Lawn Care Tips for the Los Angeles Area
The sheer size of the Los Angeles area and the varied microclimates that you’ll find there—cooler temperatures and moist air close to the ocean, dry and hot in the desert and valleys—means you’ll be hard-pressed to find one-size-fits all advice for taking care of your lawn. But there are some general tips that apply to most in the LA-area that are worth noting.
Water
Of course, the most important thing to know when you live in an area that gets a lot of heat is how much and how often you should be watering. In LA, of course, you also have to consider how to minimize your water use and comply with local regulations concerning watering lawns.
Watering every day isn’t necessary in any climate, and three days per week is plenty for most lawns. If it has been particularly hot, you may want to stretch it to four times a week, but watering your lawn more than this may actually promote diseases that thrive on excess moisture. Lawn care experts generally recommend watering early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the hottest part of the day, and keeping it short—no more than four or five minutes at a time, a few times throughout your watering day.
Mowing
You might have heard that raising the blade on your lawnmower is a good way to keep your grass healthy, and this holds especially true for a hot climate like Los Angeles. Longer blades of grass shade the soil from the hot sun and slow down the evaporation of moisture.
Instead of collecting grass clippings into bags, use a mulching mower and just leave them where they land. This helps restore nitrogen to the soil and acts as organic mulch.
Additional Tips
Common types of lawn grass in Los Angeles include Bermuda grass, fescue, and centipede grass. These vary in the amount of care and attention needed to keep them looking good. Depending on the type you have, you may need to use fertilizer as often as once a month or as seldom as once a year. Fall is the best time to apply fertilizer, before the cooler temperatures of winter set in, and this is also a good time to re-seed any bare patches.
Caring for your Los Angeles-area lawn doesn’t need to be a huge hassle. Follow these tips and you’ll enjoy a green lawn year-round.