1. How much should I water?
 How much you water your lawn depends on your lawn height, soil, sprinkler system, temperatures and climate. The following are some general instructions:
North Spokane,Valley & North Idaho: North Spokane from Wellesley north is sandy soil and requires frequent but not extremely deep watering. In fact in warm weather 65-78 degrees water at least 3-4 times a week, 78-86 degrees at least 4-6 times a week, and in 86 degree and above at least 5-7 times a week and in some cases more than once a day is needed. Deep watering in general is a waste in sandy soil. Don’t send the city any extra money! The same is typically true for those of you with rocky river bed soil like in the Valley and Northern Idaho. Shorter duration and greater frequency with watering will be most beneficial. So water!
South: South Spokane is generally loamy soil with varying degrees of clay. Deep less frequent watering usually works well. In warm weather 65-78 degrees 2-3 times a week, 78-86 degrees 3-4 times a week, and 86 degrees and above 4-6 times a week. You can use a tuna can to determine how much water your lawn is getting and whether you need to increase or decrease watering duration. With average watering (20-30 minutes per station) you should have at least ½ inch of water in can.
These instructions are all weather dependent, and if there is a consistent rain, watering needs will be less. Occasional rain should not change your watering schedule. Your lawn will let you know when it is not getting enough water. When the turf becomes stressed it is more susceptible to fungus and disease, so it is best to keep a head up on watering.
Please remember these are general recommendations and may not apply to your turf. The information in this letter can help you get the most out of our program and assure the best possible stand of turf despite adverse weather conditions. If you have any questions please ask us as that is part of our service!
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2. What is the best time to water my lawn?
The best time to water is late morning to about mid day, that is 8 am to noon, especially if your lawn is susceptible to moss, fungus or other lawn diseases. Least desirable times are mid-day to late evening or very early morning hours. Too much heat can evaporate water too quickly but more importantly later eve or early am can allow moisture to stand too long and open the lawn up to disease.
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3. Can cutting height improve a turf’s root system?
 Research indicates that taller grass usually indicates a deeper root system. Closely mown grass tends to have a shallow root system making plants more susceptible to hot dry weather. As soon as possible, each spring, mow your lawn short, 1 - 1 ¼ “. This is the 1st mowing it’s ok to scalp your lawn. It cleans it up, gets photosynthesis going, and may help discourage disease. After that though, 2-1/2" to 3" is ideal. Keeping your turf longer especially during warmer temperatures helps with the color, water conservation, and if you mulch, even better. Also in the fall, taper down toward the end of the growning season to the short length again 1 - 1 ¼"
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4. When is core aeration necessary?
 Turf soil should be aerated once a year to help improve air and water flow to the root structure. This will improve the overall health the lawn, loosen compacted areas, clay soils, high traffic areas or persistent moss areas. All lawns will benefit greatly from aeration.
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5. What is the advantage of organic fertilizer?
Organic fertilizer can have benefits in some areas that traditional chemical fertilizers don’t. While good to excellent results from chemical based fertilizer are to be expected with proper application and blending choices, organics have some strong advantages. They can:
- Improve soil over time if used regularly
- Help Balance soil pH
- Fight some diseases and suppress damage from others
- Add natural micro nutrients not present in poor soil
*In our area natural fertilizer can have positive effects on many diseases including necrotic ring spot. Though not a cure, organic based fertilizer can help reduce or even reverse damage. Also, with organic fertilizer other spring and summer diseases such as red thread, helminthosporium and rhizoctonia can be lessened or even eliminated.
*The down side of the organic fertilizer is that it does not always bring the desired color or last long. We have been working with organic for four seasons and have developed a program that brings the benefits of organics with superior color that lasts 6-8 weeks. We include weed control as needed to give a green healthy weed free lawn.
*Our organic program is very popular. With proper watering and mowing the result is excellent over time. We recommend it for anyone, but especially lawns affected by necrotic ring spot, or lawns in clay or sandy soils.
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6. Should I bag my clippings or mulch?
It is best to allow the grass clippings to remain on the lawn. Decomposed clippings will actually add nutrients to the soil. When it comes to mowing don’t procrastinate. Be careful not to remove more than one third of the grass blade at each mowing. Clumping of clippings on the lawn can do potential damage. Whatever you do, be sure to sharpen mower blades regularly.
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7. Is mulch enough?
Your soil needs a good source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus-- either organic or synthetic. Mulch, compost, and lime enhance the plants ability to use these nutrients but do not supply them.
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8. There is moss growing in my yard, what can I do?
Iron sulphate can be applied to limit the spreading for the season, however moss is a symptom of a problem in the turf grass. Some of the problems and ways to alleviate them are:
- Poor drainage - aerate the soil yearly
- Improper soil ph, soil ph should be 6.0 To 6.5 - Sulfur Treatments will help
- Shade - moss usually grows in shady areas trimming lower branches and thinning tree canopies may limit moss development
- Too much water - avoid over irrigation. Unfortunately, you can’t prevent rain.
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9. What do I do for mushrooms?
Mushrooms are feeding off of organic matter in the soil. They tend to be more numerous after rainfall or irrigation. There is no easy way to get rid of mushrooms. Knocking them down as they appear may reduce some of the spores released. You can do this by mowing or knocking them down with a broom or shovel. There are no fungicides available to control mushrooms.
10. How should I prune my plants?
Correct pruning is a shear delight. On the other hand a haphazardly pruned plant can be as unsightly as a bad haircut. Remember these tips before chopping:
- Never prune any spring flowers before they bloom
- Never cut all shoots or stems to the same height
- Never leave short stubs
- Never shear hedges so they are narrow at the bottom
- Never trim a shoot or stem without leaving a bud at the end
- Avoid topping your trees it usually causes growth of suckers
- No more than 30 percent of a mature tree’s foliage should be removed in any one year.
Give us a call, we can recommend someone to do your pruning for you.
11. Why does Living Water Automatically Renew?
It is actually the industry standard in lawn and tree care to automatically renew services each season. Almost all companies do this. We also do not want to forget any of our valued customers. In years past, we have had customers call in and ask if we had forgotten them, because we did not automatically renew back then. It is easier to make sure we do not forget to take care of you and your property if we can keep you scheduled. If YOU have any issues with this practice, we can certainly NOT automatically renew your account without calling you in the early spring.
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