When you chose to team up with Nature’s Turf, you likely had two goals in mind; gorgeous turfgrass, and as few weeds as possible. Fortunately, those are our goals as well. Each scheduled treatment is a building block that aims to both improve plant health, and either get rid of existing weeds or stop new ones from forming. While we aim to be the foundation your landscape health is built on, mowing well and watering well are often what separates a treated lawn that looks good from one that slows your neighbors down as they drive by. Let’s chat about it!
What are Good Watering Techniques?
Good watering techniques are ones that provide your lawn with adequate hydration, while not leaving excess water in the landscape. While this can seem daunting, we have a traditional rule that serves as an exceptional starting place for this discussion. That rule is: 1 accumulated inch of water from either rain or irrigation, applied on 2 or 3 days that aren’t connected. We can break that rule down, segment by segment.
What does 1 inch of accumulated water mean? We are used to hearing about accumulation as it pertains to rain, or the occasional snowfall we get in the metro-Atlanta area. It quite literally means that, if caught, an inch can be measured across the landscape. This is typically measured by being caught in a rain gauge. While it would be great if all the water a landscape needs came from rain, that’s often not the case and supplemental irrigation becomes useful.
What does 2-3 days that aren’t connected mean? During weeds we don’t receive rain, watering on a Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for a total of one inch is a great starting place to provide your turf what it needs. A simple tuna can can help this process, as it should be ⅓ full after each cycle. They are around an inch tall, so filling it ⅓ full on each of those days totals an inch in a week. In wet weather, reduce irrigation time or days. In dry weather, increase the time or add a day if the turf shows signs of drought stress.
Ultimately, watering well is crucial for plant health. Plants need three things to be successful: sufficient water, sufficient light, and nutrition. Sufficient light was hopefully considered when planting to make sure it’s receiving enough of that. By employing our services, you’ve also made sure that it’s getting the nutrition it needs. That means the last piece of that puzzle is sufficient water, and when applied sufficiently will allow your grass to thrive and compete with any weeds that try to get around or defenses.
What Does it Mean to Mow Well?
Mowing well is cutting at a height and frequency that minimizes injury to the turf, allowing for maximized health and density. Culturally, we view mowing grass as a chore. Probably because many of our parents pawned it off on us as early as it was safe. Mowing is so much more than a character-building exercise, or an opportunity to make some pocket money. Doing it well makes for happy, healthy turfgrass.
If left unmowed, turfgrass grows, and grows, and grows some more. It could be argued that this is its natural habit, but, while true, isn’t the aesthetic we’re aiming for. We want it relatively short, and nice to look at. The simple rule for mowing bermuda and zoysia is: Once a week at a height of 1.5-2”. While some bermuda prefers to be a little taller, and some zoysia prefers to be a little shorter, this is a great happy medium, and a good rule to operate with.
By mowing at that height every week, we greatly decrease the risk of removing too much of the plant, otherwise known as mower injury or scalping. When injured by a mower, the turf has to tap into its energy stores to recover the blades, leaving them weaker and less dense. These voids also open up vulnerabilities for weeds to move in. Mowing weekly at the right height reduces injury, leaving healthy turf to do what healthy turf does. Grow, spread, and compete for resources.
Important Takeaways:
- While we aim to be the foundation your landscape health is built on, mowing well and watering well are often what separates a treated lawn that looks good from one that slows your neighbors down as they drive by.
- Good watering techniques are ones that provide your lawn with adequate hydration, while not leaving excess water in the landscape.
- That rule is: 1 accumulated inch of water from either rain or irrigation, applied on 2 or 3 days that aren’t connected.
- Mowing well is cutting at a height and frequency that minimizes injury to the turf, allowing for maximized health and density.
- The simple rule for mowing bermuda and zoysia is: Once a week at a height of 1.5-2”.
