Yard Doctor: Southwest

The Truth About Turf Care

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YardSmarts-Truth About TurfIf you want a great looking lawn, you have to face facts. And what’s the number one truth about turf care? It doesn’t have to be tough to maintain strong, healthy grass. What it does require is a growing-season-long commitment to just a few simple lawn care practices. From spring through fall, here’s all you really have to do:

Fertilize Your Lawn Turf
Truth: You can’t skip the lawn fertilizer. As a turf grass builder, you just can’t beat sticking to a regular fertilization schedule. Keep your lawn well-fed, and you’ll see the difference in thicker, greener, virtually weed-free lawn turf grass that’s better equipped to withstand drought, temperature extremes and foot traffic, plus keep those pests away. Learn how and when to fertilize your lawn here.

Watering Your Turf Grass
Truth: There really is a right way to water your lawn turf grass. And doing so is one of the best ways to strengthen your turf grass and make it less vulnerable to weeds and pests. Best part: It takes less time than what you might be used to. A couple deep lawn turf waterings a week, totaling one inch of water per week, is just right to keep your grass happy – creating stronger, deeper roots than you’d get with daily sprinkles. Timing is important, too. It’s best to water in early morning, to prevent evaporation from sun and wind that comes later in the day. And evening turf grass waterings can create a playground for pests.


Mowing Your Lawn Turf
Truth: Longer is better. Some people have the misguided belief that cutting turf grass super short, or “scalping” the grass, means that they won’t have to mow as often. The reality is, all they’re doing is weakening the lawn turf and making it susceptible to a weed and pest takeover. Cutting just 1/3 of the blade each time you mow is as far as you should go to maintain a thick turf that stands up better to drought, snuffs out weeds and kicks out pests. Learn more about mowing correctly here.

See? When it comes to turf care, the truth doesn’t have to hurt.






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