Summer Lawn Care Tips

The sweltering heat of the summer months can definitely take a toll on your lawn, causing your lawn to be brown and full of pests. If you ignore the early warning signs of pests, mow too low, water too little or too much, your lawn could quickly become a problem. Keeping your lawn healthy during the summer months isn’t as difficult as it might seem, and with the right maintenance, saves you time and money in the long run. So, we’ve compiled a list of proven summer lawn care tips below for maintaining your lawn from the beginning of the summer to the end.

Address The Threat of Pests

If you didn’t know, pests such as June bugs, Japanese beetles, and European chafers usually lay thousands of eggs in the grass in early to mid summer, and can pose a continual attack on your lawn with dire consequences. Additionally, summer is also the time when fungal diseases such as brown patch and powdery mildew are common. You can start by looking at the blades of grass and watch out for any indicators of insect activity including: feeding trails, curled leaves/blades, or chew marks. Additionally, the most common sign of surface-feeding insects in grass is either the thinning of the turf or color loss. If you notice any of these indicators, quickly call a professional to remedy the problem the right way to reduce further damage to your lawn.

Water Carefully

During the summer months, we are no strangers to drought-like conditions in Southern New Jersey. That’s why sprinkler systems are an important investment to maintain the lush, green color of your lawn, even during the hot, dry months of summer. Inadequate water can result to turfs that are susceptible to insect attack, diseases, and weed infestations. However, you should keep in mind that too much water can sometimes be detrimental if not done correctly or overdone. A healthy lawn needs water regularly to stay green and continue growing. For best results, early morning watering is ultimately best during summer months. But you’ve heard that evening watering is best, right? In fact, watering in the evening or at night can actually increase the chances of disease development since the lawn is likely to remain dark, moist and cool for an extended period immediately after watering.

Mow Your Lawn Longer

As much as mowing is a very simple process, it has the most impact on the growth and health of a lawn than any other maintenance activity. Taller grass shades the soil which in turn reduces water evaporation. It also leads to deeper roots and prevents germination of the weed seeds. We recommend mowing your grass at a longer blade length, as opposed to shorter, to prevent burn during the hot summer months. Also, only mow your lawn as needed during the summer to reduce strain on the lawn.

Fertilize As Needed

It is important that your lawn maintains its freshness and vigor. For you to maintain this, you have to employ the use of a recommended summer lawn fertilizer. Feeding your lawn increases its vigor and also helps in preventing moss and weeds from developing. For better results, apply fertilizers after ensuring that the soil is moist. You should mix the fertilizer with soil since it provides an even distribution and prevents scorching in the grass. However, using extra fertilizer during the summer heat can burn your lawn, and you should, therefore, apply it sparingly and with great care.
 

At Barber’s, we’ve never met a lawn that we couldn’t tame, even in the summer. You’ll quickly notice that we maintain the greenest lawns in South Jersey. With over 40 years of experience, we know grass. Contact us today or give us a call at 609.861.5050 for a free in-home estimate.

Why Hire Barber’s: A Professional Landscaping and Lawn Care Company

We understand that there are many options available for landscaping and lawn care in south Jersey. However, very few of those landscaping companies have over 45 years of experience in business that completely understand the climate, soil and natural topography of south Jersey like we do. And while we understand that you may be shopping, trying to find the best professional lawn and landscaping company to meet your needs, we wanted to be sure we took the opportunity to provide you with all the facts about why we provide a better value than our competitors.

Why You Should Hire Barber’s: A Professional Landscaping and Lawn Care Company in South Jersey

We Know South Jersey

For over 45 years, the greenest lawns and most beautifully landscaped homes are Barber’s homes. We take great pride in our experience and longevity. And, when we say over 45 years, that’s the length of years we’ve been in business serving all of south jersey. That’s not combined experience, which our competitors will tout. That’s the number of years our owner, Ron Barber, has been sharing his landscaping knowledge and know-how with homeowners.

We’re Family Owned and Operated

Our 45 year history has stayed in the family, which is something we are proud of and has served our customers well. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service, so when you call us, you speak directly with one of the owners. And, you’ll get the owners on your job. At Barber’s you always get our A team.

We Care About Quality

At Barber’s, we don't sell for quantity, we sell for quality. We firmly believe that you get what you pay for, and we find that to be true with bigger companies around town. The bigger companies sell based on quantity - to get as many jobs and as many accounts as possible. When you’re in the quantity game, prices go down, but so does quality. We are committed to our customers to ensure 100% satisfaction that the job is done right every time.

We Don't Cut Corners

You can’t say you care about quality and turn around and use sub-par products. We don't use less product to cut costs in an effort to make more money. We use the highest quality products to ensure your lawn is always looking its best.

We’re Committed to Customer Service

While we provide lawn care and landscaping services, at our core, we are a service business. We strive to provide the best possible service to our customers, each and every time. When you call, we’ll respond. If you have a need, we’ll see to it right away. Without our customers, our business would not have made it one year, let alone over 45.

We Care about A Job Well Done

Not only are we different, but we’re professional. We’re committed to getting the job done, right and on-time. We won’t leave a pile of mulch in your driveway over the weekend unless we run out of daylight. And, although we do this for a living, we enjoy a beautiful lawn as much as anyone - even more so, as we know what it takes to maintain. When you’re a Barber’s customer, we take care of your lawn like it’s our own, and we take extra pride in ensuring its a job well done.

When hiring a professional lawn care and landscaping company, you want to evaluate the options with value in mind. The best value doesn’t always come down to the cheapest price. You want a reliable, professional and honest company that has the experience and commitment to quality to get the job done right each and every week.

We’ve been in business for over 45 years and have the experience and knowledge of south jersey lawns to ensure a consistently green and lush lawn all season lawn. Give us a call today, 609-861-5050 or contact us for a free estimate.

Lawn Care Tips From The Pros: Your Lawn Care Questions Answered

We get it. You have many lawn care questions. Well, today is your lucky day, as we’ve got the answers. Well, we’ve got some of the answers to your most common lawn care questions. That’s right, each month we’ll be answering your most head-scratching and infuriating lawn care questions. So, without further ado, here are the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions answered.

Question: My lawn is looking a little bleak at the end of a long winter. What do you recommend?

The winter months can be especially brutal to our lawns in south jersey. We have snow, ice, rain and sometimes, flooding, that can cause harsh conditions for lawns to overcome in the spring. The best recipe to get your lawn nice and green in spring is to dethatch, fertilize and mow low. Find more in this post about spring lawn care tips.

Question: My lawn has a lot of weeds or crabgrass. What can I do?

If your lawn has a lot of weeds or crabgrass, unfortunately, your lawn is going to need some renovating due to neglect.  However, all is not lost, at least not yet. First, the damage to the lawn must be assessed to understand the appropriate course of action. If the lawn is 10-25% weeds, it can be brought back with a year of proper care, which includes the proper preventative care (weed and pesticide control) and fertilizing. If the lawn is 25-50% weeds, it will take a year of care and plus some overseeding to get the lawn back to a healthy state. If your lawn has more than 50% weeds, renovation of the entire lawn is recommended. Yup, you read that right, we recommend starting over from scratch.

Question: What do I do if my lawn has a lot of bare spots?

If your lawn has a lot of bare spots, the first step is to determine and assess the cause of the bare spots. Common causes include fungus, dog spots and dry spots. Once the problem has been determined and fixed either by killing the fungus, building a fence to keep the dogs out or adjusting your sprinkler system, the spots can be seeded.

Question: I've noticed a few brown spots on my lawn, what could be the problem?

If you have noticed a few brown spots on your lawn there are a few causes that could be the problem.  If it has been very hot and humid and you don’t have a preventative program, fungus could be causing brown spots on your lawn.  If the irrigation system isn’t giving a certain area of the lawn enough water that can also cause brown spots where your lawn is dry.  Also, if someone lets their dog urinate on the lawn it can cause dead spots. Brown spots are much like bare spots, once you assess the cause and fix it, you can reseed.

Do you have a lawn care issue that you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work to solve the problem? Share your question with us below in the comments and we may answer it in an upcoming post.

Have a problem that can’t wait? Give us a call at 609.861.5050 or contact us for a free estimate today.