Mar 10, 2023 | Lawn Care
The New Year does not automatically mean a clean slate for your lawn. If your lawn has been neglected in the past or the springtime is particularly hot and humid, then your lawn could suffer from one of the several springtime lawn diseases.
Most diseases are noticeable to homeowners, with your lawn lacking that lush factor or discoloration. It’s important to treat your lawn immediately to prevent any further infection in other areas. Here is a list of common lawn diseases you could see this spring:
- Dollar Spot: Small sunken, circular patches of either brown or straw-colored grass. This disease usually occurs when there is a lack of nitrogen in the soil. Types of turf that can be impacted by this disease are zoysiagrass and bermudagrass hybrids.
- Brown Patch: Ranging from 5 inches up to 25 feet in diameter, brown patches are rings or circular patches of discolored turf. The types of turf most likely to be affected by this are zoysiagrass, Augustine grass, and bermudagrass.
What could be causing these issues with your lawn? Let’s talk about the several reasons why you might be seeing these problems.
- Nutrient Deficiencies: Nitrogen and iron are the most common deficiencies that cause yellow spots on your lawn. Nitrogen deficiencies can cause your lawn to have stunted growth. A sign that you have a nitrogen-deficient lawn is if you’re noticing large collections of clover.
- Excessive Moisture: Too little or too much water can wreak havoc on your lawn. If you excessively water your lawn, then it can lead to fungal growth, which is what typically causes the above lawn diseases. Keep an eye on the weather and if rain is coming and make sure your sprinkler system is turned off to prevent overwatering.
- Clean Up After Mowing: Be sure to clean up any lawn clippings after you mow to ensure your turf can breathe and to prevent the spread of any lawn disease to other parts of your yard.
The best treatment for lawn diseases is prevention. Give your local pest control company a call today to receive a free lawn care inspection!
Mar 17, 2022 | Lawn Care
Winter can ravage your lawn, leaving yellow spots, brown grass, or even bare patches when the weather starts to warm up. Don’t worry – there’s still hope! You can bring your lawn back to life just in time for warm weather. Here are 5 spring lawn care tips to bring your yard back vibrant and green.
Identify the Issue
It’s important to know the difference between dormant grass and dead grass. If you live in an area with a warm climate (e.g. the southeastern United States), you likely have warm-season grass in your yard. This type of grass naturally goes dormant over the winter but should return to it’s lush, green state by late spring or early summer. If you walk on your brown or yellow grass and it crunches under your feet don’t fret – it’s still in its dormant state and should wake up soon.
Signs that your grass is dead include a pink, white, red, or black color; water doesn’t help it grow; the sun makes it worse rather than better; it feels spongy to walk on; or you can easily pull up sections of your lawn and not just handfuls of grass. Grass can die for a number of reasons including harsh winter weather, fungus or lawn disease, drought, thatch, overwatering, overfertilizing, pests, or excessive pet urine. If this is the case, reseeding or sodding may be in your future.
Prepare Your Lawn
The best time to revitalize your lawn is early spring and fall. These are the optimal growth seasons for turf and provide a moderate climate for grass to thrive. Once spring arrives, the first step is to get rid of any weeds that have taken over during the winter. Weeds compete with grass for nutrients, light, and water. If you are using weed killers rather than weeding by hand, prepare ahead of time. These herbicides stop the growth of both weeds AND new grass for about 3 weeks. Once the weeds have been eliminated, mow your grass to a height of 1 inch and rake afterwards to remove any debris and dead grass. This also helps loosen the bare soil to prepare for fertilizing and reseeding.
Boost Your Lawn
Your lawn can be boosted with fertilizer, soil enhancer, or by seeding or laying sod. Grass can’t live without nitrogen, which promotes healthy, green growth. Applying fertilizer gives your grass a boost of necessary nitrogen at the start of its growing season. Soil enhancer are minerals you can add to your lawn’s soil to influence the soil condition in an effort to help new grass take root and grow better.
If you have brown or bare spots, you may have to reseed your lawn or put down sod. Reseeding is a less expensive, less labor intensive alternative to sod. It only allows a small window of time to plant, however, and increases your chance of weeds. Seeding means more maintenance in the early stages, as well, and a longer time for seed to mature. Sodding is quicker and gives a longer window of time to put grass down. You also have little to no weeds with sod. It is more expensive and more labor intensive, however, and the sod may not take the first time it’s put down.
Water Your Lawn
It is important to water your lawn consistently to bring it back to its vibrant, green status. Grass seed needs consistent watering in order to germinate and establish strong, healthy roots. Soil should be watered daily when seed is first put down to stay consistently moist. If temperatures are considerably high, you may need to water twice a day. This should continue until the grass sprouts and grows tall enough for its first mow (usually 3 to 4 inches in height). Once you reach this point, you can transition to a regular watering schedule that gives your lawn about 1 inch of water per week.
Be Consistent
Once you put the work into restoring your lawn, it’s important to set up a maintenance routine to keep it that way all season. Mow often enough to keep your grass at the recommended height (making sure not to remove more than 1/3 of its height in a single mow). Adjust your watering schedule to accommodate periods of heavy rain or drought. Fertilize and feed as necessary.
If your lawn could use a boost or you just need a helping hand getting it back in shape, contact your local lawn care company for a free lawn care analysis and maintenance plan that’s tailored to you and your yard.
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Jul 14, 2021 | Lawn Care
Summer is the time of year when we want our lawn looking its best. Unfortunately, the summer months are also the time your lawn undergoes the most stress. Drought, hot temperatures, and increased traffic from kids and pets combine to increase the wear and tear on your yard. The warmer weather can also lead to an increase in both disease and pest activity in your grass.
Summer lawn care doesn’t have to be a full time job but taking a few steps now can help keep your yard lush and green even during the hottest of days. Here are some lawn care tips you can use to keep your grass summer ready.
- Mow high. Put your mower on a high setting, leaving grass blades about 3 inches tall. This not only provides shade for the root system, allowing for deeper, stronger roots, but it also keeps them covered during high heat.
- Water deeply and regularly. Water consistently during the summer. Rather than shallow watering more often, water deeply once or twice per week. Your yard needs 1 to 1-1/2″ of water each week. If you have an irrigation system, program it appropriately.
- Water early in the day. The best time to water your lawn is between 6:00 and 10:00 am. This gives your grass enough time to dry out during the day, helping to prevent fungal disease. If you have an irrigation system, program it during these hours if possible.
- Maintain your mower. Keeping your mower and other lawn equipment properly maintained is critical to good lawn care. Dull mower blades will tear the blades rather than cut them, leaving them with brown tips. Make sure mower blades are sharpened and also change the oil, filter, and spark plugs as necessary.
- Treat pet spots. When your dog urinates on the lawn it is essentially overfertilizing the area, usually leaving a yellow-brown spot on the grass. If possible, try to rinse the area with water immediately after your dog has done its business. Overseed these areas when appropriate for your grass type to fill in bare or damaged areas.
- Fertilize. The general rule for lawn care is to fertilize every 6 weeks. If this causes your grass to grow too fast, consider using a fertilizer with a lower nitrogen content. Using a mulching mower is also a good option. Mulching mowers naturally fertilize your lawn by recycling the nutrients in grass clippings back into the soil. When fertilizer is applied, make sure it is spread evenly and judiciously.
Lawn care doesn’t have to consume your entire summer. If you need assistance with lawn care at any time during the year, contact your local lawn care company for a free analysis.
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