WATERING: Water is essential to all life . . . too little water and we die, too much and we drown. The same is true of the grass in our lawns. Water makes up 70% to 80% of the weight of our lawn grasses and the clippings alone are nearly 90% water. While most people are concerned about not watering their lawns enough, the fact is, more lawns are damaged or destroyed by over-watering then underwatering.
MOWING: An unsharpened lawnmower blade will actually rip or tear the grass rather than provide a clean even cut. The ripping or tearing of the plant tissue can create a breeding ground for disease and other problems. Here at Action Lawn & Landscape LLC we sharpen and replace our blades regularly to ensure a clean cut every time. Cutting your lawn too short is another common mistake that can create an environment that encourages weed growth, increases heat stress during dry or hot periods and makes your lawn more susceptible to insects and disease.
DETHATCHING: Thatch is that tightly packed layer of dead and living shoots, stems, and roots that develop between turfgrass and soil surface. As it is, dethatching takes a little time and effort and using the wrong dethatching equipment can make it a Herculean effort when it needn’t be.
FERTILIZING: A few of the biggest mistakes made when it comes to using fertilizers is not only using the right mixture, but using the right quantity and applying it at the right time of the year. Living in Reno, Nevada with the constant weather change this can be tricky but we can help with that. Often times when spring comes around people feel a need to fertilize their lawns in hopes of seeing a green plush lawn as soon as possible. Too much fertilizer, especially with high levels of soluble nitrogen fertilizer, tends to increase thatch problems and leaves lawns more prone to insect and disease. Or, worse yet, you will literally burn your lawn.
AERATION: Aerating a lawn is usually recommended when the soil becomes compacted and water and nutrients can’t get to the roots of the plant. Lawn aeration equipment will pull “cores or plugs of soil out of the ground, letting air in. These plugs should be 2″-3″ in depth. Such a plug should be pulled out of the lawn at about every 3”. The plug-removal process is facilitated by watering the lawn the day before, but don’t water to the point of muddying the soil. One of the most frequently made mistakes is the lack of sufficient cores or plugs removed from the lawn.
