Your lawn is to your home as a cover is to a book. It is the first thing everyone sees, leaving a lasting impression – good or bad. As a homeowner, you want to put your best foot forward in your neighborhood by having a vibrant, healthy lawn. Nothing says “yikes,” like a lawn featuring brown spots or with pests biting your ankles if you dare to walk barefoot. What most homeowners don’t realize, though, is the delicate balance between lawn health and pest control. Fortunately, we are here to help you achieve the ideal relationship between both to get that beautiful, healthy lawn you’ve always wanted.
The Impact of a Healthy Lawn on Pest Control
To put it simply, a healthy lawn is less susceptible to pests. Therefore, achieving a thick, lush lawn is your goal as a homeowner. While the methods for obtaining a healthy lawn will vary depending on your grass species, the following tricks often work on most grass types:
- Proper Maintenance: Mowing to the correct height, watering appropriately, and fertilizing seasonally create a suitable environment for healthy grass.
- Strengthening Grass: Promoting healthy, dense grass with strong blades and an established root system prevents pests from settling in.
- Reducing Thatch: Preventing thick thatch accumulation reduces the likelihood of a pest infestation.
- Preventing Water Pooling: Ensuring proper drainage reduces water from pooling (a haven for pest reproduction.)
- Regular Aeration: Regular lawn aeration improves root health and nutrient absorption to boost the lawn’s natural defenses against pests.
By consistently pursuing these five areas of healthy lawn maintenance, homeowners will be surprised at their success rate in achieving a vibrant outdoor space.
Season by Season Pest Control
Like every aspect of homeownership, the changing seasons bring a variety of tasks for lawn maintenance and pest control. For example, here in the Tri-Cities, common winter lawn pests include grubs, stink bugs, fleas, ticks, chinch bugs, and spiders. However, once spring hits, you can bet there will be a rise in issues with stinging insects like wasps.
Each pest has its own list of potential damage and prevention methods, so your actions as a homeowner will vary. Let’s take sod webworms as an example. Sod webworms are common in much of the USA and are a nuisance to lawns everywhere. The females can lay up to 200 eggs in the early summer, with the larvae feeding on leaves and grass stems once they emerge ten days later. They eat, eat, and eat more all the way until September, and they have been known to consume a lawn in a single season. To prevent sod worms, there is an eco-friendly insecticide that can be utilized, but it has to be done at the right time in the insect’s lifecycle.
To combat sod webworms and other annoying pests, there are steps you can take as a homeowner in each season.
Spring:
As the cold begins to fade and the revitalization of the year begins, spring is the perfect time to prepare your lawn for a healthy season ahead. Removing thatch, aerating your lawn, applying fertilizer and pre-emergent, and taking early pest control measures set you up for the greatest success.
Summer:
The summers here in the Tri-Cities get hot, so we must modify our lawn care to drought-tolerant practices. Such methods include deep watering, lawn heat management, and watching carefully for pest infestations.
Autumn:
Come Autumn, it is time to begin investing in protecting your lawn against the colder seasons. For example, we recommend diligently removing fallen leaves to prevent smothered grass, lawn disease, and pest habitat. Additionally, now is the time to overseed and apply a fall-specific fertilizer while also addressing any lawn problems.
Winter:
Winter is one of the most precarious seasons for homeowners. The goal is to prevent excess damage to your lawn, which can mean light winter watering, freeze prevention, and minimization of foot traffic. One must also be aware of the variety of winter pests and diseases that can quickly take over a seemingly healthy but dormant lawn.
For more information on planning for each season, check out our blog on Seasonal Lawn Treatment: Preparing Your Lawn for Each Season.
Pest Control Treatments and Their Impact on Lawn Health
Pest control treatments are not created equal. Many treatments are highly toxic – and while they may kill pests, there is a good chance they can also pose a health risk to your landscaping and even your family.
That is why investing in high-quality, toxic-free pest solutions is the only way to go. For example, at Colonial Lawn & Garden, we use a child- and pet-friendly pest control solution that takes care of pests without endangering any other aspect of your home.
To choose the appropriate pest control treatment for your property, discussing your specific needs with a professional is always wise. Unfortunately, solely trying to read labels or product reviews doesn’t give actionable advice on how a solution will affect your specific environment or home. Therefore, consulting with a professional guarantees you are getting tailored advice for you and your property.
The Role of Professional Lawn Care Services
Colonial Lawn & Garden is here to aid our local home and business owners in keeping a beautifully maintenance lawn that is pest-free. We offer this through two complementary services: our lawn care program and perimeter pest control.
Our lawn care program gives homeowners the support they need to make it through each season. From top-of-the-line fertilization to weed control and grub prevention, our licensed technicians provide six inspections as part of our premium lawn care program.
With our perimeter pest control service, you can rest assured that any pests that cross that boundary will die. Our licensed professionals undergo extensive training, with continued education, so that we may always provide you with a top-tier service.
Keep your lawn healthy and pest-free with Colonial Lawn & Garden’s expert lawn care services. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let us help you achieve the perfect lawn.
