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Caring For Your Lawn
Mowing Lawn
 Mow lawns two to three inches tall. When the grass grows one-third higher, mow again. Maintaining a tall height will shade and cool the soil, keeping the lawn from drying out. Also, leave clippings on the lawn. They will decompose, releasing nitrogen back into the soil. Clippings do not lead to thatch buildup as once thought.
Always keep mower blades sharp; a dull blade tears the grass, giving the tips a whitish appearance.
Thatching and Aerating
A thin layer of thatch (one-half inch or less) increases wear tolerance and retains moisture. However, excess thatch obstructs air, water and fertilizer from entering
the soil and root zone, making the lawn susceptible to disease and weeds. Aerating or coring your lawn each spring will lessen soil compaction. The plugs of turf and soil left from aerating should disappear after a week or two of watering and
mowing, or they can be raked.
Fertilizing Lawn
The best times to fertilize lawns are from early spring to the middle of June; and from September to the time grass goes dormant in late fall.
Turf needs fertilizer that contains nitrogen. This fertilizer is available in fast- and slow-release forms. Apply fertilizer when your lawn is dry and water it into the soil. Use caution to avoid burning grass.
Never apply more than two pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet to the lawn at one time. Before adding more, wait a month and then add fertilizer only when
necessary. For a healthier lawn, use chelated iron and zinc in spring and fall. Whenever fertilizing, follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Weed and Pest Control
Weeds out-compete desirable grasses when lawns stop growing due to improper watering or mowing, low fertility or compaction of soil. Once weeds become established, you have to restore favorable conditions for healthy turf. After diagnosing your yard, pull the weeds or use herbicides. Crabgrass, quackgrass and clover are nearly impossible to remove completely by pulling, so watch for vigorous regrowth.
Some fertilizers include herbicides and fertilizers in their formulas; however, use caution. These products work well on turf, but can cause problems near trees, roses, flowers and other broadleaf plants.
Also, diseases, insects and animals can harm turf. In Nevada, fungus diseases are the usual culprits and are usually the result of overwatering. To minimize turf diseases, keep grass growing evenly; mow when grass grows one-third higher than the proper height; and don't fertilize during summer. Most importantly, water deeply and infrequently - twice a week on your assigned days.
The following pages contain information on the more common turf diseases or insects that occur in our region.
Irrigation
Deep, intermittent watering works best in our dry climate because it promotes deeper roots which survive hot weather better than shallow root systems. Light, frequent waterings are not recommended because they encourage shallow roots that dry out rapidly, especially on hot summer days. This stresses the plant, making it susceptible to disease. In spring and fall, water once a week. In the summer, water twice a week on your assigned days (Odd address: water Thursdays and Sundays; Even address: water Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Manufacturers' ideas for maintaining irrigation systems include:
Test coverage of sprinkler system.
Ideally, you should have water distributed equally over your landscape from each sprinkler head. To test the coverage of your sprinklers, randomly place six same-sized tin cans over one sprinkler zone. Turn on sprinklers. At the end of the cycle, the water collected in each can should have a similar depth Ñ within one-fourth to one-half inch. If the depth varies significantly, then you may have too many sprinkler heads on the zone, or you may need to adjust sprinkler heads to obtain similar outputs of water at each one.
Find out how much water your sprinkler system applies in an hour.
Place tin cans at four-foot intervals from a sprinkler, turn the water on for 15 minutes and measure the water in each can. Add the amount of water from all cans, divide by the number of cans and multiply by four to determine the depth in inches per hour. Lawns need about one and one-half inch to two inches of water per week during the summer.
Check for:
Water pressure
Debris in nozzle opening
Debris in filter at base of sprinkler head
Leakage at pipe joints
Obstructions in coverage such as trees or shrubbery
Each fall, drain irrigation system.
If it is well drained, exposed valves and pipes don't need insulation. For additional information on testing your irrigation system, consult your plumber or landscape contractor. Or, check the book references listed on page 80.
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