The expansive lawn that wraps around your home is one of the most beautiful and challenging pieces of landscape you can have. Watering and maintenance is required for a lawn to be at its best, and many factors can result in the grass struggling and even dying. There are many factors that affect lawns and not every homeowner is equipped to handle them. Here are four situations when comprehensive lawn service is needed in Buffalo Grove and Northbrook, IL.
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Treating Damaged or Dead Grass
That vivacious green color of healthy grass is the baseline for what your lawn should look like; any other colors, especially yellow and brown, should immediately set off alarm bells. Yellow means the grass isn’t getting enough nutrients and the roots are retracting their energy from the blades to try to preserve the life of the plant. Brown grass indicates that the plant has died. Either way, the problem needs to be addressed quickly as the damaged or dead grass will affect its surroundings by enabling weeds to take hold. The affected grass will need to be removed and replaced with fresh sod as soon as possible to help it establish roots; but before this is done, the root cause of lawn death must be established and corrected, whether it’s pet urine, disease, pests, drought, or other factors. Call your lawn service professionals immediately if your lawn starts losing its emerald green look.
Taking Care of Thatch and Compacted Soil
Thatch and compacted soils will lead to too little water and air getting to the roots, which will eventually cause damage. Dethatching involves removing dead grass that collects around the base of each plant. Aeration involves poking holes into the soil to loosen it and let the soil “breathe” and absorb nutrients. Once the grass is able to absorb nutrients, your lawn care professionals will assess the health of the grass and may apply fertilizer to jump-start new growth.
Keep in mind: fertilizer is not to be used liberally, and there are different types of fertilizer for different needs. Fertilizer is a concentrated substance that is toxic in surprisingly small amounts. It will actually give chemical burns to grass if it isn’t washed into the soil quickly with a good soaking that helps the fertilizer absorb into the root system. A lawn professional can take weak, lumpy grass and turn it into a strong and healthy feature of your landscape.
Managing Weeds
Grass that grows too sparse will allow weed seeds to germinate easily; and since weeds grow, mature, and propagate more quickly than grass, you’ll have a constant battle on your hands during the growing season. A lawn care professional will apply pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides as well as a weed-and-feed solution as needed to control weeds and allow grass to grow in thicker, which will choke out weeds. The lusher and thicker your grass, the less chance weeds will have to germinate and go to seed.
Brown Tips
The scourge of brown tips is a result of improperly sharpened mower blades. The duller the blade, the more the mower rips and tears at the plants instead of cleanly slicing through them. The damage to the plant is much easier to maintain with sharp mower blades; you can be sure that lawn care professionals regularly sharpen their mower blades to ensure clean, healthy cuts.
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