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LAWN TIPS

Tips to a Healthier Lawn

Mowing

Mowing is often considered to be just making the grass shorter when is gets too long. However, we need to change that attitude completely. Proper mowing habits are as important as our fertilizing programs to the overall health of your lawn. So please help us provide you with a beautiful lawn by following the recommended procedures below.

Blades Be sure to sharpen your mower blades on a regular basis during the growing season. Keeping the blades sharp will cut the leaf much cleaner and reduce the amount of stress on the grass plant.

Height Never cut more than 1/3 of the grass height in any one mowing. Any more than that will cause significant stress to the grass plant and will make it more susceptible to disease and other problems. With the exception of the late fall, grass should always be cut at around 3”.

Direction Each time you mow, try to alternate the direction or pattern that you mow. This will help in cutting each grass plant evenly and it will reduce rutting from mower wheels always traveling in the same spots.

Exposure Never leave large clumps of grass clippings laying on the lawn. Doing this will not allow the grass plants underneath to get enough sunlight or oxygen to survive. Make sure you either rake up or blow around any large clumps after mowing.

Watering

Everything needs water to survive and flourish, including your lawn. However too much, too little or improper timing can cause permanent damage to your turf. By following the recommendations listed below you can minimize the potential for drought and disease stress.

When you first turn on your irrigation system in the spring, take the time to go through each zone to ensure that all components are working properly. Broken sprinkler heads and faulty zone valves can lead to costly water loss and problems with your lawn. You may want to consider hiring an irrigation company to do the spring start-up for you.

Don’t set it and forget it! Too many people set their irrigation timers in the spring and think that they don’t need to adjust it all season. Your lawn will require different needs through-out the growing season and you will need to adjust your irrigation timers accordingly.

The most effective way to water your lawn is deeply and infrequently. This will allow the water to leach further into the ground and your grass will develop a stronger root system. Instead of watering everyday for a short amount of time, try watering every other or every third day for a longer period of time. The early hours of the morning is always the best time to water if possible.

Try to make sure you have a rain sensor wired into your irrigation system. A rain sensor will automatically shut your system off when there is adequate rainfall and turn it back on after the turf dries. Let mother nature do the work when it can, and give your wallet and your water meter a rest.

We look forward to serving all your needs!