
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There is a “common misconception” that some “types”
of Zoysia may do well in shade! In fact, several
Sod Farms and Landscape Companies have sold and
installed Zoysia in areas where it will not receive
at least 4-5 hours of sunshine per day and the turf
thinned gradually and was gone in 3rd year!
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In
areas of “limited sunshine”, it is recommended for
best results, mowers should be placed on the highest
setting possible to allow for more photosynthesis to
occur.
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pH
and Its Afects on Your Lawn
(pH
is the measure of alkalinity or acidity in soils)
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Why
do we take pH reading in your soil? With a poor pH
balance in your soil, the turfgrass (no matter the
type) cannot feed itself properly. The ability of
the plant to take up nutrients will be limited if
the pH is not at an acceptable level.
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How
many readings will you take in my lawn? We will
take 6 to 12 depending on the size of the lawn.
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The
pH level in your soil should be a reading of 6.5
(that is considered neutral)
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Simply put, when soil pH is out of balance growing
quality turfgrass becomes difficult as best!
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Signs of poor pH – inability of grass to hold color,
late to green up and thinner than normal turf even
in good conditions with full sunlight.
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Aeration Service
Click to view pdf ad
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Moles
That’s right...MOLES! Just give us a
call and we will be happy to come out and give you an
estimate on bringing your Mole Problem under control!
Moles are a LARGE problem in our area and there are
precious few companies even offering Mole Control.
Each Mole Infestation is different and
requires specific responses; hence, our inspection of
the problem is VERY important. Again, just give us a
call and we will be right out.
All of our Mole Control work is based on
“Season Control”...if the mole comes back, we come
back!
Just click here and shoot us an
e-mail request.
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Fire
Ants
Yes, we can take care of Fire Ants in
your lawn! Just give us a call and we’ll be right out
to assess the problem and share with you the problems and
controls of this potentially difficult infestation.
Please note...”just spraying the mound”
is very wrong! When you give us a call, you will get a
“Professional to help you understand the scope of the
problem”, an explanation of the control procedures and
prices.
PLEASE remember, Fire Ants can be a true
hazard...since 1940’s Fire Ants have killed more than 80
people in the United States.
Click here and
we’ll be right out for you.
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