3 Steps to Great Grass

Spring is in full swing and everyone is ready to get their lawn and landscape in shape for the season. Take these 3 steps to healthy grass that looks and feels great. 

Remember – a healthy lawn keeps weeds and disease away. If you are having a problem with either, we can help! Bring us a sample of your grass, and we’ll diagnose and supply the best solution. 

1. Wait for the right time to fertilize. Grass has just started to come out of Winter dormancy, and as we continue to get warmer, it will grow quicker. Once you are mowing your lawn once a week, you know it’s time to fertilize – wait until then! If you fertilize too early, before the grass is actively growing, the fertilizer will not be able to do its best work. We recommend using organic Medina Growin’ Green or our Gill Food. Feeding your lawn at the right time will give it the nutrients it needs to thrive through our Summer until we fertilize again in the Fall.
2. Water thoroughly, not frequently. As we start to warm up, lawns need to be watered once a week with one inch of water. You should maintain this watering now through the Summer. It’s always better to water thoroughly not frequently in order to maintain adequate soil moisture. If you find water running off into the gutter before you get one inch, you need to break your watering into two or three applications on the same day (Cycle Soak Method of Lawn Irrigation). The second and third watering will push the water down deeper into the soil, to help grow a deeper root system.
   • Pro tip:  Use the Tuna Can Test. Place an empty tuna or cat food can in the area where you are watering, or where your sprinkler is watering. Water the area until the can fills up with 1” of water, and you’ll know you’ve watered thoroughly. 
3. Nature’s Blend:  your lawn’s best friend. If you have dead or thin areas in your lawn, now is the time to fix them. Begin with raking out the dead grass in those spots, then spread a thin layer of Nature’s Blend compost across the dirt (about a quarter inch thick). The organic material will encourage new runners in those areas so they can start to grow and fill in. For any dead area 3ft. wide or greater, we recommend plugging in small pieces of sod. If the majority of the lawn is dead, it’s probably time to till, regrade, and re-sod. 
   • Pro tip: You can spread Nature’s Blend on your lawn 2-3 times a year to enhance your soil structure and prevent Take All Root Rot. 

We’re so happy with the results we’ve seen from spreading Nature’s Blend that Gill’s is now offering this service! Give us a call if you’re interested in having us come out with our compost spreader and do the work for you. 

– Wyatt