Learn more: Blake’s Lawn Care Guide
When it comes to home lawns, a simple approach is often the best. The majority of your results will come from mastering the basics. Adequate sunlight, quality grass seed, proper mowing, watering, and nitrogen will be fundamental. Remaining tasks such as weed control, aeration, surface grooming (power raking / scarifying), moss control, and use of specialty products can take a lawn from “good” to “great.” It is usually wise to stop here. Most professionals will tell you that delving beyond this point will become increasingly more expensive, time consuming, and will often yield diminishing returns. Following the basics in this guide should result in a great lawn by most standards.
The Basics…
Sunlight -The majority of grass types grow best with 6-8+ hrs of direct sun. Shade tolerant grass will need a minimum of 4 hours of sunlight per day. Pruning to expose more light is ideal if practical. For shaded areas Turf-type-tall fescue can provide great results. Expect shaded areas to require a bit more attention and upkeep than sunny areas. Keep leaves and other debris from accumulating and blocking sunlight.
Mowing - When it comes to keeping a beautiful lawn, regular mowing is an important first step! Mowing on a frequent schedule will stimulate tillering and plant growth. This helps to increase density, while reducing weed pressure.
Ensure the mower blade has been properly sharpened before the start of the season. A sharp blade will make cutting easier, look better, and reduce stress to the plant. Check the blade once or twice throughout the season.
For best performance, consider purchasing a blade designed specifically for mulching or bagging.
Select the correct height. It’s okay to cut the grass short initially (early spring), but keep the height the same or slightly higher as the season progresses. This will prevent removing too much of the leaf blade and stressing the plant. Follow the, “1/3rd rule.”
Mulch or bag clippings based on your preference.
mulching grass clippings will return some nutrients and often will allow for one less fertilizer application per year on average. Mulching can be a great option assuming the lawn is dry, and growth is moderate to slow.
bagging clippings is often preferred during times of heavy growth, or in wet conditions. This can also help collect seed-heads of undesirable grass species.
The 1/3rd rule - avoid cutting more than 1/3rd of the leaf blade when mowing. If the lawn is 1.5 inches tall before mowing, the finished cut height should not be less than 1 inch. Note: when the lawn is growing rapidly, conditions sometimes require mowing 2x a week to keep adherence.
Irrigation - Water requirements can vary based on a number of factors. Getting the water dialed-in will be one of the most important (and detailed) maintenance tasks.
Most lawns in the Willamette valley will require between 0’ and 3/4 inches of supplemental irrigation in the Spring/Fall, and between 1’ to 1.5’ inches per week in the summer.
For best efficiency do not exceed .25 inches per irrigation cycle. (Contrary to common belief, studies have shown deep and infrequent watering to be slightly less effective and more wasteful)
Determine how long it takes your sprinkler system to deliver .25 inches of water then simply add or reduce the number of watering days to meet weekly water requirements.
tip: If your irrigation system is dispensing water faster than it can be taken in by the soil, a large percentage of the water applied will begin to pool on the surface. This will commonly lead to surface run-off or excessive evaporative loss. In some cases we suggest watering until the first sign of run-off, waiting a short time, then applying the remainder of the budgeted water allowance. If using an electronic timer, this can often be programmed for convenience.
Fertilizer - (Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium)
Maintaining adequate nutrient levels (N-P-K) is a critical component to keeping a healthy, dense lawn. Most soils in the Willamette Valley will not require much if any supplemental Phosphorus. Potassium requirements are also quite low. Nitrogen will be the primary nutrient demand.
Higher expectations - (4) applications per year - May 1st, June 15th, Sept 1st, October 15th.
Lower expectations - (2) applications per year - May 1, October 15th
Utility - (1) application October 15th
Whether you use an organic nitrogen source or synthetic, aim to apply .75-1 lb of actual nitrogen, per 1k sqft, per application. When using a conventional (synthetic) apply when the grass blades are dry and water-in if rain is not expected. Avoid applying if lawn is drought stressed. Release times will vary between products. (When using an organic product, nitrogen will usually take longer to become available to the plant) If you suspect your lawn is not responding to fertilizer applications, consider having your soil tested. Occasionally low sulphur levels will inhibit nitrogen uptake.
Example 1: 30-0-4 “Professional - synthetic”
This contains 30% nitrogen, 0% phosphorus, and 4% (K)Potassium. This means one pound of product contains .30 lb of N., zero P. and .04 lb K. To deliver 1 lb of nitrogen (per 1k sqft), you would need to apply 3.33 lbs of product.
Example 2: 10-0-2 “Organic”
By weight this product contains 10% N, zero P, and 2% K. To deliver 1 lb. of Nitrogen using this product (per 1k sqft) you would need to apply 10 lbs of product. (1/.10=10)
Inter-seeding (“over-seeding”) - Coming out of winter and summer most lawns will naturally thin and often benefit from over-seeding. (This is not always needed) If purchasing grass seed we recommend Turf type tall fescue, perennial rye, or a 70/30 mix of perennial rye and creeping red fescue. Buy the best seed you can afford. Inexpensive seed will contain weeds and annual rye as a filler.
The next step…
Edging - This is largely performed for appearance. Many will find a crisp edge cut along flower beds or curb-line goes a long ways visually. “Soft edges” around flower beds and trees are best maintained by using a string line trimmer. For most this will require a little practice. Turf areas bordering sidewalks or driveways, ”hard edges” are best maintained using a “blade” type edger. While a string type can deliver great results, over time this method will commonly erode soil and cause the turf to recede.
Surface grooming (Power raking/scarifying) - This will help with the appearance of your lawn by removing dead and matted material. Depending on the grass types in your lawn, periodic thinning will improve airflow through the leaf canopy, reducing the risk of disease and insect damage. While keeping a dense lawn (relatively speaking) is a good thing, there is a limit. Certain grass types such as Perennial rye and Turf type Tall fescue will rarely (if ever) require thinning. Fine fescue, bentgrass, and kentucky bluegrass tend to produce more thatch. Depending on the severity, renting a machine can save time. For smaller lawns a quality thatch rake can also be perfect option for those in good health. (It will be a workout!)
Moss control - Moss thrives in cool, damp, low light conditions. Other (less significant) factors include low soil PH, and low soil nitrogen. Control is best achieved by modifying conditions to be less favorable for moss, while improving conditions for desirable grass. Pruning to improve sunlight, proper irrigation practices, soil aeration, fertilizer, will help. Maintaining a healthy stand of grass will be the primary aim. Foliar applications of iron followed by mechanical removal in the early spring to be especially effective for controlling moss. It can be important to re-seed thin areas of grass where heavy moss accumulations were removed.
Aeration - Lawn aeration is one of the most overlooked lawn care practices in our area. Heavy soil types often lead to conditions unfavorable for plant growth. In the summer a tight soil slows water infiltration, leading to increased evaporative loss and run-off in many cases. In the winter the same tight soil is prone to becoming waterlogged. Both conditions commonly lead desirable grass to thin. As this happens, weeds that are better adapted to the conditions begin to take over. This is why it is common for newly sodded lawns to fail within 1-2 years. Aeration is best performed in the spring as soon as soil conditions allow, and again in the early fall. Learn more about the benefits of aeration.
Top-dressing - If planning to maintain a lawn using organic methods, we cannot emphasize the benefits enough! Applying a thin layer of topdressing 1-2x per year will gradually improve soil structure while harnessing soil biology for the efficient conversion of organic material into plant available nitrogen.
Weed control - Broadleaf weeds such and dandelions, chickweed, and clover (to name a few) can detract from the overall appearance of your lawn. For those with small lawns, taking a few minutes to pull weeds once a week before mowing can be effective. If you suspect chemical control is needed, it is often wise to consult a professional.
The Grassy weeds - (creeping bentgrass, poa anua, poa trivialis, crabgrass, quackgrass, etc)
For many, it may be worth learning to tolerate some weedy grasses. If feasible, hand pulling these weeds can be a good option. As you notice seed-heads appearing we recommend putting the lawn mower bag on to collect seed heads as you mow. While chemical pre-emergents can provide some defense, they do come with some inherent trade-offs.
Disease - Most lawn diseases can be prevented by following cultural practices in this guide. Rust and red thread are the most common diseases occurring in cool season grass types in our area. Fortunately these are unlikely to cause serious harm.
Wetting agents - (surfactants) - A wetting agent reduces soils surface tension, thus allowing water to more efficiently enter the plants root-zone. If you have not yet dialed in your irrigation timer/approach, we advise starting there. Assuming the irrigation system is set properly, a wetting agent can be helpful. We suggest timing the application ~2 weeks before summer drought is expected.
Tip: The use of a quality wetting agent can be particularly useful for sloped lawns.