While technically the calendar says spring, it feels like summer here in the valley of the sun. As we go through the transition period in California and Arizona from ryegrass back to bermudagrass or paspalum I want to touch a little bit on getting your mower ready for the season. It’s always a good idea to start each season off with a clean, sharp, and ready to use mower. There is nothing worse than going out to cut your lawn and pulling on the lawn mower cord a dozen times only to find the mower won’t turn over. There are some simple things you can do to keep it running well and last for several years.

Before I go into maintenance of your mower I will touch on the two different types of mowers on the market. You can choose between a rotary mower and a reel mower. The reel mowers I will refer to will be self-propelled mowers instead of push reel mowers. The reason I’m skipping on the push reel mowers is because it’s tough to push through thick bermudagrass during the summer months. While it can definitely be done, its just not my favorite thing to do on a 115-degree Arizona day.

There are several brands of reel mowers on the market so deciding which one to buy is going through the various options and deciding what is most important to you. Some of these choices include desired height of cut, number of reels on the mower (the mower reels, the tighter you can mow), weight of the mower, cutting width, and deciding if you will be collecting clippings or letting them lay on the ground. Most of the new reel mowers have a front bucket attachment but there are still a few on the market that drop clippings out the back of the mower.

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Preparing your Lawn for Winter

Winter in California and Arizona is definitely unique. For many lucky residents in these states winter still means sunny days and lush green lawns. However, as the weather gradually begins cooling down, it’s time to start preparing your California and Arizona lawns for the cooler weather. This preparation is especially important when it comes to watering your lawn. To help, our Arizona sod experts have provided some winter watering tips to keep your lawn green while also being water wise.  Read the rest of this entry »

By now most of you who are going to overseed have either begun the process or have had your seed down for a few weeks. Today I want to discuss what to do now that you have the ryegrass growing and cooler temperatures are on the horizon.

Getting your ryegrass up and growing is obviously the first step to a successful winter lawn but what about maintenance? How can you make sure your ryegrass is strong going into the winter and you will have a full stand of ryegrass once the temperatures begin to drop into the 40’s at night? There are several key items associated with a strong winter lawn but early preparation should be high on your list.

Photo Courtesy of West Coast Aerial Photography, Inc

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Heat Stress or Drought Stress?

There are two general environmental stresses that can affect lawns during the summer: heat stress and drought stress. Depending on conditions, your turfgrass could have one, the other or both at the same time. Understanding the difference between the two, what they look like and how to respond to them accordingly will help you prevent the potential long-term damage that they cause. We will mainly focus on dealing with a drought stressed lawn, however our turf experts want to provide you with an understanding of both. Read the rest of this entry »

Save time and Money with Proper Summer Watering

Did you know: more lawns are killed each summer from over-watering than under-watering? Unlike people, your turfgrass doesn’t need 8 glasses of water a day. Even if it’s upwards of one hundred degrees outside. How often your lawn needs water depends on various factors such as soil type, amount of sunlight, grass type and regional climate. However, on average, most lawns need an inch to an inch and a half of water per week to stay lush and green. Before you set your lawn’s summer watering scheduling, read through these tips provided by our California and Arizona sod experts. Read the rest of this entry »

Is your Lawn Ready for Summer?

Now that the clouds of winter have parted and Spring has arrived, it’s time to start preparing your lawn for the imminent heat of summer. If you haven’t already started your seasonal spring cleaning, then your lawn is the best place to start. The secret to keeping your lawn lush and green throughout the summer lies in the lawn care techniques you implement now.

Don’t risk the chance of sparse, unhealthy and patchy grass by not taking the simple steps needed to transition your lawn for the summer. Instead take the time to cultivate a resilient lawn that can withstand the effects of the sun and heavy foot traffic by following these steps. Read the rest of this entry »

Water Wisely

Everyone wants a lush, green lawn! But not everyone knows the proper maintenance procedures to follow to achieve such a look. One of the biggest factors in keeping your lawn healthy and green is water. Luckily, our sod and lawn care experts have the exact tips you need for watering sod wisely!

Before we begin, keep in mind that the amount of water you should give your lawn depends on the age of your sod. You would not water new sod the same way in which you water established turfgrass. Also, we’d like to remind you that the type of sod you’ve installed in your lawn will determine the type of watering schedule to abide by.

For instance, warm season and cool season turf grasses need different amounts of sunlight and water to grow and thus need to be tended to differently. However, there are still some general tips and guidelines for watering that all lawn owners should follow. Read the rest of this entry »

Our temperatures have cooled down and winter is finally here. Fortunately for those of us living in Arizona, winter still means gorgeous, sunny days and a lush green lawn. However, we can (and should) adjust the amount we water our grass at this time of year. At West Coast Turf/Western Sod we offer these winter watering tips for Arizona sod for our climate, defined by days with temperatures less than 90 degrees so sorry to those on the East Coast who may be reading about our “harsh” winter temps!

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It appears fall is never going to arrive as we’ve hit 90+ degrees twenty-three days in a row in the Phoenix area. The nighttime temperatures have slowly begun to cool but surprisingly they have yet to fall into the optimum range to overseed. For those who may have thought they were too late to drop seed, you still have a couple weeks to get your lawn going. Most people have already overseeded their lawns so I want to give some tips to assist your ryegrass while your warm season grass continues to grow.

If you overseeded anytime during the month of October I’m sure your lawn looks absolutely beautiful right now. It’s important to keep in mind that some of your grass is probably bermudagrass that bounced back from being scalped. How could this happen you ask? With daytime temperatures in the 90’s and nights in the 70’s it has allowed for an extended growing season. Many people including our sod farms use a turfgrass regulator such as Primo prior to scalping to help keep the bermudagrass in check. While this does help with a lot of the grow back it can’t prevent everything from coming back to life. Now that the ryegrass is up and growing strong it’s also a good time to put down a first or second application of Primo or other growth regulator. These products will greatly increase the density of your ryegrass and keep the bermudagrass from growing back. Why do you want to keep the bermudagrass out? If the bermudagrass is actively growing it is preventing your ryegrass from filling in completely. This is usually first observed after the first frost and the lawn will have small quarter size dormant turf spots throughout the turf. This is not a big deal as the ryegrass will eventually fill it in but something to keep in mind.

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