Soil compaction can be the result of too much foot traffic, repeated flooding, and anything that kills off microorganisms naturally found in healthy soils. Once the microorganisms have been depleted, the ground is no longer healthy and turns into a waste-land. Only the most robust plants can live here, which in our lawns, are weeds.
Always mow grass to the proper height using a lawn mower with a sharp blade. Never cut off more than ⅓ of the grass blade when mowing. Grass needs the surface area of the blade to sustain itself. Removing too much of the blade creates an environment ripe for disease. Never blow grass clippings onto the street. They will end up in the storm sewer and only add additional nutrients to streams and rivers already overloaded with minerals from run-off.
It’s recommended to sharpen your lawn mower blade every 20-25 hours of use. For most homeowners, this translates to once or twice per mowing season to maintain a healthy, well-cut lawn.
No, grass generally needs sunlight to thrive. However, shade-tolerant grasses like fine fescue and St. Augustine can survive in low-light conditions. Consider trimming trees and improving soil quality to help your lawn in shaded areas.
On occasions, Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate in providing enough water at the right time throughout the growing season. When this occurs, you may want to consider adding additional water. For the best results, we recommend that you water deeply in the early morning. Deep and infrequent watering reaches the roots, where healthy grass comes from. Your lawn requires approximately one to two inches of water a week to survive. Any more than that and you may cause additional problems for your lawn.
