Groundsman's job is more than watching the grass grow

Dave Vander Heyden never takes a day off when it comes to his lawn. He waters it every day, weather permitting, mows it almost as often, and spends five days a week, often from early morning until dark, working in it.

Of course, Vander Heyden's lawn isn't your typical stretch of suburban turf.

He's the grounds manager at Raley Field, home of the River Cats baseball team. His 2 1/2-acre lawn gets a lot of wear and tear with about 70 home games each year. Add hours of practice before each game, 15 or 20 senior-level games by other teams and a smattering of concerts at the field, and you'll understand his obsession with his lawn.

His turf is a combination of a hybrid Bermuda grass called Tifway, overseeded every autumn with chaparral rye. The rye grass provides green color when the Bermuda is dormant, Vander Heyden says, and, depending on the weather, lasts until late July or early August when the Bermuda grass takes over.

Because his lawn is bigger than most and comes with a grounds crew that can number as many as 20 people, Vander Heyden has learned a few things about turf.

"You want a healthy, thick lawn that discourages weeds. We get the occasional clover, but for the most part we have few problems with pests or weeds," he says.

Nationwide, there are about 80 million home lawns, says Bruce Augustin. He's the chief agronomist and senior director of environmental agronomy for the Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.

"It's easy to lose sight of the benefit of lawns," he says, "but consider this: Lawns add property value, perhaps $3,500 to $5,000. Multiply that by thousands of homes in a community. They also knock air temperatures down in summer, reducing the need for air conditioning."

So how can the average homeowner have a healthy lawn?

"The first thing I tell homeowners is to mow their grass as high as their lawn mower will allow," Augustin says. "It's a myth that mowing a lawn short saves water. Put the blade at the highest setting, and you'll have more growth on top and a deeper, more extensive root system. An extensive root system is important in being water smart. The bigger the root system, the more those roots can explore the soil bringing nutrients to the plant."

The bottom line, Augustin says, is to not mow off more than one-third of the height. "If you set the mower blade at 3 inches, then mow when the lawn gets to 4 inches. Use a mulching mower, or return the clippings back to the lawn."

The clippings to the lawn won't cause thatch, he says. "Thatch hardly exists anymore. Today's new lawn species contain so much water they don't contribute thatch, and secondly, people aren't fertilizing like they did (in the) '50s, '60s and '70s, so there isn't as much stem being produced."

Keep the mower blade sharp, Vander Heyden says. Dull blades tear grass. Sharp blades cut them.

Next on the list is water. Most people water their lawns too much, Augustin says. A lawn uses between one-tenth and two-tenths of an inch of water a day under hot, sunny conditions, he says. "Multiply that by 7, and that's how much water the lawn needs each week," he says. "You can apply it weekly or more often." He suggests setting empty tuna cans in the lawn or using a rain gauge to discover how much you're watering.

Let your lawn tell you when to water, Augustin says. He uses this rule: "If you look at a blade of grass, no matter what species of grass, the blade lies flat. As the plant loses water, the blades begin to fold up and some curl a bit. Sometimes it gets a blue cast to it. That's the time to water."

Vander Heyden watches the way his lawn recovers after he walks across it. "The blades of grass should start coming back up immediately. They shouldn't just lie flat after you've walked across the lawn."

Ideally, you want to water in the morning, Vander Heyden says. During the heat of the day, much of your water will be lost to evaporation, especially if it's windy.

Lawn aficionados separate into two camps when it comes to fertilizing. Some prefer conventional fertilizers, citing their ease of use, while others prefer the organic method. Augustin says the key is to fertilize, no matter what method you prefer.

"Most agronomists recommend that you fertilize your lawn four times a year. But it's like the 'apple a day keeps the doctor away.' People don't do it. Our studies show half the people don't fertilize at all, another 10 percent use a lawn service, and the remainder fertilize 1.6 times a year."

Beware of putting too much nitrogen on your lawn, Vander Heyden says. "Sure, it makes the blades deep green, but all you're doing is pushing leaf growth, and the grass can't sustain that forever. You want healthy grass and a healthy root system."

If you're wondering about the pattern of stripes Vander Heyden creates when he mows, it's because he mows each strip going in a different direction.

"The light-colored stripe is made when the blades of the grass point away," he says, "and the dark-colored stripe means the blades are pointing toward you."

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