Thursday, December 31, 2020

Do Snowplows Damage your Driveway?

snowplow for driveway

It’s crucial to have a clear driveway in the snowy winter months that allows you to move safely. To ensure this, you need to have a good snow removal plan. An effective plan for snow removal plan can eliminate slip and fall accidents and problems like black ice, thus keeping you safe on your driveway.

However, the condition of your driveway surface also needs to be considered. Your driveway might be a costly aspect of your home based on the material it’s made up of. Driveway repairs can be quite expensive when spring arrives.

While removing snow from the driveway is necessary, it’s also essential to determine the right method to remove the snow to prevent any unnecessary damage. A commonly used method for snow removal is using a snowplow. Using a snowplow for removing snow can help you avoid injury and bodily pain and prevent damage caused by other snow removal methods, like spreading rock salt. However, it’s important to consider whether using snowplows for snow removal can damage your driveway.

Working of Snowplows

Some snowplows are pushed manually while others are mounted to a vehicle’s front side. The snowplow equipment usually has a V-shaped or straight metal blade. The equipment that is mounted to vehicles usually has a width of 6 to 9 feet.

The plow blade’s bottom edge consists of an angled scoop and the remaining portion of it is curved to allow the snow to roll forward and then get out of the way. The blade angle in mounted snow plowing equipment is usually adjusted hydraulically or electrically to collect and roll the snow into non-obstructing snow piles.

snow plowing services

Using Snowplows for Driveways – Do Snowplows Damage Driveways?

Depending on how snowplow equipment works, there’s a high potential of a driveway being damaged, since you’re basically just dragging a heavy blade of metal across the area.

In case you’re removing the snow yourself from your driveway or seeking the help of someone who does the job using a plow mounted to a vehicle, make sure that the blade always stays at least a half-inch above the ground. This is the only way of preventing damage like gouging, chipping, or cracking while snow plowing the driveway. Ensuring this can be difficult if the levels of snow are not clear or the surface is uneven.

If you hire a professional snow plowing company for the job, there’s a higher likelihood of the employees having more experience in keeping the plow blade sufficiently high off the driveway surface to avoid any damage. Although there’s a higher likelihood, there’s no guarantee.

There’s also a risk of snowplow damage to the aspects that are hidden beneath accumulated snow, like borders, curbing, and landscaped areas. This is a risk especially when you hire snow plowing services that are not familiar with your driveway’s layout.

Summing Up

To sum up, we can say that although snowplows for driveways may not cause any damage every time it’s used, the potential for damage is high. To prevent any driveway damage caused by snow plowing residential driveways and the resulting repairs, consider using alternative methods of snow removal, as well as hiring snow removal companies that employ safe and effective methods to do the job.

All American Turf Beauty is one of the leading Snow Removal companies based in Iowa that uses safe and advanced snow removal methods, ensuring no damage is caused to your driveway surface or any other area while removing snow. If you’re looking for reliable residential or commercial snow removal services in Iowa, let’s talk today!

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Monday, December 21, 2020

7 Winter Lawn Care Tips and Tricks: Enjoy a Lush Lawn in Spring!

winter lawn care tips

Lawns don’t need as much care in the winter as during summer, spring, and fall, but it’s not wise to ignore your lawn completely in the winter months. Winter lawn care involves certain measures that would lead to a lush and healthy lawn come spring. Here are some handy winter lawn care tips you need to follow.

Effective Winter Lawn Care Tips

1. Aerate Your Lawn

Before the first frost in your area, aerate your lawn. Aeration lets your lawn breathe before the grass becomes dormant. It also helps in relieving any compaction created in the warmer months. For effective aeration, let our lawn care professionals in Des Moines handle the job.

2. Fertilize Your Lawn

Once the lawn has been opened by aeration, fertilize your lawn. Applying fertilizer provides the essential nutrients to your grass that it requires as it prepares for the winter weather. The nutrients are absorbed and stored by the grassroots in the winter months.

When spring arrives, your lawn utilizes these stored nutrients, which help make it lush and green. When you provide proper winter lawn care, you can also keep weeds, diseases, and pests at bay once the weather warms up.

It’s also a good idea to apply a ‘winterizing’ fertilizer to your lawn, which is a slow-release fertilizer. A winterizing fertilizer application is a wonderful way to get well-nourished shoots come spring.

lawn fertilization services

3. Keep Lawn Traffic Low

This is an important winter lawn maintenance tip. When the lawn is dormant or frosted, try avoiding walking too much over it. Even strong turf can weaken if you walk too much in an area.

4. Ensure Proper Treatment of Ice

To have a clear and safe path for walking, try keeping the sidewalks, walkways, and driveways free from snow and ice. All American Turf Beauty’s snow removal service can keep these areas clear, freeing you from the chore of removing snow and ice.

snow removal services

5. Maintain a Clean Lawn

During fall, leaves usually pile up on lawns that could lead to lawns getting suffocated before winter. Leaves left on your lawn can become too wet, inviting diseases.

In case the leaves on your lawn are not too wet or thick, mulch them using your mower into small pieces. This can recycle the nutrients in the leaves back into the lawn. If you have thick, matted down, or wet leaves, it’s better to remove them using a rake.

Additionally, ensure that you remove debris and lawn furniture from your lawn and any spare logs that are left beside the fire pit.

lawn clean up

6. Seed with Cool-Weather Grass Seeds

Buy grass seed with the label on the package saying, ‘cool weather’ or ‘cool season,’ like most fescue grass seeds. Seeds can be sprinkled on your lawn with a spreader. Try spreading grass seeds evenly to avoid getting grass clumps later.

7. Be Prepared

Ensure that you’ve prepared your plan for winter lawn care in advance. When the air gets cold, monitor the forecast, and have adequate time at hand to execute your plan before the arrival of the first frost.

Wrap Up

In the winter, your lawn may have to withstand some extreme conditions. Nevertheless, with these winter lawn care tips, your lawn can get the strength to stay healthy over the freezing times and emerge a vibrant and lush lawn once spring arrives. To ensure good lawn health in the winter, consider seeking professional winter lawn care services.

AATB can provide the care your lawn needs in the winter. We offer customized winter lawn treatment according to your location, turf type, and other factors. Our lawn care experts in Des Moines know how to keep grass green in winter and can ensure you a healthy and beautiful lawn come spring.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Safety First! 11 Christmas Lighting Safety Tips You Must Know

Christmas lighting safety tips

Christmas lights lend that festive feel to our home and surroundings in the holiday season. However, these lights are not devoid of risks. There are real possibilities of electrocution, falls, and shorting.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that Christmas lights lead to 44% of fires on Christmas trees. And as per the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), overall Christmas decorations caused over 15,000 injuries that led to an emergency room visit, and in 2012, falls were the highest occurring (34%) among the most frequent holiday decoration incidents found in emergency rooms.

So, to have a happy and safe Christmas, make sure you decorate your home while following all the necessary safety measures. Some of the key holiday lighting safety tips to follow are listed here.

Christmas Lighting Safety Tips to Follow

1. Replace Damaged or Old Christmas Lights

If you want to use Christmas lights from last year, examine them to make sure they’re in good condition before you do that. Check for frayed or cracked cords, sockets without bulbs, and wires poking through insulation.

This might seem tedious but know that damage to the light bulb or cord could lead to an electric shock when it’s plugged in, or worst case, cause an electric fire.

2. Choose LED Lights

If you’re planning to buy new Christmas lights, choose LED lights with epoxy lenses. LED lighting is cool to the touch compared to conventional Christmas lights, and they also consume less electricity, which will keep your electric bill down.

LED light installation

3. Christmas Lights with UL Safety Certification

Some Christmas lighting comes with a UL Safety Certification, which means that the lights are manufactured and designed to meet the industry specifications for safety by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) – an independent organization of product safety certification.

Compared to lights without this certification, lights with this certification are safer to be used in homes. If your current holiday lights don’t have this certification, consider investing in lights that have it.

4. Read the Label when Using Indoor and Outdoor Lights

Christmas lighting is labeled according to their use. They have a disclaimer reading “for indoor and outdoor use” or “for indoor use only”. Ensure that you read the disclaimer carefully as Christmas lights that are for indoor use only can’t be used outdoors.

Indoor-only Christmas lighting doesn’t have insulation like outdoor lighting so they won’t work in the moisture present outside. If indoor Christmas lights are subjected to snow, water, or other outdoor elements, they could become hazardous.

5. Keep the Christmas Tree Hydrated

This is one of the most important Christmas lighting tips. Besides overheated Christmas trees, dry Christmas trees can also lead to fires. A dry Christmas tree is more flammable than a properly watered tree. In case you’re using a real Christmas tree, ensure that you prevent it from drying out by checking the water every day.

Nevertheless, if you’re happy with not using a real Christmas tree, go for the safer option of using an artificial Christmas tree that’s made of fire-resistant materials.

Christmas lighting tips

6. Be Careful when Using Ladders

As falls are the highest occurring injury seen in emergency rooms during holidays, knowing how to use a ladder safely while hanging holiday lights off your home’s roof or anywhere else is important.

Make sure you have a spotter accompanying you to hold the ladder for keeping it stable. To save yourself from tipping, don’t ever extend your body further than parallel to the ladder while hanging holiday lights. Additionally, use a fiberglass or wooden ladder when hanging Christmas lights to prevent electric shock.

Careful when Using Ladders

7. Secure the Loose Light Strands

In case you have a long strand of holiday lights between the outlet and your Christmas tree or are using an extension cord, ensure that you secure all the loose strands of light with an electrical tape to prevent tripping and falling.

For loose Christmas light strands outdoors, use ground staples, which you can find at any hardware store, to secure them. Place the ground staple around the light, and then push as far as possible into the ground or any other soft surface to secure the cord.

8. Instead of Screws or Nails, Use Christmas Light Clips

When you hang outdoor holiday lights on the roof, avoid using screws or nails for securing the lights since the wires can get punctured, leading to malfunctioning of the lights, or worst case, shocking the person who installs them.

For outdoor electrical safety, use light clips instead, which you can find at any hardware store. Light clips are safer to use for holiday lights, and they also cause less damage to the roof compared to screws or nails.

9. Avoid Running Holiday Lights through Doors or Windows

If you don’t have an outdoor outlet to use, lighting up your home may be difficult. Keep in mind that you must not run extension cords or Christmas lights through the doors or windows. When closed on a light strand, doors and windows can lead to wires breaking or fraying due to constant pressure. This can make them a safety hazard that could result in electric fires or shocks.

10. Don’t have More than 3 Light Sets in an Extension Cord

Most manufacturers recommend avoiding plugging in over 3 Christmas light sets into one extension cord to prevent any overheating problems. However, it depends on the wattage of the strand as well as the plug’s maximum watt capacity.

In case you’re not aware of how to check your home’s wattage, use a power strip having an inbuilt circuit breaker rather than your wall outlet. Ensure that you cross-reference your Christmas lights’ wattage to the amount of the power strip prior to plugging it in.

11. Employ GFCI Outlet for your Outdoor Christmas Lights

This is one of the most important outdoor decorating safety tips. For outdoor holiday lights, a specific outlet, known as a Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet, is used. This outlet prevents any electric shock led by electrical systems exposed to wet conditions, such as snow or rain, by serving as a circuit breaker.

This is incredibly helpful when your outlet is located outdoors. Ensure that you safeguard yourself as well as your home from any electric shorts by using a GFCI outlet. If you’re not a pro at electrical work, you’ll need to seek the help of a licensed electrician for installing this outlet.

Wrapping Up

These are some key Christmas lighting safety tips you should follow while decorating your home with holiday lights. For the best results and highest level of safety, consider hiring a professional Christmas lighting installation company to handle the chore of installing Christmas lights for your home.

All American Turf Beauty is a well-experienced Christmas Light installation company based in Iowa. Our lighting installers can expertly decorate your home giving it a brilliant dazzle while ensuring complete Christmas lighting safety.

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Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Be an Early Bird! Enjoy the Best Holiday Lighting Services

Holiday Lighting

Lighting has always been an important part of Christmas celebrations. There are many professional holiday lighting companies that handle the job of installing holiday lighting on homes and commercial properties in an efficient and hassle-free way. But choosing the right one is the catch!

As people are discovering the convenience, value, and peace of mind of letting the experts handle this annual chore, professional Christmas light installation companies are becoming increasingly popular. As stated by Bradon Stephens, the president of Christmas Decor, Inc., a leading holiday lighting and decorating company based in North America, the franchise network of Christmas Decor saw a growth of 11.2 percent in sales in 2019. Similar growth is expected in 2020.

The Early Bird Gets the Benefits

Homeowners who have enjoyed the services of professionals decorating their homes and businesses for the holiday season are aware of the fact that the early bird gets to choose the best decor and dates. Jim O’ Loughlin at All American Turf Beauty, a member of the franchise network of Christmas Decor in Iowa, suggests local business and homeowners choose their holiday lighting design and book the dates by following an early schedule of Christmas light installation companies, even if the holidays are not close.

There’s no harm in booking your holiday light installation dates at the beginning of the year. O’Loughlin states that before you know it, summer will end, school will begin, and suddenly you’ll find the holiday season at your doorstep. He adds that property owners who are early to finalize their outdoor Christmas lights installation plans can enjoy the holiday season with family and friends without any worry. They know that all they need to do is turn on the switch, and their property will glow.

holiday lighting installation

Holiday Lighting Companies Provide Comprehensive Services

Holiday light decoration companies, such as Christmas Decor by All American Turf Beauty, offer comprehensive services that include handling the lighting design, installation, maintenance, taking down, and storage of outdoor holiday lighting. This allows home and business owners to enjoy the holiday season with a peace of mind.

For home and business owners unsure about how professional Christmas lights will work for their property, lighting design professionals – like the professionals at Christmas Decor – superimpose lighting design options on an image of a client’s home or business facility using a tablet. Then, they generate options quickly for the client to review until they find a lighting scheme that meets both their expectations and their budget.

Some home and business owners that outsource their holiday lighting decor find a look they love and keep it for several holiday seasons, whereas others enjoy trying out new holiday lighting displays each year. For home and business owners who outsource their holiday lighting decoration, there’s no returning to DIY, according to O’ Loughlin.

He outlines that All American Turf Beauty offer an unmatched combination of convenience, cost-effectiveness, choice, and proactive maintenance. “The results we achieve simply can’t be duplicated by an average property owner with retail marketplace products. We have specialized equipment and training teamed with a nationwide franchise network’s collective experience. Our installers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to give life to every decor and lighting plan.”

O’ Loughlin adds that the most important decision for holiday decoration to be made by a property owner is to decide and seek the help of a lighting and decor professional. The second most important decision is booking the professional early so that property owners can choose from a wide range of decor and installation dates.

outdoor lighting services

Book Your Holiday Lighting Design and Dates Today!

For further information about holiday lighting services by Christmas Decor for your residential or commercial property, or to book an appointment for Christmas lighting consultation or installation, get in touch with All American Turf Beauty. We are a leading Christmas light decorating company in Iowa offering high-quality holiday lighting services at affordable prices.

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Time to Think About Your Holiday Light Installation

Christmas light installation

With the holiday season just around the corner, you’re probably already busy preparing for it. Obviously, one of the most important things to think about is the decor! decor When it comes to your lighting decor, instead of investing unnecessary time and effort, it makes more sense for you to seek professional help! Getting a professional Christmas light installation gives you beautiful lighting decor on your property in a hassle-free and cost-effective way.

For those celebrating Diwali, consider getting your Diwali lighting installed by a professional. There are companies in Iowa that specialize in Diwali lighting decor that can provide you with custom Diwali lighting designs and flawless installation services.

Hiring a holiday light installation company comes with several benefits. You get a spectacular display at your home or business and impeccable service by trained professionals, which means you don’t need to worry. You can enjoy your holiday lighting décor with safety and a peace of mind. In addition, here are some more key reasons you should hire a holiday lighting company to get your lighting installed.

Christmas lights installation

Why Hire a Christmas Light Installation Company?

1. Create a warm and inviting ambience

Want eye-grabbing decor that makes your home or business a delightful place to visit? Custom designed festive lighting offered by Christmas light decorating companies in Iowa, like All American Turf Beauty, can create that beautiful decor you’ve always wanted without you needing to invest any time or effort.

2. Get a custom design

Your holiday lighting should reflect your taste and personality. A professional will consider your home or commercial property when designing your holiday lighting.

At All American Turf Beauty, we use design software to impose decorations and lights on your home’s image so that you can see how your home will look after being decorated. Our custom lighting design plan includes the five chief design elements – trees and shrub lighting, ground lighting, window lighting, roof lighting, and garland and wreaths. You simply select the items you want depending on your preferences and budget.

holiday lights installation

3. Get high-quality products

Professional holiday light installation companies use only quality, professional-grade products for holiday decor. AATB also uses only professional-grade garland and LED light products.

With products of professional grade, you won’t need to buy new lighting every year. Your lighting will look great and function well for years to come.

Lighting Installation services

4. Get professional installation

Companies that hang Christmas lights have trained and well-practiced lighting installers. They have the right methods and systems in place to install lighting efficiently, quickly, and in a hassle-free way.

AATB’s lighting installers custom fit all decorations and lights to your home. We professionally install all products with proper fasteners and clips, which are non-intrusive to residential or commercial properties.

5. Get proactive maintenance

People are quite busy during the holiday season. With a Christmas light installation company by your side, you don’t need to give time to your lighting’s maintenance. If there’s an unexpected storm or a few bulbs go out, give us a call and they will fix it. Professional lighting installers ensure that your Christmas lights function flawlessly and look great throughout the season. They will handle any maintenance tasks that come up along the way.

At AATB, our team makes proactive service calls to our clients’ homes to ensure that everything is good. If our clients find a problem at any time, they can give a call to our office and we resolve the issues quickly and efficiently.

6. Don’t worry about takedown and storage

When the holiday season is over, you don’t need to worry about taking down and storing your holiday lights. Professional holiday lighting companies not only take down your holiday lighting, but also store them in a suitable storage facility until they are required again next year.

AATB’s holiday lighting services includes takedown and storage. At our storage facility, we service and prepare your holiday lighting for installation in the next season.

outdoor lighting services

With such great benefits, why not sign up for holiday lighting services now? All American Turf Beauty offers readily available Christmas lighting and Diwali lighting services in Iowa. Additionally, our Diwali light and Christmas light installation prices are cost-effective and durable. So, hurry up! Sign up for our Diwali lighting and Christmas lighting services now.

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Monday, September 28, 2020

8 Questions Answered About Controlling Thatch in Lawns in September

controlling thatch in lawns
It’s September – the ideal month to provide your lawn with some pre-winter care! In September, the weather is warmer than the cool days of fall, the seeding weeds are much less, and there’s usually a decent amount of rainfall, making the time apt for fall lawn care activities. Proper lawn care during this month ensures that your lawn not just survives but thrives through the winter. One of your top priorities in September should be controlling thatch in lawns.

In this post, we’ll answer some questions about how to control thatch in your lawn so that your lawn stays lush and healthy through fall and winter.

What is thatch?

Thatch is a layer of dead and living tissue, that’s tightly interwoven, existing between the grass leaves and soil surface. Thatch is mainly made of products from leaf, stems, crowns, sheaths, and roots resisting decay.

A minor layer of thatch improves a lawn’s wear tolerance. However, too much of thatch shelters insects and disease organisms, increasing the lawn’s susceptibility to damage from drought and disease.

Dethatching lawn

What are the factors that influence thatch?

For managing thatch in lawns, it’s important to know the factors that affect thatch build-up. Here are the factors that determine the thatch development rate in your lawn:

  • Choosing grass varieties that grow vigorously
  • Applying large nitrogen amounts, especially in spring
  • Growing grass species that generate tough, fibrous tissue in enormous amounts
  • Compacted soil condition resulting in shallow root development

The following factors lower the rate of thatch decomposition:

  • Acidic soil conditions
  • Waterlogged soil and poor soil aeration that limit the activity of microorganisms
  • Pesticides like fungicides or insecticides that hinder earthworm or microorganism activity

Which lawn grass types tend to generate thatch?

Different grasses have varied tendencies to generate thatch. Perennial ryegrass and tall fescue have a low tendency to produce thatch. The grasses that heavily build thatch are Kentucky bluegrass and bermudagrass cultivars, mostly because of their vigorous rate of growth. Grasses growing slowly, like zoysiagrass, generate thatch because their fibrous tissues break down quite slowly and get accumulated easily on the soil.

How to prevent thatch in lawn?

Here are some effective ways for preventing thatch in lawns:

  • Apply the right amount of water and fertilizer to your lawn. Avoid applying excess nitrogen and make sure you don’t exceed the recommended amount of fertilizer for your specific grass type. Too much fertilizer and water lead to excessive grass growth.
  • Mow your lawn often and mow at a proper height. A thatch issue can’t be prevented by using only a mulching mower.

lawn mowing

  • Know the soil pH recommendation for your grass type and keep your soil’s pH at that level. Too much soil acidity can hinder the activity of insects, earthworms, and microbes which break down thatch.

How to find if your lawn has excessive thatch?

For controlling thatch in lawns, it’s important to know whether your lawn has excessive thatch. A shallow layer of thatch with a thickness of ½ inch benefits your lawn – it helps in retaining moisture and stabilizing the soil temperature. To examine the thatch layer depth, cut out a 2-inch deep, pie-shaped wedge from your lawn. Measure the thatch amount between the green vegetation and soil surface. If the layer of thatch exceeds a thickness of ½ inch, you need to dethatch the lawn.

When to dethatch the lawn?

If you have a cool-season lawn, early fall or late summer is the ideal time for removing thatch. For warm-season grasses, lawns should be dethatched in the spring, after green-up, or during the early summer, when the grass grows rapidly. Don’t dethatch during dry and hot periods.

Can you dethatch your lawn on your own?

For small areas, you can dethatch them with the help of a dethatching rake. For large areas, however, you need the know-how and a power-driven dethatching machine. Our lawn care professionals at Waterloo and Quad Cities have the expertise and equipment to dethatch lawns in the best way possible and provide your lawn with the right fall lawn care. You can do it yourself if you are proficient at dethatching large areas. However, remember that improper dethatching can damage a lawn.

How to dethatch a lawn?

Lawn Dethatching

Here’s a guide on how to remove thatch from lawn:

  • Choose a vertical mower having revolving, straight fixed blades, with the depth and spacing being adjustable. For zoysiagrass, bermudagrass, red fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass, the blades should be spaced 1 to 2 inches apart. For centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass, the blades should be set 2 to 3 inches apart. Ensure that the blades cut into the layer of thatch as well as at least ½ inch into soil.
  • Mow St. Augustinegrass and centipedegrass vertically in one direction only as multiple passes can kill or injure the lawn. Kentucky bluegrass and zoysiagrass may be mowed vertically in different directions.
  • Once dethatching is complete, rake up and remove the dead material.
  • Water your lawn thoroughly so that the exposed roots don’t dry out.
  • After a week, apply 1-pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of the lawn. Use quick-release nitrogen with the water-soluble nitrogen being less than 50 percent. This should be followed by the irrigation of the lawn to minimize burn.

Wrap Up

Now that you know how to treat thatch in lawns, inspect your lawn for excessive thatch build-up and if you find any, schedule your lawn dethatching immediately. All American Turf Beauty, a reputed lawncare company, is an expert at controlling thatch in lawns and providing lawns with the necessary pre-winter care. We offer lawn care services in Waterloo, Quad Cities, and many other areas in Iowa. With the right fall lawn care, you can prepare your lawn to thrive through the harsh winter days.

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Monday, September 14, 2020

6 Useful Tips from Experts in Grub Control and Prevention

 

grub control and prevention

If you’ve noticed dead patches of grass in your lawns during late summer, you’re most likely facing grub infestation. The larvae of chafers, Japanese and June beetles are commonly called grubs. These C-shaped creatures thrive on organic matter like grassroots and damage your well-curated lawns. Our lawn care experts at Spencer offer some useful tips on grub control and prevention.

1. Identify grub damage in lawns

White grubs are most commonly found during fall. These root-eating insects target portions of the turf which become lifeless due to infestation. The grass loses its colour and texture as the injured roots can’t absorb water or nutrients properly.

when to treat for grubs

Signs to look out for:

How do you know when to treat for grubs? Our experts at Spencer tell us that you need to look out for these signs

  • The affected area feels spongy and soft; you can easily pull out the grass as the roots can no longer hold ground.
  • You will notice birds, raccoons, or skunks digging up your yard as they love to feed on mature grubs.
  • Some early symptoms include gradual thinning and yellowing of the turf grass with irregular dead patches.

Identify grub damage in lawns

2. Know the grubs

There are a few species of white grubs which are commonly found in the Midwest. It’s easy to identify them by their grayish-to-white stout bodies with brown heads. A mature grub can grow up in size from 3/8 to 2 inches long. As they rest, they curl up in a C-shape.

3. Know the lifecycle of grubs

For effective grub control and prevention, you need to follow a grub’s lifecycle. Depending on the species, the grubs can feed on your lawns for more than a year. To prevent extensive damage, you need to catch them young when they come closer to the surface in summer and fall.

In October and November, the grubs stop feeding and move deeper into the soil and remain dormant in the winter months. They become active and start feeding on grassroots actively again in early spring. As they move to the mature stage which normally happens around May, the grub will again move deeper into the soil to form a clay cell leading to pupae. In June or July, they complete their cycle and emerge as adult beetles.

Know the lifecycle of grubs

 

4. Time your lawn treatment for preventing grub damage

As per our lawn care experts at Moline, it’s important to know when to treat the lawn for grubs. You need to scout them at the correct time to determine the control measures. Apply a preventive grub control product before they become a menace. This can be done in the first half of August.

You can cut through the turf with a carpet or heavily-bladed knife and pull back 1/3 to 1 square foot of the turf. The tuft of grass will easily come out and you can clearly see the white grubs. Some of them will be at the underside of the thatch, so inspect carefully. If you have faced grub damage before, you will know the turf areas that are the perennial problem zones.

lawn treatment for preventing grub damage

Watch out for

  • Areas close to the pavement that are warm and attract the adult females
  • Highly-watered spaces such as a vegetable garden or flower beds
  • Your front yard which receives more water than the backyard

5. Determine how to get rid of lawn grubs

Without a proper lawn care program that takes care of your lawn through the year, it’s not possible to ensure proper grub control and prevention. Our lawn care experts in Waterloo, Spencer and Moline always point out the obvious; an underfed or a drought-stressed lawn is more prone to grub damage.

When we asked our experts about how to control lawn grubs effectively, they spoke about 3 methods.

  • Only insecticides can control a major grub infestation; it’s the best way to limit serious damage to the grub. If your lawns show signs of severe damage, you may have to apply insecticides throughout the year.
  • Take care of your lawns by watering for 1 ½ – 2 hours a week, which helps your lawn to grow. As a preventive treatment for lawns, have your lawn professionally fertilized. This will enable the grassroots to grow deeper and stronger increasing its tolerance level to grub infestation.
  • You can also take the help of curative control for grub control and prevention. You can apply treatment just after the beetles’ hatch eggs in summer. The insecticides used in this method are less damaging and they have short residual effectiveness. Apply the insecticides in late August and September when the grubs are in a vulnerable stage.

how to get rid of lawn grubs

6. Contact a lawn care expert in Waterloo

Usually, 1 or 2 grubs do not cause much trouble, but a severely infested lawn will require expert intervention. Our experts will tell you that grub prevention becomes much easier, but there are no options left once they take over. September is already here; it’s the ideal time to take the help of experts and treat your lawn properly to prevent grub damage.

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Monday, August 31, 2020

Lawn Pest Control: How to Keep Away Common Summer Lawn Pests

lawn pest control
The warm days of spring and summer are great for entertaining on your lush green lawn. However, the elevated temperatures can also increase the chance of pest infestations in your outdoors. To keep your outdoors safe for you, your family, and your pets in summer, you need to ensure proper lawn pest control. Knowledge of the pests that commonly trouble lawns in the warmer months can help with this job.

Identifying Common Lawn Pests and Getting Rid of Them

Here are some of the common pests that infest lawns during summer:

1. Grubs

If you’ve come across Japanese beetles on your trees and dead grass patches on your lawn lately, most likely there’ll be a grub infestation. Grubs are the larvae of June beetles, Japanese beetles, and chafers. Grubs feed on your grassroots and can cause a lot of damage to your lawn.

To prevent grubs or treat a grub infestation, apply the lawn treatment when grubs newly hatch or just before. Grub treatments are the most effective in June and July when grubs come to the surface. All American Turf Beauty can offer a highly effective lawn grub treatment for lawns in and around Spencer.

lawn grub treatment

2. Chinch Bugs

Chinch bug is one of the chief surface feeders. An adult chinch bug is as small as a pencil tip, has a black color with the design of an hourglass shape on its back. They usually move in large numbers in the summer heat. These pests cause grass damage by removing the sap from grass and with the saliva, they inject into the grass while feeding. If not controlled, they can hugely damage your lawn.

Dry, stressed lawns are more likely to be attacked by chinch bugs than healthy, well-hydrated lawns. Observe the blades of your grass in the early morning; if you find folded blades, then your lawn is dry and needs watering. It’s better to check in the early morning in scorching summer months, as blades are naturally folded during the day because of the heat.

Chinch Bugs in Lawn

3. Ticks and Fleas

Ticks and fleas may reach inside your home through your kids or dog. To prevent this, pretreat your yard with proper lawn pest control measures. Ticks and fleas flourish in humid and warm weather and reproduce fast.

You can keep off these lawn pests by treating your lawn before the summer sets in. Our lawn insect control services/perimeter pest control services can free your lawn from ticks and fleas!

ticks and fleas

4. Ash Borer Beetles

Ash borer beetles are non-native bugs, troubling homeowners a lot currently in the Midwest. They attack healthy Ash trees, tunnel into the roots and trunks of the trees to lay eggs. The larvae – after the eggs hatch – feed on the trees’ plant tissue.

To check for ash borer infestation, look out for dieback of leaves high in the tree canopy, splitting of the bark, and tiny D-shaped holes on the bark. These holes are created when the adult beetles appear. Untreated Ash trees can die of infestation. Therefore, if you suspect of ash borer infestation on any of your Ash trees, get it treated straight away.

Ash Borer Beetles 

5. Spider Mites

These lawn insects have a tiny size and are difficult to see but can cause considerable damage to lawns. If you find yellowed leaves with tiny webbing in between, spider mites might be causing the issue. To ensure that spider mites are the offender, take a white sheet of paper and hold it under an unhealthy branch. Notice what comes out on hitting the branch.

Tiny black, brown, green, yellow, or red specks falling on the paper indicates spider mites. You can prevent these pests by cleaning up dead plants, debris, and weeds around plants and trees. If there’s an infestation, contact a lawn care company for lawn pest control service.

spider mites

6. Bagworms

If the leaves of your trees turn brown or needles fall off pine trees during the middle of summer, the reason might be bagworms. These pests feed on over a hundred species of plants, with pine trees being the most common in the Midwest.

The sacks of these insects often resemble small pinecones. Bagworms are slow spreading. The treatment of bagworms should start at the beginning of their lifecycle. Lawns should be treated in May or June, when they normally hatch.

bagworms

Tips to Keep Away Lawn Pests

Here are some tips to prevent pest infestation in your lawn during spring and summer:

  • Remove standing water from lawns

We know that standing water serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. So, if you have any areas that are prone to water pooling, fill them up and add pumps to fountains or fishponds. Also, empty buckets, toys, and flowerpots after rainfall.

  • Remove debris and clutter

Things like tires, toys, and half-used potting soil bags can be great containers for accumulating rainwater. Fallen branches, piles of leaves, and rotting fruit too can draw insects to your lawn. By eliminating such debris and clutter from your outdoors you can ensure lawn bug control.

  • Keep your lawn neat and trimmed

Weeds and tall grass can shelter fleas, ticks, and anthills. Additionally, overgrown tree branches and shrubbery that are in contact with your home can let in cockroaches and other troubling pests.

Mow your lawn regularly in spring and summer to minimize the hiding areas for insects. Also, keep your shrubs and trees trimmed, by a professional preferably. There should be a gap of 1 foot between any branches and the walls of your home.

  • Store firewood carefully

Firewood offers shelter and food to many insects, so you need to store it properly. Before storing firewood, ensure that it’s dry. Then, it should be kept stacked above the ground over a platform or rack, so that pests living in the soil (like termites and ants) can’t access the firewood easily. Moreover, store piles of firewood away from any building or your home. Ideally there should be a gap of 3 feet between any structure and a stack of firewood.

Firewood with a roof over it or top cover will remain drier. However, don’t wrap firewood fully with plastic or tarp as this will help trap moisture, making it an easy place for termites to breed.

Rely on All American Turf Beauty for Expert Lawn Pest Control!

Prompt lawn insect identification and lawn insect control can help you preserve the health and beauty of your lawn in Spencer during summers. All American Turf Beauty has a team of expert lawn pest control professionals who can keep away lawn-destroying insects with effective lawn bug control treatments. We offer lawn care services in Spencer, Ames, Des Moines, and many other areas in Iowa. Call us today for a lawn and pest control consultation!

The post Lawn Pest Control: How to Keep Away Common Summer Lawn Pests appeared first on All American Turf & Beauty.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Think about Permanent Holiday Lighting before it’s too late!

permanent holiday lighting

It’s only July and too early for Santa to visit town. But, it’s definitely not too early to think about permanent holiday lighting. Before you know it, July will turn into December and you will be looking at your neighbor’s home thinking ‘those are really cool Christmas lights’! Get set up for an early installation to avoid last-minute hassles with professional Christmas light installation.

Christmas Light Installation

Most customers spend about $300 to $500 on holiday lighting every year. The cost usually includes the roofline and a few trees,and if you plan to decorate a few more trees and the rest of the house, the expenses could double.

Each year, you end up spending a hefty sum on holiday decorations with the added cost of setting up and taking down the lights.

Christmas light decorating company

Avoid these unnecessary worries! Think of Permalites, a one-time permanent Christmas lights installation that you can access from literally anywhere. It has a cloud-based control solution which can be controlled from any web browser, smartphone, or tablet.

Did you know that NEC has specific regulations about holiday lighting in Article 410 and Article 590 and there are certain limitations on the use of this product? The UL standards clearly states that

  • “Temporary electric power and lighting installations shall be permitted for a period not to exceed 90 days for holiday lighting and similar purposes” (590.3 Time Constraints: 2011 NEC)

And why restrict your lights to just Christmas? The lights can be easily customized with the push of a button; you can use them for every event, any memorable occasion. Pink for Valentine’s Day, white & blue for Independence Day (you just missed your chance of flaunting a perfect light display), orange, and purple for Halloween, and so much more!

holiday lighting companies

There’ll be quite a few holiday lighting companies that offer the same service for permanent holiday lighting. What they won’t guarantee is:

  • 10-year limited product warranty
  • 5-year LED strip warranty
  • 5-year controller transformer warranty

Permanent Christmas light installations are a lot of fun! You’ll have a good time programming the lights with your kids or grandkids. The lights come in different colors, designs, and patterns. You can create a number of light displays and be as creative as possible. The holiday season is meant to do something together, so here’s your chance to create happy memories!

residential Christmas decorating service

Our residential Christmas decorating service includes a one-time installation. The lights can be installed at any time of the year. Call us now and we will be right there.

Just a quick recap of what you can save when you’re hiring us!

  • Our permanent holiday lighting requires little to no maintenance, resulting in maintenance savings. With reduced energy bills, the product pays for itself within 2 years.
  • Low-voltage, long-lasting lights that are sustainable and reliable resulting in 50,000 hours of life expectancy.
  • Uses only 60 watts of electricity for 200 feet of light, leading to 87% savings in power usage.

“For the past few years, I have been thinking how much fun it would be if we could have lights after the holidays we could easily change to match the colors of the holidays. I was very excited to learn that you offer and install a permanent solution that we can leave up year-round and customize ourselves. It really is fun changing colors right from our smartphone! We receive a lot of good comments from people.” – Burton Joseph. Josephs Jewelers

Think permanent holiday lighting. Think us!

The post Think about Permanent Holiday Lighting before it’s too late! appeared first on All American Turf & Beauty.

Monday, June 22, 2020

Organic Landscaping: How to Grow a Lush Lawn the Natural Way

Organic landscaping Iowa

Benefits of organic lawn careA lush green lawn dramatically transforms your home. Besides serving as an ideal space for outdoor entertainment and recreation, lawns generate oxygen while absorbing carbon dioxide and keeps the temperature cooler in hot summers. However, maintaining conventional lawns is a costly affair. Synthetic lawn fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides are indeed more expensive than their natural alternatives. These chemicals also adversely affect the environment and pose serious hazards to wildlife, pets, and children. Considering this, why not switch to organic landscaping and lawn care?

An organic lawn – cultivated and maintained with organic materials and natural processes – can not only make you feel good but also is low-maintenance. And if you’re thinking this switch is going to be tough, well…it’s not!

Here we’ll offer you a guide on how to grow a natural lawn that’s green, safe, and healthy. But before that, let’s have a look at the key benefits that the organic lawn care can offer you.

We’ve described these benefits in detail in one of our previous posts, which you can read here.

Organic Landscaping Tips to Grow a Natural Lawn

1. Conduct a Soil Test

The first step to attaining an organic lawn is strengthening weakened soil, which requires a soil test. Testing the soil can help you find the nutrients that are lacking and think about the amendments necessary.
For example, calcium-deficient soil can be given a gypsum top-dressing, and magnesium-deficient soil might need the mineral langbeinite.
To conduct a soil test, you need to obtain soil samples from several areas of your lawn and send them to a lab for analysis. You can contact university extension offices and local nurseries to ask if they do soil tests.

Soil test as a part of organic lawn care

2. Do Composting

Irrespective of the soil test results, add essential organic matter to your soil by spreading half-inch of compost over your lawn. Compost treatment is the basis of organic lawn care. Compost improves the structure of soil, especially in sand-heavy or clay soil. It’s rich in beneficial organisms like nematodes, fungi, algae, and bacteria that promote healthy soil.

Go for compost made from decomposed organic plant material, like what you find on the forest floor. Such compost is often available at nurseries, or you can collect waste from your own yard in a backyard bin and create your own compost.

composting for organic landscaping

3. Apply Organic Fertilizers

Give an occasional boost to your lawn in the growing season by applying organic fertilizers, which you can find at most garden centers. Organic fertilizers consist of natural ingredients like feather meal that offers nitrogen, bone meal that provides phosphorus, and seaweed that contains potassium to the soil.

Contrary to conventional fertilizers that give an instant, heavy dosage of synthetic nitrogen along with potassium and phosphorus, which your lawn can binge on, organic fertilizers offer a diet of nutrients, which are released slowly and are more beneficial.

Your lawn can crowd out weeds more easily when the grass is thicker. After treating your soil with fertilizer, overseed your lawn with suitable turfgrass. For homeowners at or around Bettendorf in Quad Cities, the turf experts and landscape designers at All American Turf Beauty can offer you recommendations about grass types for your Bettendorf lawns.

You need to select a seed mix that’s suitable for your climate, moisture needs, and sun/shade conditions. And ensure that it’s well-blended with the existing lawn.

Water your lawn daily until you find new grass growth.

Water your lawn

4. Choose ‘Greener’ Grass

Overseeding your lawn, or completely replacing the grass, with organic or native grass seed can make your lawn more sustainable.

Organic lawn seeds are grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. Native turf grass seeds – another green option – are the ones compatible with the average rainfall and soil conditions of their region. These grass seeds have a higher resistance to diseases and need less water compared to non-natives (like St. Augustine grass from Africa and Kentucky bluegrass from Europe).

Get greener grass with organic landscaping

5. Go for Organic Lawn Weed Control

Well, it should be kept in mind that making the shift to natural lawn care might not lead to overnight disappearance of weeds. You might have to deal with some weeds for one or two years at least as the grass and soil become strong enough to control weeds naturally.

An effective weed prevention method is spreading corn gluten meal during spring on your lawn. It’s an organic weed preventive. However, avoid spreading it at the time of overseeding as it prevents all seeds from germinating, including grass. Although corn gluten meal is about 65% as effective as chemical herbicides, weed infestations can still be significantly reduced with it.

The presence of weeds in lawns indicate specific soil problems. For example, crabgrass can indicate soil compaction as it usually grows in high traffic areas like along walkways or driveways. To address the root of the problem, aerate the region where it grows rather than using pesticides.

Some weeds are even helpful for your lawn. For example, clover – a common broadleaf weed – acts as a natural fertilizer factory, which converts nitrogen in the air into a form digestible by your soil.

Organic weed control for a beautiful landscape

Enjoy the Rewards of a Natural Lawn with Organic Lawn Care Service!

The organic approach can help you get a lawn that’s lush, healthy, and beautiful, as well as good to the environment! Natural lawns are more cost-effective and require less water than their chemically treated alternatives, and all you need is some patience to be successful on the path of organic landscaping. They are completely safe for your kids and pets.

All American Turf Beauty can help you get that beautiful lawn you’ve always wanted, in the organic way! Based in Iowa, our lawn care & organic landscaping company offers quality pet-friendly lawn care and natural lawn care at Bettendorf in Quad Cities and nearby areas. Being one of the top-notch organic weed control companies and natural lawn care companies in Bettendorf, we can significantly improve your lawn’s health and beauty with our modern organics landscaping strategies!

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Friday, June 12, 2020

Unbelievably Easy Ways to Figure Out your Summer Gardening

summer gardening tips for lawns in Davenport, IowaIt’s true that the warm summer sun brings new ideas for summer gardening, but you need to be careful about the season’s brutal sun rays. Good preparation is required for your garden and lawn to survive the effects of a hot Iowa summer. Follow these tips for building a green garden and lawn in the warmer months.

Make a list of heat-tolerant garden plants

When you grow a summer garden, the first thing to do is make a list of hearty summer plants. Think of the temperature range in your area and choose plants that thrive in those temperatures. Warm season crops germinate at 50 to 90 degree F and cool-season crops germinate at 40 to 80 degree F.

Tip: Peppers and tomatoes are some of the toughest summer vegetables. They thrive well during the summers!

Feed your lawn in late spring/early summer

You can have a green lawn in summer if you feed your lawn with the right fertilizers during late spring. The fertilizers strengthen every blade of the grass making them resilient to summer conditions. Choosing the right fertilizer can be tough. Consult our lawn care experts in Davenport in the Quad Cities for a better understanding of fertilizers.

Tip: Mix lawn food with water maximizer to drive water into dry soils. This combination will build strong roots, ensuring a green lawn during harsh summer months.

Summer gardening essential: take care of growing plants

Losing your flowers and buds as a consequence of plants drying out in summer is common. You need to be extra careful about the budding plants especially if you’re growing them in containers. During hot weather, water your plants twice a week and add a good dose of mulch.

Tip: Moist soil helps protect the roots on warmer days. A golden rule of summer irrigation is to use an irrigation hose with a gentle flow of water to keep the soil surface moist. For protecting the roots, you should water till the soil is moist up to 4 inches down under.

Toughen your lawn to make it a weed-free zone

The list for summer lawn care tips will be incomplete without a mention of the weeds. Weeds are nothing but trouble. They take away nutrients and water from the grass and fight for their existence. The more weeds your lawn has, the greater the chances of pest infestation and lawn diseases.

Tip: Use pre-emergent herbicides in the early spring to create a barrier around dormant seeds in the lawn. This will stop weeds from sprouting in the first place. The post-emergent herbicides can be used for spot treatment throughout the summer.

Create a shady spot for your garden plants

Imagine standing under the scorching sun during summer months. Your plants will feel the same if they are exposed to excessive sunlight. As part of your summer gardening plan, don’t forget to create shady spots for your plants. Use lightweight shades in light colors, which reflect light instead of absorbing it.

Tip: Keep the protective shade 3 to 4 feet away from the plants for maximum airflow. Use PVC to create a flexible temporary shade, which can be removed once the temperature cools down.

Mow your lawn properly

To take care of your lawn in the summer heat, follow the correct mowing technique. Taller blades of grass develop deeper root systems. They also create shady spots, which mean you don’t need to water the lawn frequently. When you cut grass in the summer, the lawn mower blades should be kept high.

Tip: Grass that is cut too short can result in the sun reaching the roots and burning them in the process. Also, don’t mow the lawn with a dull blade lawnmower, it will harm the growth of the grass.

Add some mulch to your gardens

Cover your gardens with thick mulch to protect the soil from the sun and retain nutrients and moisture as required in the warmer days.

Tip: When you mow, leave the grass clippings on the lawn. They are a good source of nutrients for your gardens.

Get your lawn soil tested

Conduct a soil test if your lawn is not growing the way it should. The soil may lack essential nutrients or there might be a PH imbalance.

Tip: For healthy root development, aerating the soil is a must. This will increase the airflow into the soil stimulating the growth of the roots. Aeration also loosens the soil allowing nutrients to reach further in the soil.

Maintaining a healthy lawn in summer becomes much easier if you are helped by our experts at All American Turf Beauty Inc who have specialized in lawn care in Davenport. They know the weather, the soil, the type of grass you can grow, and most importantly, the lawns in Iowa. You know who to contact if summer lawn care feels unmanageable.

The post Unbelievably Easy Ways to Figure Out your Summer Gardening appeared first on All American Turf & Beauty.

Friday, May 29, 2020

5 Reasons to Choose Permanent Outdoor Lighting

Permanent Outdoor Lighting in IowaWe all love to light up our homes during holidays and festivities, but putting up the holiday lights and taking them back down, bring their own set of hassles. If your busy schedule doesn’t allow you to do the job yourself, every year you’ll need to spend hefty amounts for the installation and removal of lights. Well, to avoid the cost and hassle, why not go for permanent outdoor lighting?

Permanent architectural lighting can beautifully illuminate your home and business while helping you save costs and stay stress-free. Let’s look at the major advantages offered by permanent landscape lighting systems.

Why Choose Permanent Outdoor Lighting – Key Advantages

1. Saves Costs Over Time

If professionals are installing and removing your holiday lighting displays, installing permanent architectural outdoor lighting can help you save costs over time. Permanent lighting is installed only once, and you rarely need to worry about repairs or replacements. In fact, the permanent outdoor lighting systems end up paying for themselves after a few years!

Permanent outdoor lighting saves your pocket
2. Useful for Several Occasions

Besides Christmas, you can use colorful permanent outdoor LED lighting for several other occasions, like birthday parties, wedding receptions, graduations, and other festivities and events. No need to bear the stress of installing and removing lights again and again.
Birthday lighting

3.Invisible in Daytime

Permanent landscape lighting design is nearly invisible during the daytime. The lights are installed near your home’s fascia making them blend in with your home architecture. The lights are visible only when you turn them on.

4.Rewarding for Business

The holiday season is when businesses often see their sales skyrocket, so it’s wise for business owners to leverage every opportunity to draw more traffic to their business locations. Lighting up your storefront draws the attention of potential customers to your business, dramatically improves the ambiance, and gives you an edge over your competitors.

Commercial lighting for your business

5. Ease of Operation of Permanent Lighting

Permanent architectural landscape lighting offered by All American Turf Beauty can be controlled from anywhere in real-time using a smartphone, tablet, or web browser. Our cloud-based control system lets you change the lighting colors right from your mobile device, with you having full control at your fingertips.

Ease of Operation of Permanent Lighting

Give a Festive Feel to Your Home and Business with Our Custom Permanent Outdoor Lighting!

Switch to one-time, permanent installation of landscape lighting to illuminate your home and business during every occasion in a hassle-free way. At All American Turf Beauty, we offer professional landscape lighting design services with permanent lighting. Our permanent lighting systems come with a 10-year warranty. With little-to-no maintenance requirements, our lighting fixtures pay for themselves in two years.

Our architectural lighting company, based in Iowa, offers low-voltage LED lights, which consume 12 percent of the energy needed by standard string lights, resulting in about 87 percent savings on power usage. Request a consultation today or contact us to know more!

 

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Friday, April 24, 2020

How and When to Plant Tall Fescue Grass Seed?

tall fescue grass seed for lawns in IowaIf you’re planning to create a new lawn or revamp an existing one, and have chosen tall fescue as your turf type, you’re guaranteed to have a vibrant and beautiful lawn! Tall fescue turf grass can adapt to a range of climates and has good tolerance to heat, cold, shade, and drought. This turf type allows lawn owners to improve the durability and resilience of their lawns and based on your location, tall fescue grass seed can be a great choice for you.

Key Characteristics of Tall Fescue Grass:

  • Cool-season grass with a high heat tolerance
  • Suitable for transition and northern zones
  • Drought, heat, and shade-tolerant
  • Disease resistant
  • Growth habit of forming bunches
  • Limited ability of self-repair

Planting Tall Fescue Grass Seed in your Lawn

When it comes to seeding your lawn with tall fescue grass seed, there are several steps involved that, when followed properly, can lead to healthy turf growth. If you’re a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a reputed lawncare company, like All American Turf Beauty, can help you with the seeding process by following the steps outlined below:

1. Selecting the Seed

The quality of your lawn will largely depend on the quality of the seed you choose. So, the first step to growing a lush tall fescue lawn is selecting good quality seeds. All American Turf Beauty can help you with selecting a high-quality fescue grass seed for your lawn.

A high-quality grass seed will have added resilience, which will enable your lawn to flourish in conditions that other grasses might struggle in.

If you live in an area with limited sun, you should go for a shade-tolerant fescue seed. For tough southern climates, seeds with a high drought and heat tolerance can change the game for your tall fescue lawn.

2. Choosing the Timing

To optimize your seeding project, try aligning the timing of seeding with the natural growth cycle of tall fescue. Since tall fescues are cool-season grasses, the best time to plant tall fescue grass seed is from late summer to early fall when the weather is cool, supporting vigorous growth. The second-best time for planting fescue grass seed is early spring.

The germination of tall fescue grass seed is best when the soil temperature is around 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. To seed in the fall, allow the soil to cool down and reach this temperature range before seeding. For spring seeding, you need to wait until the soil warms up. Planting tall fescue grass in these optimal timings of strong growth and cool temperatures allows you take advantage of the spring and fall rains. This, in turn, reduces the supplemental watering and additional labor needed for the process.

3. Testing the Soil

The health and performance of your tall fescue lawn depend a lot on the soil and its nutrients, including the nutrients, added through fertilizer. So, conducting a soil test before seeding is the starting point for grass nutrition and soil improvement.

Soil testing informs you about your soil’s organic matter, pH, and other valuable factors. Lawn care professionals at Cedar Rapids can recommend soil amendments and starter fertilizers to improve your lawn. Following these recommendations can help you get a healthy, thick, and vibrant lawn.

Tall fescue grass can adapt to different types of soil and tolerate a broader range of pH compared to many other grass types. A soil pH between 5.5 and 7.5 works best for this grass because it provides essential nutrients under these conditions.

Soil amendments like elemental sulfur or lime may be needed to ensure nutrient availability and restore pH balance. Before seeding, add all the test-recommended amendments and fertilizers into the top 6 to 8 inches.

4. Preparing the Site

Early site preparation involves removing unwanted grasses and weeds, we recommend using a sod cutter for any existing turf. Another option is using non-selective herbicides that kill grasses as well as broadleaf plants. With many herbicides, multiple applications and considerable waiting periods are required before you can start seeding so you’ll have to begin this process well in advance.

For final site preparation, create a flat, level surface for planting by raking the area. In case of any low-lying areas, fill them up to prevent water accumulation and drainage problems. Rectify any grading issues, to restrict water flow towards your home. Regulate the flow of water, so that it’s easier to mow the lawn. In case of any steep grades in your property, seek the advice of lawn care professionals to prevent potential mowing problems and erosion.

5. Planting Seeds

Quality seed products come with proper seeding recommendations. Get the best results by following the label guidelines about seeding rates. For new lawns, you need almost twice the seed amount than required for overseeding a thin, existing lawn. Seeding at a lower or higher rate than what’s recommended in the label can waste both labor and quality seeds.

Measure the seeding area carefully. Subtract the area of your home and other structures and determine the spreader and seed settings accordingly. Consider using a drop spreader for precision seeding of lawns that are less than 5,000 square feet. A rotary or broadcast spreader is suitable for less precise seeding or for larger lawns. An experienced lawn care specialist can help you successfully accomplish seeding your lawn.

Wrapping Up

Once the seeding is done, your lawn care specialist can assist in post-seeding care, which is needed for healthy turf growth. Our lawn care professionals have expertise in planting tall fescue grass seed at Cedar Rapids and can help you get the beautiful and lush lawn you’ve always wanted! Give us a call at (515) 996-2261 today for a lawn care consultation. These are tough times, but as the trusted lawn care professionals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa we will ensure that your lawns don’t suffer, even in lockdown.

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