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Delta Bluegrass: Sod Farming By the Pros for the Pros Growing green, 2000 acres of it, in northern California From "Dirt On Gardening" episode DDOG-113

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Irrigation management is key whether your lawn is 1 acre or 2000.

Tips from a Professional on Maintaining a Healthy Lawn

Ed Zuckerman says his best tip for maintaining a healthy lawn is good irrigation management. Over-watering is one of the more common mistakes made in lawn care, and it's a mistake that is also costly and wasteful of a vital natural resource.

Ed also advises caution when it comes to mowing your lawn. Cutting too much can cause damage. He recommends cutting frequently enough that you only need to remove one third of the total blade height in any one mowing. So, for example, if the grass is three inches high, cut back only the top inch of blade height.

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Figure A

Lawn Fertilizer Tip

Fertilizing can help keep your lawn looking brighter and healthier with more color, thicker growth and enhanced hardiness. A key ingredient contributing to the lush growth above the ground is nitrogen. When considering a fertilizer to boost the "green" in your lawn, read the numbers on the bag. The first number in the series (figure A) represents the nitrogen content. The other two numbers represent potassium and potash content. For the spring and fall, pick a fertilizer that has a high nitrogen content. In the summer, you might want to switch to a more "balanced" fertilizer with the numbers being closer to equal to one another.

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