Tips for Lawn Care

Water your lawn in the Morning
You can water your lawn at any time of the day if it is severely stressed, however, if you are merely maintaining your lawn, you should avoid late evening or middle day watering. Late evening watering can encourage the growth of fungus, while heat of the day watering can waste water. The best time of day for lawn watering is in the early morning, before the sun can scorch your landscape, giving it plenty of time to dry out before evening. Additionally, set the length of your watering cycle to minimize water run-off into the street. Water run-off from your yard carries pollutants and yard debris in our sewer system and wastes large amounts of water. The San Diego County Water Authority has a web site with very useful information including a drought level watch (we’re currently in Level 2) and tips for water conservation. They also offer many rebate programs for installing high efficiency washers and toilets, replacing sprinkler heads with rotating nozzle heads, and installing synthetic turf. Check out this valuable free resource at http://www.sdcwa.org/.
Recently, the City of Escondido implemented mandatory water rationing. They can only water on certain days of the week and “water cops” are deployed to investigate reports of water wasting which result in fines and water cut off.
Fertilize Routinely
Many organic fertilizers are now available in pre-blended formulas like granular or powdered form. Be wary of a fertilizer labeled organic that has an N-P-K ratio adding up to more than 15. This is an indicator that it may not indeed be made of organic materials -- so read labels carefully. Know what you put on your play areas!
How do I read a fertilizer label?
The label on fertilizer bags lists the percentages of the three primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) as a series of three numbers called the fertilizer grade. For example, if the label has 23-3-6 on the label, the fertilizer contains 23 percent nitrogen, 3 percent phosphorous and 6 percent potassium.
What if I apply too much fertilizer?
Too much nitrogen can burn your grass. That's why it is best to apply moderate amounts of fertilizer on a regular basis rather than large amounts infrequently. For quickly available forms of nitrogen, no more than one pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet should be applied in a single application. Once you've applied the fertilizer, there's no turning back. All you can do is stop fertilizing immediately. Rain and watering will carry away the excess over time.

Recycle Grass – Use a Mulch mower
One question many home lawn care enthusiast ask is if mulching grass clipping is beneficial or harmful.
The University of Florida reports that by allowing the grass clipping to drop onto the lawn instead of bagging the grass the yard does get some benefits.
In fact, the UF claims that about 3% nitrogen is contained in the dry weight of grass clippings. Put another way. One hundred pounds of dry grass clippings hold an equal amount of Nitrogen as a 50-pound bag of 6-6-6.
Allowing the cut grass to return to the soil puts valuable nutrients back into the soil. Not only Nitrogen but also other essential elements like Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese and Iron. Grass clippings quickly decompose. Some "mowers" bag their clipping since they believe the clippings contribute to the build up of thatch.
Fact is, grass clippings contain sugars which stimulate microbes that help with the decomposing of thatch. So keeping grass clippings on the lawn can actually offer benefits.
Another benefit is environmental. There are estimates that we could save 10% of the space in our landfills if we did not bag the grass clippings when mowing our lawn. Plus there is also the time saving factor. Less time mowing – less time bagging.