TIPS ON MOWING

• Lawn height should be kept between 2" and 2.5".  Mowing your lawn tall helps shade out weeds, reducing the amount of chemicals needed. Remember that the root system of a grass plant grows proportionately to the above ground parts of the plant. The longer the cutting height, the deeper the root system.

• Don't mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade at each cutting.  This is very important to your lawn's health, since mowing your lawn tall helps shade out weeds, thus reducing the amount of chemicals needed.

• Mulch if possible.  It is only necessary to remove lawn clippings if you are cutting more than 1/3 of the grass blade or if the clippings will smother the lawn.  Make it a practice to recycle the clippings back into the lawn.  This will add a natural fertilizer to your lawn and will reduce the amount of artificial fertilizer that your lawn needs.

• Mow more often in the spring.  Your lawn will grow at a more rapid rate in the spring, when temperatures are moderate and at a slower rate when the weather is hot or cold.

• Keep lawn mower blades sharp. The straight cut of a sharp blade allows your lawn to heal quickly and beautifully.  However, a dull blade makes a jagged, torn cut.  This can lead to several problems:

      1.  This wounded tissue can give way to disease.

      2.  The lawn will have an "off-color" appearance.

      3.  The dull blade can reduce the life of the mower by causing it to work harder.  

• Try to mow when the lawn is dry.  Lawns look neatest when the grass blades are dry before mowing.

GreenWorks will apply these practices to your lawn so you will have a beautiful lawn all summer. 

TIPS ON AERATION

Aeration is the removal of cores of soil from the lawn. These cores are left on top of the lawn and are eventually dispersed back into the soil by mowing, rain, etc. Aeration is beneficial to your lawn in the following ways:

        1.  Aeration helps overcome compacted soil. -- Generally, Arkansas soils tend to be very compacted.  All this compacted soil makes it hard for the roots of your grass to grow and limits the movement of air, moisture, and fertilizer through the soil.

        2.  Aeration helps reduce water requirements. -- Water penetration is increased and water run-off is reduced.  

        3.  Aeration helps your lawn develop a deep root system.  A lawn with a deep root system will be healthier and better able to tolerate drought, disease and stress.

Call GreenWorks today to schedule an aeration of your lawn!

TIPS ON CULTURAL PRACTICES

• The more you can do for the health of the lawn the less you will need herbicides.

• The most important treatment application for your lawn is the spring and fall pre-emergence herbicide. This will help prevent any weeds from appearing in the first place.
  

TIPS ON PRE-EMERGENTS

Pre-emergence herbicides are the most important treatment your lawn can receive. They are best applied in spring and fall.  

• Spring pre-emergence herbicides are applied to prevent:

1. Some broadleaf weeds
2. Many grass weeds, such as crabgrass

• Fall pre-emergence herbicides are applied to prevent:

1. Broadleaf winter weeds
2. Poa Annua (annual bluegrass)

(By the way, in some northern climates, Poa Annua is actually used as a lawn grass, but in the south it only grows until the weather gets hot and then dies, leaving an ugly clump in the lawn.  Other than a non-selective herbicide, a fall pre-emergence herbicide is the only way to prevent it.)

Pre-emergence herbicides may be also be applied anytime that weed prevention is desired.

GreenWorks uses pre-emergents in our program.