Westfield, Massachusetts
Getting Lawn Care in Westfield
Guarding the health of your lawn is an important part of taking care of your home. Not only can regular maintenance enhance curb appeal, it also protects the home's structure from experiencing water or pest damage. With trim grass, healthy soil, and neat edges, good lawn care can add value to your property and to the neighborhood.
Because new problems can arise every season, it's important to regularly practice lawn care. Finding help through professional lawn care in Westfield can be worth it, especially with the amount of tools and equipment required to keep lawns in spotless condition. This helps establish a new and revived appearance for your lawn, as well as more time to enjoy it throughout the year. Read on to learn more about common lawn care practices used by professionals and homeowners alike:
Mowing— Mowing at the incorrect height is one of the most common mistakes in lawn care. Some grass types require a different mowing schedule, depending on the season and climate. Mowing your grass too low can cause scalping, which destroys the roots and stems. To avoid lawn damage, grass should be cut to the appropriate height for the season.
Watering— Even though plants need plenty of water to grow, overwatering could limit grass growth. This may lead to lawns becoming exposed to weeds and diseases. Nevertheless, watering is essential, especially during seasons of drought. For the most part, lawns are best watered in a deep and infrequent cycle rather than a single flooding.
Fertilizing— Fertilizing your lawn is a major part of growing strong and healthy grass. There are some things to consider when fertilizing, such as the climate, grass type, and grade of fertilizer. Fertilizers can be organic or synthetic, composed of food compost or created with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus nutrients. Despite popular belief, adding more fertilizer does not mean grass will grow faster. In fact, over-fertilizing should be avoided at all costs.
Aerating— Aeration may be commonly used on lawns with compacted soil, but even healthy ones can still benefit from having it done. In loosening the soil, more air can reach the roots of plants, in addition to more nutrients and water. If your lawn is in a region that experiences heavy rain or foot traffic on lawns, it's likely you will need to aerate the soil at some point.
Lawn Care in the Northeast
The Northeast region of the country is recognized for its hot summers and snow-heavy winters. As such, lawn care Westfield methods should follow local climate patterns to ensure a green and healthy lawn year-round.
Some of the common grass types found in the Northeast are:
- Kentucky bluegrass
- Creeping red fescue
- Hard fescue
- Perennial ryegrass
- Tall fescue
Spring
The majority of lawns in the Northeast have cool-season grass types that flourish in the fall and winter and go dormant or die in the spring and summer.
To keep it from dying in the off season, pre-emergent herbicides and grub control can be applied with minimal watering.
Verify the soil's pH and add a lime solution if it's less than 6.0. Use grass seed to overseed damaged areas.
Summer
For most Northeastern lawns, this is the off season. Allow the grass to go dormant and establish an irrigation schedule.
Herbicides should be avoided during the summer and fertilizers should be used instead, along with consistent watering. Do not mow more than 1/3 of the grass blades.
As the season cools down, utilize nitrogen-only fertilizer and water slightly to skirt droughts.
Fall
Fall is the best season for cool-season grass growth. Use the time to overseed, aerate, and dethatch to make sure it's growing.
Fertilize with organic materials, such as fallen leaves and grass clippings, which make great compost.
Keep watering new plants and overseeded lawns until the temperature becomes too cold. Also, continue mowing, but scale back once the end of the season approaches to ensure enough grass remains over the winter.
Winter
Many parts of the Northeast experience heavy snowstorms.
Designate markers at the edges of your lawn before the first snowfall so that you can avoid plowing the grass while shoveling snow. Also, stay away from walking on the lawn after it snows so that the grass blades don't get damaged.
Use the downtime from lawn care to fine tune your lawn mower. Verify that the driver belt, spark plugs, oil, and stabilizer are ready to go when temperatures warm up again.
Hire Professional Lawn Care Now!
Doing lawn care on your own can be rewarding, but it also involves a lot of work. Lawn can be time consuming, especially on top of other household priorities. This could lead to lawn deterioration, a drop in property value, and overall disrepair.
Avoid this by seeking help from a Westfield lawn care expert. Allowing a professional lawn care company to take care of your lawn can help save valuable time and money spent on lawn care. You'll also save on costly damages by preventing them early on. What are you waiting for? Contact a Westfield lawn care company today and get started on a healthy, green lawn now!
