2. Irrigation. Irrigate (water) regularly:
2.1 Without water-restrictions. Water regularly every day or every other day between 12:00 - 14:00. Contrary to some advice about evaporation and the conservation of water, my experience is that lawns flourish and look best when irrigated in the heat of day. Paint your lawn a colourful picture-pretty brilliant green in a matter of minutes ... water the lawn in bright sunlight (when possible) to encourage speedy photosynthesis. I have seen my lawn turn from a dull grey-green to a 'Kodak-enhanced' lime-green (metaphorically speaking) while standing with the hose in my hand.
2.2 With water-restrictions. Water regularly every morning (usually mandatory before 06:00). Never irrigate (water) lawns in late afternoons or during evenings; it may attract fungus and, in some regions, may even destroy the lawn in as little as two weeks*.
*This rule may be situation-specific for different geographical conditions and climates and a lot is learned only by the time-tested trial-and-error method, i.e., the familiar method that teaches that good decisions come from experience and experience from bad decisions.
2.3 Choosing the colour of your lawn. No, lavender or pink coloured lawn-grasses are not available (yet), but nature has provided us with at least two options with lawns ... deep (dark) green or brilliant green, with 'hues' depending on the type of lawn-turf you have at home. My experience with Kikuyu and LM Berea is that, when I water/irrigate before sunrise in the early mornings (e.g. when water restrictions are in place) the lawn turns a deep, dark green. When I water/irrigate in the bright noonday sun (i.e., between 11:00 and 14:00), the lawn turns a delightful brilliant green. Again ... never water/irrigate after dark in summer, it may attract fungus that will destroy your lawn; however, if there are regions with exceptions to this rule then I humbly apologise.
 |
| This article sponsored by DEO VALENTO LANDSCAPING & PROJECTS West Rand RSA |
3. Mowing. For Kikuyu & Bermuda, I set my electric mower at Level #5. For LM Berea, I set
my electric mower at Level #7. For a mix
of Kikuyu, Bermuda & LM Berea, I could set my electric mower at Level #6, but for best results in Centurion, South Africa, I mow my lawn (a mix of Kikuyu, LM Berea & Bermuda) at a 'safe' Level #8. Sorry, I have no experience of other lawn varieties; I have
found, however, that Bermuda may be treated on the same
principles as Kikuyu.
Do not mow the lawn as a hard-and-fast rule on the same specific
pre-selected day each week; that rule is too rigid and mechanical for
developing an attractive lawn. Mow the lawn when the need for a ‘haircut’ (in
your estimation) has arrived; do not wait too long, however, as the lawn may be
scorched by the sun if allowed to grow too tall; ideally not more than a third
of the blade should be removed at any singular mowing. Unfortunately, my mower is not fitted with a device to make that precise engineering calculation by itself, so it remains a
guessing game for now.
Mow early in mid-morning (approx. 10:00 to 11:00); at noon (between 11:00 to 14:00) or late in the afternoon (14:00 to 18:00) but never irrigate (water) the lawn in late afternoons or during summer evenings; the fungus it attracts may destroy your lawn. I insist that the best time to water for a brilliant green lawn is in the heat of day (approx. 12:00 - 14:00, water-restrictions allowing!).
Bag all the cuttings and throw it away or, space allowing, start an old-fashioned (full of ugly, venomous and hideous spiders) compost heap. According to my sources, those cuttings are only 10% fertiliser and 90% water anyway, so leaving it on the lawn may just be counter-productive enough to attract all kinds of pests who want to feed on it. In some regions, should you neglect to remove the cuttings, ugly little critters called chinch bugs may begin to invade your lawns. Massey Inc. describe chinch bugs as:
""Chinch bugs' are tiny, hard-to-see insects that cause lawn damage which can often be confused with drought stress. When these lawn bugs are young, they are red in color but as they mature to adults, they turn black and have a white spot on their back in the shape of an “X.” Adults grow to be about a quarter inch long ... Individuals are found within the thatch layer (the layer between the grass and the soil). However, when there is a large population, they can be found resting on leaf blades or crawling across the lawn ... Believe it or not, these tiny lawn pests cause millions of dollars in damage per year as homeowners seek to control outbreaks by applying treatments and replacing damaged grass. These pests suck the juices from grass blades and inject toxins back into the leaf blade causing the grass to die ... symptoms appear as irregular patches of lawn that resemble drought stress. These areas gradually turn yellow, then brown and then the grass dies."
- A naturally greener lawn with a longer-lasting effect; and
- Too much of the organic fertiliser will not 'burn' a lawn.
5. Pest Control. I am not an expert on pest-control but am quite an expert on so-called 'pest-control experts'. Some tips:
- Stay away from so-called ‘pest-control experts' advertising all over the Internet. They will destroy your lawn and your budget all at the same time in about six weeks flat and still leave you with the same pests to contend with and at one heck of a premium. The best 'expert' to consult, that is, should you be so fortunate to have access to such an expert, is to speak to either (i) the greenkeeper at your local golf course and/or (ii) the person in charge of firms cultivating lawns on a mass scale on plots for sale to the public. These people ought to know how lawns (about most of the local varieties) should be managed for optimum effect.
- Read on the subject from time-tested sources and try and sort out your pests by yourself, it is much cheaper even if you should make mistakes along the way.
- Try and stay away from expensive and dangerous pesticides and weedkillers. Experiment with affordable home remedies where possible. My submission is that ants (for instance) cannot be eradicated, only sort of 'managed' and 'controlled', so why waste a lot of money on pest control firms when the next generation of ants (and the expensive pest control experts) all will be back next year … more arrogant, numerous and rowdy (the ants I mean) than ever?
6. Pets and Lawns. Unfortunately, dogs, cats and most 'livestock' are not good for lawns. When it comes to a choice between safety and security for the family and a pretty lawn, however, I would choose security and safety every time (obviously). One option (as a compromise) is to demarcate a specific area for a proper, well-manicured lawn (it does not even have to be ginormous) and leave the rest for pets and/or guard dogs etc. to utilise, destroy, trample and decimate to their hearts' content. As far as cats are concerned, sorry, I cannot help you ... cats do not take orders from their humans.
DISCLAIMER: There may be regions where the advice I have given in this article will have to be adapted to such regions' local conditions.
This revision: 9 August 2023.
No comments:
Post a Comment