Dont Mow Too Much Of Your New Lawn At Once
Now that your new lawn is beginning to grow and looks bright and fresh, youre going to need a lawn mower to help you keep it well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing. Though this advice may seem contrary to popular wisdom at first, it is important that you do not mow your lawn when it is short. Instead, wait until the grass has grown longer and mow it more frequently. This will not only result in a taller, healthier grass for your lawn in the long run, but it will also prevent you from wearing down your lawn mower blades too quickly.
Types Of Lawn Treatment Service
The types of lawn treatments include fertilization, weed control, pest control, and disease and fungus treatment. Each of these lawn treatment services is critical for making grass thrive on Texas lawns.
A comprehensive lawn care service should customize the use of these treatments together for your lawns needs as they change throughout the seasons.
Seasonal Plant Growth Cycle
In early spring, roots are long and full of nutrients stored from the fall. Shoots, the part of grass visible above ground, use this stored energy for growth.
In warm summer temperatures, leaf and root growth slow down. Plants rest during times of heat and drought. Roots can be damaged when soil temperatures are above 85°F.
In the fall months shoots start to grow again and nutrients are stored in the long roots for the winter. Optimal shoot growth occurs with air temperatures of 55 to 75°F.
Cool-season root growth is stimulated by soil temperatures above 32°F, and is optimal with soil temperatures between 50 and 65°F.
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Lawn Disease And Fungus Treatment
There are countless types of lawn diseases and fungi that can quickly infiltrate, take over, and create dead patches of grass throughout your lawn. Lawn disease and fungus kill and damage lawns quickly and can be caused by a wide assortment of common environmental factors and poor lawn care practices. Some of these include overwatering, drought, humidity, temperature, incorrect mowing techniques, and excessive use of fertilizer.
Regular fungicide applications at the appropriate times of year prevent and treat lawn disease and fungus. This lawn treatment is essential to boost your lawns ability to survive under stress.
What Are Fairy Rings Fungi
Fairy Rings, or Mushrooms, are a clear sign of beneficial microbes at work in your lawn, which is all part of your lawns ecosystem.
In fact, mushrooms and toadstools are the reproductive part of a type of fungi that lives in the soil.
For much of the time, these fungal structures remain hidden underground, breaking down organic material in your lawn a very good thing!
When the conditions are right , mushrooms shoot through from the underground structures and appear in your lawn.
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Not Fertilizing Your Lawn
As grass grows, it uses up nutrients in the soil. When you mow and bag up clippings, over time all the soil nutrients will get used up so you’ll need to add fertilizer. If you let clippings decompose back into the soil instead, that will help a little, but you may still need to replenish available nutrients once in a while. A soil test every year will show you how much you may need to add. When you feed your lawn is important, too.
The right time: North: Feed in fall and spring. South: Feed in spring and summer.
Why timing matters:Grass needs to be fed when it’s actively growing. For cool-season grasses this primarily means spring and fall. For warm-season grasses such as zoysia, bermuda, and St. Augustine, late spring and summer are the prime growing times.
In addition, cool-season grasses benefit from feeding in late fall , when growth has slowed but the grass is still green. The result is earlier greening and better appearance the next spring. Experts agree that this may be the most beneficial time to feed a cool-season lawn.
Warm-season lawns should not be fed in fall unless they’ve been overseeded with winter ryegrass. Also, avoid fertilizing any dormant grass, either in winter or summer the application will be wasted.
You Should Fertilize In The Spring
Even though stores have lawn fertilizer out ready for your lawn care activities, that doesnt mean its the proper time to lay down fertilizer. Fertilizing in the spring will result in excessive growth and reduced rooting. Regardless of the species of your grass, lawns should be fertilized during the summer months when the grass is actively growing. However, a specific timeline of when to fertilize your grass also depends on your location. If youre in a warmer climate, these grasses should be fertilized in late spring or early summer with another application in late summer. But if youre in a colder climate, fertilizing should be done once in early fall. By using a winter fertilizer in early fall, this will feed the lawn enough to gear it up for a green spring. Six to eight weeks before the first frost is when to fertilize the lawn in fall.
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What Services Does Trugreen Provide
TruGreen offers the essential lawn treatment services and more through annual plans. Each plan is backed by their Healthy Lawn Guarantee®. This means they are happy to visit your lawn as much as you need between visits until you are satisfied with a beautiful, healthy lawn. The chart below gives a basic overview of their services.
| TruHealth® Lawn Plan |
House Method Recommended Provider: Trugreen
At House Method, we recommend the professional lawn treatment service of TruGreen. Serving millions of American homes across the country, TruGreen is one of the lawn care industrys largest providers. They use a team of agronomic experts who are professionally trained and bonded.
Even though they serve many different climates, TruGreen offers a local lawn expert at each of their locations. Local expertise means your lawn gets individual treatment from a professional who understands the unique needs of lawns in your area. When a problem arises with your lawn, TruGreens TruExpert® certified specialists will help you correct it, so your lawn can thrive. Their specialists even undergo yearly PhD-developed training and certification.
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A Garden Hose Is More Cost Effective Than A Sprinkler System
In theory, but not in reality. If youre watering your lawn with a hose, you probably arent watering the lawn evenly. This leaves certain areas of your lawn thirsty, while others are overwatered. This not only causes brown patches in your lawn but can increase your watering bill if youre not watering properly. Plus, with technology advancing, sprinkler systems can now help to conserve more water compared to before, leaving this theory in the pile of myths.
Try And Prevent Weeds From Popping Up
Another thing that you are going to want to be mindful of is dealing with weeds, as they are a constant nuisance for anyone trying to take good care of their lawn. In order to prevent the weeds from even showing up in the first place, you should try treating your lawn with a pre-emergent herbicide to keep the weed population down to a minimum. This will be especially useful in the springtime, when their growth becomes much more aggressive than normal.
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Make Sure Your Mower Blades Stay Sharp
Once you have gotten into a routine, it is important that you keep your mower blades sharp on a regular basis by checking them regularly and purchasing a sharpener when you realize that they have started to dull a little bit. This is inevitable over a period of time, but the more you take care of your lawn mower and its blades, the better it will take care of you.
Abc Can Keep Your Yard Healthy
Yard fungus is unsightly and hard to diagnose and treat on your own. The professionals at ABC Home & Commercial Services can help you determine what is affecting your yard and the best methods to treat any kind of condition so you not only protect your beautiful lawn from dying but also protect your investment of time and money. Well cut out the guesswork for you so you can focus on enjoying your outdoor spaces.
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Essential Lawn Treatments For Healthy Lawns
There are certain necessary lawn chores that help keep lawns healthy and vibrant. Healthy lawns not only look great, but they benefit your family and the environment. A dense lawn with tightly grown grass prevents water run-off even better than wheat or hay fields. Additionally, vibrant lawns house insects and provide feeding grounds for birds.
While each of these lawn care tasks may vary slightly for individual lawns, they are all important to promote healthy grass growth. Some lawn treatments are ongoing almost all year round. Others may only be required once or twice a year.
Mowing
Mowing is one of the most important processes for maintaining a healthy lawn. In addition to helping your lawn look well-kept, mowing helps keep grass alive and growing. Make sure to follow the one-third rule of mowing by adjusting your mower blades. This helps you to only cut the top third of your lawn, thus encouraging stronger roots.
Try to mow your lawn in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler. Heat in the middle of the day can cause your grass to go into shock. However, hold off on mowing if its wet from recent watering or rain. Wet grass can clog lawnmowers and makes it easier for grass diseases to spread across your yard.
Pre-emergent and targeted weed control
In order to effectively remove weeds from your lawn, youll need to know:
- Different types of weeds
- Their growing seasons
- How to treat them based on these conditions.
Fertilizing
Watering
Aeration
Overseeding
Mow Your Lawn Regularly
Cut your lawn at least once a week in summer and once every two weeks during spring, autumn and warm winters. Regular trimming encourages the roots to spread, which will help to fill gaps and block out weeds.
In summer, raise the cutting height of your mower to leave the lawn longer around 5-10cm as this will make it less prone to going brown in dry weather. Keep your mower well maintained and the blades sharp.
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Dethatching And Aeration In The Spring
Remove any leaves and twigs that might have accumulated on your lawn over the winter using leaf rakes and similar tools. Cleaning up these old debris paves the way for easy application of herbicides and fertilizers.
Also, donât forget to aerate the soil on a day when soil is slightly damp but not soaked. This helps to ensure that oxygen, water, and nutrients from feeds reach roots for healthy lawn growth.
Summer Lawn Care Guide
Summer’s higher temperatures and lower rainfall causes cool-season grasses to slow down or even go dormant during extreme heat or drought. But warm-season lawn grasses thrive during summer heat and enjoy their peak growth time. Respond to the season and support your grass with these summer lawn care tasks:
- Water according to your weather with the help of Pennington’s Water Rate Calculator. Depending on grass type, most established lawns need 1 to 1 1/4 inches weekly waterincluding rainto stay healthy and green. Conserve on water with Pennington Smart Seed grasses. Once established, these purebred grasses require up to 30 percent less water than ordinary grasses and stay green up to three weeks without watering.
- Treat turf pests such as newly hatched grubs while they’re small, close to the surface, and feeding on your grass roots. Effective treatment stops the damage and prevents new generations of pests.
- Test your lawn soil every three to four years to confirm your soil pH and its nutrient needs. Always test problems areas separately. You’ll have results and be ready for fall adjustments.
- Raise your mowing height about 1 to 1 1/2 inches higher than normal during summer heat to help shade grass roots, reduce evaporation, and encourage deeper root growth. Never remove more than one-third of the blade at a time.
- Fertilize warm-season grasses every four to eight weeks during active growth. Plan your final feeding at least six to eight weeks before you expect frost.
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Watering In The Evening Is Best
The morning is actually better! If you water your grass in the evening, water can actually cling to the blades and start to form fungus. In the morning, there is usually less wind and the air is much cooler. As for specific times, morning is anytime between 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Anything past that can be categorized as being the middle of the day, which water will evaporate too quickly . For the greenest results, choose a weekend morning to water your lawn for an entire hour.
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What Causes Dollar Spot
Dollar spot fungus occurs in high humidity, especially if there is a restricted airflow to the grass.
The fungus itself, schlerotinia homeocarpa, comes from the earth and is most prevalent from early spring right through to the backend of fall when daytime temperatures reach between 59-86°F , and the nights are cool.
The reason the temperature range for infection is so wide is that different biotypes of dollar spot are more notorious at different temperatures.
Turfs with a moist canopy and dry soil are the most susceptible to infection. Low nitrogen fertility in the earth is another reason your lawn might develop a dollar spot problem.
Dollar spot can be exacerbated greatly if areas of your lawn are covered, preventing sunlight and air from drying the buildups of dew on the blades. This excess moisture combined with the ambient humidity provides the perfect catalyst for fungal growth.
Not all grass types are equally at risk from dollar spot. Those particularly susceptible include bents, fine fescues, and annual meadow grass. If you have any of these grasses on your land, you should keep a close eye on them during the humid months.
The good news is that dollar spot doesnt have its own reproductive process or autonomy. This means that it cant spread on its own.
It requires mechanical help, by which we mean it must be physically moved from place to place through the dissemination of already infected plant matter.
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Top Benefits Of Routine Lawn Care Treatment
Throughout these warm, blue-sky summer days in the Tri-Cities and Yakima, our front and backyards become a showcase for neighbor barbecues, games, and entertainment. That means your lawn and the rest of your landscape will be on full display for many people to see.
With all this exposure of your landscape, you want to do everything you can to maintain a beautiful, immaculate yard while youre having fun. Fortunately, routine lawn care treatment provided by a professional will give your lawn a luster and appeal that will draw compliments from your guests.
The right lawn care treatment is what you need to ensure your lawn always looks its best and is in prime condition for lots of activities. You wont have to be distracted by unsightly weeds or blotches of crabgrass tainting your lawns appearance.
If you have limited lawn-care knowledge, or youre way to busy to tend to the maintenance and upkeep, then a professional lawn care service plan is the perfect solution for achieving a gorgeous landscape.
We will show you the primary benefits to having routine lawn care that will give you a yard you can be proud of and leave your neighbors jealous.
Lawn Care Calendar: Jobs For July
Dry soil and lack of rainfall might mean that your lawn starts to lose its colour. For an established lawn thats OK. Dont worry about it, nature knows how to manage these things. For a young lawn though, especially a newly turfed one, drought is bad. Use your common sense and water it sensibly. Youll find some excellent advice in this article
A midsummer sharpen for your lawnmower blades is an excellent idea.
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Should I Water My Grass If It Has Fungus
It is important to treat the Fungus right away so that it does not spread throughout your lawn. It is recommended that you only water your lawn as much as it needs to be watered. Do not water more than once a week. Do not use chemical sprays or fertilizers to control the fungus.
Instead, use a fungicide such as Fungicide-Free Lawn Fertilizer, which is available at most garden centers and garden supply stores. This product is safe to use on lawns that have been treated with other fungicides, but it may not be effective on grass that is not treated. If you are unsure about the effectiveness of this product, contact your local garden center for more information.
Summer Lawn Care Tips
When it comes to lawn care, the majority, if not all, of us do it with summer in mind. It is during this season that lawns are used intensively as nearly everyone is spending more time outdoors and having lots of fun. As you can imagine, your lawn also is likely to suffer the most during this time due to the longer and drier days as well as increased foot traffic. But donât worry as weâre about to show you easy tips to help you keep this space in its best possible condition.
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