ON THE COVER
What ’ s your lawn care IQ ?
By Glenda Sanders • Contributing Writer Photos by Michael Spears
Lawns do not require much care in the winter , but as spring approaches it is time to think about helping them recover from the cold so they will look healthy and snag “ Yard of the Month ” honors .
Al Davis , owner of Al ’ s Garden & Gift on State Boulevard Extension , offers several tips on the best things to do for a lawn in later winter to make sure it is in good shape for springtime .
“ Don ’ t break out the lawn mower at the first sign of green grass ,” he said .
The best time to start mowing the lawn after winter is when grass is actively growing again .
“ The general indicator will be how tall your grass is ,” he said . “ Most grass cutting heights are between two and three inches . You do not want to cut grass when there is an active threat of frost and temperatures that still may drop below freezing .”
In Mississippi , the most popular turf grasses are centipedegrass ,
Davis
St . Augustinegrass and bermudagrass with zoysiagrass gaining in popularity because of its low maintenance , Davis said .
Each of these grass types has a certain height that allows them to grow at their best and create luscious green lawns .
“ You want to mow often enough so that you remove only one-third of what is there ,” he said .
Bermudagrasses , which are considered high maintenance , should be maintained at about one inch . So , that means to mow when the grass reaches one and a half inches tall , he said .
“ This may mean every third or fourth day on Bermudagrass in June to keep it beautiful ,” he added .
St . Augustinegrass should be maintained at three inches , so mow whenever the grass is four and a half inches tall , Davis said . For centipedegrass , often referred to as the lazy man ’ s grass because of its infrequent need of mowing , the ideal height is from one to two inches . So , cen-
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6 • MERIDIAN HOME & STYLE