Here at Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care, we are asked often about some of the best lawn care practices are a Tallahassee or Leon County homeowner, or business owner should do. So today we’ve put together our 7 Best Practices for Lawn Care you can apply today.
Our seven recommended best lawn care practices encompass four crucial areas:
Fertilizing
Mowing
Watering
Pest Control
These four sections are the basic foundation and requirements your office lawn or home’s yard needs to remain healthy and vigorous year round.
Choose a fertilizer
Choose a fertilizer designed for lawns. Follow the label instructions for best results. If the product does not list a spreader setting or a spreader type, then do not use on a home lawn. Buy the amount of product you need for the current growing season.
Apply fertilizer
Apply fertilizer when your grass is actively growing, which is after you have begun mowing. If the grass is not growing enough to be mowing, wait to apply your fertilizer. When using any fertilizer on a lawn, keeping it off hard surfaces (driveways, walkways, etc.) where it might wash down into our storm drains. If the applied material does get on any hard surfaces, sweep it back into the lawn. Using a rotary spreader or a drop spreader with a deflector shield makes it simple and easy to keep fertilizer on the grass.
Lawn Clippings, leaves, and plant materials
Keep lawn clippings, leaves, and other plant material off of driveways, walkways, and roadways to prevent them from entering storm sewers and surface waters. Avoid fertilizer application if heavy rains, within the next 24 hours, are expected. Even though healthy lawns effectively hold nutrients in place, heavy rainfall could cause some nutrients to flow off the grass and into surface waters.
Mowing
Mow your lawn at the highest blade setting (~ 4 inches) and leave the grass clippings on your turf. Mowing high permits the grass to develop a deep root system that retains and uses water more efficiently. Returning clippings to the lawn recycles nutrients, organic matter, and moisture back into the soil.
Watering and Irrigation
Use water wisely through proper irrigation. Consider how you use your lawn in determining if you need to water. Also, the appearance of your yard will tell you when it is time to water (leaves will begin to wilt/curl and develop a bluish cast). If no rain has fallen, lawns in sandy soil can go almost five days between irrigations, while lawns in heavy clay soils can go no more than 20 days.
Autumn lawn preparation
Fertilize in the fall between the first of September, but no later than the last day in October. It is the best time of year to feed, helping your lawn recover from summer stress and giving you a great looking, healthy lawn next spring.
Pest Control
If you are having pest problems, consider spot treatment of weed and insect problems with a ready-to-use product. Only use broadcast applied pest control products when there is a significant, widespread problem. Spot treating with ready-to-use products eliminates mixing, measuring, and waste. Broadcast treating with ready-to-use granular products for general pest problems (large weed or insect problem), likewise eliminates mixing, measuring, and makes the off-target product easy to sweep back onto your lawn.
In Conclusion
The process is simple and easy to remember. So, to keep a vibrant look and a healthy lawn appearance, you’ll want others to see at your home or office, all come down to following Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care’s seven best practices for lawn care.
If you found these 7 Best Practices for Lawn Care helpful, then check out our other article “Irrigation Lawn Care for a Healthy Tallahassee Yard. (Questions & Answers).”