I have a lawn that was put in last October as sod. I live in St.
Louis, MO and it has been sunny dry and 90-100 for the last couple
weeks. My lawn is starting to turn brown It is in full sun from
6:00am to 5:00pm. I don't know whether I should cut it once a week as
usual or let it go for a little extra to get a bit longer. Will this
protect it more from the sun? Also, should I water every day since it
is hot and dry or should I do it every few days? Likewise I can't
water early morning due to work other than the weekends. Should I
water in direct sun, at dusk or at night? Thanks for your help.
Brad Vaughn

Heres what Im finding is working for me, I live in So. Calif, and our days
are getting up to or have been 85 to 109f recently and my lawn started to
turn brown, but *ONLY* in areas that got full sun from sunup to about 5pm
(the other areas of my lawn are shaded by my house from about 1 or 2 in the
afternoon), and what I found was that it just wasnt getting enough water, I
started hand watering those brown areas and it came back like it should,
it's not perfect yet, but it's coming back strong.

As far as a watering schedule, I generally get up 20 minutes earlier in the
AM and turn on the sprinklers, then 20 minutes later I turn them off, then I
turn them on again once the sun is completely off the lawn for about 10 to
20 minutes. I've tried the whole 1 inche of water per week general rule,
and watered enough once per week to provide even coverage of 1 inch of water
as measured in a tuna can, but that just wasnt working for my lawn and my
area, I find that watering every day (though I sometimes skip a day) is the
trick to a nice thick lush lawn, though it does cost me more per month in
water bills, but not much, maybe an extra $10.00/month.

As far as mowing height, I've found over the past couple years that If I cut
the lawn to about 3 or so inches in summer it does better, and in late fall
and winter I can really cut it down to about 1 1/2 inches (which is the
height I prefer anyway), the longer blades of grass generally offer better
covering for the soil so the moisture is retained better or so it seems in
my yard, on the other hand though longer blades of grass take more water to
keep green, at least in my experience so far.

Good luck,

"Brad and Julie Vaughn" wrote in message
om...
I have a lawn that was put in last October as sod. I live in St.
Louis, MO and it has been sunny dry and 90-100 for the last couple
weeks. My lawn is starting to turn brown It is in full sun from
6:00am to 5:00pm. I don't know whether I should cut it once a week as
usual or let it go for a little extra to get a bit longer. Will this
protect it more from the sun? Also, should I water every day since it
is hot and dry or should I do it every few days? Likewise I can't
water early morning due to work other than the weekends. Should I
water in direct sun, at dusk or at night? Thanks for your help.
Brad Vaughn


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Cutting it less frequently when it's stressed due to heat is a good
idea. Plus, it should be growing slower with high heat and less water
anyway. Sometimes I see commercial mowers running over brown lawns
when there is nothing to cut. All they are doing is damaging it.

For watering, ideally it should be watered deeply, which means 3/4 to
1 inch of water. You need to figure out how that translates into time
based on your sprinkler system. Empty tuna cans can be used to
measure. How often depends on weather conditions and what kind of
soil you have. With real good soil and moderate temps, you can go
about a week. With poor soil and high temps, you may need to water
every 3 to 4 days. You can also see when a lawn needs water by looking
at it. The grass starts to change to an off color, like slightly
bluish and when walked on, no longer springs back.

I would time the watering so it ends by about 8am. That way you
minimize the overnight wetness, but still can get the water down when
evaporation is low.
The worst practice is to water shallow and every day. This encourages
shallow roots so that the lawn needs even more water and also can lead
to fungus and disease problems.

As far as a watering schedule, I generally get up 20 minutes earlier in
the
AM and turn on the sprinklers, then 20 minutes later I turn them off, then
I
turn them on again once the sun is completely off the lawn for about 10 to
20 minutes.

This watering schedule will eventually lead to a diseased lawn. If you water
your lawn at all it should only be watered in the morning otherwise you are
leaving it wet all night which is a perfect breeding ground for fungal
infections.

Peter H

"Brad and Julie Vaughn" wrote in message
om...
I have a lawn that was put in last October as sod. I live in St.
Louis, MO and it has been sunny dry and 90-100 for the last couple
weeks. My lawn is starting to turn brown It is in full sun from
6:00am to 5:00pm. I don't know whether I should cut it once a week as
usual or let it go for a little extra to get a bit longer. Will this
protect it more from the sun? Also, should I water every day since it
is hot and dry or should I do it every few days? Likewise I can't
water early morning due to work other than the weekends. Should I
water in direct sun, at dusk or at night? Thanks for your help.
Brad Vaughn

Don't know what type of grass you are growing there, but as a general rule
lawns are a spring and fall thing. In the heat of the summer your lawn will
want to go dormant and the best thing for it is to let it do this. Just make
certain that you don't have an insect infestation.

Peter H

"GamePlayer No. 1058" wrote:
Heres what Im finding is working for me, I live in So. Calif, and our
days are getting up to or have been 85 to 109f recently and my lawn
started to turn brown, but *ONLY* in areas that got full sun from sunup
to about 5pm (the other areas of my lawn are shaded by my house from
about 1 or 2 in the afternoon), and what I found was that it just wasnt
getting enough water, I started hand watering those brown areas and it
came back like it should, it's not perfect yet, but it's coming back
strong.

As far as a watering schedule, I generally get up 20 minutes earlier in
the AM and turn on the sprinklers, then 20 minutes later I turn them off,
then I turn them on again once the sun is completely off the lawn for
about 10 to 20 minutes. I've tried the whole 1 inche of water per week
general rule, and watered enough once per week to provide even coverage
of 1 inch of water as measured in a tuna can, but that just wasnt working
for my lawn and my area, I find that watering every day (though I
sometimes skip a day) is the trick to a nice thick lush lawn, though it
does cost me more per month in water bills, but not much, maybe an extra
$10.00/month.

What you are seeing is the lowering of your soil temperature. This
is another benefit of irrigation.

--
GO #40

I water twice a day, once in morning and once about 5 or 6pm , no later than
that. It is ok to water in the evening as long as it is daylight for a
couple hours before night time. This hole watering once or twice a week
thing is for the birds. I tried that one inch of water per week and my lawn
was the worst in the neighborhood . So I went back to twice a day at
30minutes each time and my lawn should now be in a magazine. It looks great
and we are even getting pretty hot temps with no rain. That is the way that
works for me. You will get a higher water bill, but there are generally only
three months that I have to water that often, so it is worth it to keep my
lawn looking good.

Lasher

"Peter H" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...

"Brad and Julie Vaughn" wrote in message
om...
I have a lawn that was put in last October as sod. I live in St.
Louis, MO and it has been sunny dry and 90-100 for the last couple
weeks. My lawn is starting to turn brown It is in full sun from
6:00am to 5:00pm. I don't know whether I should cut it once a week as
usual or let it go for a little extra to get a bit longer. Will this
protect it more from the sun? Also, should I water every day since it
is hot and dry or should I do it every few days? Likewise I can't
water early morning due to work other than the weekends. Should I
water in direct sun, at dusk or at night? Thanks for your help.
Brad Vaughn

Don't know what type of grass you are growing there, but as a general rule
lawns are a spring and fall thing. In the heat of the summer your lawn
will
want to go dormant and the best thing for it is to let it do this. Just
make
certain that you don't have an insect infestation.

Peter H

"Lasher" wrote in message
...
I water twice a day, once in morning and once about 5 or 6pm , no later
than
that. It is ok to water in the evening as long as it is daylight for a
couple hours before night time. This hole watering once or twice a week
thing is for the birds. I tried that one inch of water per week and my
lawn
was the worst in the neighborhood . So I went back to twice a day at
30minutes each time and my lawn should now be in a magazine. It looks
great
and we are even getting pretty hot temps with no rain. That is the way
that
works for me. You will get a higher water bill, but there are generally
only
three months that I have to water that often, so it is worth it to keep my
lawn looking good.

Lasher



Before you start offering this advise to others I suggest you give your lawn
a couple of years of this regime Lasher. I was in the turf management
business for over 10 years and met a few people like you every spring. The
most common intro was, " this used to be the greenest lawn on the street".
By the time they called me there was little hope for their turf.

Peter H

In dry climates like S. CA, wouldn't it be better to not have lawns at all?
I've heard that many people in Arizona and other arid areas are giving up
their lawns and doing desert landscaping- which is easier to maintain and
conserves water. Since much of the USA southwest gets its water from the
Colorado River which is now over used and over committed- it would be the
hip thing to do- give up the lawn and save the river. I'm not sure what the
original vegetation in S. CA looked like, but I'm sure it looked just fine
and could make a nice landscaped yard. Then again, the neighbors may go
bonkers when they see- but such progress has to begin somewhere by those
with a rebel spirit. G

Now, I don't say that as a guy who is down on nice lawns. I've got a nice
2.5 acre lawn on a New England mountain top and my hours spent mowing are
some of my most enjoyable- but I don't have to drain any beautiful rivers to
water it.
--
Joe Zorzin


"GamePlayer No. 1058" wrote in message
...
Heres what Im finding is working for me, I live in So. Calif, and our days
are getting up to or have been 85 to 109f recently and my lawn started to
turn brown, but *ONLY* in areas that got full sun from sunup to about 5pm
(the other areas of my lawn are shaded by my house from about 1 or 2 in
the
afternoon), and what I found was that it just wasnt getting enough water,
I
started hand watering those brown areas and it came back like it should,
it's not perfect yet, but it's coming back strong.

As far as a watering schedule, I generally get up 20 minutes earlier in
the
AM and turn on the sprinklers, then 20 minutes later I turn them off, then
I
turn them on again once the sun is completely off the lawn for about 10 to
20 minutes. I've tried the whole 1 inche of water per week general rule,
and watered enough once per week to provide even coverage of 1 inch of
water
as measured in a tuna can, but that just wasnt working for my lawn and my
area, I find that watering every day (though I sometimes skip a day) is
the
trick to a nice thick lush lawn, though it does cost me more per month in
water bills, but not much, maybe an extra $10.00/month.

As far as mowing height, I've found over the past couple years that If I
cut
the lawn to about 3 or so inches in summer it does better, and in late
fall
and winter I can really cut it down to about 1 1/2 inches (which is the
height I prefer anyway), the longer blades of grass generally offer better
covering for the soil so the moisture is retained better or so it seems in
my yard, on the other hand though longer blades of grass take more water
to
keep green, at least in my experience so far.

Good luck,

"Brad and Julie Vaughn" wrote in message
om...
I have a lawn that was put in last October as sod. I live in St.
Louis, MO and it has been sunny dry and 90-100 for the last couple
weeks. My lawn is starting to turn brown It is in full sun from
6:00am to 5:00pm. I don't know whether I should cut it once a week as
usual or let it go for a little extra to get a bit longer. Will this
protect it more from the sun? Also, should I water every day since it
is hot and dry or should I do it every few days? Likewise I can't
water early morning due to work other than the weekends. Should I
water in direct sun, at dusk or at night? Thanks for your help.
Brad Vaughn


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 8/19/2003

Well, I live in the high desert mountains of S. Ca. and I can tell you that
many of my neighbors have "au-natural" yards. Unfortunately this consists
of foxtails (that spread like wildfire) and an assortment of other weeds.

The neighbor across the street is *finally* about to finish his low
maintenance front yard. It consists of rocks, rocks and more rocks. I
think he got his final load of rocks last weekend sitting in a big pile to
the side of his driveway, his plan is to completely cover his front hillside
yard with the rocks, which looks absolutely hideous every year. He did part
of it already and then waits a year before going out once a year and pulling
weeds.

As for me, I have dogs and I like them to have someplace green to laydown
during the hot summer days, so a lawn is in order for me, though I've read
up a little on medeteranian mounding gardens and they dont seem too bad, but
my house just sold yesterday, so it will be up to the next owner to decide
what he wants to do with the yard.

Thanks,
"Joe Zorzin" xxxx@zzzz wrote in message
...

In dry climates like S. CA, wouldn't it be better to not have lawns at
all?
I've heard that many people in Arizona and other arid areas are giving up
their lawns and doing desert landscaping- which is easier to maintain and
conserves water. Since much of the USA southwest gets its water from the
Colorado River which is now over used and over committed- it would be the
hip thing to do- give up the lawn and save the river. I'm not sure what
the
original vegetation in S. CA looked like, but I'm sure it looked just fine
and could make a nice landscaped yard. Then again, the neighbors may go
bonkers when they see- but such progress has to begin somewhere by those
with a rebel spirit. G

Now, I don't say that as a guy who is down on nice lawns. I've got a nice
2.5 acre lawn on a New England mountain top and my hours spent mowing are
some of my most enjoyable- but I don't have to drain any beautiful rivers
to
water it.
--
Joe Zorzin


"GamePlayer No. 1058" wrote in message
...
Heres what Im finding is working for me, I live in So. Calif, and our
days
are getting up to or have been 85 to 109f recently and my lawn started
to
turn brown, but *ONLY* in areas that got full sun from sunup to about
5pm
(the other areas of my lawn are shaded by my house from about 1 or 2 in
the
afternoon), and what I found was that it just wasnt getting enough
water,
I
started hand watering those brown areas and it came back like it should,
it's not perfect yet, but it's coming back strong.

As far as a watering schedule, I generally get up 20 minutes earlier in
the
AM and turn on the sprinklers, then 20 minutes later I turn them off,
then
I
turn them on again once the sun is completely off the lawn for about 10
to
20 minutes. I've tried the whole 1 inche of water per week general
rule,
and watered enough once per week to provide even coverage of 1 inch of
water
as measured in a tuna can, but that just wasnt working for my lawn and
my
area, I find that watering every day (though I sometimes skip a day) is
the
trick to a nice thick lush lawn, though it does cost me more per month
in
water bills, but not much, maybe an extra $10.00/month.

As far as mowing height, I've found over the past couple years that If I
cut
the lawn to about 3 or so inches in summer it does better, and in late
fall
and winter I can really cut it down to about 1 1/2 inches (which is the
height I prefer anyway), the longer blades of grass generally offer
better
covering for the soil so the moisture is retained better or so it seems
in
my yard, on the other hand though longer blades of grass take more water
to
keep green, at least in my experience so far.

Good luck,

"Brad and Julie Vaughn" wrote in message
om...
I have a lawn that was put in last October as sod. I live in St.
Louis, MO and it has been sunny dry and 90-100 for the last couple
weeks. My lawn is starting to turn brown It is in full sun from
6:00am to 5:00pm. I don't know whether I should cut it once a week as
usual or let it go for a little extra to get a bit longer. Will this
protect it more from the sun? Also, should I water every day since it
is hot and dry or should I do it every few days? Likewise I can't
water early morning due to work other than the weekends. Should I
water in direct sun, at dusk or at night? Thanks for your help.
Brad Vaughn


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 8/19/2003






---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 8/19/2003