1. When should I cut the grass? The type of grass on your lawn will determine the mowing height that should be maintained throughout the growing season. Cool-season grasses like fescue should be maintained at 2.5-3.0 inches long. Warm-season grasses like Bermuda grass should be maintained at shorter lengths, 1.0-2.0 inches tall.
The lawn should be mowed frequently enough so that no more than 1/3 of the total grass blade is removed when mowing. The two most important facets of mowing are mowing height and frequency. If weather or another factor prevents mowing at the proper time, raise the height of the mower temporarily to avoid cutting too much at one time.
2. What is thatch? Thatch is a tight, brown, spongy, organic layer of both living and dead grass roots and stems that accumulate above the soil surface. Properly mowed grass clippings do not contribute to thatch accumulation, and can be returned to the lawn during mowing to recycle the nutrients they contain. In healthy soil, the plant parts decompose quickly into humus. But in soil that is compacted, over-watered, over- fertilized or under-populated with earthworms and soil insects, you end up with thatch.
3. Why does thatch harm my lawn? Thatch caused a number of problems for your grass. Thick thatch layers contribute to drought stress because water has a difficult time reaching the soil and runs off instead of sinking into the soil. In humid climates, thatch can also harbors fungal diseases in the decomposing material.
4. When should I water my lawn? Water in the early morning (near sunrise) when water pressure is greatest, surface evaporation is minimal and the lawn will soak up the most water. Do not water in the evening because water will sit on the lawn and may result in disease development on your turf. Do not water in the heat of the day because the sun will evaporate a portion of your water before it can soak into the root zone or your turf.
5. How much water does my lawn need? Your lawn needs 1-1.5 inches of water weekly depending on temperature and weather. Mother nature provides water, but you may need to provide supplemental water during the summer months. Telltale signs of oncoming drought stress include:
6. Does it matter what pattern I use to mow my yard? Surprisingly, yes. It is actually best to mow you lawn in different directions. That keeps grass from developing permanent ridges, ruts or becoming compacted from constant traffic.
7. Why does my grass develop yellow or brown patches after I mow? You have probably removed to much of the grass leaf during your mowing, which resulted in cutting the grass blade back to the leaf stem. You should mow more frequently so you never remove than 1/3 of the leaf blade or level out your yard's high spots because the mower is cutting too low as it goes over bumps.
8. Do I need weed control for my lawn? Yes. Weeds compete with desirable lawn grasses for water, space, sunlight and plant nutrients. They are very aggressive and can take over a lawn if not kept in check. The most cost effective method to control weeds is to utilize a preventive approach to eliminating weeds through property timed & pre-emergent applications.
9. How long should it take for my weeds to die after an application? Weather is the determining factor in how fast weeds die from a TurfPride application. Weed control will only work when weeds are actively growing. This means that in extremely hot, extremely cold or dry weather, the herbicides will work much more slowly than in moderate temperatures with good soil moisture. As a general rule, you should see results from a herbicide application within two weeks of a treatment. Look for curling leaves, yellowing and other signs that the weed is dying.
10. It rained right after my lawn application. What should I do? TurfPride recommends that (if possible) water be applied after each individual application to increase the effectiveness of the lawn treatment. In many situation, watering or rainfall will increase the uptake of the plant nutrients by your turf, or the absorption of the herbicides by the weeds. We ask that you please wait 10-14 days and inspect your lawn. If they do not seem to be dying, just give us a call, and we will schedule a return service call to reapply the treatment at no charge.
11. What is the importance of turf fertilization? Plant nutrients that your lawn needs include Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). Nitrogen is the most important nutrient for promoting good turf color and growth, while phosphorus and potassium promote healthy turfgrass especially in aiding root development and disease resistance for the plant.
12. Why should I lime my lawn, and When is the best time? Liming the soil is done to adjust the pH of the soil. The pH of your soil should be within a desired range of 6.0-6.8 for turf type grasses. If the pH is above or below this range, then your grass plants have difficulty absorbing certain essential nutrients they need to grow. When the pH falls below 5.8, then lime should be applied to increase it back to the desired range.
Lime can be applied at any time of the year, but it is important to know that it will require at least 3-5 months to have the desired effects on improving soil pH levels. Due to this delayed reaction, TurfPride recommends summer application of lime on cool-season grasses such as fescue in preparation for fall seeding, and winter applications of lime for warm-season turf such as bermuda.
13. Is there a "Best Time" to seed my fescue lawn? All fescue lawns should only be seeded in the fall. Fescue is a cool-season grass that requires the fall & winter growing season to establish a healthy root system. This established root system is critical for fescue to survive the hot, dry summers that are common for the southeast region of the US. Fescue seeded in the spring will never have the opportunity to grow a deep root system, which results in turf dying from heat stress in July or August.
14. What is the importance of aerating my turf? oil compaction is a soil condition that makes it very hard for grass to grow because the flow of air and water into the root system of your turf is restricted. The more use a lawn gets from such things as people and sports, the greater the risk of packing down the soil. The best method to soften the soil is by core aeration, or pulling plugs of sod up out the ground with a special machine. TurfPride lawn specialists recommend that homeowners aerate their fescue turf in the fall prior to seeding, and aerate their Bermuda grass in the spring/summer months. Aerating your turf will encourage deep root growth, better air exchange in the soil, and improved movement of water & nutrients into the soil profile.
If your question was not explained above, please e-mail us or call at 770-590-7200.
