A well-maintained lawn enhances the beauty of your home and provides an inviting space for guests. It also helps reduce soil erosion and runoff, which can affect local water quality.
Lawn Care Cape Girardeau includes tasks like mowing, watering, fertilization, and weed control. But should you do it yourself or hire a professional service?
Aeration helps a lawn stay healthy by promoting stronger root growth, controlling thatch and allowing water, air and nutrients to reach the grass roots. It also improves the overall soil structure. This is a key part of any lawn care treatment, especially in Pittsburgh where the soil tends to be compacted due to construction traffic and heavy use by children, pets and vehicles.
While there are different types of aeration, core aeration is the most popular and effective for reducing soil compaction. This involves using a machine to puncture holes into the lawn’s surface, removing small plugs of dirt and thatch from the ground.
The resulting holes help to alleviate compaction and promote deeper roots, as well as helping the soil to absorb water and nutrients better. It also helps to reduce weeds, because it crowds them out by giving the grass a competitive advantage.
Thatch is a layer of dead and living plant material that builds up between the grass and soil. It is the number one enemy of a healthy lawn because it harbors insects and disease, traps moisture and nutrients near the surface, and prevents water and oxygen from reaching the grass roots. Regular aeration breaks down thatch and keeps it under control, allowing the roots to breathe and grow thicker.
Aerated soil also encourages microbial activity, which further breaks down thatch and improves soil health. Regular aeration and proper lawn care, including fertilizing and overseeding, promotes dense grass and a healthier, more beautiful landscape.
For most, aeration is best done in the fall because it allows time for new seed to take root before winter. This allows the grass to get a good start before weeds have a chance to establish themselves.
At Lawn Buddies, we provide comprehensive lawn care services that include aeration and overseeding. We will take care of all of the details, so you can relax and enjoy your healthy, lush green lawn! Contact us today for a free estimate! We proudly serve the greater Eau Claire and Minneapolis area. Licensed and insured, we’re committed to providing the highest quality of customer service.
Watering
Grass requires adequate watering to stay healthy. However, too much water can suffocate roots and promote weed growth. Proper lawn care includes scheduling watering times that correspond with the season and weather conditions. It also includes watering techniques that minimize waste and promote deep soil penetration. For example, it is best to water in the morning to reduce evaporation and allow the grass to dry before nightfall, which helps prevent fungal diseases.
Lawns that are regularly mowed at the proper height promote healthy turf that can compete better with weeds for moisture, sunlight and nutrients. In addition, mowing encourages tillering, which promotes thicker turf that is more resistant to weeds.
Soil compaction and thatch buildup can limit the amount of water and oxygen that reach the grass roots. Our aeration and dethatching services help to alleviate these problems, which allows the roots of your lawn to absorb moisture more effectively. This results in a healthier, more resilient lawn that is less dependent on chemical assistance to thrive.
In addition to reducing the need for chemical products, eco-friendly lawn care practices help to protect local water resources. For example, by implementing proper watering and mowing techniques, you can minimize the need for fertilizers, which can wash away into lakes and rivers and pollute groundwater supplies.
Pest control is another important aspect of eco-friendly lawn care. Regular mowing, aeration and watering help to make the yard less attractive to pests such as grubs, chinch bugs and armyworms. Using natural pest control methods such as nematodes and microbial composting also reduces the need for synthetic herbicides and insecticides.
A well-maintained lawn can be a beautiful and valuable asset to your property. In addition to enhancing the aesthetics of your landscape, a lush lawn provides environmental and economic benefits. For example, it can help to prevent erosion and sedimentation and provide a cooling effect in hotter weather. Additionally, a well-maintained lawn can serve as a wildlife habitat and provide a sense of personal pride and accomplishment. By following our comprehensive lawn care guide, you can achieve a beautiful and sustainable yard that is healthy for your family and the environment.
Fertilization
Fertilization is the process of adding nutrients to soil in order to promote healthy lawns. It is an essential part of lawn care, and it should be done on a regular basis to ensure that grasses are receiving the proper amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A good fertilizer will be able to be absorbed into the soil quickly, and it will also help with soil structure and water retention. Fertilizers can be applied via granular, liquid, or organic products, depending on the needs of each particular lawn.
A proper application of fertilizer will encourage uniform growth of grasses in your yard. Fertilizers should always be applied to a damp lawn to avoid scorching of the turf and to ensure that the nutrients reach the roots of the grasses. The type of fertilizer used will depend on the results of your soil test, as well as the type of grass you have in your yard. For example, if you have a dense bluegrass lawn that grows very quickly, you might want to use an ultra-low nitrogen fertilizer, or a zero-phosphorus product, for best results.
Grass diseases can occur when conditions are favorable for their development. Proper watering, mowing, and fertilization can help reduce the risk of disease development, but it is important to inspect your yard regularly for early signs of disease. If you notice any symptoms of disease, such as wilting or brown patches of turf, then treatment is necessary. Chemical treatments, such as fungicides, are available for control of turf diseases, but natural disease management methods, such as compost tea or baking soda solutions, can be just as effective.
Soil testing is an important step in any lawn care program because the health of your soil will have a direct impact on the health of your grass. A soil test will reveal information such as the nutrient levels in the soil, the texture of the soil (e.g., clay or sandy), and the soil’s pH level.
It is a good idea to fertilize your lawn in the fall, and then again in late spring after the grass has grown and started to turn green. You should also be careful about applying too much nitrogen during the summer. Too much nitrogen can lead to the growth of unsightly weeds and may cause damage to your lawn in the form of burning or weedy turf.
Weed Control
Weeds compete with grass for nutrients, water and sunlight. This can cause a lawn to become thin, patchy and brown. A regular weed control treatment will prevent weeds from overtaking the lawn. Weed control treatments come in a variety of forms, including herbicides, post-emergent, and pre-emergent.
Lawn care that includes cultural and chemical weed control can make the biggest difference in your yard’s appearance. Manual weed removal can be as easy as bending over and picking the weeds (the easiest are dandelions). A weed and feed product (such as Weed and Feed or Preen) is another option that will not only remove existing weeds but stop new ones from growing. If you choose to use a chemical weed killer, follow the instructions carefully to avoid damage to the desirable grass. If you are applying a post-emergent weed killer, try to do so on a windless day to reduce the chance of it drifting onto nearby plants or causing damage to your grass.
In addition to weeds, many types of insects and pests can cause damage to the lawn. Proper mowing, watering and fertilization practices help to create a healthy environment that is less attractive to many insects and pests. Regular inspection and timely pest control treatments are essential for a healthy lawn.
A routine lawn care program will also include a healthy layer of thatch (dead and living material that builds up on top of the soil surface). Thatch traps moisture and nutrients at the top of the soil, keeping them away from the grass roots deep in the ground. A dethatching treatment will help to break down this buildup, allowing the grass and other desirable plants to grow deeper into the soil. A lawn that is properly maintained will be healthier and more resistant to disease. This is particularly true if aeration, watering and proper fertilization are part of the routine care plan. The use of fungicides or organic disease controls, such as compost tea and baking soda solutions, can provide targeted control and reduce the need for chemical products. In severe cases of lawn disease, a professional diagnosis and treatment may be necessary.