MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN


 Lawns require regular water, plant food, mowing and pest control in order to maintain a healthy
 and attractive appearance. Neglecting any one of these practices may result in an unpleasant looking
 area around your home that was once your lawn.
 In the Virgin Islands, because of low and uneven distribution of rainfall, supplementation of
 deficient rainfall with water from another source is often necessary in order to produce a better quality
 lawn. Since supplemental water is a scarce commodity in our islands, conditioning your lawn for
 upcoming dry weather may be beneficial.
 First of all, you should not water your lawn until the grass shows signs of wilt. Spots in the lawn
 that turn color, footprints that remain in the grass long after being made, and leaf blades folded in half
 lengthwise are all indicators that the lawn needs water. When you notice any of these conditions, apply
 enough water to wet the soil thoroughly. Avoid watering the lawn lightly at frequent intervals; this
 causes shallow growth of grass roots and stimulates growth of weeds. Clay soils which are prevalent
 in the Virgin Islands require infrequent, thorough waterings. This enables the root systems to develop
 and grow deeper into the soil. The deeper-rooted the grass, the better conditioned the lawn will be
 to dry weather.
 Understanding plant responses to nitrogen and
 potassium fertilization is helpful in maintaining a healthy-looking
 lawn. Shoot growth is enhanced and root growth reduced by
 excessive nitrogen. Leaf blades become lush as nitrogen
 fertilization increases. Conditioning your lawn for dry weather
 can only be accomplished by applying just enough nitrogen to
 obtain a small but continuous amount of growth.
 Potassium fertilization can help lawn grass increase its
 tolerance to stress. Potassium promotes increased root growth
 and thicker cell walls. Lawn grass requires potassium in nearlythe
 same amount as nitrogen. Other macro and micro-nutrients
 should be kept at recommended levels for optimal growth. An
 annual soil test is helpful for monitoring nutrient levels.
 Do not apply fertilizer, particularly an inorganic fertilizer,
 when the grass leaves are wet Water the lawn immediately after
 Zoysia Grass applying fertilizer to wash the fertilizer off the leaves and prevent
 burning.
 Fertilizer mixtures that contain both organic and inorganic material are beneficial in maintaining
a healthy lawn. For example, organic nitrogen may cost more per unit of actual nitrogen than inorganic
nitrogen, but it releases its nutrient value to the grass more slowly, and thus gives more uniform
stimulation to the grass over a longer period.
 Proper mowing is one of the most important factors contributing to an attractive lawn. It can
"make or break" the lawn regardless of the type of grass or how well it is otherwise maintained.
 Optimum cutting height is determined by the growth habit of the grass and texture (width and
length of leaves). Mowing too lowweakens the grass and causes the sod to thin out, encourages invasion
of weeds, makes the grass more susceptible to pests, and can eventually cause the lawn to die. Mowing
too high produces a ragged, unattractive lawn and encourages build-up of thatch, a layer of plant debris.
 Frequency of mowing is determined by climatic conditions. For example, during the rainy