Mowing

Mow high

Grass cut at a height of 6 to 8 cm (2½ to 3 inches) will develop a deep, extensive root system, grow thicker and better retain soil moisture. Cut your grass when it's dry.

Sharpen your mower blade in the spring and keep it sharp.

Grass can recover more quickly and easily from one clean cut than from many tears.

Leave the lawn clippings on your lawn after mowing. This provides a great source of slowly-released nitrogen for the grass. Under wet spring conditions, remove thick layers of clippings (over 0.5 cm thick) to avoid smothering the grass.

Watering

Keeping your lawn well lubricated

How much water does a lawn need? In general, cool-season grasses need about one to 1.5 inches of water per week to maintain green color and active growth. Allow lawns to naturally slow down in growth during extreme conditions. You may let the lawn go almost completely dormant in hot weather. Many factors such as the soil and weather all have a role in the lawn's water needs. Here are a few guidelines to follow:

Decide before summer heat and drought conditions arrive, to either water lawns consistently as needed throughout the season, or let lawns go dormant as conditions turn warm and dry. Do not rotate back and forth. In other words, don't let the grass turn totally brown, apply enough water to green it up, then let the grass go dormant again. Breaking the lawns dormancy actually drains large amounts of food reserves from the plant.

When is it time to water?

The appearance of the first few warm days of summer does not automatically mean you should water your lawn. In fact, allowing lawns to start to go under mild drought stress actually increases rooting. Watch for footprinting, or footprints remaining on the lawn after walking across it (instead of leaf blades bouncing back up). Grasses also tend to turn darker in color as they go under drought stress. Sampling the root zone soil could be another option.

Water as infrequently as possible.

Thoroughly water when you do water so moisture soaks down to the roots. Exceptions to this general rule would be for newly seeded lawns where the surface needs to stay moist, newly sodded lawns that have not yet rooted into the soil, or when summer patch disease is a problem (see Lawn Diseases). Otherwise, avoid frequent waterings that promote shallower root systems and weeds (e.g., crabgrass).

Water early.

Given a choice, water early in the day when lawns are normally wet from dew. Avoid midday due to evaporation, and at night due to potential increased chances of some diseases. The exception to this guide is when you are in extremely hot weather and nighttime temperatures don't go below 68 degrees. Then it is better to water in the late afternoon or early evening, providing you don't have watering-time restrictions. Watering late in the day reduces the amount of evaporation that takes place during the very hot day, allowing more water to reach the root zone.

Spread the water uniformly across the lawn.

Sprinklers vary in distribution patterns, and require spray overlap for uniform coverage. Placing coffee cans or similar straight-sided containers on the lawn can help measure water application rates. Avoid flooding areas, or missing other spots. On heavy clay soils and slopes, watch for excessive runoff; it may be necessary to apply the water in several applications to allow for adequate penetration.

Water conservation.

To help conserve water, mow your lawn at a higher than normal height, avoid applying an excess of nitrogen as warm weather approaches, limit traffic over the lawn, improve turf rooting, control thatch and soil compaction, and avoid pesticide use on drought stressed lawns.

Rejuvenation - Aeration

The hole truth about aerating your lawn

Even with the best care available, lawns can thin out and lose color due to excessive thatch buildup, hard or compacted soils, or periods of high temperature, high humidity, or drought. Aerifying and overseeding is recognized by turf experts such as golf course superintendents as the best treatment to control thatch, reduce compaction, fill-in bare spots and revitalize growth.

Aeration/Seeding - the two step process guaranteed to improve your lawn

An aeration treatment removes small cores of soil and thatch to allow air, moisture and fertilizer to penetrate down to the root zone. The cores brought to the surface contain microorganisms, which help the breakdown of the woody thatch tissue. This allows the roots of existing grass plants to spread out and grow deeper, creating a healthier, thicker lawn.

Overseeding in cool-season areas, will fill-in bare or thin spots and help build a thicker lawn faster. The new seed quickly takes root in the freshly aerated lawn and provides new life to your already established grass. As your lawn gets thicker and healthier, your new grass plants help reduce the chance of new weeds sprouting.

Aeration can be done anytime the lawn is actively growing. The preferred season is late spring.

Should you aerate in sandy soils?

Yes, but there is different machinery to be used. Instead of using a machine that pulls out plugs of soil, use equipment that pierces the soil with a sharp spike. This type of equipment is not recommended for heavy, clay type soils as it further compacts the clay.