Seasonal Topics

Spring

Have your lawn fertilized with special micro-nutrients that help wake-up your dormant lawn with a good well-balanced meal.

Pre-emergent applications should be applied at this time to prevent various grassy-type weeds from developing later in the growing season.

If you're going to mow the lawn yourself, take your mower to a reputable lawn mower service company and get the machine tuned up with an oil change, blade sharpening, and fuel change.

Clean up matted leaves and other debris that has accumulated over the winter.

Begin mowing as soon as grass begins to show signs of growth. Don't wait until the grass becomes too long to follow the 1/3 rule of grass removal. (1/3 Rule: only remove 1/3 of a grass plant during one mowing)

Late spring should have another well-balanced fertilizer application along with treatments for various broadleaf weeds that have begun to develop.

Summer

Special insect controls should be applied at the right time. Some harmful insects must be controlled during specific time periods. Ask your Harvest Time lawn tech about these windows of opportunity.

Apply water if conditions warrant. Your lawn should receive about 1" of water a week either naturally or supplied by you. Water early in the day if possible. Evening watering, especially when night-time temperatures drop below 70, provides an ideal environment for various lawn diseases to develop. Once or twice a week, deep watering's are preferred to multiple short watering cycles. Deep watering encourages deep root development.

Have your mower blade re-sharpened.

Have your lawn fed with a special summer fertilizer that maintains your lawn without extensive top-growth that requires more frequent mowings.

Mow your lawn slightly higher during the hot summer months to help conserve soil moisture and reduce the opportunity for weed-seeds to develop. If possible, change the direction of your mowing pattern to avoid creating a permanent pattern to the lawn.

Fall

Aerate your lawn. In extreme cases of thatch buildup or compaction, dethatching may be required. Check with your Harvest Time Lawn Tech for exact information concerning your lawn's condition.

Fall is a great time for re-seeding and lawn rejuvenation. Water, at least 1" per week, is needed for newly seeded lawns. Depending on temperatures, make sure the soil in newly seeded areas remains moist (not soaked) until you notice seed germination. Once the grass germinates, continue watering at periodic intervals for at least 3 weeks with about 1" of water total per week.

As the temperatures decline, start mowing slightly lower than summer time heights.

Remove leaves from the lawn weekly to avoid damaging lawn from suffocation.

Winter

Continue mowing as long as the grass continues growing. Drop the mowing height to about 1.5" - 2"

Make final cleanup of garden areas. Removing fallen leaves and dead annuals from the garden to remove hiding places for slugs and other garden pests and diseases.

After the final mowing, put a fuel stabilizer in the mower's gas tank. If possible, send the mower in for a tune-up so it'll be ready next spring.