Posts Tagged ‘Phoenix sod’

Tips for Spring Lawn Care in Phoenix, Arizona

Thursday, April 20th, 2023

Springtime in Phoenix, Arizona, is an excellent time to give your lawn the care it needs to thrive throughout the year. With proper lawn care, you can ensure that your lawn is healthy, lush, and vibrant. Here are some tips for spring lawn care in Phoenix to help you achieve a beautiful lawn.

Begin with a soil test

Before you start any lawn care activities, getting a soil test is essential. A soil test will tell you your soil’s pH level and the nutrients it lacks. In Phoenix, Arizona, the soil is typically alkaline, with a pH range of 7.0 to 8.5. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that the soil’s pH is between 6.0 and 7.5. You can purchase a soil test kit at your local garden center or have your soil tested professionally. A soil test will help you determine what fertilizers to use and how much water your lawn needs.

Aerate your lawn

Phoenix, Arizona, has a desert climate, which means the soil is often compacted. A compacted soil makes it difficult for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass. To fix this problem, you should aerate your lawn. Aerating involves removing small plugs of soil from your lawn, allowing air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the roots more easily. You can rent an aerator or hire a professional to do it for you.

Dethatch your lawn

Thatch is a layer of dead grass and debris that accumulates on the surface of your lawn. Too much thatch can prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots of your grass. You can remove thatch from your lawn by using a dethatching rake or a power dethatcher. A power dethatcher will do the job much faster than a rake, but it can be expensive to rent or buy.

Fertilize your lawn

Fertilizing your lawn is crucial to its health and growth. In Phoenix, Arizona, it’s best to use a slow-release fertilizer that will provide your grass with a steady supply of nutrients throughout the growing season. Choose a fertilizer with low nitrogen and high potassium content, as this will help your grass tolerate Phoenix’s hot, dry climate. You should apply fertilizer to your lawn in early spring when your grass begins to green up. Be sure to follow the fertilizer package instructions and not over-fertilize your lawn.

Water your lawn deeply

Phoenix is known for its hot and dry climate, so watering your lawn is crucial. You should water your lawn deeply and infrequently, allowing the water to penetrate the soil deeply. Watering your lawn too frequently can lead to shallow root growth, making your grass more susceptible to drought and disease. It’s best to water your lawn in the early morning or late evening when the temperature is cooler, and there’s less evaporation.

Mow your lawn regularly

Mowing your lawn regularly is essential to keep it healthy and looking good. When you mow your lawn, you should never cut off more than one-third of the grass blade. Cutting too much grass at once can weaken your grass and make it more susceptible to disease. You should also keep your mower blades sharp to ensure a clean cut.

Control weeds

Weeds are a common problem in Phoenix, Arizona, but you can control them by using a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring. A pre-emergent herbicide will prevent weeds from germinating and taking root in your lawn. If you already have weeds in your lawn, you can use a post-emergent herbicide to kill them. Be sure to follow the instructions on the herbicide package, and avoid using too much, as it can harm your grass.

Consider overseeding

Overseeding is the process of planting grass seed over your existing lawn. It’s a great way to fill in your lawn’s thin or patchy areas and promote healthy growth. In Phoenix, Arizona, it’s best to overseed your lawn in the fall, but you can also do it in the spring. Be sure to choose a grass seed that’s well-suited for Phoenix’s hot and dry climate.

Hire a professional

If you don’t have the time or expertise to care for your lawn, consider hiring a professional. A lawn care professional can help you with everything from fertilizing and watering to mowing and aerating your lawn. They can also advise you on the best lawn care practices for your specific needs.

Take care of your equipment

Finally, it’s essential to take care of your lawn care equipment. Sharpen your mower blades regularly to ensure a clean cut, and clean your equipment after each use to prevent rust and corrosion. Also, be sure to store your equipment in a cool, dry place during the off-season.

In conclusion, you can have a beautiful and healthy lawn in Phoenix, Arizona with proper care and attention. Following these tips lets you keep your lawn looking its best throughout the year. Remember to start with a soil test, aerate and dethatch your lawn, fertilize and water it properly, mow it regularly, control weeds, consider overseeding, hire a professional if needed, and take care of your equipment. With these steps, you’ll have a lawn that’s the envy of your neighborhood.

Evergreen Turf offers a wide selection of sod grass varieties perfectly suited for Arizona’s climate. Whether you wish to sod a small play area for the family or an entire golf course, Evergreen Turf can help you make it happen. Contact us today.

What is the Difference between Grasses and Weeds

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022

Here at Evergreen Turf, we get a lot of questions from people about home lawns and gardens. One question that is asked is, “What is the difference between grasses and weeds?”

Let’s look at an example of why this question gets asked. Let’s say you have a beautiful lawn that is comprised of St. Augustine sod. But then one day you see a few spots on your lawn where weeds are coming through. The species doesn’t look like the same type as the sod you use in your lawn, but it does look like grass. Upon further inspection, you determine that it’s bermudagrass.

You see, bermudagrass is a plant that, like St. Augustine sod, is commonly grown as turfgrass, but it also can be an invasive weed in certain situations. That’s why people ask what the difference is between grasses and weeds.

Related: Weed Control in St. Augustine Grass

The Primary Difference Between Weeds and Grass

The first thing you should know is that weeds are a general term for plants that grow in unwanted areas in a lawn or garden. This means that any plant you don’t want growing in your lawn or garden is a weed. Weeds come in different shapes and sizes, and many different types of plants including flowers and invasive grass species can be considered weeds.

There are two main categories of weeds—broadleaf weeds (dicots) and grassy weeds (monocots). Broadleaf weed examples are purslane, spurge, and dandelions. Grassy weed examples are crabgrass, goosegrass, and the hard to kill nutsedges.

On the other hand, grass is simply a category of plants. Scientists refer to them as belonging to the Poaceae family of plants. You can easily distinguish grass from other plants by their tender green stems compared to other plants that have woody stems that sprout out branches and from those branches, sprout out the leaves and flowers.

According to Britannica, “With more than 10,000 species, the grass family, Poaceae, is one of the largest families of flowering plants. Its members are monocotyledons and feature leaves with parallel veins; the flowers are usually wind-pollinated. Many grasses are cultivated as ornamental plants and for lawns, and several are staple cereal crops.” Check out their list of some of the major species in this family, which include Bermuda grass, Rye and others popularly used as grass for home lawns.

If you’re looking for grass for your home lawn, check out our varieties of sod that grow well in Arizona, including Midiron, Tifway 419, Tifgreen 328, TifGrand, Palmetto St. Augustine, and TifTuf. See a description of each one and order now on our website.

So now you know that grass is generally a specific plant from the plant kingdom and weeds are a general term for plants that grow where you don’t want them to grow.

Fun Facts About Grass

As we have mentioned, there are over 10,000 named species of grass. But did you know that they are also an important part of human life, primarily as a food source? You might be surprised to know that rice, wheat, and other grains are part of this family, as is bamboo.

Grass also cools the general surroundings safely and naturally and improves the air quality around your house. You should also know that a well-kept lawn generally increases the value of a home by upwards of 10%. If you plan to get more value out of your home, you should consider installing a sod lawn.

How to Prevent & Get Rid of Unwanted Weeds in Your Lawn and Garden

Weeds are a nuisance because they disrupt the general beauty and appeal of a well-curated lawn and garden. If not dealt with and removed properly, they can embed themselves firmly and eventually cause damage to your lawn or garden as they grow.

Your first defense against weeds in your sod grass is a healthy lawn. Fertility, irrigation, and consistent mowing are necessary for a thick dense lawn. Thick dense sod will keep weeds from ever getting started in your lawn. Any time your lawn becomes thin or stressed, the sod will begin to lose density and allow room for competition. Weed seeds are opportunistic, sitting idly by until given a little room and a little sunlight to allow them to start growing.

Weeds reproduce primarily from seed. Because most weeds are very prolific seed producers, there is usually an abundance of weed seed in any lawn just waiting for the right conditions to begin growing and competing with your lawn for space. Some weeds however, such as common bermudagrass, reproduce from runners that can grow above ground or below ground. The runners start new plants at intervals, sending down roots and then shoots, potentially taking over an entire area very quickly.

Weed control can be accomplished in two ways;

  1. pre-emergently (before the seeds germinate) or
  2. post-emergently (after the weeds have sprouted and emerged from the ground).

Applications of pre-emergent herbicides must be timed before conditions are right for the weeds to begin germinating. Post-emergent herbicides can be applied anytime after the weeds have emerged, but the younger the weeds the more effective the herbicides will be. Many post-emergent herbicides can damage your lawn if applied at the wrong rate or the wrong time. Please read the directions carefully before applying any chemicals to your sod grass lawn.

For more information on how to properly care for your sod lawn, check out our lawn care section of our website.

To purchase sod in Phoenix and Tucson, check out our sod varieties and order now.

Evergreen Turf: Exclusive Arizona sod supplier of MiniVerde bermudagrass

Friday, July 16th, 2010

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Evergreen Turf, your Arizona sod producer, is proud to be the premier supplier of MiniVerde Ultradwarf Bermudagrass in Arizona and California. MiniVerde Bermudagrass was designed specifically for high-stress golf course greens and has received praise from golf course superintendents and golfers alike.

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Evergreen Turf Knows How to Improve Curb Appeal with Arizona Sod

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

If you’re trying to sell your house, there are several things you can do to make your home stand out and be the shining star on your block. Your front lawn is a key element to the overall feel of the house. It’s vital that it appeals to potential buyers in such a way that they can visualize their children playing in the yard. This means removing certain personal items such as lawn gnomes and wind chimes from your front lawn. A quick and easy way to instantly improve the curb appeal of your home is to install sod in Arizona. (more…)