This is an article about what every homeowner needs to know about caring for his or her lawn. A great looking lawn can make or break your home. It can be the envy of your neighbors and the place your kids and pets love to play. Or it can be an eyesore that annoys your neighbors and lowers their property values (as well as yours).
You can and probably should hire a lawn service for a lot of these things. Of course, we would like to recommend Gro-Masters as your lawn service in Savannah and the Low Country. Whether you choose to do these things yourself or hire a lawn service, it pays to be informed. So here is what you need to know:
- Mow
It’s probably pretty obvious that you need to mow the grass pretty regularly, but there is some science that you may not be aware of. If you mow your grass too short or keep it too long it can be really bad for your lawn. When grass is the wrong height it can become more susceptible to bugs and fungi that will make it ugly. You should probably find out exactly what kind of grass you have (there are lots of possiblities). Once you know what kind of grass you have, you can use this chart to figure out how short or long to keep it:
Grass type
Height
Bahia grass; fescue, tall; blue grama; buffalo grass
2 to 3 inches
Bent grass
1/4 to 1 inch
Bermuda grass, common
3/4 to 1-1/2 inches
Bermuda grass, hybrid
1/2 to 1 inch
Centipede grass; zoysia grass*
1 to 2 inches
Fescue, fine;
1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches
Kentucky bluegrass
1-3/4 to 2-1/2 inches
Ryegrass, annual and perennial
1-1/2 to 2 inches
St. Augustine Grass
2-½ to 3 ½ inches
- Water
Again, it’s kind of a no brainer that your lawn needs water. The bigger deal is figuring out how much and when. Again too much water brings pests, not enough means your grass dies, so we’re in a bit of a “goldilocks” situation. Most lawns need about an ince of water per week. It’s always better to give your lawn one good soak than to water more often and give less water each time. If you want to be a real lawn geek, you can put some empty containers in your backyard to measure how much rain falls. Old tuna or catfood cans can work well for that.The best time to water grass in Savannah is between about 9 PM and 5 AM. This is when dew naturally forms anyway, and the water is least likely to evaporate.
- Aerate
Now we’re getting into more of the technical stuff where you are likely to want to hire a lawn service company. Savannah soil is pretty great, but if it gets compacted it’s not as effective at growing good grass. Aeration means punching lots of small holes in the dirt to enable the grass to get water better and to form better roots. You might be able to do this yourself, but a yard service will have better specialized equipment. - Getting Rid of Weeds and Pests If you are a do-it-yourselfer you can probably do this yourself, but be careful. There are lots of good products for your lawn that can be harmful if they are used the wrong way. These products are perfectly safe for you, your pets, and your children if they are used as they are intended. But you need to pay careful attention to the instructions. Lawn care professionals are trained to know how, when, and where to apply the right pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides and most importantly how to apply them to keep you and your whole family safe.
- Fertilize Finaly, it’s really tought to have a great lawn without using some good science to make it grow its best. Like with the pesticides and herbicides, you can do it yourself, but some of these products can also be harmful if not used correctly. A good professional lawn service is a usually the safest and most effective way to make sure your grass has what it needs to grow its best.
If you want to know more about your lawn and how to do great lawncare, check out our book “What’s Happening to My Lawn and What Can I Do?” It’s free just click the link below:
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Also, check out some of our other lawn care blog articles:
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