DON`T

DON´T pick a day of the week and mow on that schedule regardless of the growth. If it doesn´t need mowing on Saturday, don´t mow it. If it needs mowing on Thursday, mow it!

DON`T

DON´T water the grass in the afternoon or evening, and NEVER water at night! Night time is prime time for fungus growth. All it needs is moisture. It´s ok every now and then to help the grass maintain moisture through a short dry spell. It´s not Ok to water on a regular basis without the heat of the sun to help control disease.

DO

DO start your season´s fertilization program with a complete fertilizer, such as 16-4-8, 15-5-10, or 12-4-8. These 4:1:2 or 3:1:2 analyses provide grass with complete nutrition. Nitrogen for growth, Phosphorous for stem and rhizome development, Potassium for root growth and disease resistance. Centipede owners: DO use 15-0-15 unless directed otherwise by a soil analysis.

DON´T

DON´T use high Nitrogen fertilizers exclusively. Grasses treated with analyses having 4, 5 or even 6 times as much Nitrogen as anything else put on lush growth that the rest of the plant simply can´t support. If you do incorporate them into your fertilization program, use them sparingly. Cut the label rate in half.

DO

DO plant new grass at the beginning of your grass types´ growing season. If you plan to plant new cool season grass seed, wait until summer is over and plant in late summer to early fall. If you plan to plant new warm season grass (seed, plugs or sod), plant as soon as the neighbors´ grass is fully green and actively growing.

DO

DO water your lawn deeply. Give the grass enough water so that the soil is moistened to the desired root depth of the grass. This encourages the development of deep roots, which help the grass resist drought stress, disease and insect damage.

DO

DO water the grass in the morning. Water pressure is usually high. Temperatures are cooler. Winds are lower. These factors combine to allow the water to percolate into the soil, with the excess drying off quickly as soon as temperatures and windspeeds climb.

DON`T

DON´T water the lawn with light, frequent waterings unless you are establishing new grass. Such a pattern will result in shallow-rooted grass. The lawn is then much more susceptible to disease, drought and insect damage.

DO

DO Mow your grass according to its rate of growth. Be ready to mow when it reaches the height that would produce the target height if you removed 1/3rd of the blade.

DON`T

Don´t "winterize" a southern lawn, and don´t fertilize a cool season lawn in summer. At all. Warm season grass does not need fertilizer in order to go dormant, and cool season grass does not need fertilizer in summer.

DO

DO scout for pests on a regular basis. Get down on your hands and knees. Part the turf, pull the thatch apart. Dig into the soil. Inspect the stems, leaves and sheaths. Look for discoloration, insect damage, insect pests and obvious signs of disease. Know what your lawn is supposed to look like, and know when a problem is about to cause damage before the damage is apparent.

DON`T

DON´T plant cool season grass seed in spring. Planting in spring exposes the seedlings to fusarium blight and other disease pathogens. The survivors will then be subjected to the intense heat and arid conditions of summer. What little grass is left in fall will then have to be overseeded in fall anyway. Best to wait until late August at the soonest.

DON`T

DON´T treat a pest problem you don´t have. Pesticides are expensive and some cause significant damage to our environment. If you don´t have a problem with weeds, don´t use herbicides. If you don´t have a problem with insect pests, don´t use insecticides. If you don´t have a disease problem, don´t use fungicides. Save your money for the water bill.

DO

DO fertilize your grass, but do it at the right time of the year for the grass you´re growing. The right time to fertilize grass is at the beginning of its season of growth. Warm season grasses need to be fertilized in spring. Cool season grasses need to be fertilized in fall.