Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Keeping Your Grass Green (with little water)

This is an odd post and intended for all of you who follow this and aren't geogeeks (sorry nerds but this might interest you as well). This advise is for people with Kentucky Bluegrass lawns (Colorado). So many people have asked me how I keep my grass so healthy and claim I water like crazy. In fact, I am a huge conservationist and try to minimize waste. I promise I have only watered 3 times this year (as of July 1st, 2009). Here is a pic.

Granted, it was a wet Spring for us but I am certain these techniques still apply. Here is the secret:

  • First, assuming you have a lawn with a good foundation and good drainage (nice organics) and it is established, you need to fertilize. This is critical. I use all organic fertilizers. Once a month (more like 1 1/2 months), I apply:
    ---2 parts Richlawn Turffood Pro
    ---1 part Revive granules (kind of expensive but critical)

    I mix these up and apply with a standard spreader. I will leave the amounts to you based or your square footage. It is also critical that you apply the Fall season version of Richlawn in October.
  • Secondly, please mulch. Most modern mowers can mulch. If you don't have one, get one. Bagging grass is a tragedy. You are filling landfills with unneeded waste and the mulch actually helps the sod maintain hydration and ensures that it requires less fertilizer given that you are replenishing the nutrients. One issue is that you will have to mow more often (maybe twice a week if the grass is growing crazy). You can't mulch if your grass is too long.
  • Finally, you must integrate organic material into the subsurface before you lay sod. This is hard to do if you already have a mature landscape but worth mentioning. This means rototilling at least 4 inches of nice organic material into the crappy clay (Typical in Colorado).
That is about it. A couple of items worth mentioning: First, you will have to do this for a couple of years before your lawn responds, don't expect it to respond overnight. You need to train it. Secondly, don't water too much. Kentucky Bluegrass is very drought tolerant if you let it be. If you water too much, it will use the water. Stress it a bit.

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