My Perfect Lawn

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It took me a few years to create the Perfect Lawn. I went through many types of grass seed, soils, watering and mowing techniques. Fertilizers until my head spun and my lawn went from green to dark green to yellow in 2 weeks time. 

I use all of this experience, knowledge and never forgotten mistakes with every lawn we take care of. My lawn went from drab and dreary to the envy of the neighborhood. It is important to start with the right attitude and knowledge. Our little brief explanation should help you along the way.

Grass, and more of it. Over seeding your lawn is the most effective and cost effective way to thicken your lawn and prevent weeds from growing in. I personally over seed my lawn 5 times a year. Twice at the beginning of the year, Late April or Early May. And then I over seed whenever I see a few days of rain predicted. Watering the seed is ultimately the success or complete failure of a lawn. 

At least ONCE PER WEEK for 15 to 20 minutes in the evening after the sun is off the lawn. This ensures that the water has time overnight to soak in. DO NOT water the lawn in the afternoon or during hot times in which the sun is sitting on your lawn. The hot sun will cause it to evaporate and burn the lawn. It's better to wait.

OVERWATERING your lawn can create Root Rot and make shallow roots, leaving the grass blades thin. 

We have 2 trains of thought here. One is, we mulch all the lawn clippings and leave them on the lawn all season long. This provides the best lawn fertilizer on the market today. It's organic, it's all natural and IT'S FREE.

Or second train of thought is we need to add fertilizer. Most people believe that your lawn needs 2 feedings during the season. We believe it needs 4 total.

Spring, after the ground has thawed. Then July 15th, September Long weekend and a winter fertilizer around Halloween. We feel this provides a more regular feeding schedule, and provides the best overall coverage.

Depending on the time of year you can just read the instructions on the bag for the appropriate times for using that type of fertilizer. We go with a high iron, high magnesium with zero phosphates and a natural sulfur. It's a slow release, multi-week feeding fertilizer. 

The Iron content is how dark of green your lawn will turn. Dark green is important, but root and stem health is more important. You want to make sure you control the PH of your soil in the lawn. 

I add more soil to my lawn every year. And overseed that soil every year. It's called planting your lawn. After I power rake it, spike aerate it and cut it short. I over seed it, spread a fresh layer of top soil and over seed it again. Then I water. Every day, until I see new grass sprouts growing.

I find that Kentucky Blue Grass gives the best results. The blades are naturally thicker, greener and it spreads out to bald spots faster than the other grasses. Anything that does half the work for you, is a good thing.

The first few years I was a customer of the big name guys. They sprayed and the lawn went green and it was weed free BUT, it wasn't thick and it wasn't healthy.

Over seeding is the cheapest and most effective way to PREVENT weeds. There is no product on the market that prevents weeds from growing, only killing the weeds that are there. We provide weed control for customers but we also include over seeding in a lot of our services. Over seeding is the BEST possible treatment for your lawn.

Cutting your lawn short does NOT prevent weeds, in fact it INCREASES the weed growth in your lawn. I personally cut my lawn at 3 inches in height and I ALWAYS mulch and leave the clippings. The taller the lawn the more of the shoot you can see. At 1 inch in height it is only a stem, when it gets to 2 inches the stem opens up and the blade of grass is thicker. At 3 inches the blade is fully open and gives the appearance of a thicker and fuller lawn. It also provides shade for the soil and maintains the moisture better.