Now that we’re solidly into summer, is your lawn looking a little lackluster? Sporting bald spots, brown patches, weeds or looking thin and sparse? Then it’s time for a lawn renovation!
Whether you contact us to get your lawn luxurious (our Certified Turf Professionals are unmatched!) or want to take this task on yourself, here are some of the steps involved:
Problem identification: Assessing what’s going on with your lawn is the first step towards fixing it. Lawn diseases, insect infestation, and invasive weeds are common problems, as are poor soil nutrition, bad drainage, excessive thatch, improper mowing and even the wrong type of grass for your location.
Getting your soil in shape: A healthy lawn needs a healthy soil. Typically, most turf grasses prefer neutral soils (6.5-7.0 pH). A simple soil test will let you know if your soil needs any amendments (e.g., lime if your soil is acidic or sulfur if it’s too alkaline).
Weed control: A thick, healthy lawn can stave off weeds by crowding them out and not giving them a chance to grow. Herbicides can harm newly emerging grasses and should be avoided until they’re more establish—at least three mowings into the new growth.
Aeration: Healthy soil is a dynamic, life-sustaining ecosystem that requires water, oxygen, nutrients and microbial activity. Compacted soil, therefore, needs to be aerated to allow for a healthy foundation for grass plants. With core aeration, we use a machine to remove plugs of soil to help break up thatch–a layer of dead and living organic matter that rests on the soil surface and can block air, water and sunlight from reaching turf grass along with creating an ideal living space of pests.
Now that your soil is prepped, it’s time to seed! Read all about it, next week, in our blog post Breathing New Life Into Your Lawn: Part 2—Seeds of Success.
