August
2008
Too much grass care info
I came across this article over the weekend. It’s got more grass care tips that you can stand. I’ll share with you a few of the highlights.
Mostly the point of the article is whether or not you should water your grass. You should get your grass a good soaking once a week. Why a good soaking? Because just a splash of water doesn’t encourage the root system to grow down. A good lawn is all about a strong root system. It supports the plants - and more importantly it chokes out competing weeds. So about an inch of water a week.
Then they go on to explain that watering in the morning is best. During the day a portion evaporates off and you are just paying to add to the humidity outside, yuck! And at night you can encourage fungus to grow. Who would want that?
There is a good discussion about the types of grass and fertilizer to use - I’ll save those discussions for another time, but they are all in there.
My favorite part… well there were two favorites, but one leads to the other. One favorite was that they kept talking about how expensive it is to water. They would say to watch your water bills. Not doing it sounds like a great option for some one like me who hates grass care in the first place!
But here was the killer! What happens if you don’t water in the hottest and driest part of the summer? You grass goes dormant! Now why didn’t I think of that! Grass is built to survive from year to year - how do you think your yard stays the way it is? It’s not like a crop that you harvest each fall and plant again in the spring - it’s just there.
So what’s the deal with a dormant lawn? Basically it just hibernates until more rain starts falling in the autumn. The only side effect is that it turns brown. But 1) it stops growing and 2) no expense or hassle of watering! Now that is great!
And I’m not so vain that I can’t stand to have my yard a little less green than the neighbors. Hey, if you are, you don’t have to admit it. I’ll have something to say soon to help you out too. I fact, that drive to keep up may be why you hate grass care as much or even more than I do!
Again, if you want to read the whole article for yourself, sit down, make yourself comfortable and click for grass care tips article.