UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

Quick Links:   Right Grass, Right Lawn   3 rules for grass    Troubleshooting     References

 Feature Article - for release the week of September 9, 2007

Dan Culbert – Okeechobee Extension Horticulture Agent

 

Taming Your Turf

Our long hot summer is almost over and normally at this time of year our lawns are looking their best.  This year our lawns have been challenged due to the heat and drought, and we’ve been busy helping folks to tame their turf troubles.

Today’s column is a little teaser of what will be covered at upcoming workshops. One will be held at our Okeechobee office this Monday night, 5:30 PM.   The presentation is free.   Besides going over some Florida Friendly principles for lawns, a few tricks will be demonstrated that can help get your grass back on the green side. 

Choose the right grass

The first step in a beautiful lawn is to make sure that grass is the right plant for the right place. Grass doesn’t grow in shade – and the belief that there is a shade-loving grass is a myth.  Other limitations of turfgrass are salty water or sweet soil.  For example, if well water is salty or the soil pH is high because of marly, shelly fill, don’t even try to grow Bahiagrass.  Some types of turf need more water than others – so if irrigation is not going to be available, choose the more drought tolerant turfgrasses - like Bahiagrass.

Starting a lawn out right will avoid many small problems from becoming major headaches. Rules for starting a new lawn are different than those used for everyday care.  When establishing your Florida lawn, the right time of year to start our permanent warm season perennials grasses is in late spring to fall. 

Cool season annual grasses that are used to provide winter color are sometimes used to over-seed lawns.  Using annual ryegrass seed to green up a winter lawn should wait until mid-October before planting.  But remember, this will all burn up by March or April.

Be sure to start a new lawn with the right method: seed, sprigs, plugs and sod are some of the options, but not all kinds of grass have all of these choices available.  And once planted, remember the three items needed for success: water, irrigation, and prayers for rain.

 

Rules for Good Grass

So you have a good lawn?  Here’s how to keep it looking good:

*       Rule #1 - Mow correctly.   For Bahia and St. Augustine Lawns, the grass should measure 3-4 inches deep when the mowing is done!  If more is taken off, the roots become shallow, and drought stress will be worse.   Keep to the rule of 1/3’s:  don’t remove more than a third of the height of your grass – so if it is 6 inches tall, cut off no more than 2 inches, leaving a correct 4 inch height on your lawn.   Check the cut edge of the grass: if you see a ragged edge, its time to sharpen that mower blade.   And here’s a tip to make life easier:  leave the clippings on the lawn – it will not only be less work, but will let the nutrients recycle from the clippings into the turfgrass. 

*       Rule #2 - Water Correctly.   Proper irrigation involves knowing how much to water (½ - ¾ inches per application) and how often to water (don’t water until drought symptoms show).  Throughout the year, water the same amount every time, but change the frequency as seasons conditions change.  Want to save more water?  Check sprinkler heads for leaks and clogs.  And to keep up with drought restrictions and use water wisely, irrigate around sunrise.  We will show you how to “calibrate” a sprinkler at our workshop.

*       Rule #3 - Fertilize correctly.  University of Florida turfgrass researchers know that grass plants need no more than one pound of ACTUAL nitrogen per 1000 square feet of turfgrass.  Actual nitrogen is different from the “numbers on the bag.”  To apply the correct amount of lawn fertilizer, either read the fertilizer label and spreader instructions, or be prepared to do a little math to calibrate your spreader.  Lawns need two applications of a complete fertilizer each year to keep ahead of pests and other problems.

 Trouble-shooting Turf

 So many time people come to the county agents with a request: “what can I spray to kill this problem?”  With a general question like that, I can only give a general response:  Follow the above three Rules for Good Grass and you will not have to spray anything!

When problems occur and the “Three Rules” are being followed, a new strategy appears: Know your enemy.  Common turf pests include insects, like Chinch bugs and Mole crickets (often the result of improper watering or fertilization).  Turf disease has not been much of a problem this year, but in normal years, the way to deal with disease is to keep the grass dry.   Got nematodes? “Oh well” - - - in the home landscape, the only option is to follow the three rules – no nematicides are labeled for home lawns. 

For other pests, the first step to finding the right “silver bullet” is to identify the pest or problem.  Think of pesticides as medicines for the landscape: just as good physicians don’t prescribe medicine with out diagnosis, Extension agents don’t recommend pesticides without identifying the problem.

Are turf problems too serious to solve?  When is the right time to surrender? Here’s the 50% rule: when half of the lawn is not the kind of grass that is desired, it’s time to start over.  Get with our office if you need help with lawn renovation steps.

 

If you miss the Monday workshop, call us for other days when this program will be held.  For computer users, a lot of good information on home lawn care can be found at this website: http://yourfloridalawn.ifas.ufl.edu.  We have lots more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on taking care of your lawn, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.  Go Gators!

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean. Last update: 09/06/2007.  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert    

References

The following are links to UF/IFAS Extension bulletins that deal with Florida lawn issues: