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LAWN CARE TIPS
The partnership between a lawn care company and the homeowner is essential to achieve the best results for your lawn. Even the best professional lawn care program will not succeed if the grass is not maintained properly.
Mowing Tips
Proper mowing is essential to maintaining a healthy lawn. A thick, lush lawn helps prevent the establishment of many annual broadleaf weeds and helps prevent insects from infesting your lawn.
Mowing Frequency: The growth rate of the grass determines how often to mow. As the temperature increases during the spring growing season, so will the frequency of mowing. You should aim to mow your lawn every 4-7 days. Your mowing frequency will decrease as we go into the hotter/dryer summer months.
No more than 1/3 of the height of the leaf blade should be cut off during each mowing to prevent stress to the lawn which can lead to browning. Following the 1/3 rule will produce smaller clippings that will disappear back down to the soil surface providing valuable nutrients to the lawn.
Keep the height of your grass between 3 to 3½ inches to prevent weed and insect infestations (especially during the heat of the summer) Grass root depth is also deeper in lawns that are mowed high.
Mow when the lawn is dry in order to get a clean cut.
Mowing in different patterns prevents soil compaction from the lawn mower tires and promotes turf growth.
Avoid cutting the lawn with dull mower blades. Dull blades can tear or shred the grass rather than cut it. The mower blades should be sharpened at least yearly.
Leave grass clippings on the lawn as it allows the clippings to decompose and provides natural, organic nutrients to the lawn. However, if your lawn is overgrown, recovering from disease, or you are doing the final cut of the season, bagging the clippings may be necessary.
The final lawn cut before winter should be 2 inches. Start lowering your mower on each cut (removing 1 inch at the most per cut) until the final mow is at 2 inches. Remember to raise your mower back up in the spring.
Watering Tips
Proper watering is essential to maintaining a healthy, lush lawn and helps to reduce insect and weed infestations. Watering will need to be adjusted as the amounts of rainfall change during the growing season. The frequency of watering will increase during the hot, dry summer months.
To maintain a healthy lawn, it should receive 1 inch of water per week. Your watering schedule should be based on deep and infrequent watering. This encourages deep healthy roots.
If you have areas of your lawn that are on a slope, you may want to use a low-volume water sprinkler to allow more time for the water to be absorbed.
Measure watering with a cup. Place a cup under your water sprinkler and measure the time it takes to collect 1 inch of water in the bottom of the cup. Use this time to determine how long your sprinkler needs to run.
Watering should always be done early in the morning. Avoid watering a lawn in the evening because the grass remains wet overnight and this prolonged wet period can lead to disease.
Preparing for Summer droughts. You can protect your lawn during a drought by being diligent about proper mowing and watering practices prior to going into the hot, dry summer months. If you have been cutting your lawn too short and not regularly watering your lawn then your lawn will be weakened and more susceptible to weed and chinch bug infestations.
Spring
Clean Up
A light raking of your lawn in the Spring helps to remove leaves and debris. It allows air to circulate preventing diseases, removes dead grass helping to prevent thatch build-up and allows sunlight to reach the grass plants, encouraging growth. Wait until the grass has a chance to come out of winter dormancy and starts to grow naturally. You never want to tear or uproot healthy grass plants. You should use a leaf or fan rake and never rake when the lawn is too wet.