{"id":441,"date":"2017-03-30T10:01:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T10:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/?p=441"},"modified":"2018-11-13T21:51:26","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T21:51:26","slug":"the-grass-can-be-just-as-green-on-your-side-of-the-fence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/?p=441","title":{"rendered":"The Grass Can Be Just as Green on Your Side of the Fence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having a healthy, lush lawn isn’t as difficult as you might think. Follow these easy steps and your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Core Aeration <\/strong>\u2013 Core aeration is recommended in the spring and again in the fall. It is best to have some moisture in the soil at the time of aeration.\u00a0 Core aeration is simple, cost-effective and very beneficial to your lawn. It helps to reduce soil compaction, promote root growth and reduce a buildup of thatch. Lawn aeration will greatly improve a lawn if scheduled on a yearly basis.\u00a0 Aeration allows water and fertilizer to get down to the root zone. It will help to reduce the thatch layer which blocks water, oxygen and fertilizer from penetrating to the root of the plant.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fertilize <\/strong>\u2013 4 times a year<\/p>\n

Early Spring<\/strong> \u2013 late March to mid-April. This is the ideal time to include a pre-emergent application on your lawn. \u00a0Pre-emergents create a gaseous barrier that prevents annual weed seeds from germinating. \u00a0If you plan to overseed or reseed areas of your lawn, avoid using a fertilizer that contains a pre-emergent. \u00a0Otherwise, your lawn seed will not germinate. \u00a0 If you plan to aerate the lawn, do so before applying pre-emergents. \u00a0Aeration after application will reduce the effectiveness of the pre-emergent, significantly.<\/p>\n

Late Spring<\/strong> \u2013 late May to mid-June. \u00a0Choosing a fertilizer that contains a broadleaf weed herbicide can be helpful, at this time. \u00a0It will take care of those pesky dandelions and thistles.<\/p>\n

Mid-Summer<\/strong> \u2013 mid-July to mid-August. \u00a0Like the previous application, a fertilizer with a broadleaf weed herbicide will continue to protect your lawn from dandelions.<\/p>\n

Fall<\/strong> \u2013 late September to mid-October. \u00a0A winterizer is ideal at this time. \u00a0Lawn Winterizers are designed to release nutrients slowly, prepare your lawn for the harsh weather to come and build sturdy, healthy turf. \u00a0This is the most important fertilizer application to protect your lawn and shouldn’t be missed.\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Watering<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under normal circumstances , 1 inch of water per week is sufficient to maintain your lawn.\u00a0 Apply 1\/2 ” of water at each watering. \u00a0During consistent extreme heat, 1 \u00bd inches of water per week is ideal. \u00a0 Apply 3\/4″ of water, twice weekly during these times.<\/p>\n

Check your watering system by running a zone for your allotted time and measure your output by putting out some shallow containers.\u00a0 Adjust your time to allow for adequate water output.<\/p>\n

Early morning watering is preferred, before 10 a.m. if possible. \u00a0Watering in the mid-day heat means much of the moisture will be lost to evaporation. \u00a0Evening watering can contribute to the risk of fungal disease in the lawn and garden.<\/p>\n

Mowing <\/strong><\/p>\n

Adjust\u00a0your mower height 2 to 3 inches \u00a0and keep blades sharp. \u00a0A well maintained mower can make all the difference. \u00a0Dull blades shred the grass tips, creating stress. \u00a0Stressed lawns are easy targets for disease and insects.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/b>most common fungal disease in lawn is Ascochyta Leaf Blight. It is caused by drought stress or inefficiencies in irrigation systems.\u00a0 Ascochyta is a fungus that lives on the leaf blade.\u00a0 It enters the leaf blade through the cut end (when you mow).\u00a0 It causes the blade to turn a straw color and wither to a point.\u00a0 It seems to coincide with periods of cool weather followed by hot, dry conditions.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fungicides are ineffective on Ascochyta \u2013 focus on irrigation system.\u00a0 Look for broken or tilted heads, adjust the spray\/arc of your sprinkler stream to get more uniform coverage and water appropriately.<\/p>\n

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If you are trying to control and suppress any kind of fungal disease in your lawn it is recommended that you use an organically based fertilizer that is lower in slow release nitrogen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having a healthy, lush lawn isn’t as difficult as you might think. Follow these easy steps and your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood. Core Aeration \u2013 Core aeration is recommended in the spring and again in the fall. It is best to have some moisture in the soil at the time of … Continue reading The Grass Can Be Just as Green on Your Side of the Fence<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lawns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=441"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":448,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441\/revisions\/448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}