While the snow rages along the Eastern side of the US, I am already thinking out here in Arizona, of how I can have the most beautiful lawn and garden this year. Yes the list is endless with possibilities from the desert staple bougainvilleas, to the myriads of colors of Hibiscus plants, bushes and shrubs, however in all this thought process, I find my mind wandering to how I can finally achieve having the greenest lawn in the neighborhood. If you are tech savvy like me, we jump on the World Wide Web and use every possible avenue to find all the secret recipes for success. There are the conservative; watering for exactly 17 minutes halfway between 8am and noon, from Memorial to Labor Day, to the outrageous; using green tinted spray paint to give you that slight edge over your neighbors (weird huh?). In the past, I too have fallen into the trap of being a scavenger of any lawn tips, thoughts, or “expert’s” advice I could get my hand on, only to be disappointed at the end of the summer, once again with only average results. Through all that, I have finally come to realize that when you boil it down, there are really just 5 things one needs to do to have a lawn that is in tip top shape with the outcome being a greener, healthier and simply a more beautiful lawn than we wished we could have ever had. Coast to coast, it won’t matter if you have a cool season grass like Fescue and Bluegrass, or a warm season grass like Bermuda as long as you remember to follow each of these 5 tips, here they are:
Rake it- Since we are just coming out of the winter season now (some of you will have to wait until the snow melts so you can see your lawn to accomplish this step) it is important to rake your lawn to get some of the top grass that has died out of there, and to make room for new growth. It will also benefit you in the way of having a greener lawn because the dead grass will remain yellow even as the new growth is under way. Rake it firmly in one direction so that when you proceed to the next step, the remaining grass can be mowed to a single height. The prime time to rake your lawn is when it is warmer than 50 degrees, so watch the temps!
Cut it- The next step in the fabulous lawn phase is cutting the grass to one height as it lies dormant. I have heard all kinds of both negative and positive things about this step, but trust me on this; you want to make sure that your lawn gets a good platform for the spring growing season. After you have raked the lawn well, take the mower and adjust it to an average height. You don’t want to cut it too short, because then the grass can freeze if you suddenly get lower temps then expected. After mowing, make sure to re rake all the clippings for you bag-less mowers out there!
Water it- The next two steps will be the most critical since you yourself have to determine the best time to water and for how long to water. The biggest thing you want to avoid is watering when it is too cold for fear that you can freeze the grass or that the water may not dry overnight and a fungus can form. The prime time to water is as close to noon as possible when temps are in the mid to upper sixties. If the weather is at the lower limit (62-66) water for only a short burst, but ensure that the entire lawn is watered. If you are at the upper limits (67+) then water a little longer minding any changing weather patterns such as clouds or wind(cloud cover can make a mildly warm day much cooler very quickly). The key here is you just want to “wake up” the grass enough to begin the growth cycle. Water only once a week at this rate, or at the max, two short bursts during the week, several days apart. This will give you a head start into the growth season as temperatures begin to rise.
Feed it- This step could possibly be the most critical one to having a healthy lawn; the one that is most often either: overdone, underdone, or given the wrong nutrients. I will break the fertilizer ingredients into two main categories that make it simple to understand; there is nitrogen and there is phosphorous. Nitrogen is responsible for growth, and phosphorous is responsible for blooming. You can quickly see why phosphorous is not necessarily needed to have a lush lawn. Nitrogen is mostly responsible for root growth as well, so in addition to getting that thick lush look you are after, you will also have a stronger lawn that will be able to hold up to a summer’s worth of trampling from pets to kids. My suggestion in fertilizers is that you look for one that is about 4 parts to 1 nitrogen to potassium. You may not be able to find a pure nitrogen fertilizer at a regular store so you may want to visit a nursery where a knowledgeable employee can guide you to the right product you are searching for. One caution; go easy on the initial dose of nitrogen fertilizer; if you use too much or fertilize when it is too warm, you may burn the grass, delaying the growth cycle even further. A good dose in the morning when the temps have finally hit the mid seventies regularly is a good idea. If you want to fertilize again, make sure that the grass has been established and do what I like to call a maintenance fertilization by further diluting the nitrogen so that when you lay it down, there will be no doubt that the grass is not harmed due to the higher temperatures. Again I have heard both good and terrible things about this, and there are many people that feel the “once is enough” philosophy works for them. If you are one of those that tend to agonize over the small details, make it easy on yourself and don’t worry about laying down another regular dose until the temps cool down again.
Protect it- Finally, as your lawn comes in, you will be faced with two choices; pretend you don’t see the errant weeds that have somehow made a home in your lawn during the winter, or attack those weeds and pop them out of your lawn one by one, as soon as you see them. When I first adopted this cycle of lawn care, I stuck with it, eliminating the weeds every afternoon a little at a time, and slowly over the course of a couple years, I can now proudly say that my lawn is practically weed free. Of course, every year, I do have to pull a weed here and there, but by staying on top of it, when your lawn does grow in you will be ecstatic with the results!
Finally my only other caution is this, don’t become a slave to your lawn. Far too many times I see that people overdo it when it comes to lawn care. They spend too much time and money worrying about having that green carpet they always dreamed about and too little time actually enjoying their lawn.
These 5 tips will put you on the road to success with minimal maintenance and make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood! Happy gardening everybody!