PERFECT GRASS ?

How to have perfect grass?

Here are some perfect grass tips

What constitutes perfect grass? According to my Dad, “if it’s all green, it’s good enough.”  He didn’t care if the yard had weeds. Green is green. My dad was not a horticultural perfectionist.

A lot of people take a different approach. To them great grass is weed free consistent turf. So how do you achieve this? It requires a multiple step approach:

Growing a lush lawn is not complicated, but it does take a little work. Soil tests, proper sprinkler design, and cultural practices make the difference.

Here is my short list of  must do’s for beautiful grass:

perfect grass

1.   Mow with sharp blades: Dull mower blades tear, rather than cut, grass. Torn turf is under stress (it’s not natural) and requires more water to thrive. An easy approach is to keep at least two sets of mowing blades. That way you can swap them out each time you cut the lawn. Also, try not to mow in the same path and direction every time. This can lead to rutting which will kill the grass.

2.   Cut your turf at the required height: Bermuda grass and St. Augustine grass should not be cut at the same height. Generally speaking, St. Augustine must be cut much higher than most other types of grass. As I live in Florida, I refer to the University of Florida for recommended cutting heights. For St. Augustine, that height is a minimum of four inches. Mowing any lower will harm the turf. Search the term “agricultural extension service” with your state or city in the phrase. This should lead you to information about your particular turf where you live. Many different locales and soil types exist and you need to match your care to your climate.

3.   Use a fertigation system to fertilize your turf instead of granular. Granular fertilizer has what is known as a “pop”, which means it releases most of the nutrients all at once versus gradually. This also means that 90% of the nutrients are not absorbed and wasted. Actually, it is worse than just wasted. All of that unused fertilizer runs off or percolates down past the root system and eventually ends up in our drinking water. Fertigation, which is fertilizing using your sprinkler system, releases minute bits of fertilizer every time you run your sprinklers. Just as you would not eat an entire bottle of vitamins at one time, you should also not pour three months worth of fertilizer on your yard all at one time. Why are companies always boasting about “improved time release?”  The reason is that granular fertilizer release cannot be controlled. The release is subject to water and temperature.  “Spoon feeding” your yard only the amount of nutrients that it is capable of utilizing will not only promote healthier growth, it is also the only responsible approach to halting water degradation.

4.  Use an efficient sprinkler system. I’m not familiar with the statistics of states other than Florida, but here the average lawn sprinkler system is less than 50% efficient. this means that at best, only fifty percent of the applied water ever reaches the roots of the intended plant. And these are contractor installed irrigation systems! Homeowner installed sprinkler systems are even worse. If you really want perfect grass, a quality sprinkler system is required. For more detailed information about sprinkler systems, watch the video below.

These quick tips will help you achieve perfect grass.

Perfect Grass is a post from: Perfect Grass