Lawn Care
Lawn Care Basics
To care for your lawn there are a number of things you need to do. Bluegrass and fescue lawns in the Lee’s Summit area require about 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water per week in the summer to stay green and actively growing. During a drought where your lawn has gone dormant because of no water you should irrigate the lawn about 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water every two weeks to keep the plant healthy enough to make a full recovery in the fall. It will not be green and lush but it will keep it healthy enough to make a full recovery in the fall.
By mowing high (3 to 3-1/2 inches) and frequently you will encourage the grass plant to grow deeper roots which will help it to draw moisture from a larger volume of soil requiring less irrigation. Taller grass provides shading of the soil surface and reduces lethal temperatures near the base of the grass plants. Mowing short once in the early spring is fine to remove the winter brown from the lawn and provide a quicker green-up, but raise the mower height back up afterwards. Scalping on a regular basis throughout the year causes a lawn to lose its density and to have a shallow root system.
Look for signs that your lawn needs water. When footprints stay and don”t bounce back, when the leaves are rolled or folded, or you begin to see purple-blue wilting leaves it is time to water. When grass is under drought stress it is best not to mow.
When spring comes it becomes a temptation to water the lawn to get things going, but in order to make a lawn more drought tolerant allow the lawn to green up on its own without the added irrigation. Do not water until dry conditions of early summer cause obvious turf wilt that lasts more than a day. By doing so you will train the grass plant to have a deeper root system will require less water in the summer.
You can gauge how much water you are putting out on the lawn by setting empty tuna cans throughout the lawn. Time your irrigation, whether it be a sprinkler system or a hose and sprinkler, so that your tuna can receives 1 inch of water. 1 inch of water per week is the goal. Depending on the type of sprinkler and the soil water infiltration rate, you may have to move the hose around over a two- or three-day period to supply the amount of water desired.
Watering early in the morning (4 to 8 a.m.) is most beneficial to the lawn and most efficient in terms of water use. Since most lawn diseases prefer saturated soils and wet leaves, watering at this time minimizes the period that turf and soil is saturated helping to minimize disease.
By mowing high year round and watering only when signs of turf wilt are evident will prepare your turf for dry periods in the summer. By knowing how much water your water systems uses will ensure a healthy turf and efficient use of your water.
