Spring and late summer to early fall is an ideal time to seed the lawn, and it isn’t overkill to add new seed each year until the lawn is thick. Grass seed germinates best when it’s raked lightly into the soil surface and kept consistently moist until sprouting. Grass will only grow as well as the soil underneath allows, so test your soil to be sure you’ve got the optimal acidity level (close to neutral or 7.0 on the pH scale) and adequate nutrients. Remove soil cores with an aerator each fall if you’ve got compacted soil, which is common in sites that were heavily graded or where there’s a lot of foot traffic. Most lawn weeds tolerate compacted soil much better than grass.
One of the most important weed-fighting moves is cutting your grass high — at least 2 inches, or better yet, at 3 inches. Taller grass blades not only shade out baby “weedlings,” but taller blades mean more chlorophyll, which translates into more growth-generating food for the roots.
Some common examples of annual lawn weeds: crabgrass, goosegrass, barnyardgrass, foxtail, annual bluegrass, black medic, prostrate knotweed, prostrate spurge, purslane, common chickweed, corn speedwell, dog fennel and henbit.
Some common examples of perennial lawn weeds: dandelion, orchardgrass, quackgrass, nimblewill, yellow nutsedge, wild garlic, plantain, creeping speedwell, cinquefoil, ground ivy, clover, wild violets, yellow woodsorrel and hawkweed. Timing is critical for weed preventers. Apply them too early, and you’ll shorten your later-control period. Apply them too late, and that first round of crabgrass will be up and growing. Further complicating things is that goosegrass starts germinating about three to four weeks after crabgrass.
At Nelson’s Landscaping, we make custom Fertilization programs as well as all Natural treatments for your home or commercial property to make your lawn healthier and greener then it has ever been. Our custom All Natural Lawn Fertilization programs will beautify your lawn without hurting the environment.
Fertilizing your lawn is an important step in the year long care of your lawn. Using Natural Lawn Fertilizers is a great option if you are concerned about the environmental impact of your Fertilizing program.
As one of Milwaukee’s full-service landscape firms, Nelson’s provides quality year-round services to homeowners. With more than 15 years of experience and expertise, Nelson’s outshines other competitors not only in price but in quality and service. Our wide variety of services allows our clients to depend solely upon one service provider for all their outdoor needs. In addition to outdoor services, Nelson’s now offers fresh flower arrangements and indoor plants, emphasizing the importance of interioscaping.
