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!