Its almost fall again in Phoenix. Football season started a few weeks ago, baseball season will be wrapping up in a few months and preseason Hockey fires up Sept 21. In parts of the country parents are realizing that their kid outgrew their winter coat over the summer but in Arizona we turn to Google and type “Last 100 degree day in phoenix” and are sorely disappointed. Oh crap, up to a month left of this. We are thinking, last year it wasn’t this hot this late. Here is the data that I found on NOAA and yep it was this hot last year, in fact, my electric bill is actually lower this year than last this month, and I dont have those new age solar thingies on my roof.

FACTS ABOUT 100 DEGREE TEMPERATURES AT PHOENIX

The first occurrence of 100 degrees or higher annually:
Earliest – March 26, 1988
Latest – June 18, 1913
Average – May 13

The last occurrence of 100 degrees or higher
Earliest – September 2, 1904
Latest – October 23, 2003
Average – September 28

The first occurrence of 110 degrees or higher
Earliest – May 8, 1989
Latest – August 9, 1915
Average – June 20

The last occurrence of 110 degrees or higher
Earliest – June 5, 1912
Latest – September 15, 2000
Average – August 10

Average annual number of days with maximum temperatures of 100 of higher 1896-2006: 92
Average annual number of days with maximum temperatures of 100 of higher 1971-2000: 106
Least number of days with maximum temperatures of 100 or higher: 48 in 1913
Greatest number of days with maximum temperatures of 100 or higher: 143 in 1989
Greatest number of consecutive days with maximum temperatures of 100 or higher: 76 in 1993
Average annual number of days with maximum temperatures of 110 of higher 1896-2006: 10
Average annual number of days with maximum temperatures of 110 of higher 1971-2000: 17
Least number of days with maximum temperatures of 110 or higher: 0 in 1911
Greatest number of days with maximum temperatures of 110 or higher: 32 in 2007
Greatest number of consecutive days with maximum temperatures of 110 or higher: 18 in 1974

Highest Temperatures ever recorded in Phoenix
122 June 26, 1990
121 July 28, 1995
120 June 25, 1990
118 July 16, 1925, June 24, 1929, July 11, 1958, July 4, 1989, June 27, 1990
June 28, 1990, July 27, 1995, July 21 2006

Source: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/psr/general/history/index.php?page=100deg

Do you know how much water a lawn needs in the desert?  That question does have more than one answer.  It depends on if you want a green lush lawn or just an alive lawn.  Most recommendations come from the water companies and their watering recommendations are just to keep the turf alive.  Do you really think that all the golf courses just water enough to keep the turf alive?  I dont think so.  I will give my recommendations and I am sure that there will be many that will disagree with me.

Some say that watering Bermuda grass once every three days is good enough.  I use those guidelines when I dont want to have to pay someone to mow my yard when I am out of town.  The turf color suffers and growth is slowed.  I water 6 days a week, skipping Fridays and any day that we get a summer storm.  If you dont want to have to adjust your sprinkler system when it rains you can buy a rain sensor that hooks up to the timer and it automatically skips watering during rain.  This not only saves time it also saves water.  I water before the sun comes out so that the water does not evaporate with the hot summer sun.  I water about 1/3 inch each watering.  You can measure this by using a plastic container placed in the yard during watering.  Set you system to kick on and measure the time it takes to fill the canisters 1/3 inch.  Then set your timer for that time.  Remember each zone can be different, so measure each zone.  For me its 4 min up front and 6 min in the back for each zone.

Mowing and fertilization are both very important to a healthy looking turf. Mowing heights depend on the blend of the Bermuda planted in your turf. A good rule of thumb is that Bermuda grass looks better the shorter it is. Tiff is popular in the Valley and that should be mowed at less than an inch. Most other Bermuda blends should be 1 1/2 – 2 1/4 inches. When mowing never cut off more than a third of the grass blade at a time. I know this means mowing more than once a week, but you want the best looking lawn in the neighborhood dont you?!? The fertilizing is the easy part. Visit a local nursery and get a good quality fertilizer that is made for our desert conditions. Apply it per the directions. Buying from a local nursery instead of a big box store will cost a few extra bucks, but you will notice the difference.

Following these directions in your turf will cut down on the amount of weeds that you gave in your turf. when I get weeds in my turf it is usually purple nutsedge and I just cut the water back by 10% and the nutsedge will die on its own, as long as it has not taken over.

Welcome to Weed Control Guy.com.  We will be posting all kinds of weeds that cover the Phoenix Valley.  Weeds that corrode our neighborhoods.  Noxious thistles that cause HOAs to come knocking.  Got a weed problem?  We’ve got the solution!