Important Information Regarding the Maintenance of your Lawn

Watering

Proper watering is an essential and vital part of your maintenance routine. In order to maintain a healthy lawn, you need to follow these guidelines:

Water As Needed: Too much water can lead to lawn disease. Symptoms showing that your lawn needs watering include a dull bluish color, rolled or folded leaves, or persistent footprints. In the hot months of summer you will want to water 3 times a week, in the cooler spring and fall months you may water only 2 times a week. In winter months, when your grass is dormant, you will still want to water a few minutes , once a week, to keep the roots healthy and to protect the foundation of your home.

Water Distribution: To promote deep root growth and a healthier lawn, it is best to water to the point of saturation. Shallow watering is a potential threat to your grass. In spring, summer and fall you will want to put down about 1/3 inch of water on watering days. Attempt to perform your watering in the morning, preferably around dawn. Watering in the afternoon will often result in the evaporation of water, instead of ingestion into the root system. Watering in the evening leaves your ground moist overnight, and is therefore subject to disease and fungus.

Water Management: It is easy to measure the amount of water you are dispersing, even if you don’t have a gauge. All you need is an empty tuna can. Simply place it in your lawn, turn on your sprinklers, and record the time required to fill the can to one inch. 1/3 of that time is the amount of time you want to water your lawn on watering days. For better saturation, especially with the density of the rich North Texas clay soil, you may need to water in two or three settings. i.e.: If it takes 15 minutes for your sprinklers to put down 1/3 of an inch of water you could set your sprinklers to go off for 5 minutes at 3:00 AM, 5 minutes at 5:00 AM, and then a final 5 minutes at 7:00 AM. (Aerating your lawn at least once a year will increase saturation level of water and fertilizer.)

Drought Water Managementt: If you can only water one day per week, we recommend that you water 2/3 of an inch of water spread out thru the day. Using the above “Water Management” criteria, you might water 10 minutes at 1:00 AM, 10 minutes at 5:00 AM and 10 minutes at 10:00 PM. On particularly hot weeks you might even add an extra watering, maybe 10 minutes at 5:00 PM.

Mowing

A properly mowed lawn not only looks better, but it is also more likely to resist weeds, insects and disease. Whether you mow your own lawn or have a service, please take note of the following mowing guidelines:

St. Augustine:
If you have a St. Augustine lawn, you should be mowing once a week, maintaining an average height of 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches.*

Common Bermuda:
With this lawn type, you should be mowing between 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches.

Mow once a week or if possible once every 5 days.*

Most other grasses:
Should be mowed between 2 and 3 inches.

*For Common Bermuda and St. Augustine mow at the lowest recommended level in early spring (March), and over time gradually raise the mower height so that it is a the highest recommended level by late June/early July.

If possible, do not mow wet grass: When wet grass is mowed, it cuts unevenly and the clippings form clumps that create a barrier, preventing your lawn from receiving sunlight.

Note: Research has shown a direct relationship between mowing height and root depth. When grass grows too high, and is then cut excessively, it will expose the stems to direct sunlight and the lawn may burn. If the lawn is yellow or pale after you mow, you have waited too long. The grass will recover, but the root system may be severely shocked. When grass is mowed weekly at the recommended height, the root system develops better.

Proud members of