By Elaine Wilshusen, Somervell County Master Gardener
Turf grass is the largest single “crop” in the United States. According to a 2005 report, it covered approximately 63,000 square miles, about the size of Texas. That’s a lot of grass!
While it is most certain that turf grass requires water to maintain, and that water is a precious commodity, most Americans find it desirable to have a portion of their outdoor area covered with turf. Below, you will find some good reasons for including some turf in your yard, care of the turf and methods to conserve water.
There are many benefits of natural grass:
1. Air Quality …an average sized lawn can capture as much as 300 pounds of carbon per year and produces oxygen to breathe.
2. Pollution filter…lawns reduce pollution and water runoff. They also absorb noise and dust.
3. Heat Reduction …a properly maintained lawn provides a cooling effect to the surrounding area. On a hot summer day, turf grass areas will be at least 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 15 degrees cooler than bare soil.
4. Wellness…green spaces have been shown to reduce stress and blood pressure.
5. Recreation and sport…turf provides an inviting outdoor place for adults and children to spend activity and leisure time.
When designing your landscape, try and utilize the “rule of thirds” by planting 1/3 drought tolerant grass, 1/3 native or adapted planting beds and 1/3 pervious hardscape. This will give the landscape more visual appeal and reduce the amount of water that is required.
Be sure to test the soil every few years. You could be surprised to see how little fertilizer your lawn actually needs. Refer to the Texas A&M
Agrilife Extension website soiltesting.tamu.edu for information on how to obtain and submit a soil sample for testing. There, you will also find online fertilizer calculators that are extremely helpful.
Regardless of what type irrigation system you may use, watering less often but deeply is much better for turf and landscape plantings that watering in shorter, frequent intervals and it also helps to conserve water. You can purchase an inexpensive soil moisture probe or just use a screwdriver to penetrate the soil 6 to 8 inches. If the screwdriver easily penetrates the soil and has damp soil on it, watering isn’t necessary. When turf becomes dry and begins to be stressed, the blades can turn a dull color, or leaf blades can roll or fold and footprints remain after walking across it. These are other indicators that it is time to water. Be sure to water before 10am or after 6pm. Morning is preferable, when wind speed and temperatures are generally lowest. Also, when turf remains damp overnight, the chances of disease increases. Most lawns in our area will be fine with watering only from April until early October. Watering in the wintertime is rarely necessary for a healthy lawn.
Keep your lawn mower blades sharpened regularly. This will ensure a clean cut on the leaf blades that will heal quickly. Do not remove more than 1/3 of blade length with mowings. Suggested mowing height for common bermuda is 1-1/2 inches. Hybrid bermuda cutting height is about a half inch shorter. Suggested mowing height for St Augustine is 2 inches. Leave the grass clippings on the lawn so they can provide “free” fertilizer.
When good practices are applied, it is possible to have a turf grass area in your landscape that is practical and enjoyable!