Where the Green Grass Grows

What do you and Tim McGraw have in common? You both want to live where the green grass grows! Now if you have been following along on my previous posts, you are now primed and ready for some how to advice to live where the green grass (and plants) grow. Here are some simple guidelines. The appendices will appear at another time since it is 3 am and I am tired.

1. Check, adjust, and inspect your irrigation system. Water less in the Winter (not much is growing) and less in the Summer (rains mostly each day). Make sure your sprinkler heads are all working and reaching the turf. Do not overwater. It is better to have too little rather than too much water. In the Spring when it is dry, plan to water 2-3x a week for about 20-30 minutes. As the temperatures increase, you will need to increase the irrigation (unless the lawn is receiving rain). Conversely, if the temperatures drop, shut the water off. And water the sunny areas more than the shaded areas.
2. Mow at the highest setting you can tolerate. Keep your blades sharp.
3. If you have an area that always gets a disease, plan to treat that area with a fungicide prior to a disease outbreak. If you do get a fungus, try to understand how it happened. Most likely, it is getting too much Nitrogen and too much water. Once you diagnose what type of fungus is present, then you can properly treat the fungus with a fungicide. Be sure to follow the label and treat the area at least twice within a month.
4. Use a high-quality slow-release fertilizer such as 15-0-15, 20-0-10, or 24-0-11. Make sure it contains at least 50% slow-release Nitrogen. The higher the slow release % and the better the coating, the better the results will be. Brands such as Osmocote or Florikan are quality slow-release fertilizers. Plan to apply fertilizer at a rate of 1# of Nitrogen per 1000 sq ft (see Appendix for formula). Plan to apply granular fertilizer 3-4x a year. Even though products like Florikan claim that the release for 5-6 months, if you read the fine print, you will find that that statement is based on 70F temps and so since we have higher temps, the release rate is faster.
5. Pests are not the norm, they are the exception. Similar to disease, if you get pests, something is out of balance. If the lawn is stressed due to too much or too little water, pests will take advantage of the situation and attack the turf. And if you go too heavy on the Nitrogen application, pests will attack the turf. The main culprit in St Augustine grass is the Chinch Bug. Other pests include grubs, webworms, billbugs, nematodes, etc. Some people choose to use a preventative pesticide like imidacloprid, but most likely you will not need that. A healthy lawn can handle most pest pressure. If pests break the threshold of the turf’s natural defense, then you may need to use a systemic and contact pesticide. Again, be sure to follow the label.  
6. A healthy lawn will keep out most weeds. Again, weeds are the exception and not the norm. If the turf gets stressed by something, weeds will take advantage of the opportunity. The stress can by from irrigation, mowing too low, too much fertilizer, soil compaction (walking paths, dogs, kids, cars, etc). If there are a few weeds, simply pulling them out by hand will resolve the issue. A serious weed invasion may require a selective herbicide designed for your particular turf. Also, it is important to know what type of weed is prevalent such as a broadleaf, a sedge, or a grassy weed. Knowing what type of weed is present will determine which herbicide to use if necessary.

Proper fertilization, proper irrigation, and proper mowing will go a long way towards realizing your goal of a healthy lawn and landscape. As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That is a good axiom for caring for your lawn and landscape. You will provide the prevention by properly fertilizing, properly mowing/trimming, and properly watering your lawn and landscape. By paying careful attention to those three activities, you will greatly reduce the likelihood of having problems with disease and pests.