Everyone enjoys a nice residential lawn, it’s not hard to have a beautiful lawn, just follow a few simple landscape maintenance guidelines. This is the first of a series of ‘landscape tips’ to be provided on Unique’s blog, please check back often:
- Your lawn is a garden of grass plants, not a rug, and it needs nutrients to grow. Grass clippings that are properly mulched and left on the lawn will eventually decompose and recycle nutrients back into the soil. Mulching the grass clippings and letting them naturally
decompose on the lawn for a whole year is equal to about one annual fertilizer application. In addition, leaving the grass clippings on the lawn also helps shade the soil, keeping the roots cooler and reducing moisture loss. - Mowing heights are different for Fescue and your warm season grasses like Bermuda and Zoysia. Keep mowing height high-3 inches or more, especially in hot, dry weather is important on your fescue lawns. Bermuda and Zoysia can be slowly brought up in mowing height when we get to the hot time of year. Low mowing heights stresses out grass and requires more water for it to properly grow and survive in temperatures at or above 95°.
Tips on watering properly:
- Lawns need a total of one inch of water per week- this includes rainfall. Set out an empty tuna fish or cat food can to gauge. When the can is full, this is one inch of rain water. If temperatures stay in the 90° F for more than three days, lawns need 2 inches of water per week. Apply a half inch every other day.
- For best results, water early in the morning- before 9 a.m., watering in the midday may cause up to a 30% loss due to evaporation.
- Follow drought-watering guidelines if restrictions are in effect Here is the link: http://www.georgiaepd.org/Documents/outdoorwater.html
Tips for the landscape and the hot dry weather
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Mulching is critically important for plant health in the summer season. It is recommended using two to 4 inches of mulch to reduce soil temperature and improve water retention.
