Welcome to Nessralla's Helpful Hints
We
feel the best way to care for your lawn is prevention. So, we have
provided you with some helpful hints that may guide you in your lawn
prevention care and hopefully help you avoid some of those common
mistakes. Our helpful hints page will continue to grow. If you
don't see what you need here, or you want to help us add content, feel
free to send us an email
with your question or comments.
Mowing height and frequency
depends upon many factors. The species of grass, the variety
developed, the usage, climate, watering system or not, fertilization,
weeds and sometimes disease.
The
time of the year will also affect the rate of mowing. Whether it is a
new lawn or older established lawn. Grasses that are in a-one shape
and getting the right amount of fertilizer and water will naturally
grow faster and need more mowing
Mowing early in the spring
as the grasses get started helps to remove the weeds, which are already getting
to the seeding stage. This helps cut down on the usage of herbicides. In the
cool season areas grasses that are affected by fungi sometimes require more
frequent mowing to remove the growth and get more air circulating to help
prevent or lessen fungal attack. Some of the grasses are coarser than the others
and require the blade to be especially sharp or the lawn will have a ragged look
when finished.
Mowing of heat stressed
grass in the middle of the day only promotes more loss of moisture and nutrients
unless watering systems are used shortly afterward. Warm season grasses con
withstand the shorter mowing if done on a regular schedule and actually respond
by better root development and thicker foliage.
Lawn-Mowing
- Cool & Warm Season Grasses
Cool season grasses grow the
fastest in the spring and early summer and early fall in preparation for
winter dormancy.
The warmer season grasses
start very early in the spring and continue through the winter in warmer
climates and with regular maintenance can result in year round care.
Mowing heights
range from ¼ inches to 4 inches depending upon the species. Cool season
grasses that aren’t receiving enough water need to be a little longer to
withstand the stress of the heat and evaporation of the sun and mowing to
close can kill these grasses in this situation.
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Early
spring is also the
time to add the hormone type weed killers which work
on the "root" of the weeds. is also the time
to add the hormone type weed killers which work on the
"root" of the weeds.
Why do you want to get
rid of weeds when you can just mow them down? Because
weeds steal plant nutrients that you are feeding to
the grass and compete for the root and growing space
needed especially for the creeping grasses.
Some weeds while
being mown back simply adapt to growing more
spread out than up and compete for more room in that manner.
Mowing a "weedy" grass the texture usually will appear
uneven and choppy. Weeds seed out every year and the seeds are
just waiting for their chance to germinate and the product must
be in the ground before the full development of the plant for
the best success before you see the weeds. "Yes
Virginia" you can still apply after you see the weeds but
some of them will have already seeded for the next year so early
prevention may save money in the long run and the extra time.
Lawn Weeds - Just another plant
Weeds are just regular plants
who are out of place. What is a weed for one
person or crop area, is considered a valuable plant to another
person. Some farms actually plant it for its foraging
value.
Lawn Weeds - Controlling with the Mower
In some grasses,
especially the warm season grasses... Over time as your lawn
grows and spreads out - the grass itself can choke out the
weeds. You can assist with this by keeping your lawn area
mowed regular and at the correct mowing height. Mowing
too low or too high can result in more weed growth in your
lawn.
Lawn Weeds - Natural Weed Control
Mowing at the proper height is one of the best
weed control practices you can use. Hand pulling of weeds or
pulling using a "crabgrass / weed" removal tool is also a
natural control method. This works well for Weeds such as
crabgrass are so persistent in growth, it is hard to kill once the
seed germinate. --- you have to break the seeding cycle to reduce the
problem of crabgrass. Plus weather is a big factor. I've
seen grass areas with no crabgrass one year and lots another.
Weeds can be controlled much better before you
plant your grass... but for existing lawns a couple of things can help
to reduce weed problems:
REDUCE WEEDS IN YOUR LAWN BY:
Correct mowing -
The right
height for your grass helps to shade weeds out of existence.
Mowing frequency -
By mowing both
often and regular, you remove the flowing seed parts of many weeds
thus making it harder for them to seed their next crop.
Soils play a factor in weed control -
Dry, wet and compacted soils all encourage weed growth because your
grass usually struggles under these conditions. A weakened turf
grass allows for the weeds to grow.
Soil fertility is also a factor
- Weeds love poor, under-fertilized soils. While Turfgrasses
require a certain amount of nutrients for best growth.
Practicing good lawn maintenance
- practices is the
best weed control policy you can undertake.
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WATERING: Depends
upon the variety, climate conditions, soil absorption rate and
the heat intensity. Soils should be saturated by not water
logged.
Grasses that grow
along the top of the soil may need shorter watering times but
several waterings. Grasses that form deed roots will need longer
and less frequent waterings to get further into the ground where
the roots need to develop, areas repairing from damage, or being
over seeded will need more water for the new growth to establish.
More water is needed in the
spring when new blades are forming and the fertilizer needs to be watered
into the root system.
All living organisms require
water in some form or the other. Water for the plant system works similar
to what it does for ours. Water carries food photosynthesized from the
leaves to the roots and returns to the leaves carrying nutrients gathered
by the roots from water in the soil. As we can become dehydrated so can
grass plants and the water absorbed is used as the cooling system and in
the return of oxygen into the air.
The majority of all water used by the plant
enters at the root level and the excess is given off in the form of vapor
by the leaves. Germination and cell development needs water. Too much
water in the ground causes the roots to become overloaded and the lack of
oxygen makes them start to deteriorate and in some grasses cause iron
deficiency. That is why most of the recommendations are for well draining
soils. Lawn grasses love water but not to be water logged.
Grass plants are adapted to the different
climates and weather conditions in nature. Seeds germinate, grow into
seedlings, mature, set seed and in the winter or drought conditions go
back into dormancy until the conditions are favorable again. We have
decided that we like grass as our permanent ground cover for lawns, parks,
athletic fields, anywhere and everywhere. Since that time we have coaxed
and bred and produced the different varieties of the different species
into almost year round service. This has been achieved through the ability
to water more than any other practice. Extreme cold weather is the only
factor in having a year round lawn almost anywhere on the continent.
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Hydroseeding
is often used to economically seed large areas of lawns,
especially on commercial projects. It is use extensively by
commercial grassing contractors, for planting large areas and in areas
(such as slopes) where normal planting methods may not be easily
accomplished.
Lawn Installations -
Hydroseeding
Hydroseeding has recently gained favor for planting of
lawns for homeowners, though culti-packer type applications still can
accomplish as good or better seeding results.
Hydro is not a cheap method of planting. With hydro
seeding, you will need a specialized equipment to seed. A mixture of
seed and mulch is placed in a container of water, and the resulting slurry
mixture is sprayed (blown) on the prepared lawn area to be planted.
Hydorseeding Advantages
The advantage of this method is that the slurry material supposedly
absorbs water and allows this storage of water to be available to the seed
that is in contact with the material. Seeds need water to start the
germination process. Hydroseeding experts say that the seeds
germinate better than with methods which use the more conventional packing
methods.
Fertilizers can also be applied using the hydroseeding method at the
same time as the seeds are planted. A cover crop of millet or ryegrass can
also be applied in the mixture to give a fast germinating ground cover
until the grass you are planting becomes established. This method is
only recommended for use during the growing season of your particular
grass species.
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