Water, Water Everywhere – When to Schedule Your Lawn Care!

How difficult can it be to decide when to you water you lawn or when to fertilize it, or even when to mow it? Depending on the type on lawn you have, you may have to alter your lawn care schedule to suit your particular grass, or mix of grasses. This article addresses the basic issues of watering, fertilizing, and mowing. The most regular part of your lawn care schedule will probably be watering. The best time of day to water your lawn is either early in the morning or late in the evening when less water will be lost to evaporation. Never, ever water in the afternoon when the sun is out blazing, or you’re basically throwing away your money when you pay your water bill.

Be very careful not to over water the grass! You generally want to make sure that the water soaks down about an inch at least, if you have several inches of topsoil. If you have only two inches, you’ll probably want to hold back a little to prevent over watering. Also, let your grass be your guide; just keep an eye on it for signs that it is drying out before water, like curling blades of grass for example and water when you see these signs. Watering more frequently than necessary won’t help the grass and will just promote weed growth.

When Do I Fertilize?

Part of your lawn care schedule should include fertilizing. The question is when you should be fertilizing! This is in large part dependent on whether or not your grass grows in the cool seasons or the warmer seasons. If your particular species of grass lies dormant in the spring and goes through a growth phase in the winter, then use common sense and fertilize more heavily in the fall and then ease up in the spring. Otherwise, you’ll be feeding the weeds instead. For a summer-growing grass, fertilize more heavily starting in the spring and drop off in the fall.

Mowing – Love It or Hate It, You Still Have to Do It

Mowing may be a less frequent part of your lawn care schedule than watering, but it’s about as close to a no-brainer as it gets. If you want to be at least a little environmentally friendly, try using a manual mower. Suffice it to say that unless you want a jungle in your yard, you’re probably pushing things at four inches. Try to keep the grass at three inches for optimal lawn health, but go a little lower if it’s in its dormant phase. For things like aerating your grass or applying pesticides for grub worms or other pests, it’s easiest to schedule professional lawn care as part of your maintenance plan. Fungicides and heavy equipment, and so forth are best left to experts.