Here are some frequent lawn care questions we get asked and their answers. Don't see your question? Feel free to call or email us!
Should I mow my lawn short?
No! This is the #1 thing you can do to help the health of your lawn. Mow it high and often. Never cut more than 1/3 off of the blade of grass. The higher the grass, the thicker it is which provides shade for the roots and allows the grass to choke out unwanted weeds.
Mowing is the most often incorrectly performed part of lawn maintenance. Each grass type has a height range that it prefers to be mowed at, if you cut the grass at that height the grass will be healthier, look better and most importantly last through the season without dying out from lack of water. The depth of the root system is in direct correlation to the height you mow at. So, the higher you mow the deeper the roots, the more water the grass can get and the less you have to water.
In general, two types of grasses are what we deal with. Cool Season grasses: Fescue, Bluegrass, Ryegrass. These are the most common in our area. These grasses like to be mowed at a range of 2.5 to 3.5 inches high. We like to mow Fescue at least 3" high, it just looks better. Bluegrass is the most tolerant to lower mowing, but still I wouldn't take it lower than 3".
The other type of grass is Warm Season grasses: Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede. These grasses will tolerate as low a cutting as most home owners mowers will cut. Golf courses use a lot of Bermuda, and Zoysia and they routinely cut it as low as .5" A typical home lawn will look nice at 1" providing you have a smooth grade.
I don't have irrigation, so fertilizing my lawn will do no good, right?
Wrong. For the majority of the season, Mother Nature provides enough rain for your lawn. Its those dry spells in the middle of summer that your lawn needs fertilization the most. Yes it can brown up due to drought, but with a fertilizing application during this time, when it starts to rain again, your lawn will green right back up.
Can I have a lawn care program if I have pets?
Of course! We recommend keeping them off the treated area for 24 hours, or when the application has dried. Our fertilizer is a granule that will go down into the soil. Your pet can't eat enough of it in your lawn to hurt it.
How much should I water my lawn?
To maintain a healthy, thick, actively growing green turf, it is essential to water a lawn during dry periods. One error homeowners make is, in the Summer they don't turn their irrigation systems on until drought stress shows up, and the lawn becomes dormant. While most people think a lack of water will damage the lawn, over watering may cause more damage. Some potential consequences of over watering include increased crabgrass pressure, increased disease incidence, shallow rooting, waste of a valuable resource, and higher water bills. Some signs of over watering is a mucky lawn after watering and the presence of fungi, like mushrooms.
The best time to water your lawn is 4am-8am. This helps eliminate evaporation, distortion from wind, and when you usually have the greatest water pressure. Watering the lawn at night will promote the growth of fungi like mushrooms, because the water doesn't dry fast enough. Most lawns in our area will need from 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week depending on weather, soil type, slope, etc. It is best to apply this amount of water in a single thorough soaking, or two equal applications of water three to four days apart rather than in light irrigations every day. Daily, light irrigations promote shallow rooting, non-drought hardy turf, and encourage crabgrass. To measure how much water your lawn is receiving from your system, place a grid of empty tuna cans around the sprinkler heads and measure how long it takes to get 1" of water in them. Then that's how long you should run your sprinklers for.
Can you get rid of moles?
While there is no product we provide that eliminates moles, there are things we can do together to help control mole problems. Grubs and Earthworms are a moles main food source. Our Grub Control program will attack grubs in their premature larvae stage before they become large juicy adults that moles love to feast on. There is nothing we provide that will kill Earthworms, nor do you want to. Earthworms help aerate your lawn. Earthworms show up toward the surface of the lawn after heavy rains, or from over-watering.
Our recommendation for eliminating moles is to locate their tunnels, or "runs." Step down on those runs to flatten them out, then wait to see which runs come back up. This tells you which runs the mole is actively using. Go to your local hardware store and purchase some poison mole worms, and follow the label directions. You put the worms in the active runs and the moles eat the worms and die.
How often should I sharpen my mower blades, and should I bag my clippings?
No, you should not bag your mower clippings. The clippings should be mulched back into your lawn while you mow, which in turn provides valuable nutrients. This also eliminates the hassle of having to dump your bagged clippings. Also if we come to do your lawn, and you want to mow later that day, it will be fine to do so if you mulch your clippings back into the lawn. If you bag your lawn, it is best to wait 24-48 hours after we do our application.
Keeping your mower blade sharp is also vital to the health of your lawn. Some signs of when it is time to sharpen are; when you notice the lawn being cut uneven, when you can see the blades of grass are torn or shredded instead of an even cut, or when a white cast appears over the lawn.
How often do you come?
For best results we suggest 5 applications a year. We come every 6-8 weeks between applications. If you do grub control we will do that plus a weed and feed all in the same visit. Our first application is after the weather breaks, some years this has been in the middle of February, while some years its the first of March.
If your on our 5 application program and have an issue with your lawn, call us for a free service call.
Summer is half way over, is it to late to start a lawn care program?
No! Don't wait until Spring. We can get started right away with broadleaf control and feeding. Our fall application is the most important one of the year, and it provides enough food to last your lawn through winter. This allows your lawn to start off the year healthier than if you wait to start a program in the Spring.