When Should Homeowners Hire Professionals For Lawn Maintenance
Even if they believe themselves to have a green thumb and think they know everything that there is about how to care for a lawn, there are still several advantages to hiring a professional lawn care service like yours to manage their lawn and garden. Although many individuals assume that DIY lawn work is the best option at first, contacting a lawn care service professional may be the better alternative for a variety of reasons. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of contracting a specialist:
What To Do About: Unsightly Brown Stains
This one is a little more tricky because the spots might be caused by a variety of factors. Grubs or fungus, as well as foot traffic, weed dieback, and dog urine, are all potential causes. So, before you go out and decide on which grass care product and start spreading or spraying it, figure out what the issue is first so you can tackle it appropriately.
Keep Cutting But To The Correct Height
Don’t put that mower away yet. Grass continues to grown up to the first hard frost, and so will need regular cuts to keep it at an ideal 2½- to 3-inch height. If you let it get too long, it will mat and be vulnerable to fungi like snow mold.
Cutting grass too short is just as bad, because it curtails the root systemroot depth is proportional to cutting heightand impedes the lawn’s ability to withstand winter cold and dryness. Regular mowing also gets rid of those pesky leaves, chopping them up and leaving behind a soil-enhancing mulch.
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First Mow Of The Year
The first mow of the year shouldnt be about a specific date but should be determined by the height of your grass. As grass wakes up from its long winter slumber in and starts to grow again in March or April, the first mow will trim off winter damage. Begin with a low cut, use the second lowest setting on your mower, this will allow sunshine to better absorb into the soil. After the first mow, move your setting to the second highest for the rest of the season.
What To Do About: Grubs
You’ll need to take action if you’ve discovered more than a few big grubs in the soil when digging. The lifecycle is as follows: Early in the summer, beetles emerge, feast on plants, and then lay eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch as grubs in late summer and begin to work consuming plants and grassroots. Treating the grass before the grubs hatch is the most effective approach to break the cycle.
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Fix Up Those Bare Patches
Bald patches can appear in grass due to all sorts of reasons. But they needn’t be a reason for concern, as learning how to repair lawn patches with seed is really straightforward.
Just be careful not to bury the seeds too deep, as David advises. They need both sunlight and water to pop open and launch their tiny seedlings, he says.
Take precautions when mowing freshly-sown lawns, too. ‘New grass that has been grown from seed will be noticeably weaker than the rest of the lawn and can be easily damaged if cut incorrectly,’ says Flymo. ‘It’s best to wait until the grass has grown over three inches in length until mowing for the first time, to allow it time to build up strength.’
Sow new seeds to repair bald patches
Top Tips For A Healthy Lawn
A green and healthy lawn is easy to achieve with a bit of work. A little effort now will save you a lot of effort later, because healthy lawns are less vulnerable to pests, weeds, drought, and other problems.
Follow these seven tips:
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Know The Best Grasses For Your Region
Grasses suited to their growing region create exceptional lawns. Just like garden flowers or shrubs, turfgrasses vary in their climate preferences and tolerances for drought, shade and other conditions. One benefit of seed over sod is your expanded choice of grass varieties with specific qualities, from durability to texture beneath bare feet.
Cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, peak in growth during cool temperatures in fall and spring. They flourish in northern zones. Warm-season grasses, such as Bermudagrass, excel in summer heat and warmer climates. Region-appropriate lawn grasses require less water and other resources, including maintenance time.
How To Care For Your Lawn: Maintenance Tips
If you care about your customers lawns , you understand the importance of lawn maintenance, and you also know it extends beyond irrigation and mowing. Yes, these two are essential for a healthy lawn, but lawn care maintenance is a science that includes feeding, aeration, and insect and weed control. Keep reading for some expert tips on proper lawn maintenance.
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Save On Renting Equipment
As you well know, professional equipment, such as an aeration machine, is required for lawn maintenance. Professional lawn care services have all of the essential tools to complete the task quickly and correctly. They would need to set aside time to rent the equipment, as well as money for rental fees, petrol, and insurance. In addition, they would also need some experience operating the leased equipment.
If you operate a lawn maintenance business and need to optimize your workflow, FieldRoutes is here to help. Our cloud-based, mobile solution for field service operations is here to assist you. With FieldRoutes automation tools, you can gain more customers, optimize your process, manage payments, and measure your outcomes. Contact FieldRoutes today to learn more about how we work with you to build a strong growth strategy for your company. Visit our lawn care software page and start saving time while developing your business.
Reseed Thin Areas Of The Lawn
If some parts of your lawn look great and other areas are patchy, its time to do some reseeding. Lawn spots that are overgrown with weeds may also need reseeding. Start the reseeding process by killing all weeds with a powerful herbicide.
Then, choose a hardy grass seed variety that thrives in your climate zone. Rake and aerate the soil to prepare it for seeding. Finally, spread the seed with your spreader, fertilize, and water every day until your grass grows to about two inches.
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Is October Too Late To Overseed
While October is not too late to overseed your lawn, it should be carried out earlier if possible. Overseeding a lawn in late-October leaves the seeds at risk of winter frosts in November through to January. September is the best time to overseed your lawn, early October at most if you want to give the seeds the best chance.
Change Your Mowing Pattern
Always mowing in the same direction compacts the soil and causes the grass to lean in the direction it is mowed. Changing your mowing pattern every few weeks will keep the grass healthier and more upright and enable you to achieve a cleaner cut. It can be fun making different patterns on the lawn.
Whether you prefer neat contrasting stripes or concentric circles, every change of direction will contribute to a healthier, greener lawn. For a traditional striped effect, use a mower that has a roller.
It isnt always possible to take a lawnmower right up to the edges of a lawn, so these may need to be trimmed by hand.
Edging shears are specially designed to enable you to maintain a neat and well-defined edge around your lawn. Small areas of grass that are awkward to mow are best cut with lawn shears long-handled versions are the most comfortable to use.
An electric or petrol-driven trimmer makes light work of most edging and trimming tasks choose petrol for bigger gardens and tougher brush cutting. If you want to use a trimmer for edging, choose one that has an edging facility.
An edging iron also known as a half-moon edger is useful for cutting away worn or uneven lawn edges along beds and borders and also for cutting turf. Use it with a rocking, sawing motion as you press down to cut.
Even if you love having wild plants in your garden, there are some that need to be dealt with otherwise you run the risk of them taking over your lawn.
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Fill Bare Lawn Patches
Rather than letting bare patches spoil the look of your lawn it’s easy to sow grass seed over the raked soil. Alternatively, make fillers from unused turf. When reshaping the lawn, collect up the strips and place them 5cm apart in a compost-filled seed tray, then grow them on outside or in a cold frame.
To replace the bare patch, cut out a square or rectangle around the area and, using a hand trowel, dig up the soil in the rectangle to whatever depth of soil your new turf strip is. Gently lay the turf, cut to fit, over the patch. Firm it down so that there are no gaps and your new turf is no higher or lower than your existing lawn.
Watch Alan Titchmarsh’s No Fuss Guide to repairing a lawn patch and you’ll have a ship-shape sward in no time:
Mow Grassbut Not Too Soon
Mow the lawn when the grass level reaches 2 to 3 inches tall. The lawn needs time to recover after winter. However, if the grass grows too long, it shades the roots, which allows fewer weed seeds to sprout. If you use a traditional lawn mower, spring is the time to clean the filter and spark plugs. Its important to sharpen the mower blade every month or two for a clean cut. When you just rip grass and leave it with open cuts, you leave your yard susceptible to fungi and disease. See more about lawn care.If youre interested in alternative mowers, consider a reel mower or an electric mower as a more environmentally-friendly option. These mowers work best if your property is one-third of an acre or less. Its important to mow your grass regularly, as its much more difficult to cut the grass if it gets way too tall .Of course, we have to mention that there are alternatives to grass as well! Many folks are starting to use more ground cover plants , walkways, and wider flower beds. Theres also a growing trend to add vegetable garden beds or to integrate edibles into your front yard. See more about edible landscaping!
- Only use lawn fertilizers between April 1 and December 1.Why? Its actually NY State law.
- Allow grass to come out of winter dormancy before applying fertilizer. Grass only absorbs fertilizer when it is actively growing .
- Dont waste time and money on summer fertilizers! Heat stress and drought slow grass growth and fertilizer can burn your lawn in the heat.
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Focus On Fungi Prevention
Fall is the time of year we associate with seeing colorful toadstools and other mushrooms, David Truby of Greensleeves points out. However, there are also pervasive fungi, such as fusarium and red thread, that can infect lawns and cause massive damage, he warns.
The first step to treating lawn damage is establishing its cause. Symptoms such as brown spots, patches, or sliminess are tell-tale signs of certain fungus types, yet lawn damage can also be caused by molds, moss, insects, and wildlife.
While scarification, aeration, and overseeding can help reduce a fungus invasion, the best course of action would be to call the professionals to deal with the problem using an expert fungicide formula.
Seed And Lime The Lawn As Needed
Plant grass seed in bare spots in your lawn or wherever growth is sparse. Consider seeding while applying a slow release nitrogen fertilizer. Early spring and fall are ideal times for reseeding.
- Spring is the best time to test your yards pH to determine if your soil is too acidic. Most grasses grow best when the soil pH is between 5.8 and 7.2. If your soil is too acidic, you can see an influx of moss, weeds, diseases and insect pests.
- Use a soil test kit to find your soil’s pH or ask a county extension agent if he or she can test for you.
- In many parts of the country, lime application can make the soil less acidic and help the grass better absorb fertilizers and nutrients from the soil.
- Soil pH changes over time, so retest yearly until your results are balanced. Afterwards, an established lawn can be tested every three years or so.
- Spring and fall are the best times to add lime to a lawn that needs it. Use soil test results to know how much lime to apply and follow the directions on the lime package.
Tip: Grass planted in spring may need extra watering, weeding and other attention during the summer. Fall seeding requires less fuss.
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Winter Lawn Care Tips
The extreme nature of winter means thereâs very little you can do on your lawn to save the grass from browning or even dying from the freezing ice. However, this doesnât mean you should ignore it completely. For example, you should continue doing regular maintenance work and taking care of grass in preparation for the upcoming and more favorable spring. The following are simple tricks you can try to keep your lawn healthy during winter.
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How To Feed Your Lawn
We recommend feeding your lawn using Westland SafeLawn once every Month throughout the growing season to keep your lawn strong and healthy. SafeLawn is a safe and easy product to use and is great for those with families and pets!
Over the growing season, your grass can grow at a rate of 2/3cm per week, meaning that you have to mow your lawn a lot over the season. Mowing your lawn a lot during such a short time period means that your soil runs out of nutrients quickly, as all its energy is used up during the growth spurt of the grass. Its best to schedule your lawn feeding with SafeLawn right after mowing. Its a great idea to remove the grass clippings before feeding for better seed-soil and feed contact.
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Dispose Of Lawn Clippings As Needed
Its acceptable to leave grass clippings on your lawn unless they begin to form a thick thatch layer. Then remove the clippings and dethatch your lawn as needed.
Tip: If you use chemicals on your lawn, do not add the clippings to a compost pile.
Effective DIY lawn care during spring can save you time and effort later in the year. Follow these lawn care tips to make sure that your grass is greener.
When determining how much grass seed or mulch you need, dont guesstimate, calculate. Know exactly how much you need with our project calculators.
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What To Do About: Watering
Lawns thrive when they are watered appropriately. Depending on the location, be wary of over- and under-watering. Shallow, frequent irrigation promotes shallow roots that are vulnerable to drought and other stresses. You can cut consumption, save money, and produce healthier, more robust grass by using smart watering methods and water-conserving grass types. Watering and other lawn duties may naturally change month to month as you follow your yearly lawn care plan, but you should constantly take into account whats going on with the grass.
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Watering With Grey Water
Grey Water is a very viable alternative to watering your lawn during summer or more importantly water restrictions.
Grey Water consists of wastewater from your showers, baths, spas, hand basins, laundry tubs, washing machines, dishwashers, and kitchen sinks.
Grey Water DOES NOT include the water from your toilet.
Before you start to use your Grey Water, it is important to note that different states have different rules regarding the use of Grey and Recycled Water be sure to check these first.
Lawn Care Tips For Beginners
Caring for your first lawn is a great feeling. You’ve worked toward this moment, and now the grass under your feet is in your hands. By learning how to care for your first lawn, you can see your plans for lush, thick turf and backyard entertaining come true. Take on your lawn one task at a time, and work through these lawn care basics. Here’s how to start and where to go from there:
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