Lawn Care Kentucky is about more than cultivating a lush green space for family recreation. Through soil aeration, fertilization and mowing, it is about promoting environmental health and sustainability.

Grass needs six primary nutrients to thrive. It gets three – carbon, hydrogen and oxygen – from air, while nitrogen stimulates grass growth and phosphorous encourages root development. Applied fertilizers provide the remaining nutrients.

Mowing may seem like a simple task, but it’s one of the most important factors in the health and appearance of your lawn. It’s a good idea to have a quality lawn mower, a sharp blade and regular maintenance, as well as to follow proper mowing techniques. In general, it’s recommended to cut your lawn at least once a week during summer and every other week during spring, autumn and warm winters. This allows the roots of the grass to spread and block out weeds. Mowing too frequently can cause wilting and dryness.

A good lawn care plan also includes regular aeration, overseeding and weed control. Aerating the soil breaks up compacted and dense soil, allowing water and nutrients to penetrate more easily. This is especially beneficial for high-traffic areas, and for lawns with heavy clay soil. Overseeding promotes strong germination and growth of new grass, helping to reduce weeds and fill in sparse areas. Weed control is essential in any home yard, and a professional pest control service can help protect your landscape from common insects and disease.

Designating play areas and paths for dogs and other pets can prevent damage to your lawn, while keeping your family and animals safe and happy. Regular removal of pet waste can also prevent unsightly brown spots and foul odors.

Proper lawn care can provide a green, healthy environment for your entire home and property, while also enhancing the value of your home. A well-managed lawn requires consistent attention throughout the year, including regular watering, fertilization and mowing, core aeration, weed control, and insect and disease management. However, if you are not interested in maintaining your own yard or have limited time to spend on lawn care, you can still enjoy the benefits of a beautiful landscape with Kapp’s Green Lawn Care!

Regardless of whether you are an expert or a first-time landowner, a great lawn requires consistency. A few basic lawn care tips and hacks can keep your grass looking its best all year round, while reducing the effort and expense involved. With a little bit of know-how, your yard can be the envy of the neighborhood!

Fertilization

A healthy lawn prevents soil erosion, provides a comfortable environment for outdoor recreation, and enhances the overall beauty of the landscape. The best way to achieve a beautiful lawn is through proper lawn care practices including mowing, fertilization, watering, and weed control. Regular maintenance also helps reduce the occurrence of pests and disease problems in the turfgrass and soil.

The amount of nitrogen (N) in the soil is a key factor for healthy grass growth. A low-maintenance program uses N at a rate of 0 to 2 pounds per 1,000 square feet each year; moderate-maintenance programs use about two times that much; and high-maintenance programs use 3 to 4 times that much. The N needs of your soil can be determined through a laboratory soil test.

Other factors that determine how much fertilizer you need include the grass type, weather conditions, and soil condition. A soil test will indicate how much organic matter is in the soil, as well as other characteristics such as sand and clay content, pH level, and salt concentration.

When a lawn is fertilized, it should be watered shortly after application to promote fast absorption of the nutrients. Avoid fertilizing on a windy day to reduce the risk of runoff into lakes, rivers and streams where excess nutrients can cause algae growth and contribute to poor water quality.

Nitrogen fertilizers can be applied in liquid or granular form. Liquid fertilizers are easier to apply and are more easily absorbed by the plant. However, they may need to be applied more often than granular fertilizers.

A healthy lawn requires periodic aeration to reduce thatch and improve soil drainage. Aeration also promotes a deeper root system which helps resist diseases, weeds and drought stress. Aeration is most effective in the fall, but can be done in early spring and again in late summer if needed.

Weed Control

Taking preventive measures, such as proper mowing technique and promoting a thick lawn that crowds out weeds, is the best way to keep them at bay. However, if the weeds are a serious problem, chemical control may be needed. Several herbicides are available that kill specific types of weeds while leaving the grass unharmed when used as directed. Look for a product that is labeled safe for lawns and contains an active ingredient such as 2,4-D, dicamba, MCPA, MCPP or triclopyr. Many of these products have an image of a dandelion on the bottle.

Perennial broadleaf weeds like dandelion and clover earn the most contempt for those seeking manicured lawns. The best way to control them is with a preemergent herbicide applied in the fall, prior to reseeding. The same treatment is also effective for winter annuals such as chickweed and henbit. These weeds germinate in the spring and die in the same season, but are very difficult to control once they have flowered and set seed.

Clovers and other legumes are perennials that spread by runners (stolons). They grow as small weeds in a lawn, but once established, they can form large patches that choke out grass. They are most easily controlled with a preemergent application in the fall. Alternatively, they can be treated in the spring when they are in the early stages of growth. Clover and other legumes that flower in summer are most readily controlled with herbicides that contain the active ingredients dicamba or triclopyr.

Other weeds can be controlled by competitive planting, which is the intentional seeding or planting of desirable plants where unwanted weeds grow. This can be done in areas around home grounds where plant growth is desired, such as a yard, garden or parking lot. There are also herbicides that can be used in the lawn where bare spots exist for up to a year and contain an active ingredient such as oxyfluorfen + imazapyr (Ground Clear Ortho Triox) or prometon (Pramitol).

In some situations, biological controls, which involve insects or other living organisms that reduce weed vigor, might be useful. Insect biocontrol agents are screened through intensive multi-year programs by the United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to ensure their host specificity, meaning they only feed on weeds but do not harm the lawn.

Irrigation

Irrigation is an important part of a comprehensive lawn care plan, especially for areas where rainfall is insufficient to sustain healthy turfgrass. Irrigation options vary from basic manual watering methods to complex, automated systems that require professional installation and ongoing maintenance. The Wake Forest landscaping experts at FortSmith Landscaping can help you choose the right irrigation system for your property, grass type and soil conditions.

When it comes to irrigation, timing is everything. Inadequate watering can cause the grass to become brittle and less desirable, while overwatering can lead to shallow root systems and weed invasions. The best time to water is early morning, when evaporation is minimal, and the moisture can be most effectively absorbed by the plant roots.

For the best results, consider incorporating a lawn that is naturally low-maintenance and drought-tolerant. For example, replacing high-maintenance traditional turfgrass with low-mow-height fescue can reduce your lawn care efforts significantly while enhancing the visual appeal of your landscape.

A lab-tested soil analysis will reveal the relative proportions of sand, silt and clay in your soil. This information will help you understand how much and how often to water your lawn, as well as how and when to aerate and fertilize it.

Surface irrigation systems use sprinklers or spray nozzles that direct water to different areas of your yard, called zones. A controller operates the valves that open and close to distribute water to each zone. The controller has “start times” and “valve run times,” which are the specific amounts of time in minutes that a particular station or zone will be watered each day.

Drip irrigation uses a series of emitters that deliver small streams or droplets to the soil surface. It can be used on almost any type of soil, and it’s effective for trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetables as well as lawns. The main advantage of this method is that it reduces the risk of weeds and other unwanted plants surviving by using a low-flow watering technique that limits the amount of water per surface area.

It’s critical to select an irrigation contractor with experience working in your region and knowledge of local landscape and conservation regulations. A certified landscape professional will have the expertise to recommend an irrigation system that meets your unique needs and budget, and will also be able to provide advice on installation, maintenance and optimization.