Some people in our neighborhood are new to the Tampa area. Here are some tips on lawn care for all of you as well as the rest of who may have forgotten some of this.
We have watering restrictions here that allow us to water our yards only at certain times. Those whose house numbers are even are allowed to water on Tuesday and Saturdays; those with odd house numbers are allowed to water on Wednesdays and Sundays. For all of us, the watering hours are before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. Besides the restrictions, there is good reason for not watering during the daytime hours: much of the water is lost to evaporation. The watering restrictions apply to all homeowners, including those with wells. You are allowed to water plants at any time using a hand-held hose or watering can. You can also water on any day for a period of 30 days if you are establishing a lawn (before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m.). The best time to set your timer for watering the lawn is in the early morning hours; this way the grass doesn’t remain wet all night (which could cause fungus).
In our neighborhood, we have mostly St. Augustine grass. This type of lawn requires about 3/4 of water per week in one application. With this watering schedule, the grass roots will grow deep and the grass will be healthier and more drought tolerant. Consistently getting more water than that can be detrimental to your lawn. Buy a rain gauge (less than $2.00 at Home Depot) and put it in an open area of your yard – but not where it will be hit by the mower! Monitor the rainfall, and turn your sprinkling system off when the grass gets 3/4″ or more rain in one rainfall. Most control units have a RAlN or PAUSE setting. In the summer you may not need to use the sprinkling system often due to our typical summer rains.
In the Spring, before it gets too hot, check out your sprinkler system. Turn on one zone at a time and see whether you’re getting good coverage to all areas of your yard. Try not to water the sidewalk, driveway or street. Adjust the individual sprinklers if necessary. Sometimes they get sand or dirt in them and must be taken out and cleaned. Be sure the grass isn’t growing over a riser or pop-up sprinkler which will not allow it to do its job.
St. Augustine grass should be cut high 3 to 4 high. Mow frequently enough so that no more than 1/3 of the grass blade is cut off. Mowing this way, you can leave the clippings on the grass and take advantage of free fertilizer. Mowing too infrequently can cause a buildup of thatch. Mowing too low causes problems in turf quality. Constant low mowing reduces the density and vigor of the grass. Either a reel or rotary mower can be used. It is important to keep the blades sharp and well-adjusted to get a clean cut. During the growing season blades should be sharpened monthly.
Fertilize your lawn twice a year – once in the spring and again in the late summer. Apply a complete fertilizer such as 16-4-8, 70-10-10, or 6-6-6 with micronutrients at a rate of one pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn (NEVER apply more nitrogen than that in one application). Using a fertilizer with a high percentage of slow-release nitrogen (often read as water insoluble nitrogen or urea nitrogen) will allow the nitrogen to have longer effect on the lawn; fast acting nitrogen can burn the lawn. If you want to fertilize in the summer, use a slow-release nitrogen-only fertilizer. Leaving the grass clippings on the lawn can also provide the extra nitrogen between fertilizations. Heavy fertilization rates will produce a faster buildup of thatch than lower rates. It can also encourage insect damage and will increase the amount of water needed and frequency of mowing.
If you have problems or questions concerning your yard and what is growing there, call the Cooperative Extension Office at 744-5519.