6 Lawn Maintenance Tips And Tricks For Louisville Yards

November 22, 2021 | Lawn Care Management | Kylie Kelty

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There are many things to remember when it comes to taking care of a yard. And while lawn maintenance can seem daunting, we’ve learned a few things over the years that will make life easier and your lawn healthier.

6 Lawn Maintenance Tips To Make You And Your Yard Happier

 

1. Give Your Lawn A Final Mow – But Not If It’s Wet

November can be quite dreary and rainy. While it’s ideal to give your lawn one final mow, don’t do it when the grass is damp from fall rain. This will clog up your mower, and the blades won’t be sheared correctly. Instead, mowing when the grass is wet tears and rips the grass and ruins its look.

2. Get Fall Aeration

If you haven’t already had it done this fall, be sure to have your lawn aerated. This will break up hard compacted turf, as well as thatch build-up. The last thing you need is for all the snow and ice to press down on soil that’s already harder than cement. Soil should be loose and airy, so the turfgrass roots have room to expand, and minerals, air, water, and sunlight can penetrate down to the root zone. These things can’t happen when the soil is compacted, or the thatch layer is too thick. You can solve both problems with an aeration treatment! And as a bonus, because those pesky weeds are done germinating for the year, you won’t have to worry about bringing them up to the surface

3. Apply A Winter Fertilizer

In late fall/early winter, you should apply a granular fertilizer with higher nitrogen and potassium levels. Potassium is what keeps your grass tough and will help it withstand the cold and wind in the months ahead. And the nitrogen will balance out the potassium.

4. Rake Up Those Leaves

Raking or blowing leaves into piles is a chore, literally and figuratively, but it’s crucial in maintaining a healthy lawn. When you let leaves pile up, they will create various problems later on. Firstly, leaves and other organic debris deposited on the lawn will smother the grass, creating yellowed and browned areas. Secondly, and more importantly, fungi love to grow under leaves because it’s dark and dank. Some common fungal diseases we’ve treated include:

  • Powdery mildew
  • Snow mold
  • Fairy rings
  • Necrotic ring
  • Brown patch
  • Red thread
  • Take-all root rot
  • Dollar spot

Now, you might be thinking: wait a minute, aren’t leaves good for mulch? Well, yes, when placed in your garden beds, but again, the trick is keeping it off the lawn. And even if you do use it for mulch, as we’ll discuss in the next section, you can’t put down too thick of a layer, or it will create problems for your flower and shrubs.

5. Reuse Fallen Leaves For Mulch

One of the easiest – and free! – ways to get mulch for your yard is to repurpose fallen leaves in your yard. Rip, shred, or tear them into small pieces and apply a layer no more than two inches thick around your trees, shrubs, and flower beds. If applying around a large tree, be sure to leave about a six-inch gap around the base before applying mulch. If you’re interested, you can actually buy a mulching attachment that fits over your yard waste bin. Leaves go in the top and get turned into mulch – kind of like a paper shredder for your leaves!

If you’d rather use wood chips, compost, or straw, that will work too. Whatever material you choose, your garden will thank you. Winter is cold and dry, and anything you can do to retain moisture is a boon for your plants. Just remember: less is more. You want a balance between keeping the soil moist but not so much that it attracts fungi.

6. Mow Correctly

When mowing your lawn at any time of the year, don’t trim more than 1/3 of the blades. Leaving grass at three inches in height will help it thrive, and it actually prevents weeds and diseases. That’s because weeds need a lot of direct sunlight to germinate. But if your grass is the proper height, it will block out the sun so the weeds can’t get to it. And every time you mow, mix up the pattern! If you typically mow perpendicular to the house, try mowing parallel. The time after that, mow on a diagonal. This will prevent ruts in your lawn from the mower wheels, and it trains grass to grow straight and tall.

Upgrade Your Yard Maintenance Routine With Farison’s Supplemental Services

For 50 years, customers seeking lawn fertilization service in the Louisville, Kentucky area have turned to Farison Lawn Care. Our comprehensive program will keep your lawn looking fabulous and growing strong all year long. We offer a supplemental fungicide treatment as part of our commitment to providing the highest quality service to our customers. This treatment targets all the common fungi that cause the lawn diseases that destroy the health and appearance of our lawns. When you opt into our lawn fertilization program, we can add on this fungicide treatment as well!

To learn more about the many benefits of this additional treatment, or if you’d like to have it included in your lawn care program, give us a call at (502) 245-9422 or leave us a message online here. Don’t forget to check out our blog page for more articles on keeping your yard green and pest-free.

You can also connect with us on social media!

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