Even the best-laid lawns can go awry without a schedule to keep important tasks on track. Mowing, watering and fertilizing the lawn at the right time can make the difference between a healthy, thick lawn that invites bare toes or a thin, patchy haven for weeds. While creating a schedule isn't difficult, starting with the right information is vital to providing the best care for your lawn.
Know your grass type. Fescue lawns require less water and fertilization than bluegrass lawns, and bermudagrass prefers shorter mowing heights. Contact your local extension office or nursery for help with identification.
Time the application of a lawn fertilizer based on the grass type. Spring or fall application, for example, is best for cool-season grasses that grow strongly during the cooler months. Time your final application roughly 7 days after the final mowing in the fall. Warm-season grasses, on the other hand, are often most active as summer temperatures arrive, however, and a late spring application of fertilizer is ideal.
Mow at the recommended height for your grass type; fescues prefer heights up to 3 inches tall, while bermudagrass prefers half that height. Mow when the lawn becomes roughly 1/3 taller than the ideal height. Mowing more than 1/3 of the grass blade stresses your lawn.
Schedule dethatching and aeration, if necessary. Work a ruler into the lawn and rest it on the surface of the soil. Measure the thatch layer -- the layer of dead stolons or stems -- between the soil and the grass blades. Dethatch your lawn when the thatch layer is 1/2-inch or deeper. While some homeowners prefer to dethatch every year, different grasses produce thatch at different rates. Aerate your lawn when the soil becomes compacted. Schedule dethatching and aeration for warm-season grasses in spring, and dethatch cool-season grasses in fall.
Determine your watering rate. Place six to 10 empty cans or plastic dishes with straight sides randomly on your lawn before you turn on your water. Allow the sprinklers to run for 20 minutes. Measure the amount of water in the dishes, add the amounts and divide the sum by the number of dishes. Multiply the result by three. This gives you the average inches of water per hour.
Time your watering schedule to provide enough water for your lawn type, season and climate. A basic cool-season lawn along the California coast, for example, requires roughly 1 inch of water per week during July, but half that amount in December.
Prevent water runoff. Not only does this waste water, but some munincipalities may impose fines. Break the watering times into shorter blocks if you have heavy soils that absorb water slowly.
Things You Will Need
- Six to eight straight-sided containers
- Dethatcher or dethatching rake
- Cool-season grasses perform best in areas with mild summer heat and grow actively in cooler spring and fall temperatures. Fescues, ryegrass and bluegrass are cool-season species. Warm-season grasses, on the other hand, prefer hotter climates. Bermudagrass, St. Augustine grass and zoysia are all warm-season species.
- Don't fertilize cool-season grasses during hot weather. Fertilizing these grasses in summer may force stressful growth.
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