BioLawns Basics:
- Water deeply and regularly enough to keep the lawn green year round.
- Fertilize regularly with organic fertilizers
- Overseed in the fall and winter
- Mow tall and frequently with a sharp blade
Watering Instructions:
Always abide by any local watering restrictions. The amount of water your lawn needs can vary depending on shade, grass type, and soil conditions. If your lawn is soggy, reduce watering. If your grass is brown, increase watering. Aim for even and deep watering, letting it get relatively dry between waterings. Deep and infrequent watering causes roots to grow deep in search of water.
After Seeding Watering Schedule:
After seeding, we recommend watering 10 min in the morning and 10 min at night every day for the first 4 weeks. Do not let the lawn dry out when the grass is young. After those 4 weeks return to the suggested regular watering schedule as shown below.
Suggested Regular Watering Schedule:
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January: 1 time per week 15 minutes
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February: 1 time per week 15 minutes
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March: 2 times per week 15 minutes
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April: 2 times per week 15 minutes
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May: 3 times per week 30 minutes
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June: 3 times per week 50 minutes
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July: 3 times per week 50 minutes
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August: 3 times per week 50 minutes
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September: 3 times per week 40 minutes
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October: 2 times per week 30 minutes
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November: 1 time per week 15 minutes
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December: 1 time per week 15 minutes
What is Aeration?
Aeration opens lawn up to receive air, water, and nutrients. A compacted lawn cannot be heathy without aeration. Aeration is usually performed 1-2 times per year in the fall or spring. Not all aeration is equal. Hole depth and density are essential. Some aerators perform poorly and deliver poor results. My well maintained machines pull large cores with an exceptional density providing superior results.
Lawn Mowing Tips:
Raise the deck on your mower so that when cut your grass is 3.5 inches tall or taller. A higher height promotes deeper root growth which will give your grass drought resistance. Mowing frequently (2 times per week) helps strengthen and exercise your grass promoting root growth. Mulching is favorable over bagging because it returns organic matter and nutrients to the soil to feed your grass. Only mow with a sharp mower blade. Cutting with a dull blade is very hard on the grass causing it to lose water and become more vulnerable to disease.
Overseeding Tips:
For our area, the variety that I recommend is tall fescue. If you have a heavily shaded area you may want a more shade tolerant variety such as fine fescue. Thin or bare areas can be overseeded in the fall, winter and early spring. I recommend overseeding in October and then following my after seeding watering schedule for 4 weeks. Any areas where seed did not come up can be overseeded again throughout the fall, winter and spring until no bare areas remain. For the best result you should rake or loosen the top half inch of soil of the bare areas so the seed is just slightly covered by soil. This step takes work and gets better results but it is not completely necessary. Seed can be broadcast from a handheld spreader directly on top of bare dirt and yield good results if there is regular watering for 4 weeks.
Weeds:
The best defense against weeds is healthy soil and healthy grass. Weeds prefer dry, low nutrient, compact soil. Grass prefers moist, nutrient rich, aerated soil.
Crabgrass
Crabgrass is an annual grassy weed that pops up in the summer and dies in the winter. Crabgrass seeds exist in everybody’s lawn but they only mature into plants in dry, nutrient poor, thin and unhealthy lawns.
Cause:
- Mowing too short.
- Watering too little, or not watering deeply enough.
- Under Fertilization
- A thin and unhealthy lawn invites crabgrass where a thick healthy lawn will get virtually none.
Strategy to Eliminate:
- Mow higher and fertilize often.
- Increase watering time but not necessarily the number of days. Aim for deeper but more infrequent watering.
- After crabgrass dies in the winter, overseed your lawn to make it thicker and to eliminate bare dirt.
Bermudagrass
Bermuda grass is a perennial warm season grass that thrives in hot dry conditions and emerges in June and grows into the fall. In the winter it goes dormant and does not grow.
Cause:
- Too little water.
- Under fertilizing
- Mowing too short
Strategy to Eliminate:
- Mow higher and fertilize often.
- Increase watering time but not necessarily the number of days. Aim for deeper but more infrequent watering.
- After bermuda grass goes dormant in the winter, overseed your lawn to make it thicker.
- Apply concentrated round up to bermuda grass that has grown onto the sidewalk or into planters. Make sure not to spray your lawn or plants with the round up.
- A tall thick lawn will eventually win the battle against bermudagrass though it may make its yearly appearance for a few years until it gives up.
Dallisgrass
This is a perennial warm season grassy weed that thrives in hot conditions in standing water, or soils with poor drainage. In nature it grows during the summer in muddy areas along rivers or lakes.
Cause:
- Watering unevenly or too much
- Soil compaction
- Poorly draining soil
Strategy to Eliminate:
- Make sure your soil drains well and is watered evenly and deeply.
- Aerate your lawn regularly to relieve compaction.
- Chop the plant in multiple planes and directions with a shovel to dismember it. Don’t dig it up.
- Round up the plant and then overseed the bare area after it dies.
Nutsedge
Nutsedge is a perennial warm season grass that thrives in hot weather and soggy poorly drained soil. It often makes an appearance in July in areas that are over watered.
Cause:
- Watering unevenly or too much.
- Poorly draining soil
Strategy to Eliminate:
- Make sure your soil drains well and adjust your watering so you have deep and even watering.
- Apply sedgehammer herbicide in the fall. A week or so later, scalp the areas where the nutsedge was and then overseed.
Clover
Clover is a perennial weed that can fix its own nitrogen. Therefore its presence can be an indicator of low nitrogen in your soil.
Cause:
- Under fertilizing
- Compacted soil
Strategy to Eliminate:
- Fertilize regularly
- Aerate regularly to relieve compaction.
- Apply tricoplyr herbicide.
