Winterize Your Lawn
As fall approaches many people wonder about winterizing your sprinklers, but it is actually the best time to winterize your lawn. Grass needs extra attention during this time to best prepare for the winter months ahead. Fertilizing the lawn during this time can be beneficial in the long run. After the intense heat, those blades of grass are crying out for nutrients. With the temperature dropping, the grass is able to spring back to life. It is also one of the best times to install sod due to the cooler temperature.
Summer to Fall
Keeping grass properly hydrated and not crispy during the summer in Southern Utah can be a difficult task. During the summer, it’s best to water the lawn during the early morning hours so that the water does not evaporate. Watering before the sun comes out can help with water conservation. That way, water is actually being absorbed by the grass instead of evaporating. The lawn can get burnt through magnification from water droplets when the sun is high in the sky. This is much like holding out a magnifying glass onto blades of grass. This would be the quite counterproductive to the process. These tips are slightly different for the fall.
The sun starts to come up later in the morning during the fall, allowing people to water their lawn later than the summer. There is not as much of a worry about burning the grass or water evaporation. This would be a good time to fertilize the lawn to get prepared for the colder months to come. Autumn gives the grass a chance to spring back after the blazing heat.
Fertilize Cold-Season Grasses
Fertilizing the lawn is beneficial in several ways. It promotes root and leaf growth, reduces weed growth, and replaces nutrients. There are winterizers that have high levels of potassium to help with the colder months. Winterizers are best used late fall to early winter. Slow-release granular fertilizers are best to use during the fall because they last 8-12 weeks. For best results, follow the instructions on the fertilizer. It is best to fertilize in early spring and late summer or fall. Cold-season grasses are the common types of grasses in southern Utah. Keep those lawns green!