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Lawn Maintenance FAQs
If you don't find your question listed, or if you
want more clarification, please send me an e-mail message
at holmes@holmeslandscape.com.
 
Q: Why
do I need to change my lawn watering routine? If it
rains, I turn my lawn controller off, otherwise I water
the lawn every day for ten minutes throughout the year.
A:
Research shows us that we only need to re-apply 80% of
the water lost due to environmental conditions (heat,
wind, evaporation, etc.). So, if we adjust irrigation
controllers according to the weather, we can save a lot
of water and still maintain a healthy lawn.
Q: How
should I adjust my lawn controller?
A:
Irrigation controllers with a percentage key are the
easiest to adjust. Set this kind of controller up so that
100% is the equivalent to the hottest week, or largest
water using week of the year. Then adjust up and down by
percentages as the weather changes. For controllers
without a percentage key, adjust your watering times as
follows: Use Summer as your baseline, reduce watering
times by 50% during Spring and Fall, and turn your
watering system off during Winter.
Q: What
is the hottest week of the year and how long should I
water? Twenty minutes every day?
A:
During our driest conditions, we typically water for
around 2 to 3 minutes at a time, three times a night, two
or three days a week. Remember that every yard can be
different.
Q: How
can I check my yard to see if I am over or under
watering?
A:
There are two simple field tools I use when I teach water
management. One is a soil probe (but, a screw driver will
work). With the probe, we take a soil sample and feel how
wet is the soil. With a screw driver check for how easily
it goes into the soil. The other "tool" we use
is our eyes - we check the grass after someone has walked
across it. If the blades of grass do not spring back
where someone has stepped, then it is obvious that the
lawn is in need of water.
Q: I
burnt my lawn and now I have a dry spot. What can I do?
A:
Once the soil is allowed to dry out we must thoroughly
rewet it. This means applying extra water over short
periods of time to get the soil back to the point where
it can efficiently absorb water again. This is additional
watering over and above your normal lawn irrigating, and
is best done with a soaker hose.
Q: What
should I do about the brown spot in my lawn?
A:
After you have gotten plenty of water back into the soil,
apply a small amount of lawn fertilizer to the area. The
lawn should come back in about a week. To speed recovery,
you can also lower your mower to cut the brown out, and
use a steel rake to rake out the dead grass.
Q: How
come I have a brown spot in my lawn, but the rest of the
lawn looks fine?
A:
There could be several reasons: bad sprinkler coverage
causing insufficient watering, and compacted or dense
soil making it more difficult for water to penetrate to
plant roots are two common problems leading to brown
spots. Keep an eye on a brown spot because it can become
a very helpful key to know when to water.
Q: Are
there any other keys I can look for in my lawn?
A:
Watch your lawns, you will see that they start to get a
dark green color before they turn brown. When this dark
green appears, it's time to water.
Q: Some
areas in my lawn are dry while other areas are very wet.
Why?
A:
This is a common problem usually caused by uneven
watering and differing exposure. First, check your
sprinklers to insure all areas are receiving the same
amount of water from your sprinklers. Obviously, if some
areas are very wet, they may be receiving more water than
they need. Second, consider the amount of sun each area
is receiving. You might have some areas in full sun and
other areas in full shade, or what we call a "mixed
zone". Those areas in full sun will dry out more
quickly and are more prone to browning than those areas
in full shade. If your lawn has mixed zoning, than you
want to setup irrigation zones to deliver the appropriate
amount of water to the appropriate zone, rather than to
continue to apply the same amount of water to all zones.
Q: Why
is my lawn yellow?
A: It
needs nutrients, and it's time to fertilize. It is
important to keep your lawns well feed so they stay
healthy, so we fertilize every 6-8 weeks during the
growing season. Healthy lawns are more attractive,
recover from mowing faster, and are more disease and pest
resistant.
Q: What
type of fertilizer should I use?
A:
Any balanced lawn fertilizer will work. Be sure to
read the label thoroughly. It will tell you all the
necessary information for you to properly fertilize your
lawn.
Q: How
high should I mow my lawn?
A:
Optimum lawn heights depend on the type of grass. Bermuda
grasses can be mowed to 1 inch, rye grass to 1 1/2
inches, but tall fescue and blue grass should be mowed to
2-3 inches.
Q: How
can I tell what type of grass I have?
A: If
it is an individual or single bladed grass plant, it is a
cool season grass, and is usually in the rye, blue or
fescue grass family. If it is on a runner, then it is a
warm season grass, and is usually Bermuda, St. Augustine,
or kikuyu grass.
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Holmes Landscape Company
934 La Rueda Road, Vista, CA 92084-6518
760.732.3379760.598.3500 Fax
holmes@holmeslandscape.com
"Always looking to improve ourselves, our workers, and the quality of our work."
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