As we get our first dose of prolonged, warm weather in the greater St. Louis area, make sure your mower is in prime condition for the frequent cutting schedule of spring!

You might have taken care of a mowing or two already this season, but spring is a great time to take care of your mower so it can take care of your lawn all summer long!

Replacing spark plugs annually is a cheap, simple way to keep your mower in top condition. Refer to your owner's manual.

Again, it's good practice to replace air and fuel filters. For most common mowers, these are inexpensive and easy to replace on your own.

If you have a rider, are the tires inflated, with good tread? Inflate them to the proper PSI and replace when necessary.

Did you put a fuel preserver in your fuel container last winter? If not, that fuel is probably not fresh. Don't put stale fuel in your mower!

Many riding mowers have lubrication points. You can find a chart in your owner's manual. If you don't have a grease gun, here's an Amazon pick that gets the job done:

While you're lubricating, it's the perfect time to make sure your mower is clean. Wipe down painted areas and check for any rust damage.

While fall is the best time for seeding, it's common for homeowners to plant grass seed in the spring for a variety of reasons.

Spring planting may be due to timing (maybe they want to start a new lawn and don't want to live on a muddy lot for a whole season), or for spot repairs of bare, thin, or weak areas of the yard.

You can always call Grassmasters for help, but if you want to do it yourself, here is what to look for in quality grass seed.

The United States has five zones. Our area is tricky because it's a "transition zone" with intense seasons that encompass different aspects of all the zones. Grasses require tolerance to heat, cold, and drought.

Examine your yard and make your seeding determinations based on sun and shade, and then you can use this chart to find some excellent grass types:

Note: if you have an area that is a blend of sun and shade, use Kentucky Bluegrass, Fine Fescue, and Perennial Ryegrass for cool season zones.

Use Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia for warm season zones.

If you have kids that play outside and want to grow a tougher, wear-resistant lawn, here are some hearty grasses with a high wear tolerance. Mixtures of these types hold up to rough and tumble kid traffic:

Buy seed from a reputable store, such as a garden center or a big box home improvement store. Buy the best seed available! Don't cut corners, or you may end up with more filler and more weeds.

Cheap seed is cheap for a reason. You want fresh seed, not end of season leftovers. Choose a brand with a guarantee. Keep your receipt and if the seed is a disaster, write them with proof of purchase and you should be able to recoup your investment, depending on the company.

At Grassmasters, we guarantee our seed and only use the freshest, highest quality mixes specifically for this area.

Skip the marketing jargon on the labels. Fastest growing, miracle lawn, one-step, less water, all mean nothing compared to what's in the mix. For that, you need to check the label.

The Federal Seed Act of 1936 requires detailed and uniform labeling. You can trust the label information, and it's not hard to decipher.

You know the seed type you need, now check the label for the following information:

Look for specific variety names. "Merion Kentucky Bluegrass" is better than "Kentucky Bluegrass." The more generic the type, the better chance you have less desirable characteristics compared to the more specific cultivars.

One tip: shy away from annual ryegrass, which dies off in one season. If any annual ryegrass is in the mix, expect a thinner lawn after just one season, with possible bare spots.

You want a date in the current year. A sell-by date is usually included. Fresh grass is better!

Almost all grass packages have some weed seed, but you can minimize your risk and inconvenience by getting seed that has less than 1 percent listed on the package.

Don't buy seed with a percentage less than 70 percent. This is the amount of seed you can expect to blossom into grass plants under optimum conditions.

Anything that won't grow is inert matter. Filler materials such as dirt and chaff make up this percentage. You can find grass seed with zero percent inert matter, but anything under 1 percent should suffice.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Grass plants are the heart and soul of any beautiful lawn, but how much do you really know about that wonderful plant that makes up the lush, green color of a Grassmasters lawn?

The density and sheer amount of grass in your lawn may surprise you. A 4,000 square foot lawn typically contains around 3 million grass plants. That's right--you are officially the caretaker of literally millions of plants!

Let's take a closer look at your grass by breaking it down into three distinct areas: what you can see above the ground, what is at ground level, and what is below the ground.

Shoot - Anything above the ground is called a shoot.

Stem - This sturdy piece supports the grass leaves.

Blade - The upper, broadest portion of the leaf.

Sheath - at the base of the blade, you'll find the sheath. This element wraps around the stem.

Collar - the area where the sheath and blade meet is called the collar.

Nodes - At the top of the stem, you'll find nodes. Buds emerge from the nodes after the grass is cut.

Tiller - Secondary shoots growing from the crown on the same grass plant.

Stolon - Stolons run from the crown and create "daughter" plants beside the original plant.

​Crown - Right at ground level, you can find the crown. All the action takes place here; think of it as grass plant junction. The leaves that you can see above ground emerge from the crown, and the roots that drive into the soil also emerge from the crown.

The anatomy of grass is surprisingly complex, but all the parts create a dense, lush lawn when you pay closer attention to caring for these resilient and beautiful plants.

If it seems complicated or overwhelming to nurture the health of millions of plants--don't worry. Grassmasters has your back. We'll partner with you to assure that your lawn is healthy, tough, and above all, beautiful.

Picking up some ice melt product? Remember, your lawn pays the price for ice! 

You're a veteran of Midwestern winters, so chances are, you've already got some ice melt products handy for the extreme temperatures and freezing rain we're experiencing. 

Just remember, the salt always runs off and contacts your lawn, your plants, your concrete, your landscaping--and sodium-chloride salts will kill the edges of your lawn and damage your concrete surfaces.

The key takeaway: make sure your de-melting product's active ingredient is POTASSIUM CHLORIDE. Even better, CALCIUM CHLORIDE. 

Calcium-chloride products are proven to be grass-friendly, pet-friendly, and pavement friendly. 

These products can sometimes cost a little more, but you'll reap the benefits in the long run by preventing damage to your lawn.

Here's an example of an effective calcium-chloride product from Amazon (Click image for Pricing):

It's unavoidable, but as long as you're consistent with your plan from year to year, you can minimize the impact of winter injury. 

Remember to reduce foot traffic on frozen and frosted grass. Breaking the grass blades can intensify the chances of winter injury. 

If you don't have a lawn plan, 2018 is a great time to start, and Grassmasters can help! 

Call us at 618-228-7400, or use our "get a quote" button to tell us about your lawn!

The end of summer doesn't mean the end of lawn care. The months of October-December are critical for the long-term health of your lawn.

Invest some time with these simple steps in the fall, and you can expect your lawn to flourish next spring!

Obviously, you don't have to rake by hand--you can use a collection bag or vacuum system with your lawnmower, which is optimal if you have a large yard or a ton of deciduous trees.

Bottom line: remove leaves so they don't become a soggy, suffocating mess that damages your lawn!

Keep mowing your lawn, as needed, throughout the fall.

As the growing season comes to a close, begin to lower your blade for the last two cuttings of the season.

As you lower, make sure you never take more than one-third off of the blades at any one cutting.

Your last two cuts should be at least an inch lower than normal.

While it's best for your lawn to always keep your grass high and mow on a high setting, for these last two fall cuts, you want to allow more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass as it goes dormant.

The end result is healthier grass that stays greener as it is less likely to have leaf browning throughout the winter!

Loosening the soil prevents compaction, controls thatch and allows water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach the root system.

A professional-grade core aerator is the best tool for the job. At Grassmasters, we use top-notch equipment, and our experienced staff aerates your yard efficiently and at the right time of year.

However, if you're the DIY type, we recommend renting a professional core aerator instead of using a manual tool. We've even seen some people use a pitchfork or other fork-like tools or spiked shoe gadgets to "aerate" their lawns, but this only adds to the compaction since cores are not removed from the soil!

We are posting this in November, but it's not too late to get the benefits of aeration. Don't put it off until spring--spring aeration can make it easier for weeds to establish, so it's better to do it late in the fall than try to put it off until spring!

Overseeding is typically done with aeration, but the recent hard frosts have spelled the end of the prime season for establishing new grass.

Check out the Illinois Extension for more about core aeration.

Your lawn needs the right winterizing fertilizer, and it needs it right now!

While the plants may grow more slowly, or not at all, the root system is active all the way up until the soil itself freezes hard, and that typically doesn't occur until mid-to-late December.

Even with hard frosting or even some snow, the ground temperatures are high enough to cause melt and keep the root system active.

In the fall, your grass needs a shot of the plant sugars that protect roots from freezing. Those same sugars also give the entire grass plant energy to bounce back early in the spring.

Sugars are produced by chlorophyll, which grass produces in abundance when there's ample nitrogen.

That's why we apply and recommend a slow-release fertilizer with the right blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Potassium is also vital in the fall since it aids root growth and adds protection against disease, increases drought tolerance, and increases cold resistance.

You need to winterize your lawn by the end of November to allow your lawn to continue receiving critical nutrients and prepare for true winter dormancy!

Timing is the most overlooked element of lawn care!

For example, overseed too late, and the seedlings will be too tender to survive.

Fertilize too early, and the grass will send up tender blades that will get hammered by the cold.

Fertilize too late, and the roots won't be able to absorb all those nutrients you're feeding them.

Thinking about aerating in the spring because you can't get around to it this fall? Spring aeration can make it easier for weed seeds to get established.

These are just a few examples!

The best way to get a perfect lawn care schedule? Let Grassmasters worry about it! We apply the right products at the right times all year long.

For our complete lawn care calendar, click HERE.

Beautiful, hearty lawns are built in the fall.

If you're ready for the best lawn on the block, take the time to apply the tips we shared in this post.

Of course, we're happy to partner with you in the health and well-being of your lawn.

Just fill out our web form HERE, or call us at 618-228-7400.

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