Lawn Care HelpThis may seem like the advice that we are about to give is way off base especially if what you are looking for is a complete detailed run down of procedures regarding lawn care help of your warm season turf grass. Warm season refers to a number of turf varieties such as Bermuda, Zoysia and others that require warm weather in order to break dormancy. The absolute best “drop dead” advice that we can give you is to hire the best turf care company that you can locate in the area where you live. Why hire a specialist to care for my lawn I know is a question that you would like to have us answer for you. Jerry Mosley, who owned and operated GrassRoots Lawncare of Oklahoma, (over 23,000 customers) says it best: “Bermuda and Zoysia are two grasses that are quite easy to grow but very difficult to make them look good”.
So consider hiring a specialist to apply weed and insect control. You can perhaps save a little money if you apply your own turf fertilizer but probably not much. Consider over seeding with Fescue to cover up the fall and winter brown that is just part of having a Bermuda or Zoysia lawn. In Eastern Oklahoma I have observed Perennial Rye wintering over better and staying green far better than even the choicest of the Fescue varieties. In our zone which is 6B the improved Perennial Rye cultivars, I have found through about fifteen years of research, do better in our intense heat and humidity of summer than any of the Fescues that I have tested.  One word of caution: Do not apply fertilizer to Perennial Rye or Fescue after about mid April as sending either variety into the heat of summer in a lush growing condition can lead to disaster. Be sure to set your mower to about three inches in height as lower mowings can cause problems with either one of these cool season grasses. I know for sure that if it was impossible for me to grow one of the cool season grasses in my area that it would be time to research some of the native grasses and see what varieties would thrive. Most people believe that Zoysia and Bermuda are native to the United States but that is far from the truth as Bermuda is native to Africa and Zoysia is from Korea. An excellent native grass for my area is Buffalo Grass as I like its’ tolerance to drought and seldom requires mowing.  Why not consider installing this great native which requires one fourth less water and mowing can be reduced to just a few times during the summer months. In my opinion the best of the Buffalo strains available on the market today is Legacy. Be sure to offer it a full sun environment and good drainage is certainly required as with all turf species. Several traits that make it special are as follows:
Legacy is reproduced by cuttings since it does not produce seed but the small plugs are quite easy to plant and if spaced twelve to eighteen inches apart will cover the lawn area in three to no more than four months. I’m going to plant Legacy in some sunny areas so why not consider following my lead! Should you have drainage problems we would suggest that you apply Turf2Max which will allow water to percolate through the heaviest of clay soils. For more details regarding Turf2Max and the products additional benefits along with application rates please click on the above link.  Should you reside in an area of the country that allows Bluegrass and other cool season species to thrive then in my opinion you are indeed fortunate. No other turf grass can compete with the intense color of Bluegrass especially during early spring and again in the fall. Early flowering bulbs, shrubs and trees appear even more vibrant in color when Bluegrass is added to the picture. Cool season varieties do require the following products and procedures for optimum results:
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