TURF WARZ: best lawn on the block

5 Tips for the best lawn

1. Mowing
   1. Don’t cut your lawn too short. Keep your lawn longer in the hot summer months (2 ½ - 3 inches tall). A short lawn allows weeds to germinate and grow easily. If you keep your lawn higher than your neighbors it will naturally look better.
2. Watering
   1. Water heavy 2-3 times a week. A lawn needs ½ - 1 inch of water each cycle. Heavy watering a few times a week is ideal for deep roots. 30-45 min a cycle is great 2-3 times a week instead of every day for 5 min a cycle.
   2. Avoid watering in the evening. This creates too much moisture for a long period of time. Too much moisture creates lawn fungus. Lawn fungus includes toadstools, necrotic ring spot, brown patch, fairy ring, etc. All of which are very hard to get rid of and treat for. Water in the morning around 4:00-9:00, never later it will dry out your lawn.
3. Fertilizer
   1. Choose an appropriate fertilizer program that allows all three nutrients for your lawn: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. These three allow your lawn to grow, develop deep roots, and avoid diseases.
   2. Iron gives your lawn that dark green color.
4. Humates (Soil Conditioner)
   1. Lawns require a certain level of bacteria that allow organic matter. Humates have humic acid which breaks down clay and adds organic compounds to soil. Humates soften the soil, thus, allowing better water retention.
   2. Humates also contain sulfur which helps “kick-out” any salt deposits left from the lake effect from the Great Salt Lake. Spring and fall are a great time to apply humates.
5. Core Aeration
   1. Aerate in the spring (March-April) or in the fall (Oct-Nov) or both. Lawn aeration does 3 things
      1. Opens up the lawn to allow oxygen, water and nutrients to go deeper. This also allows CO2 to escape from the compacted soil.
      2. Reduces compaction by having the organic matter breakdown and get scattered throughout the lawn
      3. Creates an overall thicker lawn appearance by having the root stems grow sideways through the holes in the lawn.