Top Five Tips for a Beautiful Lawn

gillnurseryLawn Care, Uncategorized14 Comments

1.      Fertilize in Fall. It’s great to fertilize in spring, and again early summer, but fall fertilization is probably the most important of all, and the most neglected. September 15 to November 15 application makes the nutrients available while the roots are still active. This will result in better turf density (and so fewer weeds), stronger roots, and residual nutrient inside the grass runners for faster green-up next spring. Apply the recommended amount, as excess fertilizer can result in fall and winter fungus.

2.      Water Properly. A long deep soaking once a week is appropriate through mid-October, then water just once every two weeks through fall and winter, if we don’t get an inch of rain. Excess frequency of watering also encourages fungus problems. Resume once a week watering mid-March to April.

3.      Watch for Insects. Chinch bugs have been a scourge this summer! Grub damage can start showing up late summer. And there is always the possibility of Fall Armyworms or Sod Webworms in fall. Don’t take your neighbor’s advice, please bring in a sample of lawn as soon as you see any problem (still somewhat alive but showing symptoms) and maybe a photo, and let us advise on proper treatment. Don’t just douse any and all brown spots with pesticide. Some may be old drought/heat damage, some may be fungus.

4.      Mow Properly. Once a week minimum during rapid growth. More frequently is even better if you can manage it (notice how often you see the mowers on the golf course). This results in better density and therefore fewer weeds. Keep your blade sharpened for best grass health. During late fall and winter fungus season, see if you can get your yardman to sterilize his mower before getting on your lawn to minimize spread of fungal spores from other yards (good luck with that!)

5.      Control Weeds. If you have followed recommendations 1-4, you are already ahead! But the next step, if you feel it necessary, is a pre-emergent weed preventer, such as Amaze or Dimension,  applied in October and again in January. Follow label recommendations for best results, you do not want to over or under apply. We do not recommend weed-and-feed fertilizers, because plants and shrubs all need fertilizer, but weed killers can damage or kill shrubs and trees, and effective application times for fertilizers and weed killers are very different. If you have some broadleaf weeds (clover, sow thistle, dandelion, chickweed) occurring in January or February, you can spot apply a broadleaf weed-killer such as Weed-B-Gon for Southern Lawns.

James JAMES

14 Comments on “Top Five Tips for a Beautiful Lawn”

  1. I am trying to get my yard healthy for the spring, but I’m not sure where to begin. I like that you suggest long deep soaking your yard once a week for the month of October. I am going to have to try this and see if it makes a difference next year.

  2. Thanks again for helping me learn more about how to develop a beautiful lawn. One thing that has really stood out to me was that you mentioned the importance of watering your grass properly because excess water could lead to fungus problems and infestation. With the winter coming, I really needed to learn about how to take care of my grass before the snow starts to fall. Thanks again for the post, and I will try to water my grass once every couple weeks to make sure that it is getting some water.

  3. Thanks for the tips on keeping a beautiful lawn; there a lot of things I didn’t know. I had no idea that fertilizing in the fall was the most important time to fertilize; I would have thought that fertilizing in the spring was best. My brother is growing the grass in his yard and he wants to make sure it grows in thick; I will be sure to share this information with him.

  4. I’m impressed, I must say. This was a really nice post. This is the right blog for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. I just would like to give a huge thumb up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.

  5. With my lawn, I always try my best to take good care of it. Yet, there are always some times where it seems that no matter what I do, it never turns out right. Chances are, I’ll probably have to change how I am watering and get more into a routine for that. As you said, it’s good to have a schedule so that the grass will be able to grow properly. If anything, I might also look into the possibility of sod or fake grass if it gets really bad.

  6. If I used “Weed- be – gone” To kill the clover and other broadleaf weeds. I would need 25 gal. I have a large lawn in front and back covered in clover. Any suggestions?

  7. So if you don’t want to put down pre-or post-emergent herbicide’s, then your last option is to just mow frequently through the winter to limit the growth of the clover. It will still be there for sure but it Won’t have as much appearance of taking over.

  8. Aerating and/or detaching appear to be necessary for my 20 year old St Augustine lawn.

    What, when, and how do you suggest I kick start to a lush growth?

    Thanks for all your helpful advice!

    1. Aerating would be great, IF you can find a CORE aerator. More likely you will find a spoon or spike aerator, not much good in those. Use an organic fertilizer like Medina Grow N Green March 1st., May 1st, and October 1st. Any particular problem areas topdress with Natures Blend compost April 1st.

  9. Heeey! Thanks for such interesting topic. I think it’s very necessary tips about improving lawn, trees, shrubs, and garden ! I like gardening and believe that once I will buy my own house with great garden.

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