Don't live in Arizona?

Basic tips for non-Arizona homeowners:

a. If you're fertilizing as a mo-jo homeowner, you're probably fertilizing too much. On average, homeowners who get a soil testing of their lawn's soil (plus or minus $25) will save more money in the long run. A soil test will tell you what type of nutrients you actually need instead of just "adding fertilizer" to the soil, I promise you'll probably be adding less fertilizer than you originally were. (But usually alll your grass needs is Nitrogen)

b. But seriously, November, is the time to fertilize well! If you really make the grass happy before snow and frost hit, it'll actually be more frought resistant in the summer (why? when the cold hits the grass wants to grown longer roots into the warm soil, if you give it more nutrients to do so, the longer roots it will be able to grow, thus making it possible in the hot summer to store/grab more water from all the soil

c. In early to middle spring "stress" your grass a little more than it's used to by not watering it- honestly, to the point where it's getting real ugly. Doing this will also make it more drought tolerant in the hot summer, promise :)

d. The longer between mowings, the faster the grass will grow each day (more blade=more green=more area for photosynthesis to occur =more growing. So really, cutting on a consistent schedule is less maintenance than not

e. If you got the resources available and you want to your lawn to look beautiful 24/7, I suggest using a Kentucky Bluegrass or one like it, mixed in with a little Perennial Rye. Why? Kentucky spreads slowly but is very durable once established. Perennial will quickly grow into the spots that have holes to make it look great temporarily, but Kentucky is the dominant species and will push it out of the way once time passes enough for it to grown and spread

f. Want greener grass? Apply iron :) Not too much or it will turn so dark green it'll look black!

Pest management

Pests: fungi, disease, insects

If your lawn has a serious problem with any of these 3, I suggest contacts a local expert to help. These problems should not occur in a normal lawn.

However,

The most common diseases that could be found in your lawn are as follows:

"Southwest most (un)wanted: In Arizona Turf expert: Dr. David Kopec, University of Arizona (Tucson).
* Insects. According to Kopec, grubs can be problematic in the Southwest. Desert generally is not a favorable habitat for grubs, but irrigated turf is like an oasis in the middle of a desert, acting like a magnet to draw and concentrate grubs.
Other pests include rove beetles, otherwise beneficial insect predators that bring sand mounds to the turf surface on golf greens, and earthworms, which do likewise. Two species of turfgrass aetenius are becoming more serious pests of tees and greens.
* Weeds. Topping Kopec's list of problem weeds are purple and yellow nutsedge, and chaff or khaki weed (Alternanthera sp.). Others Kopec mentions are wild parsley, Poa annua, several types of spurge and Southwestern cupgrass, which Kopec describes as "our equivalent of crabgrass."
* Diseases. Disease pressure isn't so severe in the dry air of the Southwest, but Kopec says that patch diseases in the fall can severely damage overseeded Poa trivialis and velvet bentgrass." source

-Over watering your turf is the foremost problem to creating a home for a disease or fungi to start.
-If you see mushrooms growing in your turf, look for a pattern of roundness/circular shape in the grass. You can immediately name this pest as fairy ring. There are no known chemical herbicides for this problem, the underneath soil must be removed to help in this case.

 

Overseeding your lawn for the winter

Is your lawn composed of one of the warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda grass, buffalo grass, zoysia or St. Augustine grass? Since such grasses go dormant in cool weather, Southern homeowners are faced with the prospect of enduring unappealing brown lawns during the winter. Fortunately, an alternative exists. It is known as "overseeding lawns."

"Overseeding lawns" is just what it sounds like: namely, you're sowing seed over existing grass. But the seed you'll use in the current project is not seed for one of the warm-season grasses, but rather annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) -- a cool-season grass. Once it sprouts, annual ryegrass will provide you with a green carpet during the Southern winter, thriving in the cool temperatures. Just as importantly, annual ryegrass will die back when summer's heat returns, exiting in time for warm-season grasses to take center-stage again (otherwise, it would compete with the warm-season grasses, depriving them of sunlight, water and nutrients).
The work entailed in overseeding lawns that are composed of warm-season grasses is similar to that for overseeding lawns that are composed of cool-season grasses. Note, however, that the latter is based on thinking that is fundamentally different from the former:

• Seeds for the same type of grass are used (i.e., cool-season grass over cool-season grass).
• And overseeding is not used as a temporary measure to get through the dormant season. Rather, when overseeding lawns composed of cool-season grasses, the object is to fill in bare patches (permanently, one hopes).

Preparations for Overseeding Lawns

Mow the dormant lawn as low as you can. This will promote contact between seeds and soil (there will be less grass to get in the way of the seed) .

Another step you can take to promote contact between seeds and soil is core aeration, or "lawn aeration." This step will help reduce lawn thatch, which stands in the way between grass seeds and the soil they'd like to call home. Core aerators (or "lawn aerators") can be rented from local rental centers.
In severe cases, you may need to add a layer of topsoil before overseeding lawns. For instance, due to shallow tree roots popping up on the lawn, your topsoil layer may be too thin. Spread 1/4" of screened topsoil over such an area, and rake it in.

Overseeding Lawns

You'll need a spreader for this project. The bag of grass seed that you buy for overseeding lawns should have information on the back concerning recommended overseeding rates. Set the spreader to the recommended overseeding rate.

The grass seeds must be watered properly, in order to germinate. Use just a fine spray, as you don't want to create a flood! The soil should be kept evenly moist, which may mean several waterings per day (depending on the weather), for several weeks.

After the grass blades sprout, you'll still need to water a couple of times per day. If you know your schedule won't permit this, then it may be time to start looking into automatic irrigation systems. Although annual ryegrass will die in the summer, conveniently making way for warm-season grasses to take over, the annual ryegrass will still, nonetheless, be around in spring, offering unwanted competition with warm-season grasses. One way to minimize this competition is to mow the annual ryegrass as low as possible in spring. By keeping it short, you'll at least minimize the amount of sunlight that the annual ryegrass robs from your main lawn, which is now emerging out of dormancy.

The best time for overseeding lawns composed of warm-season grasses is fall roughly in October or November

(the left lawn was overseeded with winter grass, the right side was not)

Watering your turf correctly

That darn water bill! Is it always sky high or what!?

Living in Arizona is going to create some difficulties because, let's face it, AZ is constantly in a drought.

Easy fixes to watering less:

-Turn your watering time on for less all together! 9 times out of 10, homeowners are letting that water run way more than necessary and being wasteful
- Pay attention to the weather, if it's raining, turn off your automatic sprinkler system. Yes it's convenient to have those but do not let them water while it is raining
-During the cooler months of the year cut back on how often you water, every other day to every other other day if possible.
-During the hot middle months of the year, water daily and syringe small amounts during the day if necessary to keep grass cool. Be aware that if you syringe your turf during the hot day, apply enough so not to burn the turf.
-Water in the early morning when it is cool, yet never if it is freezing. If you can water in the early morning and during the cooler times of the day, this will not allow for excess water to evaporate into the air.
-Depending on spring conditions, and if possible, "stress" your lawn in the early spring (when temperatures are still rather cool but photosynthesis is occurring). Do not water it if possible, wait til grass turns a grayish color but do not let it die and turn brown. By stressing the turf, roots will grow deeper seeking for water and because roots grow deeper in the spring when water availability below is higher, in the hot months, roots will be deeper allowing for deeper and better water uptake.
-Last but not least, if you are going to install an irrigation system (a sprinkler system) make sure it is properly installed and functions efficiently (aka- you don't want large sections spraying your the side of your home, a fence, or a gravel ground cover.)

Now go look at your watering plan!

Mowing

Love the green lawn?

Hate mowing it twice a week?

Here's some simple tips to keep that turf under control and looking fly!

-The longer between mowings, the faster the grass will grow each day (more blade=more green=more area for photosynthesis to occur=more growing. So really, cutting on a consistent schedule is less maintenance than you think.

-Don't cut off more than 1/3 of the blade when mowing. This will scalp the turf causing injury and a slow recovery will follow creating unhealthy turf.

-If you're mowing on a consistent basis, don't be afraid to leave grass clippings on the lawn. Nutrients will stay with the lawn and deteriorate into the soil. This will also create less waste to go to landfills. If you have gone a long time between mowings, it is recommended that large clumps be removed from turf, these clumps may get too wet, not deteriorate and could help fungi and disease to reproduce

There it is homeowners! Keep mowing that lawn and make it look great!

Fertilizer

Our grass craves periodic feedings, and it is best to meet this need for periodic feedings by fertilizing lawns with "slow-release" products. You'll find such products at local home improvement stores, such as Lowe's and Home Depot. Because these products release their nutrients over time, rather than all at once, fertilizing lawns with them allows the grass to "eat" at its own leisure. As nutrients are released, the root system of your grass fills in any bare patches, depriving weed seeds of a place to germinate. (Of course, as a substitute for all this, you can stay organic and simply top dress your lawns with compost in spring and fall.)

There are 16 essential nutrients that a plant must have in order to grow effectively, N, P, K, and Fe often being deficient in soils. Fertilizer is mostly comprised of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) = N-P-K. The label on a bag will show three numbers in a dashed sequence like so: 16-0-2, this would mean that 16% of the bag contains N, 0% P, and 2% K. More often that not, N will be the highest number because turf is in constant need of N. Phosphorus is not common in a normal fertilizer application because it is immobile (meaning it will not easily move to the soil for the plant to reach- it must must originally be in the soil before establishment for turf to obtain [this is why we mix a decent amount of P into the soil before seeding/sodding]). A moderate amount of K is needed for constant growth so it is often added. Iron (Fe) is another nutrient found in a bag of fertilizer, Fe will make grass greener and the change can be seen almost immediately.

Before fertilizing lawns with products, read the instructions on the bag carefully (or ask someone at the store for details). A particular product may not be suitable for your type of grass. When applying fertilizers, follow directions correctly, concerning how much to apply, how often they should be applied, and under what conditions they should be applied.

Fertilizing lawns is best done with a spreader. Careful not to fill the applicator with the spreader parked on the grass. Doing so invites grass-burn, as you may accidentally discharge too much while loading. Instead, fill the applicator somewhere else, then wheel the spreader onto the grass.

General Fertilizer Plan:
Heavy application N (half quick release/slow release) and K in March. A moderate amount slow release N in May, a moderate amount slow release in August, a heavy amount slow release in November for overseeding.

Soil Testing

If you're fertilizing as a Joe-shmoe homeowner, you're probably fertilizing too much. On average, homeowners who get a soil testing of their lawn's soil (plus or minus $25) will save more money in the long run. A soil test will tell you what type of nutrients you actually need instead of just "adding fertilizer" to the soil, I promise you'll probably be adding less fertilizer than you originally were.

What to know from your soil test

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) is the ability of the soil to exchange cations or in other words nutrients. Sands have very low CEC and clays are very high but have poor soil growing conditions for turfs.
 
Most important cations for turf/plant growth: Hydrogen, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Ammonium
 
The pH of a soil also plays an important part in turf/plant growth. The pH scale ranges from 1-14: 0-6 being acidic and 8-14 being alkaline/basic and 7 is neutral. If soil is too acidic (excessively low) think about “liming” it. Add gypsum when Ca is needed but no pH change is necessary and also at the same time that there is too much  sodium
 
Potassium is recommended when turf has undergone considerable change in the past 3 decades. 

Maximum tissue growth occurs at lower levels of pH
 
Zinc and Manganese at high levels cause a potential hazard and can become a toxicity to turf. 


To collect a soil sample from your own grass- collect 15-20 random samples between 3-6 in.
 

Grass types

What kind of grass is in your yard anyways?

Typical summer grass in Arizona: Bermuda Grass.

Find a variety that has better drought tolerance and has a deepr green color. Bermudagrass is the most widely used warm season grass and will be the most beneficial in the hot climate. It may struggle a little bit in the peak of the hot summer but will most definitely make it through.

ID tools: Has rhizomes and stolons, has a folded veneration, hairy ligule, coarse to very fine leaf texture, has a distinctive seedhead, rooting occurs at nodes of stolons.

Typical winter grass in Arizona: Perennial Rye Grass or Rough Bluegrass

Perennial Rye grass is known for its rapid establishment which will decrease the time of an ugly green lawn. The downside of Perennial Rye: it is a bunch type grass which means it will not spread evenly over the whole lawn. If a spot is bear, overseed that spot and that will be how the problem is fixed. Once filled in you will not notice its bunch type qualities but rather how quickly it greened up and fills its small area. Rough Bluegrass also grows a high quality turf for the cool season but does not establish as quickly as the Rye grass, though it is more wear tolerant throughout the winter season.

ID tools: Perennial Rye- folded veneration, pointed leaf tip, shiny backside of leaves, prominent veins, bunch-type growth, membranous ligule, short auricle, braod collar, and appear to have a boat-shaped leaf tip. Easily confused with Kentucky bluegrass which has a boat shaped tip as well but Perennial leaf tip opens to a point. Rough Bluegrass- boat-shpaed leaf tip, folded veneration, long membranous ligule, splits sheath, silvery-onionskin-like appearance on sheath.

Structure- main grass morphology includes the blade, the sheath, crown, node, bud, roots, rhizomes (below ground stems), stolons (above ground stems). All play an important part in the regrowth of the blade after it has been mowed/determines how the plant continues to grow and get nutrients.

 

Professional Lawn Care

Deciding to use a professional lawn care company?


For Arizona residents, look for a company that has confidence in their surface and validates their costs. A company should be applying a heavy fertilization all summer long, about every month to keep grass at its optimum level. Look for details in the company, their workers, the way they treat customers, aesthetics, and cleanliness after maintenance. Don't be afraid to shop around and get the most out of your money.



Side note- Understand that if you're looking for dry products to be put on your lawn, a smaller business would be the better applicant of your business (it is more cost effective to buy dry products in small quantities). Liquid applied products are better for businesses to buy in a larger quantity so a larger business would be the answer

Establishing your lawn

There's 2 main options here when it comes to going from plain soil (dirt in Laman's terms) to a beautiful turf.

A) Seeding

B) Sodding

A) Seeding is the "most common" form of establishment (well of course, all turf must be seeded somehow). The steps for seeding establishment are as follows: a) Rough grading and removal of debris, b) Installation of drainage and irrigation systems (if needed), c) Application & tilling in of fertilizer P and lime (if needed and according to soil test) to subsoil, d) Covering subsoil with 8 or more inches of topsoil. The seeding rate is determined by growth habit and seed size: smaller the seed, more seeds per pound. The smaller the seed, the closer it needs to be to the surface when planted. Hydroseeding is an option that can be used here, it is a mixture of spraying seed, mulch, and fertilizer on surface at the same time. This procedure is more costly but can be very effective. Often homeowners choose seeding because it is incredibly less expensive than sodding, but it takes better care, maintenance and a patience to grow a Joe-shmo-grass from seed.

B) Sodding is truly the most common way for homeowners to establish their lawn. It is undoubtedly more costly but gives an instant lawn and is establishes faster for the homeowner (which will give you less chance to kill it!). The same steps apply to sodding as seeding plus a few more: a) the soil must be lightly moistened prior to sodding, b) sod should be laid staggered, perpendicular to slopes and in a staggered brick pattern, c) lightly rolled to remove air pockets, d) staked on steep slopes, e) kept moist immediately after it is laid and rolled through root establishment into the soil below, which will take 10‐14 days, and f) traffic should be avoided during this time. Choose sod that has a similar soil type to the already existing one on site. Choose sod that is has a thin cut soil (.5-.75 in) for it will establish more quickly with the existing soil