How Much Lime Should I Apply And What’s The Most Effective Way To Apply It
regular lawn spreaderblueberriesacid-loving plantsYour lawn’s soil type affects how much lime it takes to change soil pH.Always read the product label and follow the instructions carefully.Pennington is a registered trademark of Pennington Seed, Inc.Fast Acting and Advanced Soil technology are trademarks of Encap, LLC.
Get Your Lawn Ready For Spring: Fertilize
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. After a fairly mild winter across the state, you can give your lawn a head start, head off the crabgrass, save yourself some money and maybe even impress the neighbors by following a few tips from a turfgrass specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
“From a financial standpoint, fertilization does more to revitalize thin, weedy lawns than any other single management practice,” says Peter Landschoot, professor of turfgrass science. “With more user-friendly products on the market, lawn fertilization has never been easier — provided you follow a few basic steps.”
–Soil Test. Soil tests tell consumers how much fertilizer and lime is needed. Test kits are available for a nominal fee at Penn State Cooperative Extension offices throughout the state. Soil tests can be taken and sent to Penn State any time of the year, but make sure you allow two to three weeks to receive your report.
Landschoot points out that some products contain “slow-release nitrogen” or “water insoluble nitrogen.” “It’s a good idea to have some slow-release nitrogen fertilizer in the bag,” he says. “This will provide longer-lasting green-up and reduce the chance of fertilizer burn. However, if all or most of the product is slow-release nitrogen, green-up of the lawn can be very slow. It may take weeks or even months to occur.”
Best Time To Fertilize Lawn
Fertilizing in the morning allows the soil to take in the most nutrients, soak in the morning dew and take advantage of cooler temperatures. Thats the best time. Do not apply fertilizer on an abnormally hot day, not even in the morning. Wait until the weather cools back down to a normal temperature.
You can mow anytime after fertilizing with a granular treatment. With a liquid treatment, wait a day or two.
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Using A Handheld Broadcast Spreader
A handheld broadcast spreader works well for fertilizing small lawn areas. Walk evenly and slowly, and be sure to overlap distribution patterns slightly with each pass. A small spreader like this also works really well when you have shady areas in your lawn that require a different fertilizer rate than the sunny sections. Some fertilizers combine an herbicide with the lawn food. These products are sold as weed-and-feed lawn care products and are applied using a lawn spreader.
Water Deeply But Not Too Often
- Too much watering can lead to poor growing conditions and disease problems.
- Water only when your lawn needs it, usually no more than once a week when there is no rainfall.
- Apply at least 2.5 cm of water. Put a tuna or pet food can on your lawn to measure how much you’ve watered. Stop watering when it’s full.
- Consider the soil type and surface features. Grass growing on compacted, fine soil or on slopes needs lighter, more frequent watering.
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Following Through On Fall Lawn Care Advice
All 6 of these fall lawn care tasks are important steps to take to ensure that you have a beautiful lawn at your Lehigh Valley home. We know your lawn is important to you and that you dont want to miss something important. Whether youre tackling these tasks on your own, or youre hiring someone to do them, following through on some of these fall lawn care tips will make a big difference in the overall health of your lawn.
The decisions that you make for your lawn are important whether its deciding which services to perform or which lawn care professional to hire. When you need some guidanceor some assistance with these services or othersJoshua Tree is here for you. Whether you have questions about what fall lawn care tasks are most important or youre interested in having us do them for you, we are at your service.
If youd like to find out more about fall lawn care for your Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton, PA home, feel free to contact us for a free consultation or give us a call at 610-365-2200.
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Seasonal Lawn Care Schedule For The Northeast: Your Calendar For Cool
Here is a more seasonal do-it-yourself cool season lawn care schedule for the northeast and states like Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
1. Lawn Fertilizer Schedule
When should I fertilize a cool-season lawn? is a common question, but the fertilization of cool-season grasses doesnt have to be complicated. You should fertilize two to four times per year, based on soil testing. The best months are March or May and September or November.
Fertilizing your lawn is key to making sure it has the nutrients it needs to prosper and thrive. That is why its important to use a soil analysis kit. Finding that balance between too much and too little fertilization takes some thought. When thinking about a fertilization schedule for cool season grasses dont be afraid to fertilize your lawn as many as four times a year, including late and early spring, once in the summer and once in the fall. These treatments will help your lawn be both healthy and resilient.
Pro tip: When you fertilize in the spring, you can use a weed-and-feed fertilizer that contains both a fertilizer and a pre-emergent.
2. Watering
If it rains more than one inch a week during any week, you do not need to water your lawn.
Remember, water in the morning so you wont scorch the grass. Another reason to water in the morning is that the grass will be dry by the time afternoon or evening humidity sets in.
3. Mowing
4. Aeration
5. Dethatching
6. Pre-Emergent Weed Control
7. Post-Emergent Weed Control
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Fall Lawn Care Fertilizer
Using late fall fertilizer is an important fall lawn care tip in Pennsylvania, that will help your lawn to green up better for next year. Thats because fall fertilizer, also called winterizer, allows for better root development over the winter and into the early spring. Youll start spring off on a much better foot if you perform this task.
Why Add Lime To Your Lawn Care Regimen
Lime is a lawn treatment made from powdered limestone that reduces soil acidity. It can be purchased in powder form or pellets, but many feel the pellet form is easier to apply. If you dont lime an overly acidic lawn, applying fertilizer becomes pointless, because all those nutrients go to waste since the grass cant properly absorb them.
The perfect time to lime your lawn is at the end of autumn before it starts to get frosty outside. This way, your lime will have all winter long to break down, resulting in soil thats good to go the moment spring arrives. That being said, you can still apply lime in the spring with fantastic results, particularly if your soil test indicates a dire need for treatment. Just be sure to follow directions closely and dont over-lime your grass. Reducing pH after a lime treatment takes quite a while because limestone keeps on breaking down long after its been applied, resulting in a long term slow-release of calcium and magnesium. Never apply lime to an overly stressed or dormant lawn.
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Whether Your Lawn Has A Pesky Weed Problem Or Can’t Seem To Stay Green And Full Our Skilled Technicians Will Make Sure To Give Your Lawn The Proper Fertilization And Weed Control Treatments It Needs
Lawn fertilization treatments and weed control solutions are sure ways to prevent your lawn from becoming susceptible to weeds and lawn disease. Our company offers a 5-visit program with the option for a grub control treatment. Our fertilizer is organic-based and safely provides essential nutrients to your lawn and plants. These key nutrients give your grass the strength it needs to grow and cultivate it to have that lush, green appearance.
Weeds have the ability to undo all the hard work that went into making your landscape beautiful. That’s why we offer a pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control treatment to keep them out of your lawn for good! If you have a residential, commercial, or HOA property in West Chester, Downingtown, Exton, PA, or a nearby city, reach out to one of our team members to start customizing your fertilization and weed control program!
How Soon You Can Fertilize After Seeding Your Lawn
Its not always after seeding that you should apply fertilizerthe best time to fertilize is right before or during the seeding process. Use a starter fertilizer with quick-release nitrogen since that will give the seeds a nutritional boost. When you make fertilizer a part of the seeding process, your grass will grow quicker and is more likely to end up healthy and lush.
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Winterizing Your Lawn & Plants In Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, we can have some bitter winters. Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall can hit your lawn hard, damaging your turf and affecting its return come spring.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can prepare your grass for winter , helping to promote a speedy recovery next season.
Here are a few things you can do throughout fall to get your property ready!
What If My Lawn Already Looks Great
First of all congratulations! Its a lot of work to get a great looking lawn. However, even if your lawn looks spectacular you should still apply a fall fertilizer to keep it looking great. Youve put a lot of time and money into your lawn, keep it looking great by feeding it the food that it needs.
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End The Last Mow Right
Your grass should still grow strong throughout the fall, so expect to maintain your regular mowing routine until the temperatures start to drop. As the autumn weeks pass, you will notice growth slowing and need to mow less and less.
Once it starts to consistently drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, your grass will stop growing. The timing of this transition varies depending on the weather patterns each year, but those in PA can typically expect to stop mowing around late October, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources .
Longer grass is susceptible to snow mold and creates a warm home for meadow moles, so on the last mow, youll want to cut your blades a bit shorter than usual. As a general rule, the Pennsylvania DCNR recommends we keep our grass at about 2.5 to 3.5 inches at all times, and to never trim more than one-third of your grass blades each cut.
If you usually maintain taller grass, come October, cut your blades to 2.5 inches. Then, healthily trim your turf to about 1.5 inches on the last mow.
Fall Fertilizer Tips To Set Your Calendar By
Fall is right around the corner. That means its time to play football, pick out pumpkins and prep our lawns for the cold winter months ahead. Fall fertilizing can set your lawn up for success year-round, but timing does matter. Drill down on the best practices for fall fertilizer with the experts from Spring-Green, your neighborhood lawn care professionals since 1977. The dates of the first frost in your area will vary by region, but heres what you generally need to know for fall lawn care.
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Tips For Fertilizing Your Lawn In Pittsburgh Pa
If you live in Pittsburgh, the best time for fertilizing your lawn is in the spring when the lilacs begin to flower and your yard starts to green. When you fertilize in the spring, your lawn will get the nutrients needed after surviving Pittsburghs long winters.
Understanding Fertilizer
Before anything, make sure you know and understand the soil. You can do this by performing a simple soil pH test, which can tell you what levels of nutrients your soil is currently at and ultimately where it should be for the best results. When you purchase fertilizer, there will be three numbers on the label of the container. These are the numbers of the primary nutrients nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate which are needed to keep your lawn healthy. This means if the bag reads 20-5-10, then it will have 20% nitrogen, 5% phosphate and 10% potassium. The remainder of the bag will contain filler material which makes it easier to apply.
Slow-release Fertilizer
You also might want to consider using a granular fertilizer if you really want to treat your lawn right. Granular fertilizer can be applied more accurately and consistently than different types of fertilizer, there forth better results.
Regular Watering
When to Apply
Keep in mind, fall applications are just as important since your lawn is still growing. Ultimately this helps your turf get through the winter and be a lush green in the following spring.
How to Spread
Feeding The Lawn In The Summer And Fall
Warm-season grasses thrive in the heat of the summer and can be fertilized throughout the growing season. However, cool-season grasses are in a survival mode during the heat of the summer. Refrain from applying fertilizer to a lawn in mid- or late-summer if you live in a climate where cool-season grasses are in your lawn seed mix. A cool-season lawn should need nothing other than water and pest management until September.
Most lawn experts recommend a mild dose of a “turf-builder” fertilizer formulation in the early- to mid-fall, while the turf still has several weeks of active growth before dormancy. This application will help build robust root systems going into winter and restart the growing cycle in the spring. You are not looking to return your lawn to the green of summer. Heading into winter, you can expect a natural slowdown of your lawn’s growth and the loss of its green luster.
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The Best Time To Reseed Your Lawn
If your lawn is looking thin or bare, it might be time to sow it with a layer of grass seed to restore it to its lush, green state. The cool-season grasses of Pennsylvania fare best in the fall when the air is cooling down but the soil is still warm, giving grass a few months to grow before winter comes around. Read on to learn more about why fall is the best time to reseed your lawn.
Determining The Best Times To Fertilize
Homeowners who prefer organic fertilizing methods might do a single “turf-builder” application in the early fall to build root systems. In the spring and summer, most may omit all fertilizers and rely on the nitrogen from mulched grass clippings to feed their lawn.
Homeowners using traditional fertilizer might want to apply two or three light applications per growing yearone in the spring, one at midsummer in regions where it is necessary, and one “turf-builder” application in the early fall.
The actual timing depends on your region and the type of turf grasses you have. For information on the best recommendations for your area, contact an expert at a local garden center or reach out to the nearest cooperative extension office.
Once you have figured out the best time, try to plan the fertilizer application with a short period of rainfall. If not, when you apply the fertilizer, you will need to supply your lawn with at least a quarter-inch of water. However, do not apply fertilizer before a massive storm. A rainstorm increases the risk of fertilizer nutrients flowing into storm drains and streams.
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Kicking Off Your Lawn Maintenance Plan
First things first, youre going to want to test your soil pH levels in the early spring. You can purchase a soil test kit and easily do it yourself in your yard. The pH of your soil has a major effect on grass growth, because most lawn grasses do best in slightly acidic soil with a pH around 6.5 or 7. However, before you amend your soil pH, check the type of grass you plan to grow. Some grasses, like St. Augustine or carpetgrass, prefer a pH of 6.0-8.0, while others, like Centipede, grow well in a pH of 4.3-5.8. Its important to match the soil pH to the type of grass, so that it can soak up the nutrients it needs to produce a lush, green lawn.. If the test reveals your lawns soil is at the optimal pH level perfect! You can skip the lime application stage.
The Essential Guide To Fall Lawn Care
by PA Landscape Group | Landscaping, Tips
Think summer is the season to focus on your lawn? Think again. Fall is a crucial time to take care of that turf to prepare it for the upcoming winter months and even prepare it for next spring. It seems to be a misnomer amongst homeowners that grass requires less attention during this season, but we are here to tell you that there are many things you can and should be doing now that will give you a lush and green spring lawn.
Remember to water and mow.
Be sure to continue to water and mow your lawn, as needed, throughout the fall. If you raised the height of your lawn mower in summer, be sure to return the mower deck to its normal mowing height . This shorter height will allow more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass, and there will be less of it to turn brown during the winter.
Remove the leaves.
Raking leaves is usually not anyones idea of fun, but it is definitely a necessary chore. A coating of leaves, combined with rain and morning dew can form an impenetrable layer that will suffocate grass and lead to fungal diseases. Be sure to remove fallen leaves from your lawn as soon as possible. You might also consider mulching them with a lawnmower fitted with a collection bag.
Aerate the soil.
Feed and fertilize.
Reseed those dead patches.
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