Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I water my Kentucky Bluegrass?

Compared to the warm season grasses, Kentucky bluegrass has a high water requirement. As much as 2 inches of water per week are needed to keep bluegrass green and growing during summer months in the transition zone. Ideally this amount of water would be applied in one day to wet the entire rootzone of the turf. However, the effective rootzone is often too shallow to hold that amount of water. No less than 1 inch of water should be applied on any single day to promote deeper rooting of the bluegrass turf.

Where bluegrass is allowed to go dormant during drought periods, as little as 1 inch of water every 2 to 3 weeks will keep the crowns of the grass alive. Then, after rainfall or significant irrigation the grass will quickly recover. The drought resistance of Kentucky bluegrass is generally underestimated. Bluegrass can survive several months without significant rainfall or irrigation.

Why should I hire a company to maintain my home landscaping?

Good yard maintenance is just as important as keeping the roof fixed and the gutters cleaned. A well-kept yard is a good indicator of the care the homeowner takes with the rest of a house's maintenance. Seldom do you see a beautiful landscape surrounding a home with peeling paint.

When Should I Fertilize My Lawn?

The first is after the lawn's return from winter dormancy. The second is during the early fall, when temperatures moderate and droughts and heat waves typically are gone (after August). For Cool-Season lawns in the north, it is usually best to concentrate a larger amount of nitrogen to be applied during the early fall growing period and a lesser amount in the spring.

Why should I aerate my lawn and when?

Aerating is the process of inserting holes in your lawn for better water absorption, nutrient absorption and helping in the process of eliminating thatch. The problem starts when the top four inches of soil becomes extremely hard and compact. Like when your trash can is full and you smash it down to make more room. Eventually you run out of room and there is no place else for the trash to go. Well this is working on the same concept of compaction. The water and nutrients can not penetrate the soil. The thatch from lawn mowing, instead of being decomposed and returned to the earth will just sit there inviting molds, mildews, disease and unwanted insects.

Aerating also enhances oxygen levels to your soil thus stimulating root growth and speeding up the decomposition of the thatch decomposing organisms. In removing the plugs of soil from your lawn this process severs roots, rhizomes and stolons.

The affects of this stimulate your grass to produce new shoots and roots that will fill in the holes and increase

the density of your lawn. It also increases your lawns drought tolerance and you should be able to see an overall improvement

in your lawns health.

The type of grass you have will pretty much dictate when to aerate and how deep to make your holes. If you have a lawn type that is composed of cool-season grasses, it is best to aerate in the fall when there is a better chance of heat stress and the invasion of weeds. You should allow at least four weeks of good growing weather for your lawn to recover. 

If you lawn type that is composed of warm-season grass, aeration should take place in spring or summer when the grass is actively growing.

How often should I aerate my lawn? There is no real determination time for this question. The best way to find out if your lawn needs to be aerated is to do a small test of your soil. A very simple way to make that determination is to take a screwdriver and insert it into the soil. If insertion is fairly easy your soil should be just fine. If insertion is difficult, it is probably time to aerate.