Lawn Care

[Tasty]

I wanted to start a thread to see what you guys do to keep your lawns looking as nice as your cars. I personally have St. Augustine grass, and would love to know if any of you have perfected a fertilizer schedule/watering routine to achieve great results. I currently use Scott's and stick with what they recommend, but only because I don't know any better. I'm sure there are things out there that will work much better than what I'm doing.

All lawn posts begin now!

[SilverLexus]

I used to use Scott's but switched to a high end lawn service recently that has done good work at neighbors' houses. The Scott's system workes very well if you keep up on it.

The big thing I have learned with my bermuda grass is to do 1-2 core aerations a year. That really helps the lawn green up nicely.

[Super]

I have a nice lawn, nice house, and a nice car & truck and pair of ugly shoes
Few tips on having a nice lawn
Have a vary sharp mower blade and the right mowing height also a good quality mower really helps
Trim lawn edges in a straight line, mow in a straight line and different mowing patterns
Fertilize monthly
Aerate four times a year if you can
Have automatic watering
It’s best to have just one type of grass of lawn when you have more then two types of grass that is where you get different color on your lawn
Keep female dogs from peeing on your lawn

On Fertilizer there are three things in Fertilizer Nitrogen, Phosphorus & Potassium which Nitrogen is what makes lawns nice a green and the other three keeps it healthy. There are two types of Nitrogen fast acting and show acting. The slow acting type works with the temp about I think above 75*de’s. The fast acting can burn a lawn real quick. Scotts Fertilizer has more slow acting nitrogen for idiot poof.
Scotts Fertilizer is a good fertilizer but it cost to much you can use pro grade fertilizer buy it in 50# bags and save $$$$. I buy it cost me $12.00 for 50# bags cover 10000 sq ft 21-3-3 its got slow & fast acting nitrogen

[Mr. Clean]

Tasty, of the recommendations posted thus far, I would add my recommendations to these:

Have a vary sharp mower blade and the right mowing height also a good quality mower really helps

Will add that in your case, a St. Augustine yard, the correct mowing height is as high as you can set your mower, If it were Bermuda, the opposite would be true.

Aerate four times a year if you can

Core aeration is a good thing, but 4 times a year is overdoing a good thing IMO. To acheive the greatest benefit from this, timing is somewhat crucial. You want to have at least several days of dry weather following the "treatment". If it rains immediately afterward, the rain will cause the holes to close up prematurely before the microbes can benefit from the extra oxygen. If you've never done so, a light application of organic compost, dried molasses and or some form of volcanic rock powder would be beneficial.

Those that I do not recommend:

Fertilize monthly

This will actually work as a detriment to a healthy lawn as it will overstimulate the leaf growth and will stress the lawn. And if you are using a "regular" (as in non-organic) fertilizer you will add too much salts content to your soil. I get by with a twice a year fertilization, once in early spring (Feb-Mar) and again in early fall (Sept-Oct). Some will add a summer application.

It’s best to have just one type of grass of lawn

Nothing can be farther from the truth. Nature is not a monoculture. Mixed grasses lawn not only provide visual interest, but a healthier lawn as well.

As far as watering, water your lawn deeply (@ 1" per session) and infrequently (watch the grass leaf, but usually only every 7-10 days)

Drop the Scotts and go to your local Feed and Seed or nursery and check out their organic fertilizer offerings. With these products, timing of fertilizer application becomes far less crucial and you will be rewarded with an overall healthier lawn. Organic lawn programs focus on feeding the soil, which in turn feeds the plant. No, you won't have the deepest greenest yard on the block, but instead you grass will show its natural color. A healthier turf will also be a thicker turf which will help to crowd out weeds, resist desease, and are more drought tolerant.

[chpsk8]

I run a landscaping company on the side so I have just a little bit of experience with this topic.

Some of the earlier suggestions are great. Sharp lawn mower blades is a big one. A dull blade will shred the blade of grass and the tip of the blade will then turn brown. A sharp blade will sslice the blade clean and it will brown less.

Of coure all maintenance varies by region, area and even block.
Get a good soil test kit. It will show you what nutrients are missing in your soil. Use that test to add the missing nutrient ie nitrogen, phosphate, etc...

Scotts turfbuilder series is ok stuff. I've used it and had good results. A few years ago I switched from that to a safer, and better alternative fertilizer.
Scotts is a primaraly synthetic fertilizer. One issue with synthetics is that they can "salt" your soil. In other words they can eventually accumulate in the soil to the point that they damage the soil.
I've switched to all natural ferts (organic based) to try and elimiate that problem. The primary reason is that I fertilize every 5-6 weeks. If you fertilize every 90-120 days or more, then the risk is less.
Just a hint, organics are much better for your grass, and the environment. They do take more to do the same job though, and can cost a little more. There one 50# bag of Scotts will cover my lawn, it takes me two 50# bags of the organic. The result though is a healthier lawn.

The best tip I can tell you is to use Iron to achieve the greenest grass. Most people will tell you that nitrogen is the key to green grass. The truth is that Iron gives it the color, Notrogen makes it grow and suck up other nutrients in the fert. Scotts has about 2% iron, but the nitrogen numbers are pretty high like 28 or 32. Sure the grass gets green, but it also grows like crazy!

I use an iron supplement from Lesco. It's pure iron pellets that are time released. I do one application, then follow it the ame day with an application of a natural fert that has some nitrogen to force the grass to consume the iron. During the summer I'm using 9-9-14 if I can get it. The benefit is that the roots grow deeper, and the blade turns green, but doesnt' grow as fast.

Of course there's more to this than what I stated. But thats a pretty good start.

As far as watering. Try and deep water less frequently rather than constant light watering. It forces the roots to grow deeper to look for the water. This makes it more drought tolerant.
If you have an irrigation system and water every day the roots will stay closer to the surface. They don't have to work for it, so they become weak, and prone to disease and drought.

Try and aerate the lawn at least every two years. It will help introduce oxygen into the ground and also helps drainage and permeating the fert. If you can't aerate, you can try some beneficial nemetodes. They are organisms that you spread like fert. They munch on the dead stuff in the dirt and create "compost" in the ground. (thats a really gray definition, but pretty accurate)

A strong yard will need little if any weed control. I spot spray weeds twice a year. My grass is so thick that weeds just cant permeate the lawn.

Just remember grass needs air water and food, just like you.

[truzoom]

Originally Posted by chpsk8

As far as watering. Try and deep water more than constant light watering. It forces the roots to grow deeper to look for the water. This makes it more drought tolerant.
If you have an irrigation system and water every day the roots will stay closer to the surface. They don't have to work for it, so they become weak, and prone to disease and drought.

That is one of the best tips anyone can know, especially if you live in the south where it will get extremely dry and hot. Also watering should be done in the morning or evening when the water is less likely to evaporate quickly.

This thread is really making me anxious to see some green grass popping up!

[chpsk8]

Originally Posted by truzoom

That is one of the best tips anyone can know, especially if you live in the south where it will get extremely dry and hot. Also watering should be done in the morning or evening when the water is less likely to evaporate quickly.

This thread is really making me anxious to see some green grass popping up!

Thats a good tip also. Water in the morning before the sun comes up if you can. Then what doesn't soak in will slowly evaporate. If you water right before dark there is a chance of creating mold because the water will just sit there if it doesn't soak in.

I agree! Bring on spring!

[ZaneO]

Man, this thread is awesome!! We just had our yard sprayed with pre-emergent and took the mower in for a full tune-up.

I really want the yard to be nice this year, and these tips are going to be invaluable.

Thanks everyone!

[Quickstrike]

I recommend reading The Lawn Bible. Great book that will teach you how to keep your lawn looking at its best.

For your lawn specific questions Lawn Care Forum is fairly good. There are others out there, but they mostly deal with the commercial side of lawn up-keep.

If you are going the organic route, you should research "compost tea" and/or "black gold". Both will help give your lawn a boost in nutrients that it will require.

Also, it is a good idea to mulch your clippings instead of bagging them all up. The clippings will provide "free-nutrients" to your soil.

"Follow the one-third rule. For a thriving lawn, never cut away more than one-third of the grass blade in any one mowing. If the grass "gets ahead of you" because of wet weather or your busy schedule, move up the cutting height of your mower to the highest possible setting and mow." Cutting off more than this will weaken the grass, thus making it more prone to diseases.

I agree with the iron to make grass a darker green, and in-frequent deep watering. Also like someone else said, get your soil tested! You want to have the correct PH and parameters for your grass. Could mean adding lime or sulphur.

One thing that really separates my lawn from my neighbors (besides being green and weed-free), is 1) edging the lawn properly (makes it look so much better) and 2) Striping my lawn. You probably already know how to properly edge/trim around the boundary of the grass, but you really should research "lawn striping" for the ultimate in lawn appearance.
It is one of the reasons that baseball fields look so nice.

I also like to use a product called "Primo". It is a plant regulator. What this means is that instead of the grass using up its energy to grow up and outward, it will spend majority of its time greening up and propagating. This means a greener lawn, that requires less cutting.

Lawn Surfactants used for areas of drought will get you through some overly warm summers, they will make your lawn moist for longer. Slowing down evaporation.

This brings up another point -- Water in the morning. If you water in the afternoon, you will waste a lot of water through evaporation. If you water at night, your lawn could be moist too long and encourage mold to grow.

[Mr. Clean]

Also, it is a good idea to mulch your clippings instead of bagging them all up. The clippings will provide "free-nutrients" to your soil.

Excellent point.

[Super]

Wow got a few people here that do pro Landscape Maint. and you guys know what you are talking about and it’s nice to meet you. One thing that we have is different climate zones with different requirements needs on lawns. I live in Northern Ca climate zone where it gets 100 inches of rain a year 28*/105* climates, where blus grass and St. Augustine grass can't grow and the soil type is clay sandy loam soil but mostly clay. Here it’s best to aerate four times a year & Fert monthly where iron is not needed, Fescue grasses is mostly use here. I have been doing landscape maint. for 20 years now and I’m ready to retire ). I run Honda commercial mowers with hydro static tran, Echo blowers and the only thing I have to replace most often is the head trimmers they just don’t seem to last long.

[LightngSVT]

Great advice! We are going to be putting in sod at the new house and living on a lake I want to learn more about organic fertilizers and proper lawn maintenance. My lawns have always looked good, but not quite Autopian. Also, what do the numbers mean in the fertilizer ratings? How can you tell if you are deep watering, other than time elapsed during the atering? Is the a gage or anything you can buy that will show you how deep you have watered?