When it comes to taking care of your lawn throughout the year, timing is very important. Regional grasses have natural growth cycles that need to be followed in order to properly maintain the look of your grass as well as the animals that call it home.
Professionals work in line with nature to make their job easier and to respect the natural cycles of plants throughout the year. Luckily, you can follow their lead and learn how to maintain your lawn with each season.
Spring Lawn Care
With the arrival of spring, cool-season grasses begin to spurt. This includes the Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue, and they need to be taken care of immediately. Here is what you should do:
- Start mowing as soon as the grass starts growing. Bag your clippings to reduce the risk of fungal disease and clip the grass shorter than usual.
- Treat the pre-emerging herbicides and the soil when the temperature approaches 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Repair any bare spots left over from the winter season.
- Fertilize your lawn with premium lawn foods.
Summer Lawn Care
Warm-season grasses now begin their growth spurt amid the higher temperatures. The cool-season grasses that started in spring will now slow their growth or even go dormant. This is your list of things to do:
- Water your grass according to your weather and temperature to keep the lawn looking green and lush.
- Treat emerging pests such as newly hatched grubs that appear close to the surface. They feed on your grass roots and could seriously damage the look of your lawn.
- Test the soil of your lawn for pH values and possible nutrient needs. Some areas of your lawn will show different readings and will need to be treated separately.
- Raise the height of your mower to about 1 ½ inches higher than usual to help shade the grass roots and protect them.
Fall Lawn Care
This is when cool-season grasses enjoy an active period of growth. Warm-season grasses will slow down and eventually go dormant. However, there will also be many dead leaves on the ground, which give you additional tasks:
- Seed the cool-season grasses to renovate them and make them thicker and stronger.
- Overseed the warm-season grasses when you notice them turning brown and going dormant.
- Treat broadleaf weeds with post-emergent herbicides and feed fertilizers.
- Lower your mower blades back to their normal height as the temperature becomes cooler.
- Rake any fallen leaves so that your grass has enough room to breathe and enjoy the sun.
Winter Lawn Care
Snow will cover most of your lawn at some point during the winter season and most grasses will be dormant and enjoying the care that you’ve provided them with over the previous months. However, there are still things that you need to do to maintain your lawn and prepare for the next spring season:
- Sharpen and clean all your mowers and tools so they’re ready for spring. A sharp blade lessens the grass damage and prevents disease.
- Keep the lawn clear of stones and any winter debris. Even though grass isn’t growing, it is still alive during the winter season and needs oxygen and sunlight.
- Plan for any renovations that you want to do on your lawn in the spring season.
Don’t have time for all this? Hire a professional!
No matter how much you try to do everything yourself, you may end up wasting more of your time and money in the process.
At RidAway, our lawn maintenance experts will produce the thick, green carpet you want to see and feel.
Our lawn maintenance plan includes several stages:
- An annual plan that keeps your lawn looking beautiful.
- Herbicides to defend your lawn from weeds.
- We keep your lawn fed with the right nutrition to grow into a thick carpet.
Don’t wait for your lawn to go out of control. Give us a call right now to fix the problem before it’s too late.
