Common Lawn Care Myths
Myth: Mowing crabgrass will kill it.
Fact: Mowing your crabgrass down will not kill it, or even hinder its growth. It will actually make it harder to get rid of because it will start to grow flat and wide, rather than upright and tall. Crabgrass, unlike other plants, keeps generating seeds until winter comes, or until it is killed. Each crabgrass plant can produce over 150,000 seeds per year. Crabgrass seeds have a long germination cycle. The seeds that fall this year will not actually grow into plants until next year. It is important to realize and understand that the longer you wait to take care of crabgrass, the worse your problem will be the next year.
Myth: Leaving grass clippings on your lawn will create thatch.
Fact: Recycling your grass is actually extremely healthy, and highly recommended. Grass clippings are 85%-90% water which makes them break down quickly and easily. Grass clippings can also contain up to 1/3 of the nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) your lawn needs for it to be hearty and healthy.
Myth: If you scalp your grass, it won’t grow back as fast.
Fact: Grass needs three important things to grow healthy and strong. 1: A temperature that is favorable for growth. 2: Nutrients, such as fertilizer. 3: Moisture. Mowing your lawn too short will stress your grass out, and may even put it into a state of shock. After doing this your lawn needs days to recover; this makes the perfect opportunity for weeds to steal nutrients, and grow rampant. Keeping your lawn longer creates shade over weeds that are trying to grow, which blocks the needed sunlight necessary for these weeds to flourish and grow in the first place. The recommended height to mow your lawn is at 2 ½ -3 inches (if in doubt, set your lawn mower at its highest setting). You should never remove more than 1/3 of the total grass height. If you have let your lawn grow long, you should cut 1/3 of its height, wait a few days, and then cut the rest of the grass down to 2 ½ -3 inches. Not only does mowing your lawn regularly at a long height make it look more lush, it makes it much healthier.
Myth: Watering your lawn every day is critical (especially in the hot, dry weather of summer) to keep it healthy.
Fact: It is true that water is necessary for your lawn to grow and flourish. However, you also have to remember that your lawn only needs about 1 – 1 ½ inches of rain or water per week. Most grasses grow best with one deep watering weekly, rather than light waterings every day. Using a rain gauge and keeping track of how much rain has fallen can make it easier to keep track of how much water your lawn actually needs. If you are using a sprinkler, it usually takes about 30 minutes of watering to equal one inch of rain.
Myth: During a drought, a little water is better than no water at all.
Fact: In all actuality, doing this can severely damage your lawn. If your community is on a water restriction due to dry weather and you are unable to provide the necessary water, it is best to let your grass grow dormant instead of feeding it a little water now and then. When your grass goes dormant, it might look dry or even turn brown, but it will most likely recover as soon as it rains again. When you only water your yard a little bit every now and again, the grass roots grow closer to the surface of the soil, which make them more susceptible to drying out.
Myth: Fertilizer is not needed since nature takes care of itself.
Fact: Nature does, in fact, take care of itself, but your lawn is not a natural environment. Each time you mow your lawn, the soil of your lawn is robbed of its natural nutrients. Fertilizer is needed to restore your lawn to its natural state.
Myth: You can kill grub worms with beer.
Fact: Enough beer can kill just about anything, but that fact does not make beer a practical or good grub worm treatment. Grub worms live in the soil under your lawn. If you were to attempt this treatment, you would need to dump enough beer onto your lawn for it to go deep enough into the soil line to reach the grub worms. Imagine how much beer that would take, and how much it would cost. If the cost isn’t high enough to deter you from this treatment, imagine the smell of that much beer baking in the sun.
Myth: You can aerate your lawn using spiked shoes.
Fact: Whether you purchase spiked shoes or make your own, the outcome is only wasted time. If your lawn is compacted, you need to remove soil plugs, not just poke holes in it. This is called core aeration and this is done to create a healthier lawn by removing 2-3 inch soil plugs. These plugs allow water and air to better reach the grass roots, they speed up thatch breakdown, and they improve the intake of fertilizer. Also, once the plugs have been removed, the grass roots grow into and take over that space, increasing the root structure of your lawn.
Myth: The best time to seed your yard is the spring time.
Fact: Spring is actually the second best time to seed your yard. The best time to plant grass seed is in the fall season. The reason is that you need to give your grass time to grow and build its foundation before leaving it to Mother Nature’s mercy. After summer’s hot days have passed and before the cold days of winter take over, fall is the most conducive time to grow new grass. The grass will have time to establish a root system and grow before it goes into a dormant state over winter. Once spring comes the grass will be healthy and ready to grow.