Maintenance problems usually result in bad looking lawns at first, but may also lead to additional problems that become increasingly serious.
Maintenance involves mowing, watering, aeration, and weed control. Nothing very complicated or difficult to do, but if you ignore the basics, your simple lawn can become an expensive problem to correct.
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The general rule is to never remove more than 1/3 of the turfgrass blade. Cutting this amount leaves enough grass for the plant to continue producing enough food to remain viable. Cutting more than 1/3 and you risk putting the turfgrass plant into shock, even to the point of causing it to die. This increased stress also opens up opportunistic lawn diseases to gain entry.
Grass-cycling is also part of my lawn care program. This alone accounts for a 33% reduction in the amount of supplemental fertilizer needed.
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Watering: is one of the most problematic maintenance problems. During a recent drought in the Atlanta area, numerous lawns were lost not because of the drought, but because of root-rot caused by over-watering. Over-watering can create an ideal environment for disease pathogens to develop as well as water-logging the soil and preventing enough oxygen to be able to reach the roots. Watering early in the day allows the water to dry from the leaves before the lower night-time temperatures.
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The best weed control is a thick healthy lawn. Accomplishing that though requires having the right ingredients: healthy soil, adequate water, right amount of nutrition, and good maintenance. When those items get out of balance, weeds take hold and exasperate the situation. Weeds are voracious feeders and can quickly suck up water from the soil.
Controlling weeds is an important first step in developing a beautiful, healthy lawn. Then it's important to build a healthy soil and keep it that way.
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