Proper installation and care of your lawn and its irrigation system can make all the difference between it being a joy to behold or a never-ending nightmare.
For a beautiful lawn, begin with the proper basics: plenty of sunlight, well prepared soil, the right irrigation system and an appropriate grass mixture. Maintain it by mowing correctly, mulching annually, using a corn gluten weed & feed in the spring and fall if needed, and pulling any weeds that do show up.
Lawns are a luxury when you are trying to conserve resources, as they require far more water than other plantings. For the most water savings, keep your lawn area to the minimum size needed.
We tend to think of lawns as central to a garden, but there are many beautiful gardens with no lawn in sight. Instead of lawn, think of abundant plant beds and wide pathways, stone patios, large areas of decking or drought-tolerant ground cover plants in place of lawn. If you feel a lawn is a must, try picturing it in terms of one or more area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting.
Any reduction in the amount of lawn will go toward savings for both you and the environment.
To ensure a beautiful and healthy lawn from from the start:
| • | Choose a location in full sun, that is free of chemicals from prior plantings. | |
| • | Test the soil and amend as necessary for proper pH and water retention. | |
| • | Install an irrigation system that will water evenly. | |
| • | Install a weather-based irrigation controller, to help keep from overwatering. | |
| • | Lay a sod or seed mixture that grows well in your area. | |
| • | Water well until established. | |
| • | Mow no shorter than 2.5" with a mulching mower. | |
| • | Once established, correct watering schedule to only what is needed. |
Standard turf lawns require sunlight.
Trying to keep up a lawn in a shaded area can be an effort in futility.
If you must have a lawn in a shaded area, you would be best served by looking to shade tolerant lawn substitutes instead of turf grass, like Scotch or Irish Moss, Corsican Mint or Miniature Wormwood. Dichondra is another possible alternative, but be forewarned: it will require quite a lot of weeding.
There are upcoming turf grasses with the ability to grow in shadier areas, but they are not yet locally available.
The optimal soil for your lawn will not only be at the correct pH level and have adequate moisture retention, but will contain the bacteria and microorganisms required for a healthy lawn.
The pH level should be at about 6.5, and the soil should contain a good amount of organic matter.
Lawns need water, and a fair amount of it – but most lawns are overwatered, and many waste additional water through uneven coverage or overspray.
Proper installation and maintenance of your irrigation system, plus a weather-based irrigation controller set to meet the needs of your particular lawn will help to keep your lawn healthy, and can save you large amounts of water.
Choose a grass mixture recommended for your climate and the conditions of your yard, and choose pest- and disease-resistant varieties if available. Some turf grasses that do well in our area are: tall fescue, dwarf tall fescue, red fescue and perennial ryegrass.
Paspalums are an upcoming group of grasses that look very promising in their lower maintenance requirements and ability to grow in shadier areas. Currently, the closest grower is in the San Diego area, but they should become locally available in the next few years.
There are also California native grass mixtures available for those who wishing to move in a more native direction.
How you mow your lawn has a great impact on its overall health. Poor mowing habits can traumatize the grass and leave it susceptible to unnecessary water loss, pests and weeds. For a healthy lawn:
| • | Use a mulching mower, to allow the clippings to feed the lawn. | |
| • | Mow when the grass reaches 3-3.5" in height. | |
| • | Cut no more than 1/3 of the blade height at one time. | |
| • | Mow to 2.5-3" high for moisture retention and to minimize plant trauma. | |
| • | Alternate mowing patterns, to keep grass mowed evenly. | |
| • | Keep the mower blades sharp, to minimize plant trauma. |
A very common problem with lawns is overwatering.
An easy test to see whether or not your lawn is ready to be watered is to just step on it. If the blades spring back, no water is needed. If they lie flat, it's time.
As with your other plants, your lawn needs mulching. A thin layer of organic matter, compost or manure, should be should be applied each spring.
If your lawn isn't in the best of health, try a few separate applications of mulch, within a few weeks between each.
A healthy lawn should require little, or no, fertilizer. The clippings left from a mulching mower and well amended soil should provide the majority of nutrients needed by your lawn.
If you feel that your lawn could use fertilizer, we recommend a corn gluten fertilizer, applied in the spring and fall, which also helps to keep weeds at bay.
Healthy lawns keep weeds in check naturally.
A corn gluten fertilizer will stop weed seed germination - apply in spring and fall before weed seeds germinate.
For any weeds already growing in your lawn, the safest course of action is to pull them out by the roots before they go to seed.
For you and your lawn, both, we highly recommend against the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. These have been linked to reproductive, neurological and endocrine disorders, as well as a number of cancers. A lawn maintained with these is much like the apple given to Snow White by the queen - it looks beautiful, but you might want to keep your distance.
Additionally, these chemicals ruin the biological activity within the soil that is imperative to a healthy lawn. Once they are used, your lawn can no longer stay healthy naturally, and becomes dependent on the chemicals to maintain the look of good health. The good news is that a naturally healthy lawn needs none of these to thrive.
If you are experiencing difficulties with your lawn, check to ensure that the lawn's basic needs for good health are being met, and that it is being maintained properly.
With a few changes and a little time, your lawn can probably become healthy and enjoyable. Step through the following checklist to make sure your lawn has all that it needs for optimal health. And remember that even if your obvious problem is weeds or pests, ensuring the overall health of your lawn is key to keeping these in check.
Is your lawn receiving full sunlight?
If not, chances are that you will continue to have problems as long as you try to grow a turf grass in a shady area. Consider the following possibilities:
| • | Relocate it to a sunnier area. | |
| • | Trim hedges or trees that are blocking the light. | |
| • | Replace the lawn with a shade-loving ground cover or plant beds. |
Test the soil's pH level.
If it is between 6 and 7, it shouldn't be a problem.
If it is lower than 6, the soil is too acidic. Add a layer of lime to correct it.
If it is higher than 7, the soil is too alkaline. Add a layer of sulfur to correct it.
For either amendment, be sure to follow the application instructions on the package.
LAWN PROBLEMS: SOIL COMPACTION
Stick a screwdriver into your lawn.
If it goes in easily, your soil is not compacted.
If it is difficult to push the screwdriver into the soil, you should:
| • | Aerate the lawn, and then | |
| • | Add mulch in a few separate applications, with a few weeks between each. |
Run a Cup Test to see if your lawn is being watered evenly.
If it isn't, adjust, replace or move sprinklers to correct, and check your controller's program to ensure your lawn is receiving the right amount of water.
If it isn't, adjust to correct.
Water your lawn in two steps: The first, shorter run, is to moisten the soil and prepare it to hold the water in the second, which should come about an hour after the first and water to a depth of 1-2".
How high is your lawn after being mowed?
If it is 2.5 - 3.5", it's fine.
If it is less than 2.5", raise the blade height on the mower. Lawns that are mowed too low require more water, tend to invite weeds and pests, and are generally less healthy.
Are you using a mulching mower?
A mulching mower grinds up the cut grass and deposits it back onto the lawn as it mows. This grass then decomposes and feeds the lawn. It is most, or all, of the fertilization your lawn needs. If you aren't using a mulching mower, you lawn is probably starving and low on organic matter.
Healthy lawns keep weeds in check naturally, so first ensure proper light, soil, watering and mowing. A corn gluten fertilizer can be applied in spring and fall to stop weed seed germination. For current weeds, the safest course of action is to pull them out by the roots.
Interestingly, the type of weeds in your lawn can indicate specific problems with your lawn's health. For example, Dandelions like compacted acidic soil and excessive potassium and magnesium, Crabgrass prefers to grow in a lawn that is mowed too short and is watered either too much or not enough, and Plantains are likely to move in to a shortly mowed lawn with compacted soil and poor drainage.
White Grub Worms:
Walk over your grass wearing spiked sandals (Spikes of Death®) to kill grubs that are feeding near the soil surface. Plant warm-season grasses, such as bermuda grass or buffalo grass, or coolseason grasses, such as tall or dwarf fescues. These grasses are more tolerant of white grubs.
Japanese Beetles:
Apply Milky Spore powder.
Gophers:
Remove sod, lay gopher wire, and then replace sod.
Thatch is a surface layer of rhizomes and weed roots caused by overwatering or the use of chemicals. It will keep water and nutrients from reaching the roots of your lawn.
De-thatch your lawn, check to make sure that it insn't being overwatered, discontinue the use of any herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers. De-thatch annually if needed until your lawn recovers its natural health, making de-thatching no longer necessary.
