Watering
Watering should be done in the morning so the water on the leaves of the grass plants has a chance to evaporate off in the afternoon sun. This will help prevent some chance of disease (fungi) setting in on the plant. If you watered in the evening, the water would stay on the plant and make it susceptible to disease. Morning watering also reduces the amount of moisture lost to evaporation.
It is better to water longer and deeper (approximately ½” measured in a rain gauge) each time and less frequently. This helps plants develop deeper roots to get water and will help the plant survive dry spells. (If you have an automatic lawn sprinkler please reread the preceding paragraph, your grass will be much healthier if you water longer, less often.)
Mowing
The two most important factors to consider for a dense, uniform and attractive turf are mowing height and mowing frequency.
Mowing too short is probably the most serious and common mistake in caring for tall fescue lawns. Some of the negative aspects of mowing too close are reduced root growth, plant vigor and wear tolerance. A lawn cut at the proper height will be thick and vigorous and not allow weeds to compete.
A good average height to mow tall fescue is three to three and one half inches high. This higher cutting height helps shade the soil and reduced moisture evaporation. Make certain the blade is sharp so that a clean cut is made. Dull blades tear turf grass which can contribute to disease problems like brown patch, and of course, poor appearance.
Mowing Frequency
Mowing frequency, or the interval between mowings, is determined very simply by the growth rate. Mow often enough so that you don’t remove more than one-third of the leaf surface at any one mowing. The principle with frequency is to mow according to the rate of growth, not the calendar. This may mean mowing a lawn twice a week during periods when growing conditions are ideal and less often in hot and dry conditions.
Always be sure to mow when the grass is dry so that the clippings are properly spread out across the lawn. Wet clumps of grass clippings can smother grass, encourage disease, and lead to thatch problems.
Grass Clippings and Grasscycling
Leave grass clipping on the lawn. Grass clippings are about 85% water. When you mow regularly, clippings quickly decompose and release nutrients to the lawn. Tall fescue grass clippings don’t cause thatch. Thatch is caused by excessive growth from poor fertilizing practice (using cheap fertilizers that have a haymaker effect on grass) and by allowing grass to get too high before mowing. Leaving clippings on your lawn can generate up to 25 % of the lawn’s yearly fertilizer needs.
Thatching and Aeration
Thatch is a normal phenomena in lawns. It is an accumulation of plant material that is found, to one degree or another, in virtually every established lawn.
Thatch is made up of the stems and crowns of dead grass plants, which form a layer just above the soil surface. Unlike clippings from mowing, which decompose readily, thatch material decomposes slowly. In some cases it decomposes slower than new material is added. When this occurs, the thatch layer thickens, which creates problems in the lawn.
How thatch creates problems
A thick thatch layer interferes with the flow of water, from rainfall or from irrigation into the soil. Because of the layer of thatch, it takes longer for water to get down to the roots. And more water is required, because the layer of thatch soaks it up like a sponge.
A heavy layer of thatch also interrupts the circulation of air around the crown of the grass plants, and it interferes with movement of fertilizer and control products into the root zone.,
Heavy thatch layers also serves as breeding grounds for turf damaging insects, as wall as a haven for a variety of fungus diseases, which attack the lawn throughout the growing season. As a result a heavily thatched lawn requires more care, and even then it never seems to perform up to its potentia
De-thatching
There are two mechanical and one back breaking ways to remove thatch from the yard. The first is to use a de-thatching machine, which uses metal tines to comb through the thatch layer and rake out much of the thatch material. These machines can be rented and many lawn services already have them. Many people use the thatching machine as a way to “scratch up” the ground prior to planting. This is a fairly radical approach, but many people feel that they have to “start over” on their yard to achieve the results that they want.
Core aeration or “plugging” is another mechanical approach. This is less effective at removing the thatch, but does offer some benefits. This procedure also uses a machine which is operated back and forth across the lawn, removing cores, or plugs, as it goes. Each core contains a cross section of turf, thatch and soil.
As the plugs are removed, it makes it easier for air, water and fertilizer to find their way to the root zone of the grass plants. The displaced cores should be left in place to disintegrate on the lawn, allowing the soil in the plugs, along with its natural decay bacteria to filter down into the thatch layer, to speed up decomposition.
Aeration
Aeration, plugging , and thatching are probably “oversold” as needed
in this area, because most lawn services need something to do in the fall before leaves have fallen. Homeowners are sold on the need primarily because someone has a tractor or mower that he wants to utilize. It is important to fertilize and water well after this procedure, because this mechanical racking or plugging puts a great deal of stress on the grass. Use of lime and selective re-seeding or over seeding is probably more effective and certainly cheaper.
De-thatching can also be done with what is known as a thatching rake. This is a rack with tines that are quarter moon shaped and set very close together. The rack is designed so that it pulls thatch from the grass on the pull stroke and leaves it on a push stroke. This is a back-breaking job, but does a nice job on a small heavily thatched or matted areas.
