Spring lawn care and turf-free options – Standard-Times

Allison Watkins, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Published 11:16 a.m. CT May 8, 2020

A healthy thick green lawn can provide lots of enjoyment and beauty to the home. Not every home needs a lot of turfgrass though.(Photo: Getty Images)

Lawns are one of the important foundations of most home landscapes, along with trees and shrubs.

A healthy thick green lawn can provide lots of enjoyment and beauty to the home. Not every home needs a lot of turfgrass though, and turf-free landscapes are becoming more and more popular.

Lawns tend to require the most labor and inputs in an average landscape, so reducing the total amount of turfgrass can be a good idea. But lawns dont have to be an enemy to the environment; efficient irrigation, good species selection, proper soil management and good lawn care practices can reduce the need for water, fertilizers and pesticides.

Its all about balance the Earth-Kind method would include all of the above, and also recommends reducing the total amount of turfgrass to about one-third of the yard area. The other two-thirds can include things like planting beds, groundcovers, shrubs, decks, pathways, etc. Besides requiring less labor and inputs, these features can make the yard more inviting, interesting and functional.

A turf-free landscape is a good option for those that dont need turfgrass.

There are lots of options that can help create a beautiful green, lush yard that conserves natural resources and doesnt require weekly mowing; and it can be done in a well-designed, attractive way.

Sprinklers should not throw a fine mist, but large droplets that make it through the air and into the soil.(Photo: rvbox, Getty Images)

Try an internet search such as lawn free landscaping to get visual ideas and inspiration. Flagstone pavers with small groundcover growing in between, more beds for perennials and edibles, and turf-alternatives such as mondograss or native grass mixes are just a few of the many ideas and options.

For those that do want to maintain a healthy stand of turfgrass, mowing and irrigation are some important tasks to focus on this time of year.

Frequent, correct mowing and proper irrigation have the biggest impact on the lawn staying dense and keeping out weeds.

Mow at the correct height (about 0.5 inch for hybrid bermudagrass, 1 inch for common bermudagrass, and 2.5 inches for St. Augustine), often enough so that no more than 1/3 of the height of the grass is removed at once.

Allison Watkins(Photo: San Angelo Standard-Times)

Water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep rooting. One inch of water, once per week is sufficient in the hot dry part of summer, and once every two or three weeks is enough when its cooler in the spring and fall. Use an efficient irrigation method and consider converting sprinkler nozzles to a more efficient type if needed, such as a multi-stream nozzle. Sprinklers should not throw a fine mist, but large droplets that make it through the air and into the soil.

Allison Watkins is the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent for horticulture in Tom Green County. Contact her at aewatkins@ag.tamu.edu.

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Spring lawn care and turf-free options - Standard-Times