Lawn Care Service
Essentials of Lawn Care Service
Lawn care is a very important part of maintaining your home and garden, but many people don't know the essentials of lawn care and how lawn care service can be beneficial. Here's what you need to know about maintaining a beautiful lawn.
Why Lawn Care is Important
We Americans are obsessed with our lawns. Despite the fact that lawns take a lot of work to maintain and that you can't eat them, they are a staple for suburban homeowners everywhere. You may even find yourself judged on the quality of your lawn, as in The Great Gatsby when Gatsby is embarrassed by his shaggy lawn.
Without care, lawns become patchy or die out altogether. A bad lawn can make your entire house look unkempt. Many homeowners’ associations even have restrictions about the condition that your lawn needs to be in.
Basics of a Healthy Lawn
Caring for a lawn isn’t extremely difficult, but it also isn't as easy as many people assume. Keeping your yard in good shape often takes more regular maintenance than many people want to commit to.
In many parts of the country, such as in Illinois, lawn care may decrease in the winter and spike in the spring. Here are a few things that you need to pay attention to in order to maintain a healthy lawn.
Watering
Parts of the lawn that get too much water may become soggy and develop fungus which can kill the entire lawn. Areas that get too little water will become dry and bare. Therefore, you need to be sure that your lawn is watered very consistently.
For most people, watering a lawn by hand is not practical. Therefore, watering is best accomplished with a sprinkler system. Whatever kind of watering system you install, it is better to give your lawn deep frequent watering than frequent light watering. Deep watering encourages the roots to grow deeper into the soil.
Mowing
Regular mowing is an essential component of lawn care. It is important to mow at just the right height for the type of grass and the time of year. Mow too far down, and you rob the lawn of essential nutrients and growth by cutting the stems and exposing the roots. Mowing too frequently will stress the grass while mowing too infrequently will result in a shaggy yard and cause the grass to grow less densely.
Weeding
Very few people handle weeding by hand-picking the weeds, so weed killers are essential. You don't want to have to use any more weed killer that you have to, so it's important to know exactly what kind of weed killer to use for the type of weeds that are in your yard and exactly when to attack them.
We have extensive knowledge of the types of weeds that propagate in your area and how to eliminate them without stressing the lawn or using more weed killer than necessary. Keep in mind that using weed killers incorrectly can be very dangerous, so it's important to know how to use them carefully.
Fertilize
A healthy lawn is a natural defense against weeds. By fertilizing at the right time you give your grass a natural defense against competing weed seeds as well as giving you the pleasure of enjoying a lush lawn.
The right time to fertilize and what kind of fertilizer to use depends on your area and the type of grass in your lawn. It is also essential to apply fertilizer in the correct way in order to avoid runoff or chemical burns on your lawn.
Aerate
Lawns need air to penetrate to the roots. All of the running around and walking on the grass that we enjoy can pack down the soil and make it difficult for the roots to breathe. Therefore, lawns must be periodically aerated in order to help the soil interact with the air.
Well-aerated soil lets fertilizer and water go into the soil more easily and go deeper, which will make your efforts in fertilizing and watering more effective.
Spring is the Time to Think About Your Lawn - And Lawn Care Service
Some lawn care is required year-round, but spring is one of the most important times in the life of your lawn. Spring is an important time for regular watering and fertilizing. If your lawn wasn't aerated in the fall, spring is usually the right time to aerate as well. Spring is also a good time to think about watering over the summer and whether you need to install a sprinkler system or not.
What if You Need Major Lawn Repair or Want to Install a New Lawn?
If your lawn seems beyond repair or if there are areas of landscaping that you want to convert into a lawn, it can certainly be done, but it can be challenging. Spring is the best time to make major changes to your lawn or plant a new lawn. Choose whether you want to use seed or sod to install your new lawn and what type of grass will be best for your home.
It can be difficult to know where a lawn is likely to be successful and where some other type of landscaping would be a better option. Whether you install sod or start seed, you need to be sure that your soil is prepared well for growing and clear the area where your lawn is to be grown.
The best time to plant may depend on the type of grass that you are growing. Do your research before putting in a new lawn or consider hiring an expert to help you get established with your new lawn.
How to Choose Grass?
The grass that you choose will depend on a variety of factors. There are several types of grass that do very well in Illinois lawns, and the one that you choose will depend on your needs and space.
Bunching Grasses vs Grasses that Grow via Stems
Grasses that grow in bunches will not spread in an unwanted way, but they also do not fill in patches by themselves. They must be seeded in order to cover new areas. On the other hand, grass that grows via rhizomes grow underground and can fill in bald patches and spread out from wherever they are planted. They may spread into other areas in an undesirable way.
Types of Grass That Are Good for Illinois:
- Kentucky bluegrass. Kentucky bluegrass is a very popular grass throughout Northern Illinois because it is a beautiful grass that is quite hardy and able to recover from injury by itself.
- Fine fescues. This lovely grass does not need as much maintenance at the Kentucky bluegrass and it can do much better in shade, but it is slightly more delicate.
- Perennial ryegrass. If you want grass in a hurry, this will probably be your choice. It grows fast and has good wear tolerance but it needs a fair amount of maintenance and does better as part of a lawn seed mixture rather than used by itself.
Landscaping for Around Your Lawn
Lawns do not exist in a vacuum. Most of the time, lawns are edged by hedges, flower beds, shrubbery, or some other landscaping. Here are some ideas for landscaping around your lawn to help you create a beautiful lawn and garden.
- Flower beds. Flower beds are a great choice for edging lawns because they encourage you to walk out onto the lawn to admire the flowers. Furthermore, flower beds are often hungry for fertilizer and so will help to absorb any runoff from the lawn.
- Hedges. Hedges are a great choice for bordering the lawn when you would like some privacy around it. The structured shape of hedges is also a visually pleasing contrast to the grass.
- Shrubbery. Shrubbery can look charming when planted next to a lawn, creating a very natural effect.
- Hardscaping. Sometimes grass grows right up to a fence, house, driveway, or other hardscaping. It is important to edge along hardscaping so that grass doesn't grow over it.
Take Care of Lawn Care Yourself or Hire an Expert?
It can be difficult to decide whether you want to try to take care of all of your lawn needs by yourself or hire an expert. It's nice to think about the pride of maintaining a beautiful lawn. However, it takes a lot of work and experience in order to create a lovely lawn. You may decide that it's better to hire a professional to plant a lawn and do some of the heavier maintenance, while you can take care of the mowing and edging yourself.
Kinnucan Tree Experts & Landscape Company Offers the Best Lawn Care Service
If you are looking for an experienced lawn maintenance professional in Illinois, look no further than Kinnucan Tree Experts & Landscape Company. We have been installing beautiful lawns, repairing damaged grass, and taking care of all lawn needs in the Illinois area for over 40 years. Whether you want a brand new lawn, help to repair a damaged one, or some assistance with maintaining a lawn, we can help. Contact us for lawn care service today!