Lawn Care Harrisburg PA involves the maintenance of lawns at residential and commercial properties. It includes mowing the grass at the proper height, watering the lawn sufficiently, fertilizing it appropriately, and weed controlling the area.
A well-manicured lawn looks great and is a pleasure to walk on. It also serves to define the character of a property and provides a relaxing environment.
Mowing is a key part of lawn care. It involves operating lawn mowers and string trimmers to maintain grass at a desirable height. A mowed lawn can provide an attractive backdrop for flower beds, a place to relax, and even a habitat for wildlife. For best results, the grass should be mowed weekly during the summer and less frequently the rest of the year. The frequency of mowing depends on the type of grass and soil conditions. It’s important not to over-mow the turf as this can cause it to become weak and sparse, but also not to mow it too often or you may end up with a weed-filled mess.
Fertilization is a critical component of a healthy lawn. It provides the nutrients necessary for growth and prevents weeds from competing with the grass. Lawn care specialists can analyze the soil and make nutrient applications accordingly to ensure your lawn receives the right balance of chemicals.
Weed control is another essential aspect of lawn care. Weeds compete with grass for water, sunlight, and nutrients, so removing them regularly is vital to a beautiful lawn. Weed removal is a labor-intensive task that requires attention to detail and proper timing.
Lawn aeration is also important to the health of your lawn. It’s the process of making holes in the soil that allows air, nutrients, and moisture to circulate freely throughout the roots and soil. Lawn services can aerate your turf to keep it looking great all season long.
Other lawn care services include mulching, leaf and debris cleanup, edging, aeration, seeding/overseeding, insect control, and pest control. Keeping up with these tasks will help your lawn grow thick and lush all year round, providing a beautiful setting for flowers and plants, as well as a relaxing retreat. For the first-time homeowner, lawn care can seem like a daunting task. However, with the proper lawn care schedule, your yard will be a luscious carpet of green in no time!
Fertilization
Lawn care includes treating the lawn with fertilization, weed control and soil health. These services promote lush, healthy grass that is drought and disease-resistant, and improves curb appeal for the home or business. They can also include aeration, mowing, dethatching and trimming trees, shrubs and bushes.
The first step in fertilization is to know your lawn’s nutritional needs. A soil test will provide a recommendation of how much nitrogen (N) a lawn requires annually per 1,000 square feet, depending on its organic matter content and other factors. A good rule of thumb is to apply low-rate N fertilizer twice a year, in spring and fall. A third application may be needed if the soil is infertile or a lawn experiences stress during the summer.
Fertilizers are available in liquid and granular form, and the choice depends on how easy it is to apply, the amount of lawn space to cover and the type of lawn. Liquid fertilizer is readily absorbed by the roots, but can be difficult to disperse homogenously over large areas of grass. Granular fertilizers can be easier to spread, but it takes longer for the nutrients to be absorbed.
A good time to apply fertilizer is in the early morning, when grass is most active and has a chance to absorb the nutrients before the sun evaporates any moisture. Avoid watering at night, which can encourage diseases. Also, be sure to remove any fertilizer that may have inadvertently washed onto sidewalks, driveways, streets and other impervious surfaces, to minimize the leaching of nutrients into storm sewers and bodies of water during intense rainfall.
Nitrogen helps fill in small patches and thin spots, while phosphorus increases root growth for overall health. Potassium aids in disease resistance and stress tolerance, making it an important ingredient for a high-quality lawn.
Another component of lawn fertilization is the addition of bio-stimulants, which are non-synthetic products that help the grass grow and thrive. These products also improve the quality of the soil in which your grass grows by reducing thatch and enriching it with microbes, increasing its capacity to hold water and nutrients.
Weed Control
Weeds are a problem for every lawn. Besides being unsightly, they crowd out grass and prevent it from getting the sun and nutrients it needs. Many weeds reproduce by seed and spread rapidly once conditions are right for them, like when your grass is too short and can’t shade the soil as effectively. Weed seeds are dispersed by wind, water, animals, poor-quality grass seed, soil amendments and lawn and garden equipment.
We have a great line of weed control products for your lawn and garden. Our pre-emergent weed killers are applied in early spring, before annual weeds like crabgrass sprout. Post-emergent herbicides are applied later in the growing season, after weeds have already sprouted and gone to seed.
The best way to avoid weeds is through healthy grass. A well-groomed and fertilized lawn will be able to compete more effectively with weeds for sun and nutrients. A healthy lawn is also a better defense against disease and insect infestations.
Lawn care practices such as mowing, watering, fertilization, dethatching and aeration help keep grass competitive with weeds. However, it is important to know that even with these practices, some weeds may still develop. A weed control plan is essential for every lawn.
It is also important to identify weeds correctly and to select the most appropriate herbicide product for the type of weed. Using the wrong herbicide can damage or kill desirable turfgrass, or harm soil and water quality. It is particularly important to read and follow all herbicide label directions, as they often require specific application rates and safety precautions.
Most perennial weeds can be difficult to control, especially with a single herbicide treatment. Some are resistant to herbicides and take several seasons or more to be killed by repeated treatments. For these tough weeds, it is usually necessary to use a combination of strategies. This could include pre-emergents, post-emergents and manual weed removal (using hand tools or a chemical). If you are concerned about the environment or human health, consider the benefits of organic lawn care that uses methods such as manual weeding and cultural control techniques.
Aeration
Aeration involves puncturing small holes into the lawn’s soil to alleviate compaction and enhance delivery of vital elements like oxygen, water and nutrients to grass roots. This encourages grass to grow deeper into the topsoil, fostering its strength and resilience.
Aerated lawns have greater resistance to disease and insect infestations. They’re also less likely to be affected by drought or heat stress. And because aerating allows stormwater to percolate through the soil instead of rushing into local waterways, it reduces erosion and sedimentation.
There are several types of aeration, but core aeration is the most common among professional lawn care services. During this process, a machine with hollow tines or blades is rolled across the lawn, removing small plugs of thatch and soil from the surface. This improves natural soil aeration by removing the dead grass and organic matter that prevents air and water from reaching roots.
Before aerating, a lawn should be generously watered a day or two in advance. This renders the soil softer and easier to work, which maximizes the benefits of aeration. Once aeration is complete, the lawn should be watered again and covered with a thin layer of screened topsoil mixed with compost to jump-start nutrient flow.
Lawn care specialists also monitor the grass for signs of pests and diseases, recommending and overseeing treatment strategies as needed. They may apply granular or liquid fertilizers to promote healthy growth, as well as pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides to control weeds. And they may oversee overseeding activities to fill in bare spots and promote thicker, denser turf.
Whether you have an established yard or are starting from scratch, these fundamentals of lawn care will help you achieve the healthy, thriving lawn of your dreams. Contact a local lawn care company to learn more about their services and schedule your initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!