Tips From Innovative Tree and Landscape
Do you just need a few yard tips on maintaining your lawn?
Innovative Tree and Landscape offers some suggestions to make your lawn the envy of your neighbors.
Bermuda Scalping
Some people do not agree with the practice of scalping Bermuda grass in the spring. We believe Bermuda should be scalped because it helps to get rid of all the dormant brown Bermuda grass and allows the new green Bermuda grass to grow up faster. Removing the brown Bermuda also allows the sunlight to get down to the green Bermuda that is trying to grow up. When we scalp lawns, we typically scalp with the mowers at 1.5 inches. Scalping the lawn too low, where dirt is showing is not good. Also, when scalping, the grass can be bagged or discharged (mulched). Normally when scalping, grass should be bagged because when mulching there is so much grass and it tends to bog down the mower.
Fescue Seeding
Do you have Fescue patches in your yard or a full front or back yard of Fescue? It is very important to spread Fescue seed in late summer once it has started to cool off. This will help insure that your Fescue will be thick and look good the next year. Since fescue does not spread like Bermuda or Zoysia grasses it will not fill in any spots that are thin or bare dirt.
Leaf Removal
Do you enjoy the fall color and leaves on the ground everywhere? It actually is not good to leave leaves on the ground very long because they can kill the grass. Leaves that are left block the sunlight from getting to the grass. Leaves also will retain moisture that can cause mold and fungus to grow and that will also kill the grass. Some people like to mulch up their leaves so they do not have to remove them. This is not good because most of the time they are not mulched up small enough so they still have the same negative effect on the grass.
Watering the Lawn
Yards should be watered in the early morning hours. There are several reasons for this. First, watering in the evening can cause mold to start growing. Watering during the heat of the day is also bad. It will cause a shock on the grass and plants because of the hot temperatures of the air and grass and the cool temperatures of the water. Also, watering during the heat of the day causes lots of evaporation and loses much of the water that is put out.
