News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Having that gorgeous green lawn is a bit of a challenge in Sisters Country. What lies dormant through a lengthy winter and slow transition into spring is then hit with what is usually a hot, dry summer.
Gilbert Porraz of Sisters Rental has long experience in lawn care, and he offers some basic tips to ensure a healthy and attractive swath of the green stuff for your family's enjoyment.
"You probably want to start with dethatching," he told The Nugget.
Dethatching combs out the dead stuff and the overly-dense thatching that is inherent in sod lawns. That allows the grass to breath. Your landscape or yard-care professional can handle the chore for you or you can rent a walk-behind dethatcher and do it yourself as easily as mowing your lawn.
Aeration is another key. An aerator pulls plugs out of the lawn at intervals, which allows water to penetrate to the root system rather than pooling on the surface.
"Most landscapers will tell you the more you aerate, the healthier your lawn's going to be," Porraz said.
Once again, you can have your lawn care pro do the job or do it yourself with rented equipment.
Fertilize with a consistent blend, with the N-P-K (Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium) numbers all the same in the 10 to 16 range (eg. 10-10-10).
"Start with something steady," Porraz said. Later - in midsummer - Porraz recommends hitting the lawn with a fertilizer with a higher nitrogen mix.
"The nitrogen is what gives you that quick green," he explained.
Water is obviously crucial to a healthy lawn and needs to shift through the summer.
"Typically, you want to water in the early morning or in the evening," he said. "And then in the peak of summer you want to water twice a day."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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