When it comes to growing and maintaining a lush, green lawn, don’t fall prey to old wives’ tales and myths. Instead, trust our facts and you’ll be rewarded with a lawn your neighbors will envy.

“You need to water your lawn every day.”

Contrary to what some may think, watering your lawn for 15 minutes a day isn’t doing it any favors; it is only making your lawn water-dependent. It is much more effective to deeply water, for about an hour, once a week.

“The best time to water is at night.”

Watering at night increase the chance for fungus to form on your grass. Watering in the morning is best as temperatures are cooler and there is usually less wind.

“Not bagging grass clippings will increase thatch and kill the lawn.”

Grass clippings are actually super beneficial for your lawn as they protect roots from evaporation and return nutrients back to the soil. Keep in mind, long clippings can clump and lay on top of the grass, but if you mow regularly, only taking about a one-third of the blade off, you’ll be fine skipping the bagging.

“The best time to fertilize is in the spring.”

While this may be true for some grasses, it’s a myth for others. Warm season grasses, your Bahia, Bermuda and Zoysia, like to be fertilized when it’s warm because that’s when they grow best. It’s better to fertilize them in late spring or early summer. Cool season grasses, bluegrass and fescue, do prefer an early spring fertilization routine. Also, keep in mind more than one fertilizer application is usually required, so plan on doing it again in the fall.

“Sowing in the spring is best.”

It’s hard not to want a thick, full, lush lawn as soon as spring finally rolls around but waiting to sow might be best. If it gets hot too quickly in the spring, your seed will be stressed and you’ll end up working the rest of the summer to keep it hydrated. Fall is ideal as temperatures level out and your new growth doesn’t have to compete with as many weeds and crabgrass.

“Cutting the grass short reduces the amount of mowing.”

While short-cropped grass might work for golf courses, you’re setting yourself up for failure if you do this at home. You will not only put your grass at risk for drought but also give weeds more sunlight to grow.

“Wearing spiked shoes aerates your lawn.”

Spiked shoes won’t give your lawn the same aeration that a professional tool will. In fact, you’ll only cover a small area and will likely just further compact the soil.

“You must remove all leaves in the fall.”

Since raking is such a chore, this is the one myth most of us are happy to dispel. While leaving piles of leaves will kill your grass, you don’t have to rake them. Instead, mow over them leaving the chopped up pieces to decompose.

“All grass is the same.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. Experts have developed varieties of grass that thrive in every type of environment. For example, our Mayberry grass seed has several blends that each offer their own benefits. Our proprietary centipede seed stands up to the harshest climates while the sun and shade mix covers your entire lawn, no matter the shade, and provides good disease and insect resistance.

Find our Mayberry seed, along with all of our other lawn care products, online or in a store near you.