+ Bermuda

Step 1:

• Springtime (around the first of April) as the ground temperatures start to rise the Bermuda will start its process of recovering from dormancy and greening up. When you see this greening up happening is a good time to scalp the lawn. That is, mowing off all the dead tissue off the turf areas. As low as you can without hitting dirt. You may do this all at once or you may do it in several mowing’s in stages as the dead tissue needs to be bagged and removed in whatever way is best for you. If you do not have a bagger, then you may use a blower to blow off and collect the clippings. This is the only time that bagging or removing the clipping is acceptable. Use caution after the pre emerge treatment, please wait until a good solid rain or irrigate at least ½” before the scalping and removing the clippings.
• Mowing Frequency & Weed Control: As the weather warms up in April-May, the frequency will need to increase to weekly. Under normal mowing, you refrain from mowing off more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time. For Bermudagrass this is not very much being that the leaf blade is only about 1-1/2” to 2” long. Therefore, frequency is extremely important. If for whatever the reason, the growth has gotten away from you and it’s too tall, with Bermuda it is usually safe to bring down the height more drastically at one time. The grass could even be scalped back down to the lowest setting if needed (not more than once a year in a growing season). However, the lawn will look terrible for about a week to two weeks afterwards, then it will be green again and normal mowing can continue. Mowing can also affect the weed control; this is addressed later on in this description.
• Spring Watering & Weed Control: Over watering and/or early season watering in addition to excessive rain, will defeat the pre emerge weed control! Customer will not know the effects of over watering until the weed fest that will ensue in June/July. Many customers will feel like the first warm day in spring that somehow water will make the turf green up faster. It will NOT. In fact, the cold water like rain will slow the growth by cooling the soil temperatures. Green up is all about the soil temperatures. Warmer nighttime temperatures will determine the overall soil temps. If you are unsure what the watering schedule should be for your lawn, we have one available if you have not already received one. We will be happy to send one to you.
  
  Step 2:
• Going forward, it is not recommended to bag your grass clippings during the growing season. Doing so will remove at least 33% of the nutrients meant for the health of the grass. Even with consistent fertilization, your grass will suffer. After the scalping, keep your mower height very low. I recommend just one notch up from the scalping setting you used in step 1. Continue mowing at the setting until the turf area is totally green and all the ground is covered. This method will force the grass to grow horizontally rather than vertically. If later the grass is allowed to get tall too soon the rotary mower will stand the grass up as it is cut. This will make the depth of the green tissue (leaves) to grow just at the top of the stalk creating a very small, short leaf. Then you will have a long stalk with just a few leaves at the top so the turf will not be a green and thick.
  
  
  Step 3:
• As the summertime clicks on and you’re mowing, be looking for the bermudagrass to yellow slightly. This is the indication that the mower deck/blade needs to be raised, but only 1 (one) notch (not one inch). Normally with good watering or rain you will be adjusting the setting every 3-4 mowing’s. So, at the end of the growing season sometime in September, your turf should be around 2-2 ½” tall. If it is taller than that, the blades were moved up too much too soon. Do not raise you blades if it is not yellowing the grass when it is mowed. Do not lower your mower blades at any point even if your mower is not clipping the top of the grass blades. Yes, the growing season is usually over sometime in September, it will still be green until the frost forces it into full dormancy. It will be green longer than the “growing season”.
  
  Step 4:
• Weed Control: DO NOT MOW after the growing season! Do not mow your grass at any setting lower than the last mowing of the growing season, probably at the first of September. You need to leave it tall through the winter! If you mow off the blades of the grass at this point, you will cause many serious problems such as winter kill and most notably WEEDS. Leave your grass tall during the winter until mid to end of April. Then refer to step 1 to repeat the following year.
  
  
• Other Important notes: Shade/Thickness & Weed Control: Shade has a tremendous effect on thickness of the turf. Thickness of the turf determines the effectiveness of the weed control we apply. Thin Turfgrass is not unlike bare dirt/soil, as weeds will grow where the turf is not. Weed control is only as good as the thickness of the Bermuda grass. To alleviate this condition, it is advisable to consider removing the item that is causing the shade or bring the bed lines out from the source of shade. Some homeowners will sometimes “limb up” the trees in efforts to bring more sunlight in. This simply does not work for Bermudagrass. It’s the top limbs that cast the longest shadow. This type of warm-season grass needs full sunlight, at least 8 Bermudagrass continued: hours of direct unfiltered sunlight per day in the growing season. If it doesn’t receive this amount, then the grass will go into decline and eventually become very thin and become weedy. This only worsens over time as the trees grow and get larger. Although bermudagrass can be green longer, the growing season for bermudagrass is only about 4 months. Bermudagrass simply cannot live in the shade.
• Tree leaves, Weed Control & Nutrients: IMPORTANT: Under NO circumstances should you ever mulch your tree leaves into the turf! Even when bagging them there still is a lot of the chopped leaves that remain behind. You should blow them off and remove them before you mow! Mulching them will severely damage the health of the soil in several ways. Most importantly the volume of the leaves is still there, only in smaller pieces, of course. These leaves chopped up like this will significantly change the pH of the soil causing several issues for the turf absorbing the nutrients from the soil. This can also cause weed control problems. The future pre-emerge will take longer to reach the soil where it is effective, if at all. In addition, the nutrients and air for the root systems cannot penetrate this thatch layer.
  
  

+ Zoysia

Step 1:

• Springtime (around the first of April) as the ground temperatures start to rise the Zoysia will start its process of recovering from dormancy and greening up. When you see this greening up happening is a good time to mow your lawn lower. That is, mowing off all the dead tissue off the turf areas. This may take several mowing’s in stages as the dead tissue needs to be bagged and removed in whatever way is best for you. Avoid mowing too deep into the nap of the plant don’t scalp to the dirt, just to the thatch. As you mow, you may see some areas that are black. This is normal. If you do not have a bagger, then you may use a blower to blow off and collect the clippings. This is the only time that bagging or removing the clipping is recommended.
• Spring Watering & Weed Control: Over watering and/or early season watering in addition to excessive rain, will defeat the pre emerge weed control! Customer will not know the effects of over watering until the weed fest that will ensue in June/July. Many customers will feel like the first warm day in spring that somehow water will make the turf green up faster. It will NOT. In fact, the cold water like rain will slow the growth by cooling the soil temperatures. Green up is all about the soil temperatures. Warmer nighttime temperatures will determine the overall soil temps. If you are unsure what the watering schedule should be for your lawn, we have one available if you have not already received one. We will be happy to send one to you.
  
  Step 2:
• After the scalping, keep your mower at that low setting. I recommend just one notch up from the scalping setting you used in step 1. Continue mowing at the setting until the turf area is totally green. You may mow at the same setting for most of the growing season. Zoysia is a lot like fescue in that you may mow it at about the same setting all year.
  
  Step 3:
• Through the summertime, if you see your Zoysiagrass yellow slightly as you mow, this would be an indication to raise your mower deck/blade, only 1 (one) notch (not necessarily one inch). At the end of the growing season sometime in September, your turf should be around 2-2 ½” tall. Do not raise you blades if it is not yellowing the grass when it is mowed, keep it low. Do not lower your mower blades at any point even if your mower is not clipping the top of the grass blades. Yes, the growing season is usually around 4 months and stops actively growing sometime in late September or October. It will be green longer than that, about 5-6 months but will be green until the frost forces it into full dormancy.
  
  Step 4:
• Weed Control: DO NOT MOW your grass at any setting lower than the last mowing of the growing season, probably at the first of September. You need to leave it tall through the winter! If you mow off the blades of the grass at this point you will cause many problems. Some adverse side effects of mowing short before or during winter include but are not limited to, serious weed control problems, winter kill, and overall dissatisfaction. Leave your grass tall during the winter until at least April. Then refer to step 1 to repeat the following year.
  
  Other Important notes:
• Shade/Thickness & Weed Control: Shade has a tremendous effect on thickness of the turf. Thickness of the turf determines the effectiveness of the weed control we apply. Thin Turfgrass is not unlike bare dirt/soil, as weeds will grow where the turf is not. Weed control is only as good as the thickness of the Zoysiagrass. To alleviate this condition, it is advisable to consider removing the item that is causing the shade or bring the bed lines out from the source of shade. Some homeowners will sometimes “limb up” the trees in efforts to bring more sunlight in. This simply not work for Zoysiagrass. It’s the top limbs that cast the longest shadow. This type of warm-season grass needs can live with 6 hours of direct unfiltered sunlight per day in the growing season. If it doesn’t receive this amount, then the grass will go into decline and eventually become very thin and become weedy. This only worsens over time as the trees grow and get larger. Although Zoysiagrass can be green longer, the growing season for Zoysiagrass is only about 4 months. Zoysiagrass simply cannot live in too much shade. Tree leaves, Weed Control & Nutrients: IMPORTANT: Under NO circumstances should you ever mulch your tree leaves into the turf! Even when bagging them there still is a lot of the chopped leaves that remain behind. You should blow them off and remove them before you mow! Mulching them will severely damage the health of the soil in several ways. Most importantly the volume of the leaves is still there, only in smaller pieces of course. These leaves chopped up like this will significantly change the pH of the soil causing several issues for the turf absorbing the nutrients from the soil. This can also cause weed control problems. The future pre-emerge will take longer to reach the soil where it is effective if at all. In addition, the nutrients and air for the root systems cannot penetrate this thatch layer.
• Tree leaves, Weed Control & Nutrients: IMPORTANT: Under NO circumstances should you ever mulch your tree leaves into the turf! Even when bagging them there still is a lot of the chopped leaves that remain behind. You should blow them off and remove them before you mow! Mulching them will severely damage the health of the soil in several ways. Most importantly the volume of the leaves is still there, only in smaller pieces, of course. These leaves chopped up like this will significantly change the pH of the soil causing several issues for the turf absorbing the nutrients from the soil. This can also cause weed control problems. The future pre-emerge will take longer to reach the soil where it is effective, if at all. In addition, the nutrients and air for the root systems cannot penetrate this thatch layer.
  
  

+ Tall Fescue

• Mowing Height & Weed Control: It’s in its name “Tall Turf Type Fescue.”, Tall! Under 4” is way too short! It is our recommendation that you keep your lawn height at least 5-6” tall or taller. The lawns that are mowed 5-6” tall have shown better health, weed control and drought resistance. This does NOT mean to mow your grass once every 2 weeks! Mowing once a week is required during most of the season. Mowing every two weeks will injure your lawn. In addition, this make the plant grow faster being the plant must put its leaves back on quickly because the leaves are the food source. Short fescue will defeat the weed control, therefore, causing your lawn to have weeds.
  
  
• Mowing Frequency & Weed Control: during the winter, Tall Turf Type Fescue is mostly semidormant so mowing every few weeks is ok. As the weather warms up in March-April, the frequency should increase to weekly. The frequency of the mowing is determined by the amount of leaf blade growth. You NEVER mow off more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time. If the growth has gotten away from you and it’s too tall, then mow only 1/3 of the blade of grass and wait 3-5 days then mow again. Never mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade! This also affects the weed control by way of damaging the desirable turf.
  
  
• Spring Watering & Weed Control: Over watering and/or early season watering in addition to excessive rain, will defeat the pre emerge weed control! Customer will not know the effects of over watering until the weed fest that will ensue in June/July. Many customers will feel like the first warm day in spring that somehow water needed. It does NOT. If you are unsure what the watering schedule should be, please refer to our watering chart.
  
  
• Shade/Thickness & Weed Control: Shade has a tremendous effect on thickness of the turf. Thickness of the turf determines the effectiveness of the weed control we apply. Thin Turfgrass is not unlike bare dirt/soil, as weeds will grow where the turf is not. Weed control is only as good as the thickness of the Tall Turf type Fescue. For this reason, Tall Turf type Fescue must be aerated and seeded once a year and only in the fall. To alleviate shady conditions, it is advisable to consider removing the item that is causing the shade or bring the bed lines out from the source of shade. Some homeowners will sometimes “limb up” the trees in efforts to bring more sunlight in. This simply not as affective as one would think. It’s the top limbs that cast the longest shadow. This type of cool-season grass can live with 4 hours of direct unfiltered sunlight per day. If it doesn’t receive this amount, then the grass will go into decline and eventually become very thin and become weedy. This only worsens over time as the trees grow and get larger. Although Tall Turf Type Fescue can live with a significant shade, Tall Turf type Fescue simply cannot live in dense shade.
  
  
• Tree leaves, Weed Control & Nutrients: IMPORTANT: Under NO circumstances should you ever mulch your tree leaves into the turf! Even when bagging them there still is a lot of the chopped leaves that remain behind. You should blow them off and remove them before you mow! Mulching them will severely damage the health of the soil in several ways. Most importantly the volume of the leaves is still there, only in smaller pieces of course. These leaves chopped up like this will significantly change the pH of the soil causing several issues for the turf absorbing the nutrients from the soil. This can also cause weed control problems. The future pre-emerge will take longer to reach the soil where it is effective if at all. In addition, the nutrients and air for the root systems cannot penetrate this thatch layer.
  
  

+ Watering Chart

+ More Info

For a copy of the Mowing Instructions and Watering Chart, contact our office by phone (706) 275-8181 or by email info@champion-green.com