The Secret Diary of Spring Lawn Care Tips by AATB Experts

It’s that time of the year again when you need to take out your lawnmower from your garage and fine-tune it. Yes, spring seems to be knocking on our doors and it’s the right time to schedule a lawn care program for a season-long glory. We spoke to our lawn care experts at All American Turf Beauty. They were glad to point out some vital spring lawn care tips for the perfect green touch in your turf.

Treat your lawn in spring with MRFM (Maintain-Reseed-Fertilize-Mow)

• Maintain your lawn after the harsh winter. This is specially true for spring lawn care in Midwest, where winters are normally long and harsh. Allow the ground to be dry: do a light raking followed by aeration to loosen the compacted soil.
• Reseeding the lawn especially areas which are bare, or brown is a must after winters.
• Fertilize the lawn by eliminating the weeds. But before that, you should allow the seeds to settle down as part of your lawn care program in Des Moines
• Mow your lawn at a comfortable length but pay attention to the frequency and the height of the grass.

Tip 1: Check for lawn infestation/disease

Snow mold, a fungal lawn disease is common in early-spring lawns. This happens specially in years with late-to-melt snow covers. They resemble a dead patch on the lawn with flattened blades. Most healthy lawns push this out as the weather turns dry or warm. Fungicides are rarely required.

You can simply rake off the dead blades when the soil is not soggy. But our experts want you to watch out for newer shoots, so be careful with your rakes.

Tip 2: Think about Spring Lawn Seeding

According to our lawn care providers in Des Moines, spring is a good time for grass seed germination. The most well-maintained lawns can become patchy and the reasons are diverse. Weather, insect infestation, environmental stress, and grass disease can affect lawns adversely.

Although fall is known as the best time to seed, at times new grass needs to be planted in spring. In fact, after fall, spring is the second-best time to plant the grass seed. Spring seeding can be effective as there are frequent showers. Even the warm soil temperature is ideal for seed germination.

The period between March and May is the perfect time for seeding as per spring lawn services in Iowa. The temperature ranges between 50-60 degrees F making it ideal for germination. Reseeding or overseeding is a technique where you need to spread new grass seed on an established lawn. This helps when your lawn has thinned out or are covered with patches.

Tip 3: Fertilize your lawns in early spring

As part of their spring lawn care tips, the lawn care specialists have also pointed out the importance of fertilization. To encourage growth and discourage weeds, it’s best to have a combination of fertilizers and herbicides.

If you notice any widespread infestation where the whole lawn is affected, it’s best to go for a pre-emergent herbicide before spring germination. For a lesser infestation, the lawn care experts adhere to spot treatment with a non-selective herbicide.

Take a starter fertilizer to provide the right nutrients for the new grass seed to grow properly. It’s best to choose a product with slow-release nitrogen for a nice green on your turf. If you have not tested your turf in the last few years, early spring may be a good time to test your soil. You will get an exact reading of the specific nutrients required for your turf.

Tip 4: Pick the right grass seed for your lawns

The experts at All American Turf Beauty have emphasized on picking the right grass seed for your lawns as part of their spring lawn care tips. According to them, it’s always best to determine what type of grass grows best in your area.

Common grass types like fescue, perennial, Kentucky bluegrass are more popular in northern regions. In the southern regions of the US, grass types like centipede, St. Augustine, zoysia and Bermuda will flourish in your lawns. Ask experts at All American Turf Beauty to direct you about grass seeds. Spring grass care becomes easy if you have the help from the right experts.

Tip 5: Contact lawn care professionals in Des Moines

Know about some of the most effective lawn care tips for spring from the experts at All American Turf Beauty. Be it filling bare spots in your lawn in spring or choosing the right fertilizer, they provide you with the best possible lawn care schedule.

Before the last snow melts away, prepare to make your lawn a year-long green phenomenon with our easy-to-follow spring lawn care tips.

The post The Secret Diary of Spring Lawn Care Tips by AATB Experts appeared first on All American Turf Beauty, Inc..

Why Organic Lawn Care is the Call of the Day?

Organic lawn care may be more expensive than inorganic lawn care, however, it certainly has an edge. In organic lawn treatment services, lawns are managed without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Such natural lawn care involves the use of a compost that combines different types of natural materials from manure to phosphorous to sewage sludge. However, ensure that you are allowed to use phosphorus as its use is illegal in several states.

On the other hand, inorganic lawn care contains highly harmful substances like nitrate and sulfate. The combination of sulfate and nitrate can burn a lawn, whereas the organic compost is biodegradable naturally with no or minimal risk of making animals and humans physically ill and contaminating water.

Hazards of Inorganic Lawn Care

Several kinds of cancers, including lung and leukemia, are among the risks of inorganic fertilizer use. Humans have experienced sudden symptoms of several issues like nausea, ADHD, and infertility. Inorganic fertilizers can trigger seizures and even fatality in animals. It has been known that dogs develop lymphoma if the owners make use of inorganic herbicides for four years or more. It has been known to cause the growth of algae too, which is fatal for marine life.

One more reason why inorganic lawn care is highly hazardous is that the manufacturing of inorganic lawn care materials involves greenhouse gases and other gases, which are hazardous to water. The gases kill off earthworms also that are necessary for keeping the soil loose. Although most pesticides have 5% active ingredients only, the remaining 95% are just as harmful often.

Key Benefits of Organic Lawn Care

1. Healthy Root System

As an organically fed lawn doesn’t depend on synthetic fertilizers and chemicals, it becomes more resilient and grows more naturally. A healthy and deep root system strengthens your lawn and increases its ability to withstand an unusual pest infestation or a drought year. When the root system is healthy, a lawn can bounce back faster when faced with an adverse condition.

2. Safer for Environment

We should remember that whatever we apply to our lawns affects the overall environment of our area. Anything that we pour on our lawns leaches into our local groundwater eventually. The public water supplies get contaminated with too many synthetic chemicals, and the excess nitrogen affects even the private wells.

3. Safer for Children

All insecticides, herbicides, and pesticides have some level of toxicity, and some kids especially have sensitivity to these chemicals. The immune systems and bodies of children are still developing. Being exposed to outside chemicals can affect their health adversely, immediately as well as in the years to come.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison performed a study, which showed that nitrate – one of the common elements in synthetic fertilizer – can lead to endocrine, nervous system, and immune system malfunctions. The fumes emitted by chemical sprays can cause respiratory troubles also in children, as it happened in Ohio, when fields close to a middle school had been sprayed during the school hours.

4. Safer for Pets

It should be noted that synthetic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers need not be ingested to have harmful effects on pets. The skin of animals can absorb these chemicals. Animals running over a lawn that has been freshly sprayed can have their coats covered by chemicals. These chemicals can then leach through the skin of animals or can be brought inside your home.

5. Helps in Sustaining the Overall Lawn Health

Organic lawn care can be compared to a healthy diet for human beings. While you can get the daily recommended dose of manganese and Vitamin C by taking enriched cereal such as Fruit Loops, it’s much better for your body when it receives the nutrients through grapes and whole wheat.

This is because nutrients in the natural form consist of inherent properties like fiber and antioxidants that are lost in the manufacturing process that prepared foods involve. Similar to human food, food for lawns contains different levels of nutrition. Natural lawn care offers the best nutrition to your lawn among all lawn care methods.

6. Restores Essential Nutrients in the Soil

Natural lawn fertilizer or organic fertilizer differs a lot from run-of-the-mill fertilizers. Natural grass fertilizer feeds the micro-organisms living in your lawn. After eating and digesting this food, the micro-organisms leave natural fertilizer of their own in your lawn. Natural lawn fertilizer is the best and safe lawn fertilizer as it’s the natural eco-system’s part and helps create the best environment possible for lawns to thrive.

Some Facts About Organic Lawn Fertilizers

• As natural lawn fertilizers are slow-release fertilizers, over-fertilizing your plants and harming them is difficult.
• The risk of toxic chemical and salt build-ups, which can damage plants, is zero or minimum.
• Organic fertilizers are environmentally friendly, sustainable, biodegradable, and renewable.
• Micro-organisms that break down as well as release nutrients into the soil, get energy from decaying animal and plant matter. So, organic fertilizer application offers the entire package of nutrients to your soil.
• An organic lawn fertilizer breaks down according to nature’s laws. So, these fertilizers may not release nutrients instantly. Improvement will not come overnight and you will need to be patient. However, with time, a significant improvement will be noticed.

Wrap Up

Considering the valuable benefits offered by organic lawn care, it’s worth investing a bit more and choosing it instead of traditional, synthetic lawn care. The organic way of lawn care is safer for your environment, children, and pets, than the alternative way. Moreover, an organically cared lawn is healthier too in the long run.

If you’re thinking about how to start with natural lawn care, our lawn care company in Des Moines can guide you right. Give us a call today to start your journey towards a beautiful lawn that’s organically cared and managed!

The post Why Organic Lawn Care is the Call of the Day? appeared first on All American Turf Beauty, Inc..

Lawn Aeration: Enjoy a Lush Lawn by Aerating It in Spring

A lush and beautiful lawn can dramatically enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home. However, growing and maintaining a healthy lawn is not that easy. You’ll need to counteract the adverse effects of harsh weather conditions and damaging pests to maintain a sound lawn. Besides keeping away lawn diseases and insects and watering regularly, you’ll have to keep the lawn aerated. Aerating the lawn at regular intervals can help to keep the grass disease-free and healthy. When it comes to lawn aeration, spring is a great time to get the job done!

What is Lawn Aeration?

Aeration is the process of offering air exposure to the soil by eliminating soil plugs from the turf. It is an integral part of spring lawn care and maintenance.

Aeration results in hollows in the soil that allow nutrients and water to move easily through the soil, which results in stronger roots and enhances the health and quality of grass over time. Healthier roots are able to withstand the droughts and hotter temperatures that the summer weather often brings.

Advantages of Lawn Aeration

Lawns that are subjected to a high degree of foot traffic can benefit from aeration particularly. The soil in a lawn becomes more compacted with more use of the lawn. More compactness considerably decreases the spaces in soil which would typically contain air.

Because of the decreased air flow within the soil, root growth can be negatively affected by compaction. To grow well and absorb nutrients and water, roots require oxygen from the air.

Aeration improves the health of your lawn by:

• Curbing the accumulation of thatch
• Preventing pesticide and fertilizer runoff
• Developing a layer of topsoil beneath the grass
• Facilitating better absorption of irrigation and rainfall
• Strengthening grass roots
• Increasing the movement of nutrients, water, and oxygen through the soil

Is Aeration Needed for my Lawn?

Aeration is not necessary for every lawn. If you are wondering whether your lawn needs aeration, cut out a six-inch-deep section from your lawn and remove it. If the roots of the grass extend to only one or two inches within the soil, your soil may be too compacted. In such a case, the soil can considerably benefit from aeration.

Some more signs your lawn needs aeration:

• Your lawn is subjected to heavy use regularly
• Your lawn has a dense, clay soil
• The thatch is more than one and a half inches in your lawn

In case your lawn is not susceptible to compaction of soil, then it’s likely to grow normally without aeration. Natural factors like winter freeze-thaw cycles and earthworm activity often loosen up the compacted soil. Avoid aerating your lawn in the first year it is newly sodded or seeded.

Prioritize Lawn Aeration in the Spring

One of the most beneficial measures you can take for lawn care in the spring is lawn aeration.

A lawn needs a lot of care and attention during the spring season. It’s a tough time for a lawn since the grass and soil try to recover during this time from a long and cold season of crushed roots and blades, and compacted dirt. Aeration is a highly beneficial lawn care step during this season.

One of the greatest benefits of aeration to the health of your lawn is that it relieves soil compaction. During the long winter, the soil in lawns is compacted through the build-up of ice and snow. Once the ice and snow melt and starts drying in the spring, you need to help your lawn decompress as well as accept nutrients properly. Aeration helps in relieving the pressure over the soil and assists the soil in absorbing what it needs from the water and nutrients it gets.

Aeration during the spring can also significantly change the way your lawn allows the permeation of water through it. The soil’s new punctures will allow the reach of water to the roots as well as permit water to reach deeper into the soil more easily than it would without aeration. Without spring aeration, water is most likely to sit over the turf in the form of puddles, creating a mess, weakening the grass, and damaging the lawn.

Summing Up

So, the key reasons you should prioritize aeration during spring are:

• Improved air circulation
• Breaking up the build-up of thatch
• Creating a more direct way to deeper roots
• Relieved soil compaction

It’s important to pay attention to how frequently your lawn needs aeration. If your lawn is subjected to more heavy foot-traffic, more aeration may be required with the progress of the season so that the lawn can decompress and breathe properly.

In the upcoming spring, hire expert lawn care professionals for your lawn aeration! All American Turf Beauty is a leading lawn care company in Des Moines specializing in aeration. We can help you have a lush, healthy, and beautiful lawn that stands out of the crowd!

The post Lawn Aeration: Enjoy a Lush Lawn by Aerating It in Spring appeared first on All American Turf Beauty, Inc..