As we approach Thanksgiving it is a good time to start thinking about your winter fertilizer program. In past blogs I talked about getting down a few fertilizer applications prior to the first frost of the year. In general we will receive our first frost sometime between Thanksgiving and the first week of December. The first couple of frosts are usually pretty mild, but as we get deeper into December we will get some hard freezes which will start to affect your roots. Once we get frost all the way down to the roots it makes it tougher for the plant to take up fertilizer so foliar applications generally provide the best response.

For those unfamiliar with why plants freeze let me provide you with a simplistic definition.  Water vapor condenses into liquid water and forms ice as the temperature drops at or below 32 degrees. Temperatures on the ground are typically cooler than the air just a few feet above the ground surface. On a clear, calm night with no little wind the cold air sinks to the ground level and while the thermometer may not read 32 degrees or lower, the ground temperature is below freezing. You will notice that when there is a heavy cloud cover there is typically no frost. This is because the grass does not need to emit as much radiation because the clouds reflect the radiated heat. On a cloudy day dew will form on the ground making it very unlikely that frost will form on the ground.

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Pets are as much a part of our families as our kids, and keeping them happy is important. Do you know what makes for a happy dog? A beautiful lawn!

Did you know that putting in grass has been shown to reduce ground temperatures by as much as 30 degrees? We continually see a trend for people to use rocks in their yards because they don’t like the perceived maintenance of a yard.  In this day and age it is important to think about the environment. Sod cleans the air and helps recharge our groundwater supplies. Turfgrass is one of nature’s finest and least expensive filters, and works to improve the environment.  The front lawn of just 8 homes has the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning. Just think how happy you and your pets would be to walk around during the summer months if everyone had natural grass in their yard.  You can have a beautiful lawn and be responsible if you water wisely.  Grass doesn’t waste water–people waste water.

Keep your dog cool–put in real grass!

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With the rising temperatures we have quickly entered the best time of the year to plant sod. I’m sure a few of you just read the first sentence and thought that I was crazy since we’re hitting 105-110 degrees most days. Warm season turf is so well adapted to this type of weather that establishing a lawn during the summer is a simple process with the right prep work and follow up. I’m going to outline some simple cost effective steps for those looking to put in a lawn this summer.

Living in the desert we all know that water is scarce so we want to do our best to preserve it and not overuse it. One of the best water saving tips is putting in an automatic sprinkler system. Before I proceed I will tell you that I don’t recommend putting in a new lawn without one. A good sprinkler system will allow you to put out the correct amount of water in a given period of time and will help eliminate waste.

BOBSod does very well during the hot summers.

Setting up a manual sprinkler or hose is inefficient, time consuming, and most of all it is very tough to gauge the amount of water you actually put out. Before putting in an irrigation system you should by a small gauge to check your homes water pressure. Knowing how much water pressure you have will determine how many sprinklers can be on each valve. Depending on the area you will be watering you may need a couple to several valves to correctly operate your irrigation system. Most sprinkler systems are set up with a valve that controls the drip lines to the plants and then a valve for each section of the turf. A home with 1000 square feet of turf will typically have two valves to control the lawn. If you have very low water pressure you will probably need to add a third valve so less sprinklers are running at one time.

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At this time of the year there is not a warm season grass that is going to have time to root into the ground without having ryegrass to help it establish itself into the soil.  We are just beginning to get into the season of having cool nights and mild days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put down sod.  Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone seems to be asking the same questions about their lawns about now.  Here are the questions, and my answers.  I’ll do my best to help you have the healthiest lawn in the neighborhood! Read the rest of this entry »

With baseball’s Opening Day quickly approaching, we thought this piece that ran on FOX was worth a repeat!  Check out our own “Mr. Wise Grass” Jay Danek talking about BOBSod–the official turf of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chase Field.  What better way to start out your spring than with a new earth cooling BOBSod lawn?! Read the rest of this entry »

I am often asked what is the best grass to put in a home lawn.  The answer is that there’s not one grass that will be perfect for every situation or house.  There are so many different types of sod, and there’s a grass for every situation whether you have shade, sun, high salts, etc.   I am going to go over some of the most popular types of grass used in Arizona and California to help aid in your decision process. Read the rest of this entry »

BOBSod TAKES LAWNS BIG LEAGUE!

I am up a little early this Saturday morning preparing for a huge day of college football.    I am also fielding several calls and e-mails about our BOBSod from the special that aired on FOX 10 last night.  People get excited about their lawns, and their ability to have what the D-backs have on their own lawns.  You can click on the photo above to check out the piece for yourself…..

Let me tell you a little bit about the BOBSod, Read the rest of this entry »

Well it is mid October, and as we all know that means–overseeding season!  It’s what we Mid-Westerners call the “best time of year,” and the best time to look at grass.  We all know how beautiful the ryegrass looks during the winter months, but let’s take a step back and touch on how to get the perfect lawn in Arizona….. Read the rest of this entry »