When it comes to having a pristine St. John, IN, lawn, there are specific practices that produce the lush green grass and thriving landscape that you want all summer long. Here are some things you probably didn't know about lawn care that can make a huge difference in your lawn's overall health.
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Lawn Care
Lawn care doesn't stop when the weather gets cold, and the plants go dormant. On the contrary, this is when the preparation for a spectacular spring and summer lawn can be critical.
Late Fall: In the late fall, it can be beneficial to the lawn for your landscaper to aerate the soil. This is a process by which the landscaper uses a machine to poke holes in the earth and pull out the soil plugs, exposing the roots to more sun, oxygen, and water. This can also be an ideal place for new grass seed to take hold and sprout before the winter arrives. Growing roots can help the new grass become established before the cold weather so that it already has begun to grow when the warm temperatures return.
Winter: When your landscaper clears out the last of the leaves from your lawn, it can leave the grass in an ideal situation as the snow begins to fall. Removing the leaves can eliminate the possibility of fungus and mold thriving beneath the dead leaves to kill the grass and cause a big problem that must be remedied once the grass is growing again.
A landscaper needs to spread a final layer of fertilizer that is watered well enough to dissolve into the soil for the grass roots to store nutrients for the dormant winter when it cannot make its own food.
Lawn Fertilizer
It is tempting to think that the grass will be fine without fertilizer, but the truth is that all living things need food, and the grass is no exception. However, applying the fertilizer in the correct ratio and for your specific grass type can be significant.
Warm-Season Grasses: Bermuda, Zoysia, and Centipede are grass types that grow the best in warm temperatures. These are also popular grasses for sodded yards, requiring the ratio of nutrients specific to these warm-season grasses.
All fertilizer has nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus as primary nutrients to encourage strong roots and tall blades. Warm-season grasses need a moderate amount of nitrogen, while cool-season grasses need a different amount.
Cool-Season Grasses: Cool-season grasses such as tall fescue, Kentucky fescue, fine fescue, and ryegrass adapt well to the cold conditions of an Indiana winter as well as the hot, dry summer days. This grass type thrives when fertilized as the growing season begins in the spring but can need nitrogen for food over the wintertime.
Other Lawn Care Factors
One lawn care factor that can influence the overall landscape's health can be the grass's mowing height—too low, and the roots can burn, and high mowing can make extra work. Attending to the weeds with pre-emergent and post-emergent pesticides can be critical to containing the weeds, which will overtake the healthy grass quickly. Ultimately, your landscaper should give you a lawn that resists pests, weeds, and environmental stresses to thrive as a showpiece.
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