At Lawn Love, we provide lawn care services when you need them, but we also offer tips on lawn care so you can handle lawn care like a pro. Climate, grass type, aeration, fertilization, and watering are critical if you want a lush, healthy lawn.
The Escondido Climate
Local climate plays a significant role in how you take care of your lawn, and Escondido's climate can be extreme for plants. The weather in Escondido and all of San Diego is often considered the best in the United States. Temperatures range between 60 and 90 degrees in summer and 42 to 70 degrees in winter. It seldom rains to put a crimp in your plans to enjoy Dixon Lake, San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park or the 3,000-acre Daley Ranch. Escondido only gets 15 inches of rain per year, which compares to a U.S. average rainfall of 39 inches.
There are 266 sunny days per year on average, and most rainfall occurs during the winter months. That means irrigating and watering your lawn and garden in summer is critical. Although Escondido doesn't get extremely hot weather, prolonged periods of dry heat can turn your lawn brown if you don't stay on top of watering it. That might mean installing automated sprinkler systems, watering your lawn and garden manually or irrigating your property from a nearby stream.
Best Grass for Escondido Lawns
Choosing the right type of grass for your Escondido lawn can make the difference between a regular lawn and a spectacular landscape. Escondido has some harsh conditions that include heat and drought. Warm-weather grasses resist heat and drought. These are some grasses that work well in the Escondido area:
Bermuda Grass
Bermuda grass is a warm-season grass variety that does well in lots of sunlight. The grass resists drought, insects, high traffic and salt. The optimal height to set your mower blades is 2 inches.
Zoysia Grass
Zoysia grass tolerates salt and drought well. The grass has a coarse texture and deep root system that can keep the grass healthy during prolonged drought conditions. A native of Southeast Asia, zoysia grass is perfect for the climate along California's coast. The grass grows slowly, so you'll save on mowing and watering costs.
Fescue Grass
Fescue is a cool-season grass that does well in moderate-to-hot climates like the weather in Escondido, San Diego. The grass germinates from seed, and the grass grows deep roots in just a few weeks. You should set your mower blades at 2.5 inches and mow when the grass grows one-third higher than its mowed length.
St. Augustine Grass
St. Augustine is very drought tolerant and grows quickly in sunny and mildly shaded areas. Unlike most grasses, St. Augustine grass grows through above-ground stolons. This grass does better with monthly fertilizing and more frequent mowing than other grass varieties. Set your mower blades at a high 3 inches so that you don't damage the stolons, and mow the grass when it reaches 4.5 inches.
Tips for Your Escondido Lawn
Three essential processes can help you enjoy a gorgeous lawn year-round in Escondido: aeration, fertilization, and watering. Each of these lawn chores is critical in maintaining a healthy lawn in Escondido's dry climate:
Aeration
Loosening your soil and creating pockets of air helps your lawn stay green throughout the year. These pockets of air make it easier for water and fertilizer to penetrate the soil and reach the roots of grass, groundcover, flowers, and vegetables. You can aerate your lawn from late winter until late spring in Escondido - as long as the soil is cool and moist.
Fertilization
Fertilizing your Escondido lawn is best done in the spring and fall. Spring fertilization gets your lawn ready for summer when growth is at its peak. Fall fertilization helps to distribute the fertilizer throughout the soil to promote growth in Escondido's year-round growing season.
Watering
Watering sounds simple, but it's vital to ensure that your grass is watered evenly. Some garden and yard plants need more water than grass while others need less water.
At Lawn Love, we offer a range of lawn care services for your Escondido property. We can also help you with information for self-service lawn care. You can schedule any service online in under five minutes, so you're free to spend your downtime enjoying all that Escondido has to offer. Contact us today for a free service quote.
