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When to Water the Lawn:
Your lawn will give you many signs when it needs water. The leaves will curl to conserve moisture, the color will turn bluish-green. The grass will start to curl before it turns brown. When it starts to curl, that is the best time to water. Anything after that is time for “intensive care watering” (water half an inch, wait three hours and water an inch). For healthier roots, water less often but for longer- this will “train” roots to grow deeply into the soil for . In general, a lawn needs about 1 inch of water a week for healthy development.

How Often Should I Mow My Lawn?
The more often you mow- the healhtier it is for your lawn. When you mow your lawn you are getting rid of the the oldest part of the plant because grass grows from the bottom up, and a higher cut will ensure a deeper root system. Most experst suggest cutting on the hight side rather than too low. For bluegrass and fescue, mow at about 3 1/2 inches, for Bermuda and centipede grass mow at 1 to 2 inches, and for St. Augustine grass mow at 3 inches. Mowing encourages a lawn to spread and thicken to choke out weeds, and a deep root system is important because it can reach water farther down in the soil. When a lawn has shallow roots, there’s more likelihood of a deep thatch layer harboring insects and disease. If you have a serious weed infestation, consider mowing twice as frequently as you normally do.

Lawn Chemistry
Here are some guidelines for adding lime or iron to your lawn. Grass prefers slightly acidic soil, so you either add lime to bring the acid level down or add sulfur to increase it. Have the pH of your soil professionally tested. Add lime if it is below 6.0 and gardener’s sulfur if it is above 7.0 .

DANDELIONS are a sign of alkaline soil. Refer to the pH stuff above. The above methods will prevent dandelions from propogating. Since dandelions live about five years, the mature dandelions will struggle with the tall, thick turf and die off in two to three years. I now think that a few dandelions poking up once in a while are kinda nice and I leave them alone.

BLACK MEDIC is a sign of low nitrogen soil. sometimes called “yellow clover”. When it’s taking over, it will choke out grass and make flat mats about a foot in diameter. CLOVER is a sign of low nitrogen soil. Refer to fertilizing above. White and pink clover is often desired in a lawn. It contributes nitrogen to the soil and doesn’t compete strongly with the grass. Yellow clover is actually “black medic” (see above).

KNAPWEED tries to poison plants around it with niacin. Mow a little more frequently in late June and early July to wipe out knapweed.

LJ Stewart is freelance writer in Toronto. For more information on basic lawn care and household maintenance, visit Relaxed-Lifestyle.com

Written by: LJ Stewart

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