I know it’s February, and difficult to imagine the blazing summer that’s only a few months away. It was a comparatively cold winter, and looking in at my back yard, it’s hard to imagine it will soon be a lush, green field of St. Augustine.
There are 3 keys to a good lawn: proper fertilizing, mowing, and regular irrigation.
It all starts with good fertilizing. Calloway.com suggests to fertilize in early March, and do so every 8-10 weeks (bearing in mind they have fertilized they want to sell you). I’ve learned twice a year is fine – once in March, once in October. Depending on what type of grass you have, there are different fertilizers. If you’re really interested in finding the right fertilizer, visit www.soiltesting.tamu.edu.
Mowing is not only critical in keeping your neighbors off your back and the city from writing you tickets, it causes grass to spread laterally. More coverage means fewer weeds. Mowing on a regular basis – weekly or every other week – is very important as well.
Irrigation (also called watering) is of obvious importance. One inch per week during the spring, 2 inches per week during the summer, one inch in the fall, and 1/2 inch in the winter. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean your yard doesn’t need water.
Weeds are another matter. There are two types of weed killers: pre-emergent and post-emergent. Spring is time for treating pre-emergent weeds, and make sure the fertilizer you use treats for regional weeds. They will appear throughout the summer, there’s no way around that, but using a pre-emergent weed killer is more than an ounce of prevention in the war on weeds.
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