The following are some of the great resources and information I’ve used living in the DFW area.
Resources:
- Plano Power for small engine equipment like TruCut or Maruyama to all the parts that service those products.
- SiteOne for all my slow release synthetic fertilizer, like Lesco 39-0-0 or 44-0-0.
- Ewing’s for things like Hou-Actinite, the lower cost, higher Fe content version of Milorganite.
- Wells Brothers Farm Supply for more odd things like 0-46-0 (Triple Super Phosphate) or 0-0-50 (Potassium Sulphate) for soil amendments.
- Professional Turf Products (ProTurf), the local Toro dealer that services most of the local golf course mowers in the area. Need an OEM Toro part? Need an overhaul? Need a brand new $100k mower? Want a nice used GM1000? ProTurf is your answer.
- Fannin Tree Farm when you need to buy a tree from really good folks who love trees more than you do.
Clay Soil:
There is a lot of clay soil around here. If you have it, don’t sweat it. Just because you don’t have fertile loam from the Garden of Eden doesn’t mean you can’t have a great looking lawn. The clay is actually an asset because it can hold moisture (precious rainfall or irrigation) much longer than sandy type soils.
The only trick is to remember that it absorbs water very slowly. When irrigating, set up your controller to only water for ~ 5 minutes at a time. Much longer, and your water will simply be running into the street and down the storm drain (like so many of my neighbors). If you need to water a zone for 30 minutes, program a cycle for 5 minutes and then a soak period of 15-20, and repeat until you have 30 minutes of water down. Controllers like the Rachio will do this for you, and water other zones while the first zone soaks.
Trees and Watering:
If you have fairly young trees (less than 30 years old) and it’s 105°F outside, give them some water from the garden hose. DO NOT make a mulch volcano around your trees; that will harm them over time. Instead, spread your mulch out and make a small circular hill around the tree forming a bowl. With your hose, fill this bowl a couple times to water your tree.
Don’t drive a PVC pipe into the ground, this will simply drown your tree. Don’t use water bags either. If they must be used, keep them on for only a day or two, lest they harm the bark. The old man who worked at the nursery where we bought our Live Oaks said that he even waters some of his trees like this when it’s really hot, and they are 3′ in diameter. Water is cheap, your trees are priceless. Keep them watered. They’ll also steal less water from your surrounding grass if they have the water they need.
Watering and the HOA:
There are many areas down here that have an HOA. There are also a lot of areas that use water restrictions. What you may not know, is that often times, you can get a waiver for the water restrictions when you irrigate with a smart irrigation controller! Ask your local HOA about it. If they say no – use logic and reason to show them that you’ll actually use less water than those around you on restrictions!
There are also a lot of areas that use winter-averaging for the calculation of sewer costs. This means that sewer fees are only determined on the amount of water used from November 1st to February 29th. This is important to note because regular irrigation during the spring and summer does not affect your sewer bill. Before you go plodding along on a second water meter project that might cost $3k, make sure winter-averaging isn’t in effect or your ROI will be north of 500 years.
Celsius Herbicide:
God’s gift to southern lawns with weed problems is Celsius herbicide. It’s ~ 1 Benjamin for a 10 oz bottle, but that bottle will last you, and your neighbors, for a decade. The price per application is much cheaper than anything you can get at Lowes, and it works better, too. Lots of weeds means you aren’t using good cultural practices. With good habits, and a great herbicide, your weed pressure will drop every year. This saves you money through less herbicide use.
If you don’t have any yet, do yourself a favor and just get it. Have an accurate $10 scale for measuring it out, and a halfway decent way to spot spray it. Remember: The hotter it gets outside, the better it works. Most herbicides fall over on tough weeds, or can’t be put down above 85°F, which is basically March to September in Dallas.
Put down a quality Pre-m down in late February and again in early September. Use Celsius in the heat of summer, combined with a quality sedge killer like Certainty or Sedgehammer. Glyphosate anything which remains that you are too lazy to hand pull. You’ll be off to the races.