For many of us, our lawn is the biggest garden we have. Whether you have warm season (Zoysia, Bermuda, Centipede or St. Augustine) or cool season (Fescue) grass, maintenance on any turf is very similar.
Lawn care basics include knowing when to fertilize lawns and how to fertilize lawns, along with an understanding of disease control in turf and lawn weed control. All are important steps in establishing and maintaining a lush green lawn.
All lawns thrive in soils with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. If your lawn is looking less than lush, try testing your soil’s pH to see if it’s in range. Your local County Extension Office can test your soil for just a few dollars and can provide you with a detailed analysis of your soil.
Returning your grass clippings back into your lawn as you mow, know as “grasscycling” can reduce the fertilizations requirements of your turf by 30%. The clippings are rapidly decomposed and valuable nutrients are released into the soil.
Whether you have warm weather or cool weather turf, your lawn should get about one inch of water each week to encourage deep root growth and better drought tolerance.