The Benefits of Routine Lawn Care Maintenance
Having a lush green lawn is essential to creating that immediate, first impression of your property. Also, when it comes to resale value, a well-landscaped home has a significant price advantage over a home with no landscaping.
Although the vast majority of Americans desire a beautiful, verdant lawn, many of us lack the basic knowledge about how to properly care for and maintain our lawns, according to survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by Harris Poll for the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). This same survey clearly shows that America’s affinity for lawns remains strong, as 78 percent of U.S. adults report having a home with a lawn and/or landscaping. And as many as 94 percent say lawn and landscaping services were performed at their home in the past year.
According to the Harris survey, many Americans just don’t know that much about proper lawn care. For example:
- 57 percent of Americans mistakenly think that if their lawn is not green, then it is not healthy;
- Nearly one in three Americans (32 percent) admit that they are not sure how frequently their lawn should be watered;
- 31 percent of Americans who have a lawn or landscape say they do not know how to grow a healthy, lush lawn;
- 64 percent of Americans don’t know what the appropriate times of the year are to fertilize their grass;
This is why investing in a lawn care service plan makes a lot of sense when it comes to ensuring your lawn is well-tended to and is healthy and experiences unfettered growth. After all, there is much more to lawn care than simply mowing and trimming your grass. However, when you sign up for a lawn-care service plan, you will receive the full and complete treatment of your lawn that is comprehensive and produces optimal results.
Why should you have to spend your leisure time this summer worrying about discolored blotches on your lawn, or having to constantly mow your grass? This takes away from enjoyment of other, more fun, activities. Having a lawn-care service plan in place enables you to take advantage of pleasant weather and soak up the sun while you have a good time with friends and loved ones.
In this blog space, we will provide the benefits of having routine lawn care.
7 Benefits of a Lawn-Care Service Plan
Testing of Your Soil
One key advantage of hiring a company to do routine lawn care is having your soil tested. Most of us don’t know the first thing about the soil and how it contributes to a healthy, green lawn. However, it is helpful to know that there are many nutritional and chemical makeups in your lawn. These are just some:
Phosphorus: Phosphorus is required for healthy grass roots. There are some fertilizers that contain phosphorus. If there are low levels found in your lawn, a lawn-care services company will choose and apply the best fertilizer to remedy the deficiency of phosphorus.
pH: pH is measured on a scale of 1-14. Lawns usually grow well in a range from six to seven. There are a wide array of factors that affect your lawn’s pH, and they include soil texture, mineral content, and rain. Instead of speculating what your grass may need, leave it up to a professional to provide complete lawn-care services that includes making sure the pH amount is right for your lawn.
Cation Exchange Capacity: This involves a complex measurement of your soil’s ability to hold nutrients. This number could be interpreted and used to affect the frequency of your lawn’s treatment.
Aeration of Your Lawn
Aeration is a very beneficial treatment that will significantly boost the growth of your grass. This service requires the use of special equipment that pokes holes in your lawn. This service is vital because your soil becomes impacted, and that inhibits air, water, and nutrients from reaching the roots of your grass.
It is important to have a professional lawn-care services company perform this function. They will use special equipment to bring up plugs of soil throughout your lawn. After this is accomplished, the roots will be able to access the surface drainage and be prepared to absorb nutrients.
Treating Diseases
When you hire a professional lawn-care company, their technicians will prevent and treat diseases in your grass that could lead to brown spots and might bring about more ominous problems. Here are some common diseases that could plague your lawn:
Leaf Spot — This disease is a common occurrence in blue grass and happens in warmer weather.
Brown Patch — This soil fungus could swiftly spread from small areas to larger ones
Summer Patch — This typically takes place during peak warm temperatures in the summer, where yellow patches appear in sizes of six to twelve inches in diameter.
Dollar Spot —This usually develops when the temperature is 60 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit, with high humidity levels and low soil moisture. This disease can wreak havoc on your lawn.
As you can see, there are many destructive diseases that have the capability of severely affecting the health and appearance of your lawn. That is why it pays to hire a professional lawn-care company to prevent this from happening.
Fertilizing Your Lawn
Also included in a lawn-care package treatment plan is a regular fertilizer service that is customized for your specific yard size and area. Your lawn could become stressed if it does not receive the necessary nutrients and water to survive and thrive. A fertilizer service will ensure your lawn’s nutritional needs are met.
Professionals from a lawn-care service company will know what fertilizers your lawn needs and when to apply them for the optimal health of your grass. These lawn-care experts will also make sure all chemicals used for this service are safe for children and pets.
Mowing & Trimming Your Lawn
With the services of a professional lawn-care company, you will have your grass mowed and trimmed in the right fashion and at the correct times. When your lawn is mowed, it keeps the blades at the perfect height for photosynthesis and nutrient absorption. It also guarantees that your grass grows evenly in all areas of your yard, and the blades are receiving the appropriate amount of nutrients.
Mowing is also essential so you are better able to notice evidence of disease or insect infestation. It is critical to respond as quickly as possible to disease outbreaks in your lawn. Be aware that fungal diseases can quickly destroy your yard as they spread.
Having your lawn mowed will give you as the homeowner a better vantage point for spotting common insects like white grubs that can quickly cut off nutrients to the roots of your grass. Among the tell-tale signs of lawn disease and insect infestation are brown patches, dug-up areas of the lawn, and more.
Dethatching Your Lawn
Your grass is not as simple to maintain as you may think. Your lawn is comprised of layers that each have a role to play in the health and appearance of your lawn.
One layer is made up of thatch, which is dead and living grass roots and other pieces that exist between your green grass and the soil. If the thatch builds up and becomes thicker, it could impede the water, fertilizer and other natural nutrients from reaching the grass roots. Thatch also prevents the sunlight from reaching new grass seeds.
But with year-round lawn-care services, dethatching will prevent this problem from happening. Lawn-care technicians will scan your whole yard and make sure there is no sign of thatching. If thatching somehow does happen, these technicians can use their equipment to unearth large amounts of dead material. Your professional lawn-care expert will clean your lawn, including ridding it of all dead materials, so your lawn is able to breath and absorb nutrients.
Overseeding Your Lawn
Following the aeration of your lawn, it will next be ready for overseeding. Overseeding involves spreading and planting grass seed into your existing turf. Because of the aeration, many of these seeds will come into contact with the soil. As long as you water your newly seeded grass, you should see brown spots replaced with new green lawn.
For overseeding your lawn, you will be treated to the sprouting of thicker, lush, green grass. You should rely on a professional lawn care representative to tell you the best times of the year to plant new grass.
Look to Colonial Lawn & Garden for Exceptional Lawn Care Services
Colonial Lawn & Garden is committed to providing exceptional service with outstanding results at a fair value. Founded in 1985 by Lance Forsee, Colonial Lawn & Garden continues to work hard to build win-win relationships with our clients. Experience for yourself the Colonial difference.
We make it our business to keep your landscape healthy and vibrant all year long. Whether it’s lawn fertilizer/weed control, pest control, or sprinkler system maintenance that you need, we have you covered.
Colonial Lawn and Garden has been maintaining and enhancing landscapes in Yakima and Tri-Cities for over 35 years. We are Washington’s first choice for quality lawn and tree services in Yakima, Selah, Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, and the Lower Valley.
Call Colonial today and see how easy it can be to have a beautiful landscape.
Tri-Cities – (509) 371-1655
Yakima – (509) 966-1655
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