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Winter Turf Tips
- Putting your sod to bed: after your last regular mowing, fertilize with a 6-20-20; water appropriately, then winterize your sprinkler system. Keep in mind you may have to hand water your lawn if the weather warms up, which is typical with our Utah weather.
General tips
- For your new lawn: check with your landscape professional to make sure the system is set for 3 to 4 times a day 10 to 15 minutes each cycle for the first 2 weeks. At the end of 2 weeks, continue the same watering pattern but cut back to every other day for 2 weeks, then cut back to every third day. If water runs off, cut back on the number of minutes. New sod is exempt from watering regulations for 6 weeks. After the first 6 weeks, follow the watering schedule below:
* March, April, September and October: Water as needed to keep root area moist. On those days water 3 times, 5 to 10 minutes at 2 hour intervals.
* May through August: Water on the days and hours according to local ordinances Water 3 to 4 times on these days starting early morning. Water for 5 to 10 minutes each time at 2 hour intervals.
* November through February: Usually no irrigation is needed unless weather is extremely dry for 2 to 3 weeks at a time.
Every lawn is different and you may have to modify the above to meet your individual needs. The key thing to remember is to keep the root area moist during the crucial rooting period.
- Mow as needed, maintaining a mowing height of 2 to 3 inches. Remove no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade per mowing.
- Fertilize every 4 to 6 weeks during the growing season. We recommend a granular, well-balanced fertilizer without weed control. The best way to find out how often y0ur lawn needs to be fed is to mark your calendar when you make a fertilizer application. When you notice the color begin to fade, you will know you should have fertilized a week earlier. Check your calendar and this will give you the interval for fertilization.
- Brown spots: Most lawns will get brown spots from time to time. Check your sprinklers for coverage. Windy days and high temperatures will result in varying patterns. Water these trouble spots by hand. Do not increase the water to the entire area to eliminate isolated brown areas.
- Runoff: A lawn is one of natures best filters for airborne pollutants, applied fertilizers and chemicals. Runoff from any landscape area, though, can pollute our waterways and create treatment plant problems.
- Contrary to what some may want you to believe, lawns do not waste water, man does. Lawns are of increasing importance to our urban environment since we are removing vast amounts of natural vegetation and agricultural land from the ecosystem, replacing them with asphalt concrete and buildings. Scientific studies have found that many of the shrubs and trees we use in our landscapes may, in fact, consume more water than a lawn of equal area. The point is not so much what to plant or use in your landscape to achieve your desired effect, but to efficiently manage the irrigation and maintenance of your landscape.
- Grass is like people: it needs air, food and water to survive. When you properly maintain your lawn with good water management, proper fertilization and mowing schedules, you will have a healthy beautiful lawn for many years.
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