With the wide assortment of products, instructions, and videos on the internet, lawn care may seem like a simple and menial task. What all these seemingly helpful products and guides don’t tell you is that lawn care isn’t a one-size-fits-all process.
What will make one lawn thrive may kill another. Proper lawn care involves factoring in things like location, weather patterns, soil conditions, and more. Our company offers customized lawn care solutions for homes and businesses in Alton, IL, and the surrounding areas. Here’s how you could accidentally be killing your lawn with DIY lawn care.
Cutting Your Lawn Too Short
Mowing your lawn super short may seem like a great way to avoid the need to mow so often, but cutting your lawn too short, also known as “scalping,” can hinder nutrient absorption and moisture retention.
The grass blades you’re cutting when you mow your lawn are actually the plant’s leaves. When cut down to the stem, the plant can no longer properly absorb energy from the sun. Worse, as the soil is left more exposed to the sun, it will dry out faster.
We follow the 1/3 rule when cutting local lawns meaning we never remove more than 1/3 of the lawn’s height during our mowing services. That way, your lawn looks neat and trim, won’t need to be watered as frequently, and can still absorb the energy it needs to grow.
Over Fertilizing
Your lawn needs proper nutrition to thrive, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. However, fertilization is one situation where there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing.
Over-fertilizing adds excess salt to the soil, which essentially dehydrates the roots, “burning” them and leaving the grass unable to absorb nutrients and moisture. Crispy, brown grass is the result. Unfortunately, many homeowners see this discoloration and assume the soil needs more fertilizer, which only makes things worse.
Planting the Wrong Kind of Grass
All grass might look the same to the untrained eye, but there are actually hundreds of different varieties. The key to a low-maintenance, lush lawn is selecting the right grass for your location, microclimate, and soil conditions.
In general, cool-season grasses such as tall fescue, Hard Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, and Kentucky Bluegrass do well here in Alton, Illinois. Other varieties may fail to thrive.
Seeding at the Wrong Time
Planting the wrong type of grass isn’t the only way you can doom your lawn. Seeding during the wrong season can also lead to low germination rates and insufficient growth. The ideal time to seed your lawn is in spring or fall, typically April or mid-August to early September.
By late spring and summer, it’s too warm. It will be difficult to keep the seed moist enough to germinate properly. If it does, the heat will slow growth at the least. At worst, it may also kill fragile seedlings before they can fully develop, resulting in patches, poor color, and uneven growth.
Keep Your Lawn Healthy the Easy Way—Call Us Today for Quality Lawn Care
Proper lawn care takes experience and patience. Our experts understand our local climate and the unique needs of grass species in our area. With over a decade of experience, we can help you keep your lawn lush, green, and healthy.
Do your lawn a favor and free up your schedule at the same time—let our team do all of the work for you. Call us at 618.467.7047 to get started with comprehensive lawn care. We serve properties in Alton, Godfrey, Edwardsville, IL, and surrounding areas.
