Tips for a Healthy Lawn

Proper watering procedures help maintain lawn color, resilience and proper root development. A lawn should be watered regularly, before it has a chance to wilt and turn brown. To ensure proper watering procedures, follow these simple instructions: Be aware of early signs of wilt. Two common signs of wilt are grass leaves that have a bluish green cast caused by folded grass leaves or footprints that stay in the lawn instead of bouncing back up. Apply enough water to wet the soil to a depth of approximately six to eight inches. A soil probe may be used to check moisture depth in soil. To maintain a soil moisture depth of 6-8'' usually requires a rate of one to two inches of water per week. You can place opened cans in the sprinkler pattern, to determine the amount of water being applied. Water may be applied any time of day, but morning watering is usually most efficient. This is due to the higher humidity, negligible wind and wetness caused by dew, which usually accompanies this time of day. Night watering is not recommended as it encourages disease and insect development

Individual preference:  A beautiful, dark green, dense lawn will require more fertilizer, and will also necessitate more mowing and irrigation

Weather:  A rainy season will stimulate growth and will mean more fertilizer applications than a dry season.  The same is true for an irrigated lawn versus a non-irrigated law

Age and quality of existing lawn:  A new lawn will need more fertilizer for the first few years to enhance density.  Improving a thin or undernourished lawn will also require more fertilizer for the first few years.

Clippings:  Clippings should always be returned to the lawn.  They will act as an additional fertilizer and will enrich the lawn further.  (However, there are times where it is not practical to leave the clippings, in which case they can be removed.)