Grass Seed

OHIO LAWN CARE

When thinking of Ohio lawn care here in our local communities in Northeast Ohio there are many factors to consider.

  1. Our grass species – There are many different kinds of fescues found in our neighborhoods, some of the most popular are fine fescue, tall fescue and creeping fescue. Other species found include zoysia, bentgrass, ryegrass and kentucky bluegrass.
  1. Soil types and conditions – We have many different soils found in our area but many if not almost all of us have at least some clay soil. Clay is a soil that is made of mostly clay particles. There is no doubt that Northeast Ohio communities were built on top of a huge mounds of clay that becomes stone like hard, cracks when dry and nothing much likes to grow in it. Among other negatives, clay soil is very slow draining and takes more time to warm up in spring than other soils. In winter it heaves and it leans towards alkalinity in ph. Clay soils are so very compacted that plants root systems are unable to access essential oxygen required for growth.
  2. FertilizationFertilizer has three major components nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, The three numbers you always see on bags of fertilizer indicate the levels of these components on the bag in that order. Certain times of the year and different species of turfgrass require different levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
  3. Weed control – Here with Ohio lawn care we have thousands of different kinds of invasive weeds. Many weeds we find in a lawn are hard to kill and require specific types of weed control instead of a broad spectrum application. To name a few of these weeds that require specific products: thistles, wild violets, knotweed, prostrate spurge, plantain buckhorn, ground ivy, foxtails, wild onions and yellow nutsedge.
  4. Climate zone – Here in Northeast Ohio we span across three different climate zones: 5b, 6a and 6b. For this amount of land area in Northeast Ohio it is unique to have that many different climate zones. For example in Central Ohio in The Columbus area they only have one zone 6a. It is due to our varying elevations we have, lake effect and the jet stream. It is very important to know your zone in relevance to lawn care and landscaping. So you will have the knowledge to understand what to plant and how to care for it.
  5. Soil ph – Soil ph is the alkalinity or acid levels found in your soil. Certain plants and grass thrive in different levels of soil ph. Applying the right or wrong products to certain ph levels can make all the difference for your lawn or landscape.
  6. Weather – When it comes to weather in Ohio lawn care products. There are certain products that need to be applied when the turfgrass is wet or dry. Also there are applications that would not be effective when it is to cold. Applying certain products when it is to hot or dry can damage or kill your lawn.
  7. Core AerationCore aeration is a popular practice here with Ohio lawn care. It pulls cores of soil from your lawn. Pulling these cores with a core aerator will allow water, nutrients, air and fertilizer reach your lawns root zone. Other benefits include alleviating soil compaction and thatch in the lawn. For a terrific lawn practicing core aeration is a must in Northeast Ohio and is recommended to be done once a year.
  8. Lawn pest – Lawn pests can destroy a lawn and one of the most popular everyone should know is grubs and there is many different species of grubs found locally. Other lawn pests found here people do not here often about, but remain to still be a large problem in our lawns are: billbug, sod webworms and chinch bugs. The best action against these pests is proactive treatments instead of reactive treatments.
  9. Watering – Proper watering of your lawn and proper drainage is a must for a beautiful lawn. To little or to much water for your turfgrass can cause damage or even death.
  10. Lawn diseases – The are many lawn diseases associated with Ohio lawn care such as: red thread, dollar spot, yellow patch, necrotic ring, pythium blight, melting out, fusarium blight and many other diseases. The best way to fight lawn diseases is with cultural practices and proactive treatments. Many diseases once established can be very difficult to eradicate.
  11. Soil temperatures – Soil temperatures are very important in Ohio lawn care, they tell you when to or not to plant grass seed. Soil temperatures also dictate when to apply fertilizers, weed and insect control products.
  12. Timing of treatments and proper rates – Having the proper timing of treatments is very important here in Northeast Ohio. Since we have a shorter season than most of the United States it makes the windows for applications smaller and harder to hit. Proper rates with applications can be the difference in a great looking lawn or much worse.

So in review all the variables of performing Ohio lawn care can be a difficult task. It's always a great idea to leave proper lawn care to a state certified lawn care specialist if you do not have the time or knowledge. Many times hiring a professional can be very comparable in price as doing it yourself and they have access to products that a non state certified person wouldn't have.

Akron Ohio, Do you want to defeat grubs?

Defeating Grubs & Saving Your Lawn in Akron Ohio

Grubs are public enemy # 1 when it comes to insects that can damage your lawn in Akron Ohio. They can destroy huge portions of healthy lawns in a matter of days or weeks. They are larvae of different kinds of beetles, including Japanese and Masked Chafer Beetles. They feed on grass roots killing the grass in large patches. White grubs will become active when the soil warms up, and they destroy lawns from late spring to early fall. The only way to effectively get rid of grubs and keep them out is yearly treatments.

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE THEM?

It is not hard to tell that grubs have invaded your yard. But by the time you see the evidence, it may be way too late. The grass appears to wilt and turns brown in large, irregular patches in the lawn. Brown areas of grass roll up smoothly like a carpet would. Birds and animals may be digging in the lawn. Milky white grubs from 1/8″ to 1″long, with brown heads and three pairs of legs, lie curled in the soil.
To find out if you have a problem, peel back a square foot of turf. If you see six or more of them, it’s time for immediate action. You want to apply your lawn treatment when grubs are newly hatched or before. That’s because they’re easier to control when they are small.

PREPARE YOUR LAWN FOR A TREATMENT IN AKRON OH

By taking some steps to prepare your lawn before treating it, you can make it easier for the treatment to work in the lawn. That’s why it helps to mow your lawn before a treatment.
Also, if you have more than a half an inch of thatch, it could get in the way of the treatment. You’ll want to core aerate your lawn first.

WRAPPING UP

Grubs are a formidable opponent, but with some knowledge of their life cycle and the right treatments, you can gain the upper hand and take back your lawn.

Ready to find out more?

Call Akron Canton Lawn Care Now for your Free Estimate on any of our lawn care services
(330) 933-2222 
or click the Contact Us button to send us an email.

Tip for Fairlawn, Ohio residents on growing grass in shaded areas

Growing Grass in Shady Areas in Fairlawn Ohio

Shade Lawns

If you have a lawn with shady areas in Fairlawn OH, you may find it very difficult to grow grass in those areas. This is one of the most common problems with lawns in Fairlawn OH. Grass needs at the very least 4 hours of sunlight a day to be able to grow. The shortage of sun on the lawn will impact on the photosynthesis process. The grass cannot get enough energy it needs to grow. This will result in reduce of vigor and the grasses cannot resist disease, stress, insects or weather condition that change.

You can improve the situation by trimming some of nearby shrubs and trees to let in more sun into the grass. Cut down tree branches as much as possible, as long as it does not destroy the beauty of the tree and the landscape. Before planting new trees, consider the number of existing trees, the density of those trees, and the light intensity decreased by the new trees planted. Keep in mind that shade trees should be planted 50 to 100 feet apart. This will also assist in getting water to the grass which is obviously another important part of its health.

Shade Tolerant Grass

Fine fescue and bluegrass are very tolerant shade species of grass. Fine fescue can grow good in shaded areas that are dry. Bluegrass prefers a constantly wet soil. For moderately shady areas, tall fescue may tolerate the conditions also.

Growing grass in shady areas is very possible if the basic requirements for its growth is known and clearly understood. The competition of the 3 factors being water, nutrients, and light. The fundamental cause of grass growing failure under shady conditions. To improve grass in shaded areas, please follow all the guidelines above because they are all important and have a critical role in keeping the grass in shaded areas looking good and healthy.

If there are areas that are just too challenging to get sun and water to, they could always be turned into a flower bed. Then plant drought resistant plants that enjoy shade or even go with a shade loving ground cover plant..

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Fall Lawn Care In Copley, Ohio

Very Important Steps for Lawn Care Success in the Fall

Fall may not always seem like an ideal time to think about lawn care, considering that your grass will go dormant for the winter season in Copley Ohio. However, fall is the opportunity to groom your lawn for beautiful growth next spring. Cool and wet weather helps grass roots develop much better than in summer, and taking advantage of this growing period will pay lush dividends. Here are some lawn care steps that help make your lawn dazzle next year.

Lawn Mowing in Copley Ohio

Keep mowing the lawn. Grass doesn’t stop growing until it frosts over in winter, so there is no reason to stop mowing in autumn. Cut your grass at its normal height until it stops growing. Once you call it quits for the season, you will need to winterize your mower and other equipment. This includes sharpening the blades, changing the oil and spark plugs, inspecting the mower for damage, and replacing any filters.

Watering

Water when the lawn needs it. Rain in Autumn results in less evaporation, providing plenty of natural moisture for the lawn to sustain itself. Even so, you should keep tabs on how much water your grass is receiving. If the grass isn’t getting one inch of moisture per week, then you should water it.

Leaf Clean Up

When leaves fall on the lawn, they block out sunlight and can prevent plants from making food for itself. Additionally, the moisture they hold can lead to lawn fungi. Even after the leaves stop falling, you should continue to rake as the wind blows them into your property.

Aerating

You should think about aerating. Over the summer, your lawn has probably suffered from some degree or another of soil compaction and heat stress. These two problems often cause the brown or thinning grass you may have experienced last season. Aerating is the process of removing soil plugs from a yard in order to free up passageways for precious nutrients, water and air to reach the grass roots. Nutrients they often struggle to bring in under compaction or stress. This task is most effective when professional commercial machinery is used.

Fertilization In Copley OH

Applying a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. If you want your lawn to look better and be healthier, fertilize in late Fall. This process will give your lawn plenty of nutrients to get it through the Winter and help the grass grow stronger and wake up quicker in spring. As a result, Fall is the single most important time of year to fertilize your lawn. If you decide to aerate in the Fall season, you should fertilize soon after in order to ensure that the nutrients will reach the roots.

Plant seed to fill in any bare and burned spots.

As we’ve mentioned, many patches of lawn can die during the Summer months, so it’s a good idea to reseed those areas. Keep in mind, however, that seeds that do not touch the soil will not grow, and it can be difficult to cover an area of grass thoroughly. Keep up with your lawn pest control. Insects that live in your lawn now can cause serious problems once it starts growing after the winter. If you notice a pest problem on your grass, take care of it in early Fall to limit the damage it causes to the lawn. All these Fall lawn care steps must be performed like clockwork. If you seed and fertilize too close to Winter, the soil will not be able to take in all the nutrients.

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New Lawn Aeration In Bath, Ohio

Core Aerating in Bath Township Ohio

For decades now professional greens keepers at golf courses have known that the secret to beautiful, dense, lush grass is core aeration.

Core aeration is a lawn care practice that are hidden in plain sight in Bath Ohio. Aeration probably sounds familiar to you or maybe not, but most people have seen core aeration before. Think back to your sports fields in school. Remember all the little plugs of dirt scattered all over the field? Core aeration.

Core aeration is the process of making thousands of small holes and removing plugs from your lawn in Bath OH. The holes greatly reduces thatch and eliminates soil compaction in your lawn. Core aeration allows fertilizer, nutrients, water, fertilizer and air to reach the roots. The holes also create room for new grass seed to get under the surface of the lawn. The result will be new grass growth, as well as dramatically increased root development for the lawn. This creates a big difference in having a thicker, greener, healthier lawn. Core aeration also reduces water runoff, improves resiliency in the turf and improves drought tolerance.

Thatch is healthy and natural occurrence in the lawn. When it becomes over a ½ inch thick it becomes a major problem. Core aeration removes the plugs of soil and thatch from your lawn and deposits them back on the lawn. By plugging holes in the lawn it completely removes thatch in those areas and begins to thin the other areas of thatch in the lawn. As the core plugs melt back into the lawn, the soil mixes with the thatch and speeds up the process of decomposition. The Microbes in the plugs breakdown and start decomposing the other thatch on the lawn that are left behind.

Though some homeowners will try to aerate with spikes, core aeration is done with a gas powered core aerating machine. According to all major studies, using spikes will not work because the process doesn’t pull the plugs out. It just makes small holes in the soil, which doesn’t relieve pressure on your lawn or help with any thatch issues. The small holes will close very quickly and never allow much nutrients, water, air or fertilizer into the soil.

New Lawns And Core Aeration

New lawns need core aeration. Often, because builders just throw down grass seed without doing any prepping your soil. Then you are left with a lawn that has been trampled by heavy machinery and is compacted immediately. If your lawn is compacted, your lawn will be thin and not healthy. It's recommended to aerate your lawn twice a year. Golf courses at the very minimum core aerate at least twice a year and more than not aerate almost monthly.

Should Homeowners Hire a Lawn Care Service for Core Aeration?

In this case, unless you are set on sweating it out on your own lawn, it’s easiest to just hire a lawn care company to do this. If you want to do a DIY, you can rent a core aerator from $100 to $200 plus. To purchase one would cost you more than you want to spend plus the high maintenance they require can be a lot of work. It is best to let the lawn care professionals take care of aeration with their commercial equipment while you sit back and enjoy your beautiful lawn.

Ready to find out more?

Call Akron Canton Lawn Care Now for your Free Estimate on any of our lawn care services
(330) 933-2222 
or click the Contact Us button to send us an email.

Information On Lawn Overseeding For Tallmadge, Ohio Residents

Lawn Overseeding & Lawn Care in Tallmadge Ohio

The right time to overseed is after you core aerate in Tallmadge OH. Aeration and overseeding go hand in hand. The seed falls into the holes left behind by the core aerator and then germinates. This process allows for the turf to thicken up and for bare spots to fill in. The new grass seed rejuvenates your turf and fills in thinned or bare areas. It also helps the overall density of the lawn and gives it a better vibrant and healthy appearance. When you preform overseeding on the lawn you will normally seed the entire lawn. If most of the lawn looks good, then why would you seed the entire lawn? It is easy, habit really pays off keys to a healthy, thick, green lawn is healthy grass plants. That may sound to obvious, but an entire industry has grown up focusing on solving turf problems. Focus instead on the grass and you will overnight eliminate eighty percent of those problems. The greatest defense against common lawn problems is a thick healthy lawn.

In order to ensure the greatest results of your aeration and overseeding service in Tallmadge OH. Follow a few simple watering and mowing instructions for success after overseeding. Proper watering is critical to the successful germination and establishment of new turf grass. Once moistened, the seed should be kept moist until it becomes established in your lawn. Unless there is steady rainfall, this will require being watered daily. Grass blades are made up of a great deal of water.

  • Water the seed thoroughly after seeding for no less than one half hour per day. This will establish good soil moisture and wash the seed into the soil. Germination will occur in 6 to 14 days depending on soil type, soil temperature and adherence to water recommendations. The grass seedlings will emerge from the aeration holes. The majority of seedling failures are the result of failure to keep the seed moist.
  • When mowing continue to cut the lawn as the grass is established. Recommended mowing height is 3.5 to 4 inches. Do not let the grass get too long between mowing, try never to remove more than 1/3 of the blade during each mowing. Always use sharp blades to reduce rough cuts and pulling on the new grass, which will stress. Do not bag the grass let the clippings return to the lawn. Water lightly before mowing to keep seed down during mowing.

Ready to find out more?

Call Akron Canton Lawn Care Now for your Free Estimate on any of our lawn care services
(330) 933-2222 
or click the Contact Us button to send us an email.

Tips For Uniontown Residents For Eliminating Patches and Weeds

Preventing Patches & Weeds In Your Grass In Uniontown Ohio

Nothing makes your the lawn look bad quite like big noticeable brown patches or weeds in Uniontown OH. Your lawn should be green, lush, and vibrant. When you do not keep up with your lawn maintenance, it will start to look a little worse for wear unfortunately. If you notice brown patches and weeds in your yard, we can help you get rid of them or we can give you some tips on how to prevent them IN Uniontown OH.

Brown Patch

Brown Patches is a fungal disease that causes large circle like areas of dead grass. The way to prevent this disease from consuming your lawn is to keep it as cool and dry as possible.

Watering

Only water your grass when it needs it. It is also best to water your lawn in the morning between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. If you water your lawn in the evening or night, the water may just sit at the surface rather than get absorbed into the soil. If water sits on your lawn, it will encourage the growth of disease. Water on the surface of your lawn will invite Brown Patch.

Removing Leaves

Leaves can lead to fungus, so always try and keep them off your grass. Removing the leaves is particularly important in the fall when leaves are falling more frequently.

Shade

Keep a special eye on areas in the lawn that don’t get a lot of sunlight. Shaded areas will not absorb water as quickly because the soil never gets really hot. When the soil doesn’t absorb water, fungus can start to grow. You might have to look into ways to drain these areas in the lawn.

Watching Your Step

If you have Brown Patch, do not walk on it. Fungal diseases spread easily and you can affect other areas and spread it in the lawn.

Pet Urination

Pet urination is a common cause of patchiness in lawns. If you have pets, be sure to take them for a walk and try to have them urinate elsewhere.

Weeds and Crabgrass

Dandelions, crabgrass, clover and other weeds can quickly take over your yard. Once they get established they can be hard to get rid of, but remember that a healthy lawn will always naturally fight off weeds.

Weeding

If you only have a few weeds and want to pull them by hand, make sure you get the roots of the weed. Otherwise the weed will come right back. It is best to pull weeds after it rains because wet roots come out of the soil easier.

Proper Mowing

Set your lawn mower to a high setting. Tall grass means thick healthy grass, and this provides shade in the soil so weed seeds can not germinate and grow. You should never mow below 3.5 inches.

Deep Watering

Only water your lawn when you have to, and water the lawn deeply. A deep watering encourages your grass roots to grow deeper into the soil, and this helps your grass stay healthy.

Core Lawn Aeration

Aeration is when you create thousands of small holes across your yard and deposit the cores from these holes on top of the grass. These small holes help oxygen, water, nutrients and fertilizer get to the roots of your grass. When the roots have easy access to these nutrients the grass will thrive. All lawns get compacted fairly quickly and aerating will also eliminate compaction and remove thatch. Aeration does amazing things for a lawn and is a great way to boost the look and health of your lawn.

Need Help? Hire a professional

There are a lot of benefits to having a beautiful, healthy lawn at your property. Healthy lawns improve the look and value of your home. A healthy lawn can prevent diseases and weeds from coming in and destroying the hard work you have invested into your lawn. While it is great to have a beautiful lawn, it does takes a lot of time and effort to keep it maintained. Proper professionals will have access to products the public does not and have the knowledge and equipment to take care of your lawn properly and quickly.

Call Akron Canton Lawn Care Now for your Free Estimate on any of our lawn care services
(330) 933-2222 
or click the Contact Us button to send us an email.