Lawn Care Tips

Mowing • Fertilization • Core Aeration • Dethatching • Hedge/Shrub Trimming • Leaf Removal

Georgia Turfgrasses - Specific information on "Georgia" warm/cool season grasses.
Links - Other informational websites.

Mowing

There are many types of mowers on the market today with hundreds of combinations all shapes and sizes etc. What is best for you? If you're a homeowner, Home Depot or Lowe's will hook you up in no time. Large lawns may require riding lawn mowers, oftentimes seen out front of these stores, or if you have a small lawn, you can get a self-propelled Honda.

Moving up a level to large residential/commercial mowers, there are z-turn mowers which can spin 360 degrees in one place, standing mowers in which the user stands on the back, and reel mowers, which are used specifically for extremely low and concise cuts for warm-season grasses like bermuda and zoysia. Whatever it may be, the right lawn mowers is out there for you. First off, find a price range, and then look at riding, standing, or walking, and then look at the mowers cut size as well as what type of grass it will be cutting.

As for actual mowing, make sure you know the correct height for your type of grass. Please see the turfgrass section above for specific information regarding Georgia grasses. Some good advice: Don't mow after it has rained. Grass clumps will be left behind and the blades tend to rip the grass out of the ground rather than cutting it. Also, if you're bagging, clogging will ocurr. Keep your blades sharp! Profressionals sharpent there blades at least once a month. When buying a lawn mower, consider gates and narrow openings when looking at cut size. A 48" mower won't be able to go everywhere. Back to Top

Fertilization

There are organic(naturally occurring) and inorganic(manufactured) fertilizers. They are either desigend for absorbtion through plant roots or by the leaves (foliar feeding). Most products on the market today are all about nitrogen(N), phosphorous(P), and Potassium(K). These are the primary plant nutrients. Nitrogen is for greening, phosphorous is for root growth, and potassium is for disease prevention and overall health.

When looking at a bag of fertilizer, there will be numbers representing the percantage of each of the three "macronutrients." The number will look like this: 18-51-20. This means the fertilizer has 18% nitrogen, 51% phosphorus, and 20% potassium. The other 11% is known as ballast and may or may not be valuable to the plants, depending on what is used as ballast. Special note: phosphorus is oftentimes reported as phosphorus pentoxide and potassium is reported as potassium oxide or potash.

When should you fertilize? Whether it be warm or cool season grass, springtime is always a good time to start fertilization. Make sure it's used up before the onslaught of extreme heat. Then, during fall, you can fertilize again after the high heat levels have subsided. Also, too much fertilizer might hurt your lawn, so pay special attention to the manufacturer's directions.

You can get either liquid or granular as well. Liquids are fast acting but hard to control. They might run-off your lawn. The solid granular(pellets) need a spreader and can either be fast acting or slow release. They are much easier to measure and spread evenly amongst your lawn. Pick which ever best suits your needs.

One last noteworthy factoid: some fertilizer comes with weed control. "Weed and feed," as it's called can either be pre-emergent(weeds yet to have germinated) or post-emergent(weeds already growing). So the pre-emergent weed and feeds should be used in early spring before the weeds have had a chance to start growing. Believe it or not, there are weeds that only grow during the winter, so you might need a pre-emergent in fall as well. As for post-emergent, you can apply them any time when weeds are visible. Either that or get straight pesticide designed more specifically for your needs. Back to To

Dethatching

Thatch - a tightly bound layer of dead grass, including leaves, stems, and roots, that builds up on the soil surface at the base of the living grass of a lawn. This layer of debri, if over 1 inch, often inhibits sunlight, water, and nutrients from reaching the grass roots. In order to fix this, we "de-thatch."

There are two ways of going about this: using a rake and scraping the dead particles out, or renting a specially designed machine. The machines are often very heavy and require extensive knowledge on calibrating the multiple perpendicular blades. If it's not calibrated correctly, the blades might cut too deeply into the soil of vice versa.

After the process is complete, there will be a large amount of dead grass which needs to be raked and removed. Keep in mind, your lawn might look like a war zone after completion. It's best to dethatch in spring along with overseeding, fertilizing, and light watering. If you rake the seeds and fertilizer into the loose soil, they will grow quickly and repair your recently dethatched lawn. Also, see core aeration which might be a better solution for a breathable lawn. Back to Top

This lawn has a large thatch layer.

Hedge and Shrub Trimming

Pruning hedges might seem easy, but oh contraire. Evergreens are harder than deciduous, and under each of these categories, there are specific ways of shaping before reaching full growth. You must shape them from the beginning or else it'll be twice as hard after they are adults.

Just remember, round shrubs are better than cutting in straight lines. You won't have to cut them as often becaues it's harder to notice new growth and snow falls off round tops as opposed to flat ones. The main key here is knowing what kind of plant you have. When/how much to cut depends on the type, so ask someone at a nursery or google it.Back to Top

Leaf Removal

As grass growth slows, leaf growth also slows. Come fall, the leaves start their air raid and bombard your property with a persistance not even seen with olympic athletes in training. We can fix this problem for you with a blower and a big tarp. If you have a place for the leaves, we can blow them all into a pile and drag them over to that location where they degrade and for compost. Back to Top

Core Aeration

Aeration - process by which air is circulated and through a solid or liquid. Over time your lawn is compacted and a layer of thatch(dead plant particles) builds up and hinders your lawn from receiving oxygen, nutrients, and water. There are two types of aerators: spiked and core. Spiked aerators have solid metal spikes which poke holes in the ground. These are not recommended because they actually increase compaction by pushing the dirt apart.

Core aerators, on the other hand, have hollow metal spikes which take plugs of dirt out of your lawn, so there is no compacting whatsoever. Most people get their lawn core aerated and then overseeded. This way, the seeds fall in the holes and have direct contact with the soil. Back to Top