As the winter months approach, December 22nd is the first "official" day of Winter, many homeowners might think that lawn care can be put on autopilot here in sunny Southern California until the scorching temperatures return. However, taking the right steps during winter can significantly impact the health and appearance of your lawn come springtime. Here are five crucial winter lawn care tips to ensure your Arizona and California yard remains lush and vibrant throughout the year.

 1. Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn

Aerating your lawn is a vital step in preparing it for the winter. This process involves using an aerator tool to create small holes in the lawn, allowing water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots more effectively. This helps reduce soil compaction and improves the overall health of your grass.

Overseeding, particularly with a winter-hardy grass mix, can fill in any patchy or thin areas of your lawn. This is best done in late fall, before the first frost, to ensure new growth and a robust lawn in the spring. Most of us in the desert have already done this, with early November as the re-opening dates of most country clubs!

2. Fertilize Before the Ground Freezes

Fertilizing your lawn in the fall is just as important as it is in the spring or summer. Choose a fertilizer specifically formulated for fall lawns to provide your grass with the necessary nutrients to stay strong and green. Make sure to apply the fertilizer before the ground freezes so it has time to soak into the soil. Luckily we still have some time before we see freezing temps here.

3. Keep Your Lawn Clean and Free of Debris

Leaves, sticks, and other debris can suffocate your grass and create conditions that lead to diseases and pests. Regularly rake or blow leaves off your lawn, and remove any outdoor furniture, golf balls or putting equipment, toys, or branches. This not only prevents damage to your grass but also makes cleanup easier.

4. Protect and Insulate Your Soil

Adding a layer of mulched leaves or compost to your lawn can provide several benefits. Mulch helps retain moisture, prevents erosion, and insulates the soil from extreme temperature changes. Composting adds essential nutrients like nitrogen back into the soil, promoting healthy growth. Apply these after aerating and overseeding for optimal results.

5. Maintain Your Lawn Equipment and Irrigation System

Winter is an excellent time to service your lawn equipment. Clean and disinfect your tools to prevent the spread of diseases, and winterize any gas-powered equipment by draining the fuel tanks to avoid engine damage. If you have a sprinkler system, ensure it is properly winterized by disconnecting water sources and draining the system to prevent freezing and potential ruptures. If you don't handle the equipment yourself, be sure to have your lawn care technician or gardener stay on top of this.

By following these winter lawn care tips, you can ensure your lawn remains healthy, vibrant, and well-prepared for the upcoming spring season. Whether you live in a region with heavy snowfall or mild winters, these steps will help you maintain a beautiful and thriving yard year-round. For more information, visit https://westcoastturf.com

While the desert temperatures finally start to cool down we will all be enjoying more time outdoors and enjoying the desert lifestyle to the fullest. Golf courses are reopening and luckily the majority are natural grass. But use caution when on artificial turf as there are several hidden dangers you may be unaware of.

1. It can be dangerous to pets and children:

When pet waste is left unattended, it becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and pathogens. These invisible dangers can lead to various health issues, especially if you have little ones and pets who love spending time outdoors and or have compromised health conditions such as asthma, COPD, cancers, and a vulnerable immune system.

2.Chemical exposure:

Chemicals known to be carcinogenic such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds like benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and harmful butadiene have been detected in turf infill made from recycled tires. "Eco-friendly" artificial turf is not a certifiable claim.

3. Heat:

This concern is paramount in the Coachella Valley and surrounding Southern California areas, where temperatures hit 124 degrees this summer. Artificial surface temperatures can get up to 60 degrees higher than natural grass (and have even been measured as high as 200 degrees Fahrenheit on a summer day!) The air at your head height also measures much hotter than the air directly above natural grass surfaces like West Coast Turf. This increases the risk of skin burns and heat illness, not to mention burning the paws of your beloved pets as well.

These are just a few of the reasons that a synthetic artificial turf surface can be harmful to you, your loved ones, your children or grandkids, and even your pets. Please contact us today for your safest option: natural turf from West Coast Turf.

For more information, visit: https://www.westcoastturf.com/

5 Tips To Get Rid of Mushrooms on Your California and Arizona Lawn

Are pesky mushrooms causing imperfections on your perfect California and Arizona lawn? Do you pull them and they seem to return in droves? You're not alone, warm and moist conditions lead to growth of mushrooms (both unwanted and others). Let's learn about ways to combat these from keeping your lawn picture perfect. To get rid of mushrooms in your lawn, you can try these methods:

• Aerate: Improve air circulation and water penetration to reduce moisture.
• Improve drainage: Install a drainage system to prevent water from pooling in your lawn.
• Remove mushrooms: You can mow, kick, or rake them over. You can also pluck them by hand and add a few drops of dish soap and water to their stems to burn the mycelium.
• Use a fungicide: Spray a fungicide on with a hose or sprinkle a powder on the area. Fungicides are meant to kill the mushroom at the root.
• Remove rotting wood: Remove any rotting wood and any tree stumps, as they provide food for mushrooms.
• Dry out the lawn: Fungi can't grow without moisture, so fill in low spots with topsoil and replant with grass or turf.

Mushrooms will grow back as long as there's organic decay in the soil and the area is warm and damp enough. Luckily as temperatures cool, the recurrence of these fungi will decrease, and your lawn will be back to pristine and peaceful. For more information visit https://westcoastturf.com

Overseeding is a rejuvenating process that can breathe new life into your grass. Fall is the perfect time for overseeding, since the soil is still warm from the summer months, and there’s usually a bit more moisture in the air. Overseeding helps fill in bare spots, improves turf density, and enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of your lawn.

Here’s a step by step guide to overseeding your grass in the fall.

1.     Prepare your lawn. Start by measuring it – this is important for calculating how much seed and fertilizer you’ll need. Then mow your lawn shorter than usual for better seed-to-soil contact.

2.     Choose the right seed. Select a high-quality grass seed blend that suits the dry desert climate. Consider factors like sun exposure, soil type, and foot traffic of the area when making your choice.

3.     Seeding – Evenly distribute the seeds across the lawn, paying special attention to thin or bare areas, ensuring thorough coverage. Consider mixing seeds with a starter fertilizer to provide essential nutrients.

4.     Watering – It’s important to keep the soil consistently moist to support seed germination, so water lightly but frequently, ensuring the soil doesn’t dry out. A light watering in the morning is ideal.

5.     Maintenance – Germination can take several weeks. In this time, it’s best to avoid heavy foot traffic in the newly seeded areas. After that, resume mowing and watering as usual.

6.     Fertilization – once grass has reached 2-3 inches, apply a balanced fertilizer to encourage healthy growth.

When to Overseed:

Overseed established bermuda and other warm season lawns from mid-October through mid-November. Temperatures should be less than 65 F at night on a consistent basis or less than 78-83 F during the day. It is not recommended to overseed a bermuda lawn until it has been established for at least 3 months, allowing rhizomes to fully mature.

Winter Lawn Varieties

Perennial ryegrass is the primary grass for overseeding bermuda lawns. Perennial is preferred over annual ryegrass because it is heartier and the blades are darker green, finer, and easier to mow. Annual ryegrass is more likely to stain clothing and walkways.

1. You will want to rent a verticut and set it at the 1/2 to ¾ depth. Take out the thatch and dead material until you are left with approximately ½” of thatch. If you have any more than this it harbors insects, impedes water and fertilizer penetration. If you have a huge thatch buildup you have probably had some watering issues this summer and that directly impacted your drought tolerance.

2. Next you will lower your mowing height one setting and scalp down the leaf tissue. You are not trying to scalp the grass down to the dirt because this will result in a poor stand of grass for next year. You want to save some of the energy of the plant so it can come back strong in the spring. You will drop the height one more setting so you are just below your mowing height from a week ago and get a second scalp on the lawn to clean it up. This often results in the closing of the turf canopy and a second vertical cut is often necessary to open the grass plant back up. Once you have made the second vertical cut, mow up all the clippings and blow off any excess material from the grass. You lawn should have an open canopy so the seed can fall down into the thatch layer.

3. After the lawn has been cleaned up and the yard is clear, it is time to add your starter fertilizer.

4. Get your perennial rye seed and have your spreader calibrated to drop 8-10 pounds of seed per 1000 SF. You will start with the perimeter of the lawn and drop the seed at a ½ rate two directions. I advise having someone follow you while you seed with some paint and mark out where the seed has fallen so you don’t overlap or miss an area. After the edges are complete you will then switch to your rotary spreader and seed the middle of the yard at ½ rate two directions. Again the total rate is 8-10 pounds per 1000 SF so you will be putting out 4-5 pounds at a time. This ensures the grass comes up in corn rows and you have not missed any areas.

5. Turn on your water for 3-4 cycles per day for 5-7 minutes. You are just trying to keep the seed moist throughout the day and free from drying out. This will be the irrigation cycle for the first two weeks until the grass has grown up to an inch. At this point you can gradually reduce some of the daily cycles and get it down to one long cycle early in the morning.

6. At the 10-14 day mark apply your second fertilizer. You should use a balanced fertilizer that will help keep the grass growing and the root system developing.

7. You may be able to mow your grass before the second fertilizer application but if not, you will do it a couple days after it has worked itself into the soil. This is a longer cut and you are just giving the grass a haircut. Ideally this cut will be made to the grass in the afternoon when it has had a chance to dry down a little.

8. At the 3-4 week mark apply your third fertilizer application. You want to do this before we receive our first frost which is generally right around Thanksgiving. This will both get your grass growing and allow the ryegrass to start to tiller and get healthy. If you wait till after the frost you will often lose color in your ryegrass and get yourself stuck behind the 8 ball.

9. You should be mowing 1-2 times per week after the lawn is established and gradually taking it to your desired mowing heights.

10. Most of you will have your lawn up and established a couple weeks before we receive a frost so it is always a good idea to get another fertilizer application down right before this happens, usually in mid November. Use a product that will sustain a good root system and also keep color once the frost hits. On our farm we switch over to Soil Burst 4-4-2 to get the grass winter hardy and maintain good color.

*** It is very important to use the right amount of seed. There are several companies that advertise that you can get 20,000 SF out of a 50 pound bag of seed. If you read the directions on the back of the bag it clearly states this is for the northern states. These labels can sometimes be confusing so be careful.  Make sure you are buying a high quality perennial ryegrass seed with a minimum of 90 percent germination and zero weed seed.***

Video on how to scalp your lawn for overseeding.

Here is a video presentation with MORE info that can answer further questions.

For more information, visit: https://www.westcoastturf.com/

Just as a quality haircut can transform your look, a well-maintained lawn can elevate your home's appearance from average to magazine-worthy. But achieving that lush, green grass isn't just about tossing some seeds and hoping for the best. It requires careful attention to watering, mowing, and selecting the right type of grass.

Timing is Everything

First things first: when should you water and mow your lawn? According to Dani North, a lawn expert at West Coast Turf, the best time to water is early in the morning, between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. This allows your grass to absorb the moisture before the heat of the day sets in. As for mowing, the ideal time is between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. This window ensures the grass is dry enough for a clean cut, avoiding the risk of creating an unkempt appearance or damaging the blades.

If mornings aren't feasible, the second-best time to mow is between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Mowing during these times helps avoid the peak heat of midday, which can stress the grass and lead to burning.

Seasonal and Regional Considerations

Your lawn’s needs also depend on your location and the type of grass you choose. In cooler regions like Northern California to New Jersey, cool-season grasses such as tall fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass thrive. These grasses should be kept between 2 to 3 inches for optimal health. Conversely, warmer areas from Southern Arizona to North Carolina are better suited to warm-season grasses like Bermuda and St. Augustine. Bermuda grass, for example, prefers to be kept between a quarter inch and three-quarters of an inch.

Choosing the Right Grass

Selecting the right type of grass for your region is crucial. For drought-tolerant options, Bermuda grass is a top choice in Southern California, where North resides. It's durable and requires less frequent mowing—about every two weeks. In contrast, cool-season grasses like tall fescue need more water but are still resilient.

To simplify your grass selection process, North suggests using TheRealCaliforniaLawn.com to find local growers who offer grass varieties suited to your area.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Be sure to avoid mowing in the evening or at night, as open cuts in dark, damp conditions can leave grass vulnerable to disease. Also, avoid watering during the hottest part of the day, as this can lead to water loss through evaporation and stress the plants further.

By understanding the best times to water and mow and choosing the right type of grass for your region, you can achieve a lawn that not only looks great but thrives throughout the seasons. Happy mowing!

For more information visit https://www.westcoastturf.com/