Watering Tips for the Best Lawn Ever!

Watering properly is much more of an art than a science.

When watering in North Texas clay soil lawns, wet the soil to a 3"-4" depth. Normally, this should create enough reserve moisture in the soil that you will not need to water again for 3-4 days. It is best to water your lawn deeply and infrequently (only 2 days each week). One common mistake with irrigation systems is that too much water is applied on a 1-2 day basis, which can lead to disease problems and excessive growth.

Your North Texas lawn needs a minimum of 1 inch of water weekly during the summer months.

A regular deep watering, 2 days a week, is better than a light sprinkling on the lawn every 1-2 days, and will encourage stronger, healthier roots. Overwatering results in waste and promotes turf problems, such as disease and excessive weeds. If you are operating each zone of your sprinkler system for 10-20 min run times and/or every 1-2 days - STOP! Follow our watering instructions listed below, which will save you money on your watering bills, and your lawn will much better after 2-3 months of following our process.

This process consists of operating a zone for no more than 5 minutes, but repeating the process 4 times at 2 hr. intervals. This 1 hr. interval allows the water to be absorbed by the clay soil before applying another application of water. Running a zone for longer than 5 minutes causes runoff and only wastes water providing no additional benefit to your lawn.

Midnight to 9am is the best time to water.

Midday watering during hot, dry weather will waste water, since much of the water evaporates before being absorbed into the soil. Watering before midnight promotes the speed of diseases, as you are applying water to a lawn that is still too hot from the day's heat.

If the entire lawn shows symptoms of drought, water it immediately regardless of time of day. if there are yellow patches in the lawn, do not increase the amount of water applied, as this will only make your problems worse. If you have yellow patches, you probably have a sprinkler head issue.

The best way to water hills is to use lower precipitation rate nozzles to rotary heads, which apply water to the lawn at a much lower rate and allow the water to be absorbed into the ground without running down the hill.

Do not operate your sprinkler system when rainfall is occurring at least once a week!

The sprinkler system is there to water your lawn when Mother Nature is not doing the job for you. Continue to operate a sprinkler system when rainfall is occurring at least once a week only causes problems for your lawn, and it wastes your money too.

Late Winter lawn care tips

Punxsutawney Phil says we can expect an early arrival for Spring this year. But if your'e in North Texas, you know that we typically get an early start to Spring EVERY year, unlike the folks up north. Although one day it may be a beautiful 75 degrees, and the next it could be freezing in the 30's. It also means we are moving into the wet season, and more rain is probably on the way. Here are a few things you we recommend for your lawn and landscape over the next few months.

Apply a granular pre-emergent to your turf. Winter weeds such as Crab Grass, Johnson Grass, etc. will be germinating soon. Just like going to the gym after New Years, the path to a great looking lawn this summer starts in the winter.  We recommend applying a granular pre-emergent product designed to help block the germination of weeds in your turf.  A typical application will be effective for 60 days before another application is needed.   If you are looking to do it yourself, look for a granular product with sulfentrazone. The chemical names are usually listed on the front of the product towards the bottom. Please be sure to read the entire label on the bag to ensure it is safe for the grass type at your home. Applying at the appropriate time is the key to using pre-emergent. Once weeds have already germinated, they can be harder to control.

Winter is also a good time to trim your trees. Pruning your trees in the winter is essential to prepare for spring, and it prevents un-needed stress to your trees that can come from trimming them during the hot summer months. Remember to start on the inside and work your way out, removing any cross branches you find along the way. You also want to thin out branches of fruit-bearing trees so they’re not too heavy with fruit when they bloom. Thinning out your trees will also help the growth of the turf underneath, by allowing more sunlight to shine through to the turf. Most grass types we have in North Texas need at least 4-5 hours of sunlight a day to thrive.

Before and after example of a large Oak tree thinned out and canopy raised.

It's also time to start thinking about mowing again. If you haven't had a mowing service since November or later, it's a good time to schedule a cleanup of any leaves, weeds, or debris that have accumulated in your turf or flower beds over the winter. Leaves and other debris left in the turf too long, can lead to problems with insects or diseases. A spring "scalp" of your turf will remove the old dormant grass clippings, as well as most other debris in your lawn, also allowing for a quicker green up for new turf growth. Make sure to bag and dispose of the clippings, it is also very important that the mower has sharp blades.

These are just a few examples of spring cleanup ideas for you landscape this time of year. We will be out and about starting our spring cleanup services. Please let us know if you need any help around your property!