Lawn care is more than watering, mowing

Many of us spend many hours and dollars trying to have a lush, green lawn. We do not, however, seem to know just what it takes to get that lawn.

Most people realize it takes a bit of water, some fertilizer and regular mowing. Many also embrace insect, disease and weed control. However, we don’t always apply these concepts correctly.

WATER: Bermuda grass needs about 1 inch of water per week while it is green. Fescue needs about 2 to 3 inches of water per week this time of year, but 1 to 1 ½ inches of water are fine when temperatures are cool.

It is better to get all of the water into the ground at one time. This means it is better to water once or twice a week rather than a little every day.

FERTILIZER: If your soil has not been tested, you do not know what to fertilize with. Eighty to 90 percent of you are probably spending more money on fertilizer than you should. That is because the phosphorus and potassium levels (the second and third num- bers on a bag of fertilizer) in most of our yards are more that adequate.

That means that you are buying nutrients that you do not need. A $10 soil test can save most people more than $30 per year. That is a good investment these days. It is much better for you to irrigate so that the fertilizer is watered into the soil rather than washed off the surface.

MOWING: Most people do not mow properly. We mow either too tall or too short. We cut too much off when we mow. We bag the clippings and throw away a lot of that fertilizer we bought.

Bermuda generally should be mowed at a height of 1 to 2 inches. Fescue should be mowed at about 2 ½ to 3 inches tall this time of year. Never cut more than onethird off the length of the grass blade. This means that you need to mow every time the grass grows to 3 inches tall if you mow at a 2-inch height.

INSECT, DISEASE CONTROL: Insect treatments should be applied when you know there is a problem and when you know what that problem is. Many people regularly treat for grubs. It is actually rare to have a grub problem in central Oklahoma. Why spend money when you do not need to? Disease control usually works better when it is applied before you actually have the problem. Make sure you have a good diagnosis before you grab a product and apply it because you just want to do something.

WEED CONTROL: A properly maintained turf will not have too many weed problems. We have several choices in weed control. Pre-emergent products keep seeds (all seeds) from germinating. Post-emergent products kill the weed after it starts to grow. Pre-emergents must be applied before that weed germinates. In the fall you need to get the product out and into the soil about the first week of August. Postemergents work best when the weed is small.

Lawn care can be a fairly involved process. Here is a link to the page that has all of our lawn care information: http:// turf.okstate.edu/