Lawn Watering & Mowing Tips

Watering Tips

Water is a very important aspect to the health and appearance of your lawn. Although water is vital for a great looking lawn, overwatering can be just as bad as not enough water. There are 3 main things to remember when watering your lawn: amount, scheduling, and frequency.

1. The amount of water your grass needs depends on the time of year. The weekly total can be received through rainfall, a sprinkler system, or both. In April and May your lawn requires 1 inch of water per week. In June it will be 1 ¼ inch, July and August require 1 ½, September is 1 ¼, and October is 1 inch. To accurately measure the amount of water your system delivers we recommend putting empty tuna cans around the yard. Run the sprinklers for 30 minutes and measure the amount of water. Now you have the amount of water your lawn receives in 30 minutes. Take this amount and adjust it according to how much water your lawn needs at one time.
2. You should start your sprinkler system cycles early in the morning, we recommend 4 a.m. This allows you to use the water efficiently because there will be less wind and evaporation at this time. It also allows the grass blades to dry so there is less chance for foliar disease.
3. It is best to water longer and less frequently. This means it is better to water 2 times per week for 30 minutes each time than it is to water 3 times per week for 20 minutes. This is better because the water travels deeper into the soil and the grass roots will follow the water. If you water lightly the roots don’t need to move and they won’t develop a strong root system.

Watering Schedule (start system at 4 am)

Mowing Tips

Here are a few pointers to remember when mowing your lawn:

1. Always use sharp mower blades. A dull blade tears the top of the grass and injures it rather than cutting it clean. This will increase the chance for turf diseases. A lawn cut with a sharp blade also looks much nicer than one shredded with a dull blade. You should sharpen your blades regularly, 3-4 times a season on average, but your unique situation may be different.
2. Mow weekly or more often so you don’t take off more than 1/3 of the blade at any one cutting. It is not healthy to remove more than that at one mowing. For example, if your grass is 4.5” tall than you shouldn’t cut more than 1.5” off at one time. If your grass has grown very tall then cut it high this time and wait a few days to cut it slightly lower. Continue doing this until you have reached your desired height.
3. Change the mowing direction weekly. One week mow back and forth horizontally and the next mow up and down vertically. After that you can change to a diagonal pattern going from left to right and then right to left the following week. Repeat the mowing patterns alternating every week. By doing this you keep the grass from laying over. You also reduce the chance for ruts in the lawn because you do not run the tires over the same spot each time.
4. Keep your mowing height tall. We recommend mowing at 3.5” or higher all year.   This encourages a deeper root system and keeps weeds from invading. Taller grass equals less weeds and shorter grass equals more weeds. The only exception would be the first week and the last week of the season, it is acceptable to cut 1/2″ to 1″ shorter than normal.
5. Do not bag your grass clippings unless there are leaves or the grass is extremely long. Lawn clippings return nutrients back to the soil naturally. You can also reduce the amount of debris in our landfills by not bagging. Be green.