Lawn Irrigation - One Major Component in Addition to Fertilizing and Proper Mowing Methods

Golf courses always have rich green and immaculate grass as far as the eye can see. They should when fairway mowers can surpass the $8,000 mark. Unfortunately, home owners do not have access to these heavy duty industrial mowers. Premium results can still be affordably achieved, however, with the right tools. There are three key ingredients to a lush green lawn.

Every species of grass has an optimum height to ensure a healthy lawn. Proper mowing is essential. Generally, a height of approximately 3" - 3 ¼" is ideal. Believe it or not, maintaining the proper length is important for the roots of the grass and helps shield the ground from excessive heat from the sun during summer months. A home owner or lawn care company should never take off more than a third of the total height of the grass. Cutting more than this will be increasing the chances of the lawn drying out prematurely, burning or disease.

Proper watering times, frequency and length of each cycle are critical for maintaining a healthy yard. The best times to water, regardless of the region of the country, is during the early morning hours. By setting irrigation or sprinkler timers for these times ensures that the water has time to penetrate to the roots through the blades of grass and soil before the afternoon heat arrives.

Watering later in the day will just be wasting water due to the afternoon heat drying the lawn quickly and increased evaporation. It will also be a waste of water as it is usually windier during the afternoon than early morning which will blow the water spray away. Irrigating the lawn is not generally recommended in the evening hours. The reason is that with the cooler temperatures of the evening coupled with wet conditions will increase the likelihood of mold or fungus.

The final component of bringing up a healthy and vibrant lawn is the proper distribution of fertilizer and the correct type. Weed-and-feed fertilizers are quite popular, but the home owner needs to be aware of the different types. There is not a one size fits all weed-and-feed fertilizer for all grass species. Be sure to select the correct type. Timing of the fertilizer application can also make the difference between a lawn riddled with weeds and a yard which if weed free.

In the late summer and fall months, a post-emergent herbicide will help to inhibit the growth of weeds. Limiting the growth of weeds will also affect their ability to store nutrients for the following growing season in the spring. Early spring is the ideal time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide in order to prevent weed seeds from germinating.

Although it may be simple and straight forward in theory to properly maintain a lawn, restoring a yard takes a lot more energy, cost and time than most home owners have available. For this reason alone it is often more inexpensive to hire a professional lawn care company than it is for the home owner to buy the fertilizer spreader, heavy bags of fertilizer and so on.

For additional information on the topic of lawn irrigation and fertilizing visit Advanced Irrigation. Article independently authored by Daniel P. Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Advanced Irrigation. Click for Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.