Horticulture Hotline 05/27/19
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
If you like the fragrance of magnolias and gardenias, what a
great time of year to work in the yard or take a walk. Two weeks ago, I was
smelling the thick intoxicating smell of banana shrubs, and now, the clean
smell of the gardenias and magnolias. Stopping to smell the roses is great.
Stopping to smell the magnolias and gardenias is underrated, a Lowcountry gem
and should be done more often!
Watering your yard is at the crucial stage now. Driving
around and walking my 16 year old pound hound – Ol’Boy, I have seen grass that is
not going to come back even with rain. Weeds are moving into these drought
stressed areas. Wetting agents will help you water more efficiently and lower
your water bill.
When I am out and about, I hear myths about landscaping
topics that have been around for decades (that I know about) that just are not
true.
1. Myth
– Do not water in the middle of the day or you will burn your grass. Another
version – If you water in the middle of the day, the water drops will act like
a magnify glass and burn your leaf blades.
Have you ever experienced the “splash
and dash” (Bill Walsh lingo) rain shower? The Florida Shower? The Houston (if
you don’t like the weather, wait 30 minutes) rain? The New Orleans soaking?
These showers all come in very hot climates during the middle of the day and
have never burned up anyone’s lawn. Before a water drop could get hot enough to
burn the leaf blade of the grass, the water drop would evaporate.
With brand new sod it is
sometimes good to water in the middle of the day to cool the sod down and to
keep the humidity level high around the leaf blade so the new grass is not
trying to pull moisture from the roots that have just been severed.
A reason to hold off watering
during the middle of the day is you would lose more water to evaporation. More
water would go up into the air and less would go into the ground for your
landscape. The wind is usually blowing more during the day as well. The wind
could affect the efficiency of your irrigation system (coverage) and could also
increase the evaporation of your water.
2. Myth
– If I cut my grass short, I will not have to cut it as often.
Not true if you believe the
research that says only remove a third of the leave blade at a time. Say you
had grass “X”. You mow at 2 inches. It grows to 3 inches then you mow it to 2
inches. So you should mow every time that grass “X” gets to 3 inches tall.
If you go by the myth and decide
to mow it at 1.5 inches so you have to mow less, then when it grows to 2.25
inches you should mow. So if you believe in the one third rule, if you cut at
1.5 inches the grass should be mowed again after 0.75 inches of growth vs the 1
inch of growth if you mow at 2 inches.
