Wednesday, March 6, 2002

Grooming your lawn to golf course perfection

How many times have you driven past a thick, lush open plot of the greenest grass you've ever seen only to realize that it's part of a golf course? Considering how much effort goes into home lawn care, it's amazing that golf course superintendents are able to groom every inch of a course to perfection.

Even though golf courses use special mowing and grooming equipment and teams of skilled turf professionals, it is possible to condition your lawn to be as green and as healthy as a golf course, simply by using the equipment in your garage and some good old-fashioned know-how.

The most important thing to learn is an easy chemistry formula H2O. Water is essential to a green lawn. As a general rule, lawns need about an inch of water a week, so it's a good idea to set out a rain gauge and keep track of what Mother Nature provides.

For a healthy lawn, John Deere recommends watering infrequently but deeply the water should go down six to eight inches to encourage a deep root system. If you give your lawn frequent sips, the roots will stay near the surface making it more susceptible to disease and drought. So look for signs of thirst the grass blades curl, the lawn turns a bluish-green tinge, you can see your footprints then give your lawn a good, long drink.

Here's a quick way to determine how long to water. Use a grease pencil to put a mark an inch from the bottom of several plastic food containers. Spread them around the sprinkler zone, and then time how long it takes for the water to reach the one-inch mark. Water your lawn for that length of time when it shows signs of thirst.

After you've mastered your watering technique, there are a few basic rules to remember to make your grass as resilient and green as the fairway.

* Fertilize about a month after the lawn starts growing and about a month before the lawn goes dormant.

* Mow according to your grass type: Cool-season grasses bluegrass and fescue should be cut at 2.5 to 3 inches. Warm-season grasses bermuda and centipede should be cut at 1 to 2 inches, except St. Augustine grass, which should be cut at 3 inches.

* Follow the John Deere One-Third Rule. Mow often enough to cut only the top one-third of the grass blades.

* A half-inch layer of thatch is good and helps hold moisture; more than that can block the movement of air, water and nutrients into the soil and smother a lawn.

Finally, put the finishing touches on your lawn to create the manicured look of the tee and to form your own "rough" in the natural areas in your yard. These final touches make a big difference, but they can take a lot of time and energy. That's where the right equipment comes into play.

By using a specially-designed mulching mower deck, you can chop grass cuttings into tiny pieces and blow them down into the turf where they disappear. Since grass is 85 percent water, the clippings break down quickly and release about 20 percent of their nitrogen to feed the root system. Besides adding to the health of your lawn, mulching saves time by eliminating the need to collect, bag or dispose of grass clippings.

A power tool will redefine the edges with a vertical blade. By tilting the blade a little, you can achieve that bevel edge that not only gives a professional touch, but also slows the future encroachment of the grass. Use a trimmer to level spikes of tall grass and to remove weeds from hard-to-reach areas.

"String" trimmers actually use a monofilament line to cut long grass and whip weeds along walls, under fences and at the garden's edge. Many models can be equipped with a brushcutter blade for heavier cutting jobs. For a neat look after the hard work is done, use a handheld blower to clear debris from sidewalks, driveways and garden beds.

So yes, with a little extra work and the right equipment, your lawn can look like a tournament-ready course. Celebrate your achievements by hitting the links yourself.

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