Turf Tips
A beautiful landscape takes much work to attain. Cooperation between you and your lawncare professional is necessary for your lawn to be as healthy as it can be. Here are a few ways that you can help your landscape reach its maximum potential.
Height of Cut
The height at which you choose to mow is vitally important to maintaining a healthy lawn. Mowing too high can cause the grass to lay over, leading to poor aesthetic quality and increased disease pressure. Mowing too low can cause undue stress on the grass while allowing room for weeds to encroach. The height of cut for your lawn should be 3 to 4 inches.
Watering
Appropriate water volume is a key component to maintaining a healthy lawn. Too little water will cause your lawn to wilt, turn brown, and eventually die. Too much water can cause the plant roots to remain near the surface, thus making it less resilient to stressors such as disease and heat. Please inquire about our irrigation system audit if you need help setting up an appropriate watering schedule for your lawn.
Lawnmower Maintenance
Maintaining you lawnmowing equipment is essential in keeping a vibrant lawn. Poor cut quality from a dull lawnmower blade can lower the overall health of your lawn and reduce its aesthetic value. A sharp lawnmower blade will provide a clean cut and reduce disease occurrence. Please inquire about our blade sharpening service and off-season maintenance if your equipment is in need of repair or rejuvenation.
Fertilization
Fertilization is the most important element in lawn maintenance. A proper fertilization program includes both a slow-release and quick-release nitrogen source that feeds your lawn evenly throughout the growing season. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are blended together and applied to your turf in order to keep your lawn green and healthy all season long.
Weed Control
Controlling weeds in your lawn is a season-long endeavor. From early spring to late fall, picking the appropriate product and applying it at the right time is the key to maintaining a healthy, weed free lawn. Below are some examples of common weeds in the Midwest.
Nutsedge
Dandelion
Crabgrass
Clover
Grub Control
Grubs can be devastating to a lawn. These beetle larvae chew on the turfgrass roots and can cause massive amounts of damage. Once the damage becomes visible, it’s too late. I view grub control as an “insurance policy,” a way to protect your assets and investment. We suggest annually making the application to ensure that your lawn is safe from harm.
Aeration and Overseeding
Aeration and overseeding is the cornerstone of a healthy, weed-free lawn. Aeration creates a space for the turf roots to grow while allowing increased water and air infiltration deep into the soil. Overseeding ensures that any open spaces in your lawn are filled by a desirable variety of turfgrass – not weeds. These processes are most effective in the fall but can be done in early spring as well.
Growth Regulation
Growth regulator is commonly used in the golf course industry to reduce mowing frequency. We can use this on your lawn in the same manner to reduce the time that you spend weed eating. Regular applications can be made to fence rows, flower bed edges, and building surrounds to reduce the growth rate of those areas that need to be regularly trimmed.