Complete set
 General Maintenance Calendars

General Year Round Care Calendar
 Avoid the temptation to irrigate in spring just to get grass growing.
 Seed thin spots in lawn – do not over seed with annual ryegrass
 Aerate compacted soil
 Good mulch is a valuable addition to a new ground cover planting. 2 to 3 inches should prevent most weeds from growing
 Seeding and sodding seedbeds are best prepared in August for fall - Winter weeds (grassy and broadleaf) begin their cycles in late summer.
 Apply a broadleaf herbicide for chickweed control
 November is test soil month – apply lime if needed
Use soluble fertilizer or calcium chloride for melting winter ice instead of salt.

General Mowing table for Turf/grass Types
 Grass height should never be less than 2-1/2 inches after mowing, Mow frequently enough so that clippings are 1 to 1-1/2 inches long.
Dull mower blades make for an unattractive lawn. Recondition lawn mower, store with clean oil for the winter months.
 Leave grass clippings on lawn if you can; Grass clippings are 75 to 85 percent water and a good source of nutrients. It is an old myth that clippings create thatch, they do not. By leaving the clippings on the lawn, you are fertilizing the lawn almost on a continual basis.

General Insect Control Table
 Moles – Traps are the only effective means of control for moles.
Sod Webworm – Use insecticides 10 days after major moth flight if damage is seen to turf.
May/June - Check for chinch bug in sunny locations if yellow spots appear: Push a coffee can with both top and bottom removed into the ground and fill with water bugs will float to surface; treat only if you see 20 or more bugs per 1000 square feet.
Brown areas – search for white grubs, dead turf can easily be peeled from surface. 5 to 10 grubs can appear in 1 square foot – use insecticide near the end of month of July and irrigate

General Watering Rules for Healthy Lawn by Turf/grass Types
 Start watering as needed in May/June – Water infrequently to a soil depth of 6 inches, do not over water, water only enough to prevent drought stress. – When hot and humid water between 6:00 am and 10:00 am to reduce disease. See “Water Rules for Turf/grass”

"Water Rules for Turf/grass"
 Easy Water gauge – Place a can or rain gauge in lawn then water lawn for 45 minutes then measure the depth of water in the cans or rain gauges.
 Lack of moisture in soil grass turns gray green color with wilting leaves or if footprints stay.
 Frequent shallow sprinkling each day encourages shallow weak roots crabgrass and diseases
 Irrigate to depth of the root system
 Waterlogged lawns that have a shallow root system and are susceptible to wet wilt.
 Automatic irrigation systems with pop-up sprinklers are often associated with excessive irrigation. Make sure the system is properly operating to uniformly water  the entire area without wasted runoff.
 Hose-end sprinklers. Some studies have shown that the average homeowner applies 2.5 times the amount of water that is required for turf growth when using hose-end sprinklers
 Steep slopes take slow watering
 Tree shaded areas may need more water to support both trees and turf grass.

General Fertilizing Table for Turf/grass Type
 Fertilizing with N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus), and K (Potassium) analysis ratios of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 are acceptable for use on any lawn.
 Use broadleaf herbicide for perennial and annual weeds. To control summer annual weeds us broadleaf herbicides near the end of the month of May.
 Fertilize in spring only if growth begins to slow, use slow release form of nitrogen.
 All lawns should be fertilized in the fall.
 September is most important time to fertilize - use 1-1.5 pounds nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of turf.
 Fertilize - a stunted pale yellowish green turf (very moderate feeding)