A healthy, lush lawn adds to the beauty of your home and increases its value in a competitive real estate market. Regular maintenance practices such as mowing, weed control, fertilizing and aeration promote a vigorous green carpet while protecting it from harmful insects and diseases.
Overseeding helps fill in thin spots and bare areas of your lawn. It’s best done in the fall, when soil is still warm. Contact Big Green Lawn Care for professional help.
Over time, your soil can get compacted with regular foot traffic, children playing outside, entertaining and using lawn equipment. This obstructs the flow of air, water and nutrients to your grass roots. Aeration is a process that punctures holes in your lawn, relieving compaction and improving root growth. There are several types of aeration, but core aeration is the most effective. The process involves using a machine that removes small soil plugs from your lawn (also known as “cores”). The cores are pulled away and left to decompose, re-introducing vital nutrients back into the ground.
Our lawn care experts know that proper aeration is just as important as any other lawn treatment. It’s a key component in creating thick, lush, green grass that is able to naturally fend off weeds. It also makes your yard a place that your neighbors will envy!
The best times to aerate are in spring and fall, when the soil is still moist enough for holes to be poked through. Our crews use specialized equipment to pull out small soil plugs, leaving behind tiny holes in your grass.
During aeration, our crews typically run a tool with hollow tines over your entire lawn in a crisscross pattern. We may use a spike or rake-type aerator in high-traffic areas where aeration is needed most.
Aerated soil is healthier and more nutrient-rich because it’s better able to retain oxygen, which encourages earthworms and other beneficial organisms to thrive in the area. These organisms are critical for healthy soil, enhancing root development and maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
After aeration, your grass will need extra water to recover and regrow, so we’ll develop a tailored irrigation plan that promotes healthy growth while minimizing water waste. We will also recommend a fertilizer that is specific to your lawn and climate, and we’ll overseed any bare spots.
When overseeding is performed immediately after aeration, the infusion of fresh grass seeds will help thicken and enrich your turf and crowd out unwanted weeds. We will also apply compost and fertilizer, which will provide an additional boost to your lawn’s health.
Fertilization
Lawns need regular fertilization to maintain a healthy appearance and stay strong against environmental stresses like hot weather, foot traffic and weeds. Fertilizers provide grasses with essential nutrients to help support rapid growth and regrowth, making them more resilient against lawn pests and diseases.
Fertilizing your lawn also helps to prevent nutrient deficiencies or imbalances, which can lead to unsightly grass and weak roots. A regularly nourished turf develops a denser growth that crowds out weeds, helping to reduce the need for herbicides.
Soil testing is an important step in the lawn care process to understand your soil’s nutrient levels and pH balance. This information allows you to choose the right type of fertilizer and schedule. For example, you may need to use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the spring while using a potassium-rich fertilizer in the fall to promote root development and avoid weeds.
Proper application techniques are also key to preventing “fertilizer burn,” a scorching effect on the grass that occurs when too much or the wrong type of fertilizer is applied. A spreader should be used to distribute the fertilizer evenly throughout the lawn. There are several different types of spreaders, each with a unique purpose. For example, drop spreaders deposit granules from a hopper on the lawn surface and are ideal for large areas with relatively straight lines. Broadcast spreaders, on the other hand, cover a larger area but must be carefully controlled to prevent creating stripes across the yard.
When applying lawn fertilizer, it is important to wear proper safety gear including long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and rubber gloves, especially when working in windy conditions. You should also follow any instructions on the product label regarding how long to wait before walking, playing and/or using equipment on the lawn after it is fertilized.
Organic fertilizers are a great choice for the environment because they are biodegradable and slow-release, meaning that the nutrients will be released over a period of time rather than all at once. Using organic or natural lawn fertilizers can help prevent soil erosion and improve the health of your soil, water supply and the surrounding ecosystem.
Weed Control
Weeds compete with grass for resources such as water, sunlight and nutrients. Regular weed removal is important to ensure that the lawn is receiving the resources it needs to thrive. If left unchecked, weeds can choke out turfgrass and create an undesirable appearance in the landscape. Weed control is one of the most critical parts of lawn care and can be accomplished through both cultural and chemical means.
Weed seeds are dispersed by wind, animals, water and lawn or garden equipment. Annual weeds usually grow, produce seed and die in a single year; however, biennial weeds can take two years before they complete their life cycle. The first year of the biennial weed’s life is spent growing vegetatively and the second year producing flowers and seeds. Weeds are most easily controlled when they are young and small, before they develop large roots or are able to set seed.
The best weed control is preventative and includes proper mowing, watering and fertilization practices along with a regularly scheduled schedule of pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide treatments. A properly mowed, thick stand of grass shades the soil, keeping weed seeds from getting the sun and moisture they need to sprout. The use of mulch around flower beds and consistent mowing schedules can help minimize weed growth as well.
Pre-emergent herbicides are applied in early spring to stop annual weeds like crabgrass from germinating. These herbicides are known as a Weed Preventer or Weed Killer and typically contain an active ingredient such as benefin, 2,4-D, or pyrethrins. Post-emergent weed controls kill weeds that have already sprouted above ground and include products such as Weed B Gone Plus Crabgrass Killer, Jonathan Green Veri-Green Weed and Feed and others. These weed killers are known as contact herbicides and work by contacting the weeds directly to kill them.
For manual weed control, hand pulling is an effective option for smaller weeds such as dandelion flowers and clover. If large patches of weeds are present, using a spot treatment spray of an approved herbicide may be necessary. When using chemical herbicides, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines regarding dilution rates, proper application equipment and clothing, safety, storage and disposal. Close attention should also be given to environmental considerations to reduce the amount of chemical runoff into local waterways.
Pest Management
Lawn pests can wreak havoc on your lawn, damaging grass roots, leaves, or stems. The damage weakens the overall health of your lawn, making it more susceptible to diseases and environmental stressors. Pests also reduce the overall beauty of your yard, and some, such as ticks and mosquitoes, can spread dangerous disease-causing pathogens to humans and pets.
Preventative lawn care practices, like aeration, dethatching, mowing, leaf removal, and topdressing can help keep your lawn healthy and pest-free. Using composting and organic fertilizers can promote soil health, which can make your lawn less attractive to insects and diseases.
Inspect your lawn regularly for signs of pest infestation, such as chewed or discolored grass, mounds of dirt, and other debris. If you find a problem, check for pest larvae by digging or cutting beneath the thatch layer and checking an area of about 1 square foot. Count the number of larvae and compare it to your action threshold.
If you spot a pest infestation, choose the most effective treatment option for your lawn and property. Non-chemical treatments include removing and destroying debris, encouraging natural predators to control pest populations (like birds, ladybugs, and nematodes), and using physical barriers (row covers and netting) to keep pests out of the lawn.
Chemical controls may be necessary if preventive measures aren’t effective. However, it is important to use any chemicals responsibly, limiting their exposure to people and animals, and always following label instructions. Organic pesticides, such as neem oil and diatomaceous earth, provide targeted solutions without harming beneficial insects or soil microbes.
Local lawn care providers offer eco-friendly pest management practices that preserve the long-term health of your turf and minimize environmental impact. With meticulous pest assessment procedures and targeted treatment solutions, they have a track record of protecting homeowners’ yards and fostering beautiful, green neighborhoods.