Late summer pest and turf update
Mowing – During periods of extreme temperature or drought, your lawn should be cut at 4 inches or higher. This helps shade the root zone, and aid in retaining moisture in the soil. Do not hesitate to skip a week or two of mowing during these conditions.
Mushrooms? – If you are suddenly seeing tiny mushrooms sprouting on your lawn, this is a good sign. This is mostly an environmental issue, due to recent rains. Most mushrooms break down organic material in the soil, helping turf roots to grow stronger.
Lawn Restoration – As we go into the summer, we start with almost a 5-inch rainfall deficit since the year started. It is important to know how to water your lawn properly, to avoid further damage. Watering needs to be done on a routine basis so that the grass roots go deep, rather than stay shallow searching for inadequate water supply. This means watering enough that your lawn receives a minimum of 1 inch of water weekly. If you cannot consistently water, you would be better off waiting until conditions improve later in the year, and then renovate your lawn with;
Core Aeration and Over-seeding – We anticipate drought damage again this year. Be proactive and consider Core Aeration and Overseeding. This helps revitalize your lawn. Machines pull plugs from your lawn, relieving soil compaction and increasing turf root growth. Now the lawn is ready for overseeding. We perform a double pass, with the second pass on a cross pattern, to ensure maximum coverage. Aeration allows the lawn to breathe, with better water and nutrient penetration into the root zone, and allows for quicker root spread, which also thickens the turf, and provides drought protection. This gives you a healthier stand of turf. This is done in the Fall when conditions are more favorable.
Contact our office to set up a consultation, 215-968-8535 or andrewslawnranger@aol.com. Visit the Education Center on our redesigned website: Andrewslawnranger.com.
PHOTO CAP: Our crew doing an aeration and overseeding.