Lawns make beautiful backdrops for flower beds, provide a place for summer picnics, and serve as wildlife habitats. But caring for a lawn requires more than regular mowing.

Proper soil pH levels and fertilization are essential for healthy grass. Test your soil with a home kit or visit your county extension office for a professional soil test. Contact Lawn Care Concord now!

Watering the lawn is one of the most important lawn care tasks. It keeps the grass healthy and makes it more resilient to harsh weather conditions such as heat, drought, and frost. Watering can also reduce the likelihood of weeds and other unwanted vegetation in your yard.

Choosing the right time of day to water your lawn is also very important. Watering in the morning is ideal because it allows the soil to soak up the moisture before it has a chance to bake in the sun, which can scorch your grass. It is also best to avoid watering your lawn in the evening because it will stay wet for an extended period of time, which can increase the risk of fungal diseases and other lawn ailments.

Deep watering is preferred over frequent shallow watering because it encourages roots to grow deeper into the soil, making the grass more tolerant of drought and other environmental stresses. Developing a year-round watering schedule that adapts to your local climate conditions is essential for maintaining a healthy, vibrant lawn.

In addition, it is important to know what type of soil your yard has, as this will help determine how often and for how long you should water your lawn. Clay soil, common in warm climates, holds water well and does not require as much frequent watering as loamy or sandy soils.

Newly seeded, plugged, sprigged, or sodded lawns will also have different watering needs. These lawns require careful attention to ensure the seeds germinate and the new grass grows in a healthy way. Proper watering helps reduce the risks of weeds, erosion, and other issues that can plague new lawns.

Fertilizing

As a part of lawn care, fertilizing is one of the most important things you can do for your grass. The lawn needs nutrients as much as it does water and sunlight to thrive. Grass can absorb some of these nutrients from the soil, but a lot of it has to come from outside sources like fertilizers. Fertilizers help protect the grass from diseases, promote root and leaf growth, decrease the number of weeds, and push the lawn to achieve overall health.

There are three primary nutrients a healthy lawn requires: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (often abbreviated as N-P-K). These macronutrients are responsible for everything from making your grass green to stimulating root development and improving disease resistance. The lawn can become deficient in these nutrients due to environmental factors, over-fertilizing, or even just the natural process of nutrient decomposition.

The best time to apply a lawn fertilizer is in the early spring or fall, when the ground has thawed but is still cool. Doing so prevents the fertilizer from being washed away by rain or from not reaching the soil. You should also avoid fertilizing near bodies of water, as the excess nutrients can run off into them and cause algal blooms.

There are many different types of lawn fertilizers, each with a specific ratio of N-P-K and designed for a certain type of grass or season. When you work with a professional, they will know which type of fertilizer to use for your property and when. They will also make sure you’re not over-fertilizing, which can lead to damage to the plants and a build-up of toxic chemicals in the soil. This is why it’s always better to leave fertilization in the hands of professionals.

Aerating

Over time, soil compaction and thatch buildup can make it difficult for air, water and nutrients to reach grass roots. Aeration reduces this problem by mechanically removing small plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn using hollow coring tines or equipment. It’s commonly referred to as core aeration, but is also known by other names in the lawn service industry like soil cultivation, spike aeration and slice aeration. The benefits of aerating include reduced soil compaction, increased moisture penetration, healthier root growth, improved fertilizer and water use efficiency, and enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance.

When your soil is compacted and nutrient-rich lawn care treatments don’t reach the roots, you may notice that the grass seems limp or lifeless. Fortunately, regular aeration prevents this problem by allowing grass to soak up more sunlight and nutrients, while also encouraging the growth of healthy, weed-resistant grasses.

Aerating the lawn also improves water drainage, which can help reduce surface runoff and puddles that promote lawn disease, attract pests and ruin the curb appeal of your home. Moreover, aerating allows nutrients to better penetrate the soil which means it’s an excellent opportunity to apply lawn additives and conditioners like lime (calcium carbonate) or gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate).

When done correctly by a certified professional, aeration also helps to improve the results of overseeding and sets your lawn up for a stronger start to spring, especially in cool-season grasses. It’s best to have a lawn aerated twice per year in the spring and fall. When left unaerated, your yard can develop a thick layer of thatch that can be difficult to remove and requires a special machine or tool to dethatch.

Dethatching

There are two lawn care tasks that many homeowners overlook, to the detriment of their grass: dethatching and aeration. Thatch is a layer between the soil and grass that is composed of interwoven dead and living grass shoots, stems, crowns, and roots. It is a necessary part of a healthy lawn, promoting steady soil temperature and moisture levels while helping to prevent weeds from growing. However, if thatch becomes too thick, it can hinder proper aeration of the soil and reduce the uptake of nutrients by the grass.

A layer of thatch that is thicker than a half-inch should be dethatched. You can determine if your thatch is too thick by walking across the lawn and feeling how soft and spongy it feels underfoot. Additionally, if your yard has a lot of bare spots that are not being mowed properly or are covered with leaves in the fall, that is another indication that your thatch layer is too thick.

When dethatching, the goal is to break up the thatch layer and rake it away. This process can be difficult and time-consuming, especially if the thatch is thick. A professional with a dethatching machine can perform this task quickly and efficiently.

Dethatching can be a stressful process for your grass, so it is important to do it at the right time. The ideal time is when the lawn is in its vigorous growth phase. For cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue, this is the spring or fall. For warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass and zoysiagrass, it is best to dethatch in late spring and early summer when they are growing actively. Avoid dethatching the lawn during hot temperatures or a drought, as this can damage or even kill the grass.

Irrigation

Irrigation is one of the most important aspects of a lawn care program. It allows the turfgrass to replenish soil moisture lost through evaporation and transpiration. It also helps to improve soil health by reducing compaction and thatch buildup. A good irrigation system uses the appropriate amount of water for your specific grass type and soil conditions.

Irrigated soil is easier to work, allowing for quicker and more consistent results with a lawn mower or garden tools. In addition, a hydrated lawn is more resilient in harsh weather conditions.

Lawns should be watered at the proper time of day to minimize evaporation and encourage deep root growth. It is best to water early in the morning. Watering at other times can lead to fungus and mold growth and a host of other problems.

An irrigation system is a great way to eliminate the need for hand watering and ensures that every part of your lawn gets the right amount of water. It can also help you save on your water bill by minimizing unnecessary usage.

A healthy lawn will not only make your home look more inviting, but it will also help to reduce runoff into local streams and lakes. As rainwater seeps through your grass, it will filter out pollutants and other contaminants. This is a lot better than water running off your driveways and sidewalks into the streets where it can carry oil and other chemicals into local creeks and rivers.

Another benefit of having your lawn care and irrigation services provided by the same company is that the technicians will be able to communicate with each other about issues they encounter at your property. For example, if your lawn care expert notices that an area of your yard isn’t getting enough water, they can alert the irrigation team to investigate.