Ash Borer Tree Care and Lawn - "Working In Harmony With Nature"
Secrets to a healthy lawn.  Main thing to remember is that your grass is a living plant of the family Gramineae. and like all living things, they need adequate amounts of water, oxygen, food and sun to maintain their health. Like all living things,We get sick. Like for us, we get viruses, infections, diseases and cancer. Well your lawn can get sick too. They can get bugs (viruses),funguses (infections that lead to disease)that are known as diseases in our lawns.
I will explain to you here what you can and can't do to get a healthy lawn and maintain it.
 
 
PRO'S
 
  • Do mow your grass at 3" or higher in the warmer months.
  • Do sharpen your mower blade. Tip death or a torn tip is sign of a dull blade. When properly mowed, the tip of the grass should have a fine straight edge.
  • Do water your lawn 1/2" every other day. (use a can or rain guage to determine time needed).
  • Do water in early morning.
  • Do take a soil test at least once every few years if you have or start to notice problem areas.
  • Do apply the appropriate fertilizer on your lawn at the right times. Note the manufacture instructions, amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium as well how their nutrients are released. If you are unsure about how to use or what these things are, I would suggest hiring a professional lawn care to avoid a costly mistake.
  • Do pull weeds or use a little weed control to rid your lawn of them.
  • Do seed your lawn every fall using the seed types your lawn needs.Note: seed needs water, and soil contact to germinate.
  • Do Mulch, this is equal to a fertilization over the course of the year.
  • Do dethatch when your thatch is over 1/2" . Under 1/2" of thatch can be beneficial  to your lawn especially during hot periods and under a drought as it acts as an insulator helping to trap in moisture and keeping soil and grass roots cooler.
  • Do aerate your lawn in the fall time to help keep your soil loose for better flow of water, oxygen and nutrients into the soil and help keep thatch layer manageable to help promote a healthier greener lawn.
 
CON'S
 
  • Don't mow your lawn at 2"-21/2" as this can result in a burned out lawn and more weeds.
  • Don't mow your lawn with a dull blade as this will cause your lawn stress and do more harm than good.
  • Dont water during mid day as this can cause grass to burn.
  • Dont water at night as this will allow for prolonged periods of standing water which breeds funguses.
  • Don;t apply products like gympsum or limestone without doing a soil test. Calcium carbonate is one of the most cost effective acid neutraling agents used today for treating acidic soils.
  • Don't over fertilize. This can chemically burn your lawn.
  • Don't put down the wrong fertilizer, as this can change the chemical balance of your soil leading to future problems.
  • Don't let weeds grow as they kill grass during their life cycle, making room for more weeds to grow in your lawn.
  • Don't use sunny seed in shady areas, shade seed in sunny areas or a mix in areas that are all sun or shade as you will not get the results you want.
  • Don't let thatch build up over 1/2" creating too much buffer between the soil and the grass. This will prevent sufficient amounts of water, air, and nutrients (fertilizer) to reach the soil. Excess thatch can also encourage other problems like  insects, fungi and lawn diseases.
  • Don't aerate in early spring if you have a problem with weeds and/or crabgrass, and you already applied a pre-emergent or weed and feed application as you will be putting unprotected seeds on top of lawn.