Top 3 Summer Lawn Care Tips

Summer is officially here and it has brought high temperatures and scorching hot sunny days. While hot days with little rain are great for enjoying time at the beach, summer lawn care requires special care to ensure a lush, green lawn all season long. So, we’ve pulled together our top 3 summer lawn care tips for you to win the battle against the heat this year and maintain a beautiful lawn.

1.  Don't Over Water

Contrary to popular thought, it is possible to over water your lawn in the summer! The first of our summer lawn care tips is to get your sprinkler system in sync to ensure proper watering, as some areas of your lawn require more water and some require less.  An in fact, your lawn may need more or less water than your friend a few miles away because the soil may be different.  Sandy soils require more frequent watering due to fast draining; loam and clay soils require less frequent watering, as the soils tend to hold water longer.

Over watering can cause unsightly disease and make the grass undesirable.  The best advice is to water for longer periods of time but less often as opposed to a little bit of water every day.  You want to thoroughly soak the grass and get the water down to the root zone. 

Bonus tip: To tune your sprinkler system, thoroughly soak each area and then wait to water until you start noticing the grass is getting a bit dry.

2.  Take the Time to Kill Grubs, Ants, and Ticks

Early summer is the best time to do an insecticide application for grubs. White rubs are the larva stage of beetles that feed on the leaves of plants and the roots of turfgrass.  Beetles lay their eggs in the lawn in early July through late August and hatch a month later, hungry and ready to wreak havoc on your lawn! Applying a preventative systemic grubb control in early June helps to provide optimum grubb control.

Also, once the weather starts to heat up in early summer, insects and bugs start to thrive, especially with increased humidity. Applying an all-around insecticide is also important in early summer to kill top feeders and keep your lawn in optimum condition.

3.  Mow Your Lawn at a Higher (Longer) Height

During the warm summer months it is best to raise the blade on your mower 1/2"-1.” Grass needs more water during the hot months, and the roots are equally proportional to how high the grass is mown.  Taller grass = deeper roots.  This will help to ensure that the lawn does not get stressed during periods of drought. 

The summer is the best time to enjoy your yard full of lush green grass. Be sure to take the proper steps to ensure your lawn survives the hottest months of the year without risking ruin.

If you need help, we’re more than happy to lend a hand. We offer seasonal lawn maintenance to ensure a beautiful lawn you can be proud to call your own. Give us a call at 609-861-5050 or contact us today for a free in-home estimate. 

4 Reasons You Should Install a Sprinkler System

With the summer months fast approaching, the combination of hot and dry can wreck havoc on your lawn and landscaping. Maintaining a consistent watering schedule is key to ensure a lush and beautiful yard all summer long. So, how is it done? We highly recommend that our customers install a sprinkler system to make it easy, protect your investment and conserve water along the way.

1. Sprinkler Systems Make Watering Easy

When properly installed and configured, sprinkler systems are designed to make watering your lawn and landscaping easy. Zones are set up based on the various areas needing water, as well as those that don’t. Most sprinkler systems come with a timer that can be configured to meet optimal watering needs whether daily or weekly, as well as time of day. Sprinkler systems allow you to set it and forget it while enjoying the benefits of a beautiful yard.

2. Sprinkler Systems Save You Time

As a professional landscaping and lawn care company, one of our main goals is to save our customers time. The last thing you want to be doing in 85 degree, 100% humidity weather is lugging a hose with a single sprinkler around your yard. Not only is it inefficient, but it also ties up your day focusing on taking care of your lawn rather than enjoying it.

3. Sprinkler Systems Protect Your Landscaping Investment

New landscaping installations are the main reasons why you should install a sprinkler system. Sprinkler systems protect your landscaping investment and help add to the overall value of your home. New landscaping without the proper irrigation system is money wasted.

4. Sprinkler Systems Conserve Water

Because of their design to meet the needs of your yard, sprinkler systems are more efficient than single sprinklers or hoses. They can be on a timer to ensure consistency during dry spells but also turned on only as needed. Plus, various zones can be turned on or off, watering areas of direct sunlight more often while reducing over-watering of shaded areas.

We highly recommend that our customers install a sprinkler system for all of the above reasons. Plus, it can add considerable value to your home in resale, not just from having a sprinkler system but having the best curb appeal on the block. You should also hire a professionally licensed company for installation as proper installation and configuration is essential.

If you are thinking about installing a sprinkler system or new landscaping, we’d love to be considered. We have over 45 years of experience – the best lawns in South Jersey are our lawns. Give us a call at 609.861-5050 or contact us to schedule your free in-home estimate. 

What’s Included in Professional Lawn Care Services

Prior to selecting a professional lawn care company, it is important to understand the types of services that should be offered as part of a complete lawn care package. In addition to services offered, professional lawn care companies have the experience, licenses and know-how to properly care for your lawn. We’ve compiled a list of the most common professional lawn care services that should be included when turning over your lawn to the professionals.

Common Professional Lawn Care Services

Spring Dethatching – Dethatching is a great way to get rid of all the built up thatch, dead grasses and leaves, and debris in the lawn from the winter.  It’s an important first step in professional lawn care services to allow fertilizer to reach the soil where it can be most effective.  Also, removing the thatch layer allows the lawn to breathe and gets rid of the medium in which diseases thrive.

Lime Application – Lime application helps to correct the soil PH due to constant nutrient uptake from the lawn.  Proper soil PH allows for the nutrients in the ground to be more easily absorbed by the lawn.

Season-Long Fertilization – Ongoing fertilization keeps the lawn green and beautiful all season long.  Proper fertilization creates a healthy lawn by allowing it to grow rapidly while also removing the threat of disease and insects.  A well-fertilized lawn is the best medicine to fight against disease and crowd out weeds to ensure a beautiful, green lawn.

Season-Long Pesticide Application – Applying season-long preventative pesticide treatments reduces the likelihood of grubs and crabgrass in the lawn. Overall, preventative lawn treatments use less pesticides resulting in a reduced impact on the environment as well as a healthier lawn.

Weekly Mowing and Edging – This is probably the number one lawn care service that most people think of when hiring a professional lawn care company. Weekly mowing and edging keeps the clean and crisp look to a lawn, while also keeping it from getting out of control. It also maintains the ideal length to allow fertilizing and preventative pesticide application to do its job.

Fall Aeration, Thatching and Overseeding – Just like in Spring, its important to set up your lawn for success over the cold Winter months. Aeration and thatching removes dead grass, leaves and debris to make room for overseeding. Overseeding is important as it fills in any bare spots, thickens the lawn and introduces new and more resistant grass varieties to your lawn.

Prior to hiring a professional lawn care company be sure to do your research on the services that are included to ensure the proper care of your lawn. We take a customized approach to each and every property we maintain.

We’d love to be considered to take care of your lawn. Give us a call at 609.861-5050 or contact us to schedule your free in-home estimate.