Month: August 2017

It’s time to prepare your lawn for the fall, winter, and beyond with Superior Lawn Care’s Fall Lawn Care Offer.

Why Is the Fall So Important?

Fall is a great time for your lawn. There are cooler temperatures and the soil has the chance to enjoy the moisture. By introducing the right nutrients, new seed, and fertilizer, this is the best period for your lawn to become stronger, develop a better root system, and get ready to go dormant during the winter. Then, when spring arrives, your grass will be ready to “go green” and start the growing cycle again.

Superior Lawn Care offers a Fall Lawn Care Maintenance discount of 6% for those who schedule our aeration, lime, and overseeding services now.

Aeration
Aerating your lawn is important, especially in Pittsburgh, where much of the soil is clay. Your soil may also be packed down because people walk on it, or vehicles drive over it. (This is particularly an issue with new construction homes.) Dense soil leaves very little room for water, air, or nutrients to get to the roots of your grass. When your grass is deprived of these basic, important elements, you’ll end up with a lawn that loses its green colors, doesn’t grow evenly, and is more susceptible to disease and the elements.

Aeration helps creates more “breathing room” for your lawn. We operate a machine, called a core aerator, that digs into the ground and pulls plugs of earth out, depositing it on the ground. The soil then becomes looser, allowing water, nutrients, food, and air into the ground. It also reduces the layer of thatch (dead grass) that sits on your lawn throughout the summer.

Lime Application
Lime applications in the fall are used to balance out your soil’s pH, which is the acid and alkaline that’s in the ground. Most of the soil in southwest Pennsylvania is too acidic for proper grass growing conditions, so an application once a year can help your grass grow, stay healthy, and better receive fertilizer.

Overseeding
After aeration and lime have been completed, you can overseed. Overseeding is introducing new grass seed into the yard that may have been lost during the heat of the summer, or because of insect damage or disease. Aerating beforehand can help the grass seed settle into the soil, germinate, and grow.

If you are a current customer, call Superior Lawn Care now to receive a 6% discount on fall aeration, lime application, and overseeding. We serve all of southwestern PA, including Penn Township, Indiana, Greensburg, Peters Township, Moon Township, Wexford, Cranberry, and Uniontown.

There are plenty of practices that homeowners can organize to ensure that their lawn remains green and beautiful in the spring, summer, and fall – and even in the winter. The actions you take as a homeowner are called cultural practices, and they play a big part in the health of your lawn. When you combine the services that Superior Lawn Care provides with a homeowners’ cultural practices, you’ll enjoy a lawn that’s the envy of the neighborhood. Here are a few tips to should consider for great results.

Mowing Your Lawn

• Keep your blades sharp. You should sharpen your blades at least twice during the growing season – once at the beginning and once in the middle. If you cut your grass and notice that the blades look uneven, or you have to mow the same area several times, your blades are probably starting to dull. The blades of grass should look as though they are cleanly cut—one straight line at the top of each blade. If the tops are ragged, the blades are probably tugging at the grass and then pulling it.
• Don’t cut your grass too short. Sometimes, a homeowner will try to lengthen the time between cuttings by mowing the grass too close to the ground. Your grass will start to burn and thin out, and your hopes for a beautiful green lawn will take more time than you expected.
• You should set the blade height so that your grass will be mowed at 3 to 3 ½ inches. You’ll have fewer weeds and your soil will retain moisture more easily, meaning that you may be able to water your lawn less during the hot summer. Also, the taller your grass grows, the deeper the root system will become. Mow more frequently in the spring, when your grass is growing quickly, and be sure to avoid mowing after receiving a lot of rain.

Watering Your Lawn

Another area that causes homeowners uncertainty is how to water their lawn. Should you water frequently, for short period of time, or really soak the ground a couple times a week?

In the spring and fall, you should water deeply, and just a once a week (twice in the summer when it’s hot). If you water too often, your grass will receive too much moisture, and you’re opening it up to damage from certain diseases and insects. Instead, watering about an inch deep into the soil will provide the water that your grass needs, no matter the root length. The best time to water is in the morning, before the sun starts to warm up the ground.

If you have a question about cultural practices for your lawn, give Superior Lawn Care a call. We’re happy to help guide you so that you have a lush, green, healthy lawn. We serve all of southwestern PA, such as Indiana, Upper St. Clair, Penn Township, North Huntington, Belle Vernon, Moon Township, Wexford, and Cranberry.