Nashua Landscaping Company - Knott's Land Care

Eight Tips For Maintaining A Healthy Lawn

Mow the lawn properly:
For the best appearance and good health of lawn grass, there are two critical components: mowing with a sharp blade and cutting it at the proper height. A dull blade will tear rather than cut the lawn leaving a ragged end on the grass blades that cast a dull haze over the lawn. That ragged edge also leaves the grass more vulnerable to disease.

Cutting grass too short places the turf under stress causing it to require more water. The resulting turf is thin and weak and is highly susceptible to weed invasion. A healthy, vigorous lawn that is not mowed until it reaches two or more inches will provide effective competition against weeds and crabgrass. The shade from a dense turf is often sufficient to inhibit the germination of weed seeds. Additionally it serves as a habitat for ants, spiders, and ground beetles that keep the pest insects of a lawn in check. Tall grass also shades the soil, reducing evaporation of moisture and will not burn out in the heat of summer. A good rule of thumb is to set the mower for 2 to 2-1/2 inches in the spring and fall and raise it to 3 or more inches in the summer.

Overseed the lawn every 3 to 4 years even if it looks great:
A lawn that is as dense as brand new sod, year after year, will have fewer weeds. To get the lawn thick, overseed the lawn in the fall or spring once or twice the first year. Once the second year, and then make it a routine to reseed every 3 or 4 years even if the lawn is looking really good.

Buy only the highest quality grass seed:
Only the top quality grass seed includes varieties that have been bred with good disease resistance, look good, and are drought resistant. When you buy the high-end brands, you can trust the grass seed companies to give you the right mixture for the northeast. Buy full sun mix if your lawn gets over 6 hours of sun a day. Use a shade mixture if your lawn gets 3 to 6 hours of sun a day. Any lawn getting less than 3 hours of sun a day must be overseeded every spring to look even average for the season.

Fix the soil and maintain it every year without fail:
To grow great grass you need good dirt - healthy humus rich soil filled with earthworms and beneficial microbes. To create good soil, an annual application of organic material such as compost is important. Spread a 1/8th inch of compost on the lawn in the spring and/or the fall, then core aerate.

Use only slow release granular fertilizer:
A healthy lawn requires a lot of nitrogen. How do you tell if your lawn is nitrogen starved? When legumes, better known as clover and black medic take over your lawn. Since they get their nitrogen from the air, it is a clear indication that your soil is lacking oxygen. However the fertilizer you use to replenish your soil's nitrogen supply is critical. Quick release nitrogen fertilizers need to be applied three or four times a year in order to be effective. They are also high in salts that can burn turf roots and repel the valuable earthworms and kill many of the beneficial soil microbes. However, slow release nitrogen fertilizers only need to be applied once or twice a year and will not hurt the soil critters. Use slow release nitrogen fertilizer in the spring and again in the fall for a few years, but if you are taking care of your soil, you can drop back to a single application in the fall, or split the application putting down half the recommended amount in spring and half in fall. Doesn't seem like enough, well remember cool season grasses are semi-dormant in the summer so fertilizing in the summer feeds the weeds, not the grass. Compost is a great natural slow release fertilizer.

Avoid watering too much or too little:
The key questions in watering the lawn are: "When does the grass need to be watered?" and "How much do I need to water?". When you walk over a lawn that is mowed tall, you will leave temporary footprints. If the footprints disappear with the grass popping back upright within a minute or two the grass has enough water. If the footprints last more than 3 or 4 minutes, the lawn needs to be watered. In spring and fall between your hose and Mother Nature, give the lawn an inch of water each week. Lawns need two inches a week in the heat of the summer. An empty tuna fish can is one inch deep so put a few empty tuna cans out in the pattern of your sprinkler and track the time to see how long it takes to fill the cans and you can quickly figure how to deliver an accurate amount of water to the lawn. A rain gauge will help you keep track of Mother Nature's contribution.

Spread lime only if needed in late fall, not in the spring:
Use lime on the lawn only if you are sure that your soil is acidic enough to justify it. A soil test is the only accurate way to tell. Contact your County Extension Service to get a soil test kit and related information. If you do apply lime, use a granular lime product in October or even in November. It takes six months for granular lime to break down sufficiently to be helpful to the grass plants. New England soil tends to be acidic, so liming is great way to keep the PH at its proper level.

Get rid of grubs and moles by maintaining good soil:
Grubs and moles are only a problem in lawns that are compacted and have turf with roots only two inches deep. If you add organic matter to the soil under your turf on a yearly basis, the earthworms and soil microbes lower the level of compacting over time, so after 3 to 5 years, the grubs and moles are working down at the 4 to 6 inch depth and are not evident in your lawn. However, if the problem is severe, chemical treatments may be necessary to remove the pests. Then, preventative measures may be worked into the annual maintenance program.

Knott's Land Care
26 F Columbia Circle Merrimack, NH 03054
603-689-5030 doug@knottlandcare.com


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Eight Tips For Maintaining A Healthy Lawn Mow the lawn properly: For the best appearance and good health of lawn grass, there are two critical components: mowing with a sharp blade and cutting it at the proper height. A dull blade will tear rather than cut the lawn leaving a ragged end on the grass blades that cast a dull haze over the lawn. That ragged edge also leaves the grass more vulnerable to disease. Cutting grass too short places the turf under stress causing it to require more water. The resulting turf is thin and weak and is highly susceptible to weed invasion. A healthy, vigorous lawn that is not mowed until it reaches two or more inches will provide effective competition against weeds and crabgrass. The shade from a dense turf is often sufficient to inhibit the germination of weed seeds. Additionally it serves as a habitat for ants, spiders, and ground beetles that keep the pest insects of a lawn in check. Tall grass also shades the soil, reducing evaporation of moisture and will not burn out in the heat of summer. A good rule of thumb is to set the mower for 2 to 2-1/2 inches in the spring and fall and raise it to 3 or more inches in the summer. Overseed the lawn every 3 to 4 years even if it looks great: A lawn that is as dense as brand new sod, year after year, will have fewer weeds. To get the lawn thick, overseed the lawn in the fall or spring once or twice the first year. Once the second year, and then make it a routine to reseed every 3 or 4 years even if the lawn is looking really good. Buy only the highest quality grass seed: Only the top quality grass seed includes varieties that have been bred with good disease resistance, look good, and are drought resistant. When you buy the high-end brands, you can trust the grass seed companies to give you the right mixture for the northeast. Buy full sun mix if your lawn gets over 6 hours of sun a day. Use a shade mixture if your lawn gets 3 to 6 hours of sun a day. Any lawn getting less than 3 hours of sun a day must be overseeded every spring to look even average for the season. Fix the soil and maintain it every year without fail: To grow great grass you need good dirt - healthy humus rich soil filled with earthworms and beneficial microbes. To create good soil, an annual application of organic material such as compost is important. Spread a 1/8th inch of compost on the lawn in the spring and/or the fall, then core aerate. Use only slow release granular fertilizer: A healthy lawn requires a lot of nitrogen. How do you tell if your lawn is nitrogen starved? When legumes, better known as clover and black medic take over your lawn. Since they get their nitrogen from the air, it is a clear indication that your soil is lacking oxygen. However the fertilizer you use to replenish your soil's nitrogen supply is critical. Quick release nitrogen fertilizers need to be applied three or four times a year in order to be effective. They are also high in salts that can burn turf roots and repel the valuable earthworms and kill many of the beneficial soil microbes. However, slow release nitrogen fertilizers only need to be applied once or twice a year and will not hurt the soil critters. Use slow release nitrogen fertilizer in the spring and again in the fall for a few years, but if you are taking care of your soil, you can drop back to a single application in the fall, or split the application putting down half the recommended amount in spring and half in fall. Doesn't seem like enough, well remember cool season grasses are semi-dormant in the summer so fertilizing in the summer feeds the weeds, not the grass. Compost is a great natural slow release fertilizer. Avoid watering too much or too little: The key questions in watering the lawn are: "When does the grass need to be watered?" and "How much do I need to water?". When you walk over a lawn that is mowed tall, you will leave temporary footprints. If the footprints disappear with the grass popping back upright within a minute or two the grass has enough water. If the footprints last more than 3 or 4 minutes, the lawn needs to be watered. In spring and fall between your hose and Mother Nature, give the lawn an inch of water each week. Lawns need two inches a week in the heat of the summer. An empty tuna fish can is one inch deep so put a few empty tuna cans out in the pattern of your sprinkler and track the time to see how long it takes to fill the cans and you can quickly figure how to deliver an accurate amount of water to the lawn. A rain gauge will help you keep track of Mother Nature's contribution. Spread lime only if needed in late fall, not in the spring: Use lime on the lawn only if you are sure that your soil is acidic enough to justify it. A soil test is the only accurate way to tell. Contact your County Extension Service to get a soil test kit and related information. If you do apply lime, use a granular lime product in October or even in November. It takes six months for granular lime to break down sufficiently to be helpful to the grass plants. New England soil tends to be acidic, so liming is great way to keep the PH at its proper level. Get rid of grubs and moles by maintaining good soil: Grubs and moles are only a problem in lawns that are compacted and have turf with roots only two inches deep. If you add organic matter to the soil under your turf on a yearly basis, the earthworms and soil microbes lower the level of compacting over time, so after 3 to 5 years, the grubs and moles are working down at the 4 to 6 inch depth and are not evident in your lawn. However, if the problem is severe, chemical treatments may be necessary to remove the pests. Then, preventative measures may be worked into the annual maintenance program.
Knott's Land Care 26 F Columbia Circle Merrimack, NH 03054 603-689-5030 doug@knottlandcare.com Copyright © 2006 - Knott's Land Care, LLC - All Rights Reserved. Web Support New Hampshire Web Design and Marketiing