How to Test the Soil pH of My Yard

Summer can be a very stressful time of year for your lawn with threats of heat and drought. Many of you have worked hard on your lawns in spring and now it's time to maintain the work you have already done.

Tips from the Pros

A lot goes into maintaining a beautiful, lush, green lawn. If you are a home improvement weekend warrior and feeling up to the challenge, here are some tips from the pros.

Topics covered: Fertilization, Tick Control, Overseeding, Spring Prep and Watering Your Lawn. 

What's in a Full Lawn Care Program?

In my now 13 years as a Lawncare Specialist and business owner, I have seen many different types of Lawncare Programs.  Partial, Weed & Feed, 4-Steps and so on...

Putting together a Full Lawncare Program can be overwhelming but we can ease your mind and help to answer any questions you might have.  Below you will read about some key components that make up a highly effective Full Lawncare program.

You just seeded your lawn....now what?!

Your lawn care company has provided you with a seeding service - now what?! How do I make sure I am maintaining my lawn and that this service will not go to waste?!

Having a beautiful lawn is a great investment, one that can increase the value of a home (up to 20% !).  

Seeding is an important step to take in helping the growth of a healthy, green lawn. Below you will find all the information you need about the seeding process and steps to take in caring for your newly seeded lawn.  

Raking/Dethatching:

The 1st step in preparing your lawn for spring is to clean up any debris that is lying around the yard (sticks, leaves, plow damage, thatch, etc).  

Thatch is a layer of both living and dead grass shoots/roots/stems that builds up between your soil and grass blades that can be eliminated by raking or dethatching your lawn (see below). 

Rake as many times as needed to achieve a thatch layer of ½ inch or less or hire a professional landscaping company to do this for you.  Anything greater than ½ inches of thatch can be unhealthy for your lawn. 

A thick layer will restrict the amount of nutrients and water that your grass roots will be able to absorb. 

Raking and dethatching can begin any time after your snow season is complete. 

What type of fertilizer is right for my lawn?

Plants need many nutrients to survive and thrive. How do they get the nutrients they need? Most are naturally occurring.  If your lawn has yellowing or slow growth,  it might be time to step in with fertilizer. The best way to determine what your soil needs is by performing a soil test. 

Both Synthetic and organic fertilizers provide your lawn with the needed nutrients. Much debate has been had on this subject and it really just boils down to this; at the most basic level, nutrients are nutrients. 

Below, we will go over some major differences between organic and synthetic fertilizers in terms of nutrient availability and the long & short-term effects that each has on your soil and plants.