Cultural Practices - Recommendations for your lawn.

Watering

Watering is of primary importance to your lawn.   Watering is involved in many processes within the grass plant.  In order for these processes to take place, conditions must be favorable and the right amount of water must be available.

When to Water

Recognizing when to water is not always easy.  It is important to water often enough to keep adequate soil water in the root zone at all times.  Checking the first six or seven inches of topsoil with the core of a screwdriver will let you know if the soil moisture is adequate.

Water between midnight and noon, but be sure to stop watering by noon.  During this time, temperatures are cooler with higher humidity, an absence of wind and less water loss due to evaporation.  Diseases have less chance of spreading when the lawn is watered after it has cooled down from the heat of the day.  Watering in the late afternoon creates a warm, moist and humid environment most diseases prefer.  By early morning, plant temperatures are cooler and the daytime heat discourages disease development.  Midday irrigation may be more convenient, but most of the water applied will be lost through evaporation and the grass will not benefit from the watering.

Amount of Water

The amount of watering needed depends on the kind of grass and the day-to-day temperature.  Most lawns require about one to two inches per week.  It is important to measure the amount of water applied, so that the soil is wet deep enough, but not over-watered.  The rate of application can be measured by placing several small similar containers, like coffee cans around the lawn.  Water as normal for a set period of time (30 minutes for example).  Pour all the water into one container, measure, and divide the amount by the number of containers.  This will provide your irrigation output per 30 minutes.  Use this figure to determine how long to water.  the amount applied should not be greater than the soil is able to absorb.  During drought periods, it is better not to water the lawn at all, or infrequently with a deep irrigation, than to tease the grass with light sprinkling.  The grass may turn brownish and become dormant, but will be revived with the next good rain.

Mowing

Before mowing, be sure the mower blade is sharp.  A dull blade will bruise and tear the grass tips, and they will eventually turn brown.  Mow when the grass is dry to eliminate shredding and whipping of the grass blades.

Base the mowing on the growth rate of the grass rather than on a set time schedule.  Never mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade.  With this small amount of grass being cut, the clippings won't have to be bagged.  Leaving the clippings on the grass will actually return the nutrients to the soil.  Contrary to popular belief, clippings left on the lawn are not a significant contributor to thatch.

As the summer progresses and the temperature increases, raise the mower to 2 1/2 to 3 inches.  The grass will be stronger and better able to survive drought when it is mowed at a higher cut.  It will also discourage germination of weed seeds and insulate the soil against the drying heat.

Mow the lawn into the fall until the grass stops growing.

Thatch

Thatch is a major concern with lawns.  Some thatch is normal and even beneficial, as it acts as a mulch to retain moisture and keep soil temperatures cool.  Thatch also discourages germination of weed seeds and as it decays it adds nutrients to the soil.  But once thatch accumulates to more than 1/2 inch, it can choke your lawn and invite trouble from disease and insects.

Thatch is a tightly intermingled layer of living and dead stems, leaves and roots, which develops between the layer of green vegetation and the soil surface.  To keep the amount of thatch down, the lawn needs better conditions for micro-organisms and decomposition of organic matter.

Power raking can be very destructive to a lawn with more than 3/4 inch of thatch.  The plant roots are often found only in the thatch and power raking will pull the entire plant up.  If your thatch layer is about 3/4 inch or more, aeration is the preferred method.

 Aeration can be done in the spring or fall of the year to allow for better water and air infiltration, and nutrient mobility.  Aeration also improves the physical condition of the soil by relieving compaction.

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