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GUIDE TO A HEALTHY LAWN WATERING: The lawn should be watered deeply and infrequently, preferably once every three days. If you're past watering practices have been shallow and every day, then make the transition slowly. Start by increasing your watering time so that the lawn is watered to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, this is about an inch of water in sandy soil. When the weather is hot and dry and the lawn seems stressed then back off on missing one of your days watering. COMPOSTING: After making this transition in watering, you may notice specific areas in your lawn that always appear to be stressed during hot weather. If you are sure that these spots are getting the same amount of water as the rest of your lawn is getting, then its possible that the soil in these spots is very sandy and will not hold water as long as the rest of the lawn. Adding a half-inch layer of compost, such as Glacier Gold, to these areas can cure this problem. MOWING: Watering your lawn in this manner will help to create a deeper root system, but for your lawn to create a larger and deeper root system it needs to have more leaf area above the ground. We recommend mowing your lawn no less than 2 1/2" tall. Besides helping with creating a larger root system, the taller grass blades will shade the soil surface. This shading effect will help in water loss by protecting the ground from the sun and wind. Another benefit to the shading effect of taller grass is you will get less weed (weed seeds need light to germinate, the taller grass cuts back on the amount of light) seeds germinating in your lawn. FERTILIZING: The use of a high soluble nitrogen fertilizers on your lawn is not only bad for the grass, but will starve your soil of other nutrients. We recommend fertilizing your lawn in the spring and fall with a well-balanced time released fertilizer such as Ritters Super Turf 21-7-14 with sulfur, iron and zinc. During the warm summer months use an organic based fertilizer such as Prorich by Rich's Lawns 14-5-5 with calcium, sulfur and iron. The use of the time released fertilizer will give your lawn the nutrients it needs slowly over a longer period of time when the grass is growing slower in the early spring and fall. Using an organic based fertilizer during the warm months (organic fertilizers need the help of beneficial fungi and bacteria to release their nutrients, these organisms will help your soil to build a larger population of beneficial organisms. These beneficial organisms will help your lawn to resist pther diseases, such as necrotic ring and fairy ring. In addition to using organic fertilizer, leaving your grass clippings on your lawn will help to put back the nutrients that the grass uses up.(A mulching lawn mower is a great way to do this.) Shallow watering and the use of soluble, high nitrogen fertilizers cause Thatch build up. OVER-SEEDING: As your lawn ages some varieties of grass will die out. This in turn will allow for undesirable weed grasses to take over. It is normally recommended that a lawn be re-seeded about once every five years. Use a good grass seed mixture, like Ritter's Best at about 2 1/2 pounds per 1000 square feet, if you have bare areas you will need to go heavier in these areas. The best time of the year to over-seed is when the weather is cooler in the spring and fall. After putting down new seed you will need to water lightly 2 or 3 times a day until new grass sprouts, about 10 to 21 days depending on type of grass and time of year. WEED CONTROL: The use of weed and feed type fertilizers does not usually work and can be harmful to neighboring ornamental plants as it moves through the soil. You will get better results using a liquid type week killer 10 to 14 days after fertilizing. The weeds are more likely to take up the weed killer at this time. Spot killing is always better and more economical than spraying the whole yard when only a few weeds are present. Annual grasses such as crabgrass and annual bluegrass can be controlled using a pre-emergent recommended for lawns in the early spring after the ground thaws. |
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