Grow a perfect lawn this spring! Millions of homeowners each year spend too much of their cherished weekends trying to maintain a lush, green lawn. A seemingly modest goal, except the elements that are essential for growing grass — primarily sun and rain — also breed lawn-choking weeds and voracious bugs. At times it’s enough to make you consider AstroTurf, but don’t despair:
Water Regularly - Turf grasses need 1 in. of water a week. If this is not supplied by rain, then you need to supply it. In most cases, it's best applied in two watering sessions. Otherwise, the water has a tendency to simply run off--especially in late summer when the ground can be baked as hard as a rock. Although you can measure the output of sprinklers with a fancy measured irrigation gauge, you can also use a couple of leftover plastic food containers. Simply estimate the amount of water in the containers or use a ruler. Regardless of whether you use municipal or well water, be sensible about your irrigation and conserve water. Irrigate only the portions of the lawn that are highly stressed or that most contribute to the house's landscape. Don't sweat it when a lawn turns brown and brittle during a dry spell or even an outright drought. Healthy lawns go dormant from a lack of water. They bounce back when rainfall returns.