Well, as usual I wasn't very thorough in my answer. First, the amount of watering turf needs is dependent on the amount of rain that occurs, the type of soil (clays tend to have good water rentention), and temperature (affects water loss to evaporation). Observation of the turf (is it showing signs of water stress--dry blades, browning, etc.) will be the key to watering. In Spring and Fall, temperatures are usually lower and rainfall more aboundant so less watering will be needed. Second, the same 1" per app per week rule(to keep it from dying during dry periods) should also be sufficient for your fescue (fescue is more deep rooting than KBG and can reach water that is deeper in the soil). Others will correct me if I'm wrong in regard to fescue. Once again, deeper watering "trains" grass to deeper root, makes for a sturdier turf (won't tear up ealily) and makes it less suceptable to drought. I am not aware of any study that has definitively reported how much water turf needs on a daily basis--probably because of the variables. If you can aford to water on a daily basis, I suppose it's moot. Hopefully someone will give you advice on any detriments to daily watering.

Good so you have a good root system. Now all you need to do is stretch out the watering. Start by skipping one water cycle and see how the grass goes. If you already know it can't make it, then double your watering time and try it. Are you interested in taking over and letting your lawn service go? If you are in reasonable physical condition, it is not that hard to apply fertilizer. Most people simply don't know when to apply or how to diagnose issues. We can help you learn that. Here are the very basics of lawn care - I call it Lawn Care 101. You can get a lot more into it but if all you do is this, you won't have many issues to deal with. Basics of Lawn Care After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct. Watering Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in Las Vegas your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week. Mowing Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush. One last exception is Kentucky bluegrass. The experts mow it at 3.5 inches (one notch below the highest setting). Fertilizing Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it. If you are using chemical fertilizers, too little is better than too much. If you are using organic fertilizers, it is the other way around. At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide.

Hi Gigi!! i am really excited to see what blooms these little guys produce!! They say it takes a few years to see inflos, but I'll keep my fingers crossed!! Keep trying on the twirling!! I have been doing this on and off ( when I think about it). And have one Seedpod developing on my Jackie!! It's growing nicely and I might see another on a special variety.. But I don't want to jinx myself to say right now!! I'll let it get bigger before I let my breath out!! ;-) Here is Jackie that I hand pollinated.. And a picture of the Seedpod!! Dupefl.... I also think Gina has similar traits as J-105. Im Sure they have some of the same DNA since most of those varieties are from seedlings from Penang Peach over in Thailand.. But my thoughts were the same as yours. I believe they are closely related!! They are both beautiful with the dark coloration and the reflexed white border on the petals.. Have a great day!! Laura

I swear nobody around here has heard of core aerating. I want to move there! Far too many people here think it is a panacea and solution to hard soil. Instead of clinging to that crutch, try this. Spray shampoo at a rate of 100 cc per 100 square meters. Your English is so good I'm going to assume you're a Yank living overseas. That converts to 3 ounces per 1000 square feet. Then water 1/2 inch to 1 inch and give it 3 weeks for the magic to happen. Since you're already feeding with organics, it should work quickly. I think your soil test is going to provide the solution. I am often luke warm on soil tests unless you've done all the organic stuff and it didn't work. Something isn't right and I'm going to guess it is salt balance. It could be something worse like too much boron or copper in the soil. The soils in the upper desert of Southern California are too rich in boron to be a good place for plants. Those micro nutrients are good up to a point and then they become a poison. Waiting until May should be fine for fertilizing. Fertilizing early with organics should not have been a big problem. The way they work the microbes would have begun slowly converting the protein into plant food for the plants as needed. Do you reseed the thin areas every fall? If your climate is anything like western Washington, you might be able to seed in the spring and not get summer weeds. How warm does it get in the summer?