Grass Care
The Basics Of Proper Grass Care
Knowing the basics of grass care for your lawn means knowing what to do, and when to do it. There are tasks to be done every season of the year, obviously less so in winter. Watering, thatching, feeding and mowing, are the primary activities needing to be done. How much of each depends to some degree on whether you have warm season or cool season grasses, and of course, on the season of the year.
Any grass care program needs to address as a minimum, feeding and watering. We often think that more is better in both cases, but that isn't true. Let's assume we're talking about an established lawn, and take a look at watering first. Grass needs water all the time, but obviously less so when dormant. Warm season grasses will need watering in the winter months, as well as during the rest of the year. For the most part, we don't have to worry about watering cool season grasses in the winter. Mother nature tends to take care of that. Most lawns like an inch or two of water a week during the summer, and about half that amount during the spring and fall. If you keep to a regular watering schedule, you shouldn't have to worry about heavy watering episodes during the summer months, unless the weather becomes exceptionally hot.
Applying fertilizer is a year-round process. Most of us apply a heavy layer of fertilizer in the spring, and then forget about it until the next spring. What you need to be doing instead, is to apply half the amount of fertilizer called for, or even less, in the spring. You can even go without fertilizing in the early spring. Give your lawn a regular application in the summer and another in the fall to prepare the grass for the winter. In some areas of the country, especially in the southern states, an additional light application can be made during the winter.
We tend to think of mowing as a necessary evil, designed to keep the lawn looking "cut", instead of being an important element of grass care. We also think of summertime as the time when most of the mowing is going to be needed. In truth, you'll generally not need to mow as often in mid-summer, as grass grows more slowly during the hotter months. In fact, over-mowing during these months will cause your lawn to lose moisture more rapidly. It's also best to set the mower at a higher setting during the summer. The lawn will be less stressed, if allowed to grow a bit longer during the hot months.
When you do mow, you'll do your lawn a favor by leaving the clippings in the grass, instead of in the catcher. You might want to remove clippings if you've waited too long between mowing, and they look really unsightly. But the clippings provide valuable nutrients to the lawn and, contrary to popular belief, do not cause thatch. Finally, to succeed in having a really beautiful lawn, make sure to aerate, preferably annually. Aerating removes thatch, and by removing plugs from the lawn, allows moisture and nutrients to penetrate deeply.
One thing more. Winter time is usually the time to kick back and relax as far as grass care is concerned. There is one thing you should be doing though, and that is to keep objects off the grass. That includes branches, leaves, boards, and soccer balls. The lawn will be healthier come spring if the grass hasn't been matted down.