Proper lawn maintenance goes much further than just fertilization and mowing. The greenest, most lush and healthy grass is a result of an annual treatment program, which does include lawn grass fertilization service, but goes much further. Below is a breakdown of each service for a moderate maintenance, centipede or St. Augustine lawn (as opposed to a high maintenance football field!).
In January, a soil test is recommended. The pH of the soil must be measured in order to know whether to add lime or not (high pH calls for the addition of other chemicals). Usually, though, in Columbia S.C. the pH falls low towards the “acidic” level. Simply spreading granular lawn lime at the proper time will amend this acidic condition and give your turf a great head start.
In February, you want to start preparing to fend off the weeds that appear in the growing season. As early as the 2nd week in February, you can apply a pre-emergent (like Dimension granular) to prevent the summer weeds from even sprouting.
If, in February, you have weeds that have already “emerged” and are showing, you can treat them with a “post” emergent, topical spray or prevent them altogether. Read on…
Just before the grass growing season starts, you may want to get a sprinkler system checkup. This consists of checking all of the valves for proper sealing, checking the programming of the master control panel, and checking the sprinkler heads for coverage, breakage, or anything else that might have gone wrong.
In April, what is commonly sold and referred to as “weed and feed” is applied. Weed and feed will shore up your weed prevention measures as well as feed the newly sprouting grass growth with the nitrogen food it needs. Weed and feed should not be applied to new sod.
During the hot, dry summer, your turf is growing and using a lot of nitrogen. It is at this time that you should apply a high nitrogen fertilizer (with no weed treatment included). Carolina Special is not a bad product, but we tend to use products that are specific to the individual yard’s needs and conditions (light, moisture, type of grass, etc).
Core aeration service is something you may need. If your turf gets a lot of traffic and is compacted, if you see moss, if you have bare spots or waterlogged spots, you are a prime candidate for a core aeration service. Core aeration literally takes a plug out of your lawn, thousands of them (12 per square foot is best), and flings the core up to the surface to melt back to the turf when watered. This “aerates” the turf, allowing the roots to get air and nutrients to them (plants roots need air too!).
Also during the summer, bugs can wreak havoc on your lawn. Bugs will feed on the root systems of grass and destroy the turf that you have worked so hard to grow. With St. Augustine, in particular, chinch bugs and grub worms are the main pests that you are after. Lawn bug and pest treatment can be done by spreading a granular bug killer like “Bayer” Brand. This treatment plan also needs to be tailored to the specific yard and done with care so as to not harm animals, children, or “good” bugs (yes, there are good bugs in your yard too!).
As stubborn broadleaf weeds occur, I recommend you “spot treat” them with an aggressive herbicide like Roundup or the blend I use, Roundup “Pro”. You will kill the weed to the root then simply weedeat the weed away when it has yellowed. You will, of course, kill surrounding “good” turf with this treatment, this is why you have to be very careful with overspray.
Your goal with weed control should also be to nurture the “good” grass so it grows so well that it squelches out or “chokes out” the bad, unwanted weeds. A “weed” is defined as anything that grows that you do-not-want to grow.
Right about the time that fall comes, you need to be preparing your lawn for the winter. This is commonly referred to as winterizing or “winterization”. The only aspect of winterization that I personally recommend abiding by is the weed prevention component. This pre-emergent is mixed in with other chemicals (which again, I don’t think you really need) and will prevent the WINTER weeds from emerging (those weeds that may be in your lawn in February). In a nutshell, put down some pre-emergent for the 2nd time of the year in the fall.
Another thing to do in the cool season is to “decommission” your sprinkler system. This means that compressed air is forced through your system at some point, forcing all of the water out of the system through the sprinkler heads. What this does is prevents frozen pipes from expanding and breaking, saving you time and money for the season ahead when you start the system back up.
Enjoy the BEST in service, communication, and competitive pricing: Call Busy Bee Lawn Care today and talk to Ashley!
(803)331-5323
BusyBeeLawnCare.com
