Lawn Care 101

Did You Know?

There are environmental benefits in keeping your lawn healthy!

Oxygen Production:
6.25 sq ft. of grass provides enough oxygen for one person for a whole day. An average lawn will produce enough oxygen for 16 people daily.

Allergy Control:
Turf controls dust & pollen, known causes of health problems!

Temperature Control:
Eight average lawns can equal the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning.

Pollutant Control:
Grass absorbs pollutants such as carbon dioxide & sulfur dioxide, then converts them into oxygen!

Turf Grass:
as with any living organism needs nutrients for overall health. We know a thick, lush lawn that results from proper fertilization at the right time of year shades out weeds and minimizes disease, drought and insect impact. In short, the thicker the grass, the fewer the pests!

Crabgrass, Goosegrass and Foxtail:
are three very common grassy weeds in our area. Specifically, crabgrass seeds germinate in mid-spring when soil temperatures top 55-60 F for sevent to ten consecutive days. As days shorten in late summer, crabgrass goes into its prolific reproduction phase when finger-like purple seed heads form until frost kills them. A single crabgrass plant can produce more than 150,000 seeds during the growing season, which amounts to about 10,000 to 20,000 seeds per square foot. These seeds can stay viable in the soil for 30 years. Now you can see why control is very difficult. Pre-emergent herbicides do not prevent weed seeds from germiniation, but they do control newly sprouted seedlings. Obviously timing is very critical for adequate control. In our area, March 1st - April 15th is the time for pre-emergent. Is pre-emergent an important step in a lawn care program? Absolutely!

The ABC's of NPK:
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the building blocks of fertilizer and each have vital functions to the overall health of turfgrass plants. N Nitrogen is a critical part of the photosynthesis process because it generates chlorophyll in the plant. Chlorophyll helps turn energy from sunlight into food for the plant While good for color, too much nitrogen causes excessive growth and can leave grass susceptible to disease. P Phosoporus promotes growth in the roots and therefore, the rest of the plant. K Potassium helps the plant develop stress resistance against drought and cold temperature. It also encourages structural stability in the plant.

Today, there are granular and liquid formulations of pre-emergent fertilizer, weed control fungicides and insecticides. Each have advantages and disadvantages. The challenge is to know what granular product the plant prefers absorbed throught the roots and which liquid product is more effective absorbed through the leaves. The truth is, the best lawn programs incorporate both!