A healthy lawn provides a host of environmental benefits. It catches pollutants released into the air and helps prevent stormwater runoff.
Local lawn services can help with a variety of tasks related to maintaining a healthy lawn. From soil testing to aeration, they can ensure that grass has access to the nutrients it needs for growth. Visit https://www.primecutlawnky.com/ to learn more.
When a lawn is cut properly, it helps promote healthy grass. It also allows for better water and nutrient absorption, which will help the lawn resist environmental stress, such as drought and heavy foot traffic.
Lawns should be mowed on a regular basis, and the height of the cut should vary depending on the season. In the spring and summer, the grass will grow more rapidly and needs to be mowed on a weekly basis to maintain an ideal cutting height. This is important for the health of the lawn, as mowing too short can cause stress to the grass and may lead to disease problems.
The recommended cutting height for a lawn is anywhere from 2 1/2 – 3 inches, and it should be increased in the summer to improve drought resistance. The higher height also helps crowd out weeds, such as crabgrass, and is more attractive than a shorter lawn. When the weather is cooler, it may be necessary to mow more frequently than weekly.
Grass clippings can be bagged or recycled, and should not be left to pile up on the lawn. A clump of long grass dries out and can suffocate the grass underneath, leading to turf diseases, such as fusarium fungus. It is also important to remove any large clumps of grass after a rainy period to prevent them from harboring disease organisms.
Children and pets should be kept inside during lawn treatments, including grass cutting, to avoid getting sprayed with chemicals. Most full-service companies will provide a list of ingredients on their lawn care products, and they should let you know when the yard is safe for pets and children to return.
Irrigation
The right amount of water is essential for a lush, healthy lawn. A professional irrigation system allows for precise control of water delivery so that the turfgrasses get enough moisture to thrive without over-watering or wasting water.
Local lawn care services can create a customized plan for your property to make sure each zone gets the exact amount of water it needs to stay vibrant and lush. These professionals also monitor the weather patterns and adjust the watering schedule as needed to ensure your lawn is getting the right amount of water at the proper times for optimum growth.
Lawns are an important part of a home or business landscape and can enhance the curb appeal and value of a property. They also offer a variety of environmental and health benefits. For example, well-maintained grasses help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and filter pollutants from the air and water. They also provide habitats for wildlife and contribute to the absorption of rainwater, reducing erosion and sediment runoff into waterways.
In addition to the routine lawn care tasks like mowing or grass cutting, fertilization, disease management, and seasonal cleanups like spring yard cleaning or fall yard cleanup, your local lawn service may also include soil testing, mulching, aeration, and seeding or overseeding. Mulching involves adding a layer of organic or inorganic material to the topsoil to retain soil moisture, prevent weed growth, regulate soil temperature, and improve overall soil quality. Aeration and dethatching are services that help to alleviate soil compaction and remove thatch buildup, allowing the roots of your lawn to absorb water and nutrients more easily. Finally, seeding and overseeding add new grass seed to sparse or bare areas of your lawn.
Fertilization
Lawns that are healthy and beautiful require a lot of care, and fertilization is a key part of the process. Fertilizing strengthens the grass, encourages growth, and helps it to resist weeds. It also corrects deficiencies in nutrients, as determined by a soil test. You can use either organic or synthetic fertilizers. Your lawn specialist can recommend the best option for your location and type of grass.
You should never fertilize a lawn that is wet, as it makes it hard for the nutrients to reach the soil. You should also avoid fertilizing near rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. Fertilizer can wash into these waters and cause algae blooms that are harmful to wildlife.
If you’re planning on mowing your lawn after fertilizing it, wait a few days before doing so. This will prevent you from mowing wet grass, which can cause the fertilizer to stick to the blades and ruin your lawn’s look. In addition, mowing before fertilizing makes it easier to evenly spread the grass clippings, which will help the fertilizer reach the ground more quickly and effectively.
During the spring, summer, and fall, you should fertilize cool-season grass (Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue) two or four times per year. If you have warm-season grass (St. Augustine, zoysia, centipede, and bahia), you should fertilize it twice a year.
If you want to use natural fertilizers, they are made from animal waste and plant matter, such as dried blood, fish emulsion, manure, and processed sewage. These types of slow-release fertilizers need to be ‘activated’ by soil microbes before they can become available to the grass plants. The benefit of using natural fertilizers is that they are less toxic to the environment than synthetic fertilizers.
Weed Control
Weeds are tenacious plants that grow where they’re not wanted and can cause stress to lawns. Weed control is an essential part of a well-managed turfgrass system. The best approach is to prevent weeds from growing by using routine and consistent maintenance practices. Deep watering and mowing at the proper height help your lawn compete with weeds by encouraging thick grass that shades out weed seeds.
Applying a preemergent herbicide in the spring helps stop annual grassy weeds like crabgrass and poa annua from germinating. There are many different types of pre-emergent herbicides, but all of them work by killing the weed seed sprouts before they can become established in the soil. Some will only kill certain weeds and not grass, while others will also kill any plant they come in contact with, so care must be taken when applying these products.
Post-emergent herbicides act on weeds that are already growing, and there are 2 main categories of these – selective and non-selective. Selective herbicides only kill weeds and not grass, while non-selective herbicides will kill anything they come in contact with, including desirable turfgrass.
Regular hand pulling of weeds before they set seed or produce rhizomes and tubers will also keep your lawn weed-free. Using a dandelion fork or fishtail weeder makes this easier.
Trimming
Trimming and edging are the finishing touches on a well-manicured lawn. They accentuate the lines of your lawn and planting beds and give the entire landscape a finished, polished look.
Trimming is typically performed where the mower cannot reach, such as along fences and driveways. It also involves cutting back overgrown shrubs and perennial flowers to encourage healthy growth and to remove dead or dying parts of plants. It is important to only cut back a maximum of 1/3 of the plant at any one time in order to ensure that it can continue to thrive. Too much trimming can leave the grass deprived of vital nutrients and can also make it more prone to weeds and less resistant to drought or weather.
Fungicides are another service that can help to keep your lawn healthy and looking its best. They work to prevent and control the many types of lawn diseases that can damage or even kill turfgrasses.
Pests are also addressed by some lawn care services. Many harmful insects are able to thrive in sunny areas, and a densely populated lawn can quickly become dominated by these undesirable insects. Depending on your region, some lawn care services may use insecticides to prevent pests from infiltrating your turfgrasses.
Lawn Care and Landscaping are not the same, although they do share some of the same components such as mowing, weed control, soil testing, fertilization, and aeration. Landscaping is more complex and involves transforming outdoor spaces through design, construction, and planting to create peaceful and attractive outdoor environments. It can include patios, decks, walkways, lighting, stone walls, flower beds and trees. Dedicated professionals can transform a yard into the perfect outdoor retreat.