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Yard Care Tips

Common Lawn Issues

  • Heat Stress: Grass blades are 90% water. If you don’t water enough, the roots will pull the water from the blades, and the grass will turn grey/steel blue. The grass will also become rigid and won’t spring back when stepped on. This is your sign to water immediately!
  • Dog spots: Large brown spots of dead grass. Female dog urine is pure nitrogen. Rinse the place within 8 hours to dilute the urine. You can overseed these spots to restore the grass.
  • Over-watering: If your lawn is established and you are overwatering, the grass will turn a lime/ yellow color. Back off watering to 2-3 times daily and only irrigate as long as the soil absorbs water.
  • Dollar Spot: A fungal disease will eat the blade’s center, causing silver “dollar”-shaped patches. Unlike brown patches, the grass in these spots will still stand up. You will need to treat the affected areas with a general fungicide.
  • Brown Patch/Large Patch: This is a disease or fungus that eats the edges of the blades, causing brown patches. It occurs when days are very hot and nights are cool. Ensure you are not watering too late in the day and treat with a general fungicide.
  • Compacted Soil: Water may not be absorbed. You may have compacted soil if you observe water run-off after only a few minutes. You can aerate if you cannot easily stick a screwdriver in your soil 8-12 inches deep.
  • Thatching: If there is a lot of spongy material between the blade’s base and the dirt, you can use a heavy landscape rake or rent a dethatcher. Do this in early spring before your lawn wakes or you will damage your lawn with shock.
Man in plaid shirt and gray pants pushing an orange lawn mower on an overgrown lawn

Mowing Tips

  • Measure from the ground up to the bottom of the housing of your mower to determine the height of your grass.
  • Mowing too close will harm the crown and will stress the grass, causing it to need more water. This invites weeds, causes a shallow root system, and opens your lawn to disease.
  • Only cut ⅓ of the leaf blade each time you mow.
  • Keep mower blades very sharp. Dull blades rip the grass and open your lawn up to disease.
  • Sharpen blades after every 20 hours of use.

Fertilizer Information

#-#-# is (N) – (P) – (Po)

Nitrogen (N) promotes rapid growth and lush green color

Phosphorus (P) helps develop healthy root systems

Potassium (Po) helps grass withstand stress, drought, and disease

All our fertilizers are pellets with a “time-release”, so you don’t over-fertilize and burn your grass

(Starter) 3-5-2 (organic) small bag

  • Covers up to 800 square feet
  • Used for prepping the ground for sod or seed
  • Place on top, do NOT rototill in. It will dissipate before the roots hit
  • Okay for overseeding

 

(Starter) 15-15-15 50-pound bag

  • Covers up to 5,000 square feet (10 pounds per 1,000 square feet)
  • All-purpose fertilizer is a balanced blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
  • Place on top, do NOT rototill in. It will dissipate before the roots hit
  • Okay for overseeding

 

(Winter) 6-24-24 50-pound bag

  • Covers up to 6,000 square feet (8.33 pounds per 1,000 square feet)
  • Fertilizer allows your lawn’s root system better to absorb water and soil nutrients in the winter months

(Spring/Summer /Green Up/Fall) 21-7-14 50-pound bag

  • Covers up to 10,000 square feet (5 pounds per 1,000 square feet)
  • Allows your lawn’s root system to better absorb water and soil nutrients in the coming spring months

 

(Weed Killer) 16-0-9 50-pound bag

  • Fertilizer with surge
  • Has amine 2.4 D – a broad-leaf weed killer
  • Post-emergent = weeds are growing

 

Topper

  • 1 bag (2.5 cubic feet) covers 80 square feet, depending on use
  • Used to hold seeds down, keeps them safe from wind, birds, and other seeds
Seasonal Lawn Care
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