Don't Just Control Weeds - PREVENT Them!
Notice we said prevent weeds, not kill them or otherwise treat them. Pre-emergent weed control is the best way to tackle stubborn weed issues. In the case of tough weeds like crabgrass, pre-emergents are far and away the most effective measure to control them.
Pre-emergents are best applied in the early Spring before weeds have a chance to flourish. So that means as we post this (February), now is the time to plan out your pre-emergent weed treatment, so you're not chasing down pesky weeds throughout the entire season.
At Grassmasters, step one of our lawncare program is always pre-emergent treatment. Call us with any questions you have about what to apply to your lawn--even if you don't give us your business, we'll help you get it right.
Sharpen Your Mower Blades
The best lawn can look chopped up and haggard if you don't have sharp blades taking the tops off the grass plants.
A sharp blade makes a clean, healthy cut on the grass plant. Dull blades can wreak havoc on your grass, ripping instead of cutting, and sometimes pulling grass up and out of the ground.
A dull mower blade damages your lawn's appearance and creates ideal conditions for disease and weeds to flourish.
Clean, sharp blades are critical to your lawn's health.
We'll outline how to properly sharpen your blades in another post, but you can easily find instructions online, or pay a local shop a few bucks to sharpen them up.
Alternatively, you can replace them entirely. When is the last time you replaced your lawnmower blades, anyway?
Aerate Your Lawn Each Year
Aeration is perhaps the single, most beneficial thing you can do for your yard.
Professionally-executed core aeration controls thatch, enhances the root system, increase nutrient uptake and gives the lawn a great opportunity for growing new grass plants.
We go into tons of aeration detail on this page of our website, so click HERE for more information on how aeration benefits your lawn, and how the right kind of aeration is critical to getting those benefits.
Control Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are one of the biggest obstacles you'll face in getting a healthy, manicured lawn for reasons you may overlook.
If you take the time to sculpt a perfect lawn, chances are you spend a lot of time outside, and are working in your yard in order to enjoy it and spend ever more time outside.
However, despite your good intentions, you'll rarely go outside to enjoy it if the bloodsuckers are around to bite you non-stop.
If it seems like we're overstating mosquito risk, we do so with good reason: we live in a region (St. Louis Metro-East) that has a history of Zika risk, with researchers at Saint Louis University confirming that our zone is one of the highest-risk areas for Zika transmission in 2017.
Train Your Pets!
Pets are wonderful, but the urine of both cats and dogs can leave unsightly yellow and dead spots in your yard.
In addition, dog feces is one of the top causes of water pollution in the United States.
You can do everything right, but your lawn won't look its best if it serves primarily as a pet toilet.
Your best bet is to pick up after your dogs and do all you can to train them to urinate somewhere other than your yard.
Outdoor cats are a challenge, but you can use a strategic mulch bed to give them a more pleasing spot to do their business--and more importantly, stop urinating in your yard.
Final Thoughts
At Grassmasters, we have hundreds of tips, strategies, and tools to help your outdoor paradise look its best.
These are just four of our favorites, and we hope you found them helpful as Spring approaches.
Call us anytime with questions, consider joining our email list for even more information and a chance to join our giveaways, or fill out our quote form if you want to partner with Grassmasters on your best lawn ever.
