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Apple Valley, Minnesota

Lawn Care for Apple Valley Residents

Having a healthy lawn is one of the most vital aspects of preserving your home. In addition to increasing curb appeal, regular maintenance can also prevent structural damages from water and pests. With good lawn care, you can add a lasting value to your property and the neighborhood by keeping the grass trim, soil healthy, and edges neat.

With every new season, different problems can arise, which is why it's important to maintain consistent lawn care. It may be worthwhile to use professional lawn care services in Apple Valley that can provide the tools and equipment needed to get lawns into good condition. You now have a refreshed look for your lawn in addition to more time to enjoy it all year long. Here are other facts about some of the most common lawn care methods used by homeowners and professionals alike:

Mowing— One of the most common mistakes made in lawn care is mowing at the incorrect height. Depending on the season and current climate, some grass types may need a different mowing schedule. By cutting your grass too short, it could end up scalping it and destroying the roots and stems. To prevent damaging the lawn, it's crucial to cut grass according to its recommended height for the season.

Watering— Plants need water to thrive, but overwatering could lead to shallower roots and stunted growth. This can cause lawns to become more vulnerable to a host of lawn problems, such as weeds and diseases. Even so, watering is still necessary, especially when droughts occur. For the majority of lawns, it helps to water deeply and infrequently rather than inundating the soil at once.

Fertilizing— One key practice in lawn care is fertilization, which helps grass grow strong and healthy. When fertilizing, there are a few things to consider, namely climate, grass type, and type of fertilizer you are using. Fertilizers can be made of food, compost, and grass clippings, or from synthetic components such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. It should be noted that adding more fertilizer does not necessarily entail faster growth.

Aerating— Despite being widely used on lawns with compacted soil, healthy lawns can still receive many benefits from aeration. In breaking and loosening the soil, aeration allows for more oxygen, nutrients, and water to be distributed to the roots. Areas that receive consistent rain or lawns with foot traffic may see a greater need for aeration.

Lawn Care in the Midwest

Being aware of the season and the type of grass on your lawn is important when doing lawn care. For residents of Apple Valley, lawn care is mostly focused on maintaining cool-season grasses. As the Midwest generally experiences extreme version of each season, year-round lawn care becomes crucial. Among the most common grass types in the Midwest are:

For a healthy lawn, watering, fertilizing, weed control, and general maintenance are required throughout the year.

• Kentucky bluegrass
• Fescue

Spring

For many areas of the Midwest, flooding is a severe issue in spring lawn care. Because of this, watering should be monitored to avoid oversaturating the soil.

Make sure your lawn mower is properly functioning, as Midwestern lawns will need heavy mowing through the summer. Some of the things you'll need to check for are the spark plugs, oil tank, engine stabilizer, and fresh tank of gas.

Spring is also the time to dethatch hardened spots around your lawn. Purchase a dethatching rake and do it yourself or hire help to use a power dethatcher.

Summer

Summer can bring swelteringly high temperatures to the Midwest, causing problems in maintaining lawn hydration. Lawns that lack moisture also become more susceptible to crabgrass, a summertime weed. To keep weeds from sprouting, water frequently and deeply, especially during droughts. Apply post-emergent herbicide on any weeds that have already sprouted.

Apply a slow-release fertilizer during the summers. This allows nutrients to be released over time, rather than at once.

Overseed any bare or damaged areas to fill in the lawn.

Allow your lawn to go dormant during periods of drought. Even though dormant lawns don't need as much attention as active ones, watering should done once a week.

During dry periods, lawn mower blades should be set higher to avoid cutting off too much grass at once. Longer grass is better able to handle droughts.

Fall

To prepare for the winter, cut the grass to a medium height so that it doesn't mat or weight down from the snow. Snow mold can build on the lawn if the grass becomes matted down.

Apply pre-emergent herbicides to prevent new weeds from rooting and sprouting.

Take this time to organize the chemical cabinet containing lawn products. Read the packaging instructions and discard any products you may have that are set to expire in the winter.

Although grass may not grow as fast in the fall, mowing should still happen from time to time to prepare for winter snows.

Winter

Try to stay off the lawn as much as possible during the winter. Walking on frozen grass can cause severe damages.

Shovel the sidewalks and driveway carefully before applying snow melting chemicals. This prevents the chemicals from running off onto your lawn.

Drain the irrigation and sprinkler systems as temperatures drop.

Do maintenance on your lawn mower by replacing the blades, installing a new air filter, and purchasing new spark plugs. This helps you save time and money while lawn care is at its most inactive during the year.

Winter provides an opportunity to take a break from lawn care when snow is heavy and not much lawn care can be done.

Professional Lawn Care Can Help!

Planting your own lawn and maintaining it can be rewarding, but it's important to consistently curate your lawn. Lawn care can easily pile on top of household priorities, making it difficult to accomplish on your own. When this happens, your lawn could become neglected, causing it to drop in value and functionality.

To avoid this, seek help from a Apple Valley lawn care specialist who can help you find out what your lawn needs. Hiring a lawn care service can help you save time as well as money in building and maintaining your lawn more economically. It also helps prevent costly damages early on. Get in touch with a lawn care company in Apple Valley today to get started on growing a green and healthy lawn now!