Oh May… what a great month! We're in between spring and summer and the weather couldn't be any nicer. In May, we all start spending more time outside, having BBQ's, pool parties, graduation parties, and the celebration of the Mother's Day and Memorial weekend.  We spend a lot more time outside these days, but is your lawn ready for the visitors? And by visitors, we also mean you! The Sun does a great job turning our grass green, and around this time, your Bermuda grass and Fescue should be, too. Are your flowerbeds cleaned up and trees sprayed for insects? Have you applied flea and tick control to your lawn (and pets)? You don't want your kids and grandkids playing in a grass full of insects, do you?

We like to think of lawn care as a four-legged BBQ grill. Each leg represents an important aspect of caring for your lawn and is equally important. So, let's start!

1st leg - Fertilization and weed control

Fertilization and weed control require some expertise, and to make sure you are completely satisfied, we can take care of this part for you. Some weeds are controlled by pre-emergents and some are not.  But no worries, the weeds that are not controlled by
pre-emergents, we will kill them with a post-emergent, after they come up. In addition, different weeds germinate at different times, so to ensure that your lawn looks its best, it is very important to get all 6 applications each year. (If I could have one wish come true, it would be to spray the lawns one time and magically make all weeds gone for the summer, but unfortunately this is not very realistic. )

2nd leg - Watering the lawn

As you already probably know, lawns need water to stay green and healthy. We suggest watering in the early morning, or if you must water at night,  be sure to water early enough so the grass has enough time to dry before nightfall. Lawns need about one inch of water per week.  Giving your lawn a deep soak 2-3 times per week (30 minutes per zone/area) is way more efficient than a fast 10-minute sip every day.  A deep soaking will encourage deep roots and a healthy lawn that can avoid lawn diseases and bugs.

3rd leg - Mowing the lawn

To make sure you stay on track, pick one day a week and try to mow every week on the same day. Keeping your lawn mowed will prevent the flowering/seeding of many weeds and as a result reduce the spreading of many weeds. Also keep in mind that treatments need to be watered in before you mow.

4th leg - Sunlight and warm temperatures

Irish Green Lawn care will take care of this for you. Alright, we can't do that, but the other "legs",  we can! This spring we should get plenty of sunlight and warm weather. Bermuda grass starts recovering and greening up when nighttime temperatures remain above 60°F for several days in the spring and soil temperature reaches 65°F at the 4-inch depth. Optimum soil temperature for root growth is around 80°F. Additionally, Bermuda grass has a high light requirement and does not grow well under low (shaded) light conditions.

"May Your Lawn Be Green, and Your Weeds Be Gone"

Water and Fertilizer in the Fall

A little extra TLC in the fall, leads to beautiful healthy lawns next Spring. Our lawns need 1 inch of water per week.  (A rain guage may be helpful.)  Plus we need to fertilize our lawns before they go dormant for the winter.  If you do not fertilize this time of year your lawn will start out weak and thin next spring, giving weeds the opportunity to raise their pesky heads. 

 
Do You Have Shady Areas with Patchy or No Grass? If you have bare spots in your yard due to an area receiving too much shade, possibly from large trees or other structures, overseeding with fescue is a good option for these areas.  We overseed in the fall as fescue is a cool season grass and this gives the new grass time to get established before the next hot summer.  

Fall Aeration - Many prefer to aerate the lawn in the fall to assist the lawn in recovering after a hot summer.  An aeration consists of removing small plugs of dirt to allow nutrients, air, water, sunlight to go directly to the roots.

      May Your Lawns Be Green and Your Weeds Be Gone

Grubs

Everyone has some grubs, but when you have too many grubs they will eat too much of the roots of your grass and leave you with huge bare spots (1/4 to 1/2 of your lawn) nothing but dirt.  By the time you realize you have a grub problem, damage has already been done.  Due to our mild winter and plenty of rain this Spring, we are predicting that it will be an active grub season. Please call (or email) the office if you would like a grub treatment.   

Fertilize and Weed Control

The three summer/early fall rounds are both a fertilzer and weed control.  As a result of the drought year, many have told me they have thin spots in the lawn.  To thicken up the yard, all three of the fertilizer applications are important.

Applications should be watered in within 5 days and before you mow (unless you mulch).   

Tired of Pulling Weeds in Your Flower Beds?

Now is the time for a Flower Bed Pre-emergent!  The application is about 70-80% effective.  These applications will not harm your flowers, bushes, or trees.  The weed control for flower beds program consists of 3 pre-emergents with the first being applied at the beginning of the year with round 1.  Additionally during the summer when we are applying the lawn applications, we will also spray any grassy weeds that pop up in your flowerbeds. 

Watering Your Lawn 

To achieve a healthy green lawn, the goal is one inch of water per week.  We recommend setting your sprinkler system to 30 minutes per zone, twice per week.  If you do not have a sprinkler system, an old fashioned sprinkler will work just fine.  

 May Your Lawn Be Green and Your Weeds Be Gone