Seasonal Turf Care Tips

Seasonal Turf Care Tips

Cool Season Grasses

All Season Helpful Hints:

• Keep mower blades sharp.

• Treat broad-leaf weeds, like dandelions, as needed.

• Monitor sprinkler systems for malfunctioning heads and valves.
• Monitor for insects and diseases.
• Avoid watering in late afternoon or evenings.
• DO NOT remove grass clippings. Clippings are comprised of nitrogen and water. Leaving clippings on the lawn to decompose will add fertilizer to the turf and extend the life of landfills. Clippings do not cause thatch.

Spring

Spring is a very important time of year for lawn maintenance. What you do now will affect the turf for the rest of the year. Aerating and raking debris can be performed in early spring but delay fertilizing until the ground temperatures reach 50 degrees. The best time to apply your spring fertilizer is in early May. If you fertilize too early in the year, you will reduce root growth, increase top growth, and your lawn will require extra mowing. Use a slow release fertilizer with a pre-emergent to prevent crabgrass and foxtail contamination later in the season. Treat broadleaf weeds if present. It is not necessary to treat for grubs during the spring. Grubs rarely cause damage to the turf at this time, and because they are in their mature stage, the grubs are difficult to eradicate with insecticides. Water only as needed. DO NOT OVER WATER! Setting your sprinkler system timer for the entire season is unwise and wasteful. Continually adjust your watering schedule to fit the weather and the season. Your grass will be healthier and you could save up to 50% on your water bill. Mow at 2 to 2 ½ inches.

Summer

Summer is a very stressful time for cool season grasses. Follow the Monthly Chart of Turf Care at the bottom of this page for the fertilization schedule for your grass. As the temperatures increase, the need for water increases. Adjust your watering schedule by lengthening the time of each cycle. Infrequent, deep watering is generally better than frequent, light applications. Always water in the early morning while winds are calm and before the heat of the day arrives. You will have better coverage and less water will be lost to evaporation. Watering in the morning also helps prevent disease. Watch carefully for areas turning yellow or brown.These areas can show up where heat stress tends to be the greatest. Brown patches along the south or west side of buildings, and on slopes or along sidewalks, are often mistaken as a disease but are usually due to heat stress.

(Summer Continued) Check the soil conditions for moisture by pushing a long screwdriver into the ground. If it is difficult to push in, soak the area thoroughly. It may take an hour or more to properly soak your lawn. Repeat every other day until the grass returns to normal. To adjust your watering system to adequately irrigate your lawn, you may need to add sprinklers, alter the range deflector, or increase the nozzle size of the sprinkler head. Simply adding time to the clock is not a good idea. This will over water some parts of the yard, wasting water and money. Do not waste your money on fungicides unless necessary. These are expensive and usually give minimal results. If you do have a persistent disease problem, you will need to re-sod or over-seed the damaged areas in the fall with better varieties of grass. Monitor your lawn for insect damage and treat only if needed. Remember, treating for harmful insects will kill the beneficial insects in the soil as well. It is better to keep nature in balance and help only when needed. Treatment for grubs is best if done in early August when new grubs are hatching and they are more susceptible to insecticides. Adjust mowing height to 3 inches to help cool the grass plant and reduce turf stress.

Fall

Now is the time to prepare your lawn for winter. Reduce watering as the temperatures cool. Aerate where thatch is a problem. Sod or over-seed with improved varieties if needed. Discount stores are not a good source of high quality seed. Using the chart below, follow the fertilization recommendations. Monitor for insect and disease damage and treat accordingly. Mow at a height of 2 to 2 ½ inches.

Monthly Chart of Turf Care

	RTF	Buffalograss	Fescue	Bluegrass
January
February
March		If perennial weeds are present spray roundup
April
May	Fertilize and apply pre-emergent by May 20^th	Fertilize and apply pre-emergent by May 20^th	Fertilize and apply pre-emergent by May 20^th	Fertilize and apply pre-emergent by May 20^th
June				Fertilize
July		Fertilize
August	Fertilize	Fertilize [Optional]	Fertilize	Fertilize
September
October	Winterizer Fertilize		Winterizer Fertilize	Winterizer Fertilize
November
December
Water use per week in inches*	1.0	.25	1.00-1.50	1.00 – 1-50

* Water use rates are the averaged used by the grass per week. Rates will be affected by temperatures and wind. Buffalograss, RTF and Fescue have deep root systems that allow them to thrive during extended periods of low rainfall. Bluegrass has a shallow root system and needs water every 7–10 days.

Treat for broadleaf weeds as needed.

Monitor for insect damage, treat if needed – Continual treatment for insects is a waste of money and has potential to damage the environment. Insecticides also kill the beneficial insects in the soil. Grubs should be treated if population is greater than 8 per sq foot.