I last wrote about IPM and what its objective is, now if we ad BMP’s to the IPM system the result is a low input, healthy lawn. BMP’s are best management practices. In other words, what allows the grass to be the healthiest, and how to do it. There are several factors that make up the BMP’s for a yard: height of cut, fertilizer type, and watering make up the big 3.
Lots of times people want to mow their yard as short as possible, this is not good for the grass and increases the chance of weeds, and disease. Lower mowing allows more sunlight to get to the soil and allows weeds to grow as they will be able to get sun. Lower mowing requires more water, and more water leads to more weeds and more disease. A higher cut allows a greater leaf surface, thus increasing the chlorophyll production making the plant healthier.
Fertilizer type and frequency is key also. I hear people say “ I put out a 34-0-0, but the yard didn’t green up for long.” Using the proper fertilizer a 50-pound bag of a 21-0-0 can provide an entire summers worth of feeding as opposed to 1 day worth of feeding with a 34-0-0. The type of nitrogen is the key. Slow/controlled release fertilizer is best so that the plant actually uses all the fertilizer you put out.
Water ties back to the mowing height but it is key. As stated earlier too much water leads to weeds and disease, not enough water leads to desiccation. The right amount of water at the wrong time can lead to disease, better yet the right amount of water for the plant at the right time can also lead to runoff. How is that? If your plant needs 20 minutes of water but at 10 minutes the ground has reached saturation, everything else just runs off, increasing your need for more water and increasing your water bill.
So how do you know what the right amount of water is? There is a formula called the evapotransporation rate, which is how much water evaporates in a day, plus how much water a plant transpires. This rate each day can be found online, or you could get a “smart” irrigation controller installed by Trees Plus. You will eliminate water runoff, and cut your water bill significantly. Want to know more, give us a call.
