Tag: turf care

Do you see the same issues with your lawn every summer, such as brown grass, patches of dirt, and a whole lot of insects? You and countless other homeowners deal with these summer turf issues that happen like clockwork and lead to more work. A well-maintained, lush lawn is the pride of any homeowner, especially during the summer months when outdoor activities are in full swing. However, these problems get in the way of achieving that. So we have gathered a list of 5 common issues your yard faces every summer, what causes them, and what you can do to resolve or prevent them.

Brown patches are circular areas of dead grass that can appear during high heat and low humidity periods. These brown patches of grass can be the result of drought stress. Drought can be a significant issue during summer and early fall. Other issues that occur during droughts are turf wilting, thinning, and firmly rooted grass stalks.

To prevent brown patches, ensure proper drainage with deep watering and core aeration. Deep watering can alleviate stress from summer drought, which is easy to do with an irrigation system that provides consistent water. Core aeration (removing small plugs of soil and thatch to allow deep penetration of nutrients, air, and water) and fertilization can also help mitigate drought stress.

Thatch is a layer of dead grass, roots, and other organic matter that accumulates around the base of grass plants on the soil surface. A thin layer of thatch (less than 1/2 inch) can be beneficial, acting as an organic mulch to help retain moisture and insulate the soil. However, excessive thatch can have negative effects on your lawn. The results are brown patches or spots and a “spongy” feeling when you walk across your yard. In

addition, thatch can repel water or invite fungal diseases depending on the dryness of the thatch layer.

Soil correction that targets the lawn’s pH balance will help control thatch, and aerating will help break up particularly thick layers of thatch.

If you like to spend time outdoors, you will know that many insects come out in hot weather seasons and can cause issues for your lawn. Insects such as grubs, chinch bugs, and sod webworms can cause significant damage to your lawn by feeding on grass roots and blades. For example, root-munching insects like white grubs can cause the grass to turn yellow and attract other animals like raccoons and skunks to dig up your property. Other insects like sod webworms eat grass blades, which causes lawn patches to be cut too close to the ground.

With so many other insects that can cause problems, the best solution is to contact a landscape or plant health care professional to inspect your lawn and devise a lawn care solution for whatever insects are currently affecting your property. These plant health care professionals can monitor your lawn for signs of insect activity and apply appropriate insecticides when necessary. Beneficial nematodes can be used as an eco-friendly alternative to chemical insecticides.

Along with insects, diseases, and mold can cause significant problems for your lawn. In summer, many lawn diseases attack and can be highly effective due to the turf and plant life being stressed and weakened from drought or other afflictions. These diseases often occur when lawns are stressed due to poor soil conditions, inadequate watering, or improper mowing practices. Some common fungal infections in summer include dollar spot, red thread, and pythium blight. Infections also arise from consistent watering after dark and mowing with a dull blade that tears grass, creating more openings for diseases to infect the turf.

The best way to resolve insects is to meet with a landscape professional to evaluate your lawn and determine the best course of action. Some treatments may include proper lawn care practices, such as regular mowing, proper fertilization, and adequate watering. Others may require a fungicide designed for the disease affecting your lawn.

Bare spots and a thin lawn are familiar sights during summer and early fall. Spots in your yard with little turf and exposed dirt can be caused by excessive foot traffic, poor soil conditions, grub infestation, fungal disease, and more. A thin lawn may result from soil compaction, improper watering or mowing, or insufficient fertilizer. Each of these summer turf issues has a different solution:

• If you have a thin lawn, aerate and overseed.
• If your yard has bare spots, fill up the areas by reseeding.

Both of these actions will help bring a thicker, more vibrant look to your grass.

Is your yard suffering from any of these summer turf issues? If so, contact Burkholder Brothers. We have a team of passionate, knowledgeable, certified landscape professionals, each of whom has years of experience in turf care. Our team offers many different turf care services to address your needs. For more information on our services, request a free consultation today.

Everyone will attest to the beauty of a well-cared-for, healthy lawn in a landscape. And while homeowners know the general principles for maintaining a lawn, professional turf care can elevate a lawn from okay to excellent with carefully customized lawn treatment programs.

The process of turf care is a combination of science and art. As professionals, we are familiar with the scientific aspects of turf care, and we apply the principles through practical knowledge of the art of turf grass management. Today, Burkholder discusses some elements of professional turf care that can improve your lawn’s condition, aesthetics, and value.

One of the significant elements of professional turf care is installing a smart irrigation system to keep a lawn watered properly. Homeowners often take care of watering their trees and plants, but yards are too large for homeowners to ensure the correct amount of water to all areas. For best results, a landscape professional will advise the installation of an irrigation system.

Pennsylvania summers can scorch and dry up grass. Maintaining the right soil saturation across a landscape is another factor of keeping a lawn healthy, along with watering at the right time of day consistently. A landscape professional working on lawn and turf care will understand all of these factors and can design an automatic sprinkler irrigation system to save money, water, and hassle.

Mowing reduces the work required by the lawn’s root system, and a freshly mowed lawn greatly increases curb appeal. In addition to watering and mowing, other tasks are performed regularly by professional turf and lawn care specialists.

Lawn fertilizing is one of those tasks. The frequency, rate and timing of fertilization depend on the species being grown, site conditions (e.g., sun or shade), and other factors such as soil type and pH (acidity or alkalinity). Fertilization increases the amount of nutrients in the soil. These nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, provide numerous benefits. For example, nitrogen is a very beneficial element to add to the grass, helping the lawn recover from environmental stresses, sustaining plant health, and assisting in the production of genetic material that allows plants to grow and reproduce.

Another significant component of professional lawn and turf care programs is the removal and management of unwanted aspects, such as weeds and pests. Removing weeds is effective, but prevention is a weed control focus among landscape professionals. Pulling out unsightly weeds can be the first step, but professionals may use more extensive solutions such as herbicide and other treatments.

Pest control is another essential piece of good lawn care. While some pests can be annoying, others can cause damage to plants and a landscape, especially ones with gardens. Landscapers have a number of pest control solutions, and the best solutions are those that effectively control pests while maintaining the health of the turf.

Good turf care is an ongoing, long-term process. That process requires ensuring that your turf and soil get the right amount of nutrients. One way to keep your lawn healthy is to aerate periodically. Aeration involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate lawn thatch. As a result, grass roots grow deeper and produce a healthier lawn.

The ultimate goal of a professional lawn care company is to keep the entire ecosystem of a lawn healthy. and the payoff of a beautiful, lush yard is more than worth the effort.

Burkholder Brothers has been serving Main Line communities for decades, providing a wide range of landscaping services. Our landscapers and designers have years of experience helping many homeowners turn their lawns into beautiful, vibrant landscapes. To see how our professional turf care can help your lawn, contact us today for a consultation.

While every homeowner wants their lawn to be lush and vibrant at all times, some issues like drought, disease, and pests can lead homeowners to need new grass planted on their properties. With fall just around the corner, the time to plant fresh grass is now. We will share some advice on fall grass planting, such as why fall is an excellent time to plant grass, which grass types you should plant, and more.

Many homeowners struggle with figuring out the best time to plant grass seed for their lawns. Generally, planting grass or sod in early to mid-fall is ideal. The cool temperatures and relatively frequent rainfall will provide enough water for your grass to prevent damage by excessive heat or dryness. In addition, by planting in the fall, you will ensure that the roots have enough time to develop before winter.

If you need or want to revitalize your lawn with new grass during the fall, you will need a cool-season grass species, like the following:

• Kentucky Bluegrass: Kentucky bluegrass is a fine-textured, dark-green grass that withstands cold winters and hot summers and spreads fast, making this species a great choice to fill in bare spots.
• Perennial Ryegrass: Perennial ryegrass germinates and establishes quickly. This species has a dark green color, medium-fine texture and is suitable for erosion control.
• Fescues: Fescues are a popular grass choice (mainly mixed with other grasses) due to their ability to thrive in the shade, tolerate heat and drought, and grow quickly.

Now that you know why you should plant new grass during fall and which grass types you can plant, here are a couple of tips on how you should go about planting and seeding your lawn.

One of the best things you can do for fall grass planting is cover up any bare spots on your lawn. Over the summer, your yard has likely dealt with kids playing, parties, and other outdoor activity. Heavy foot traffic and dry, hot weather can leave bare spots in your lawn, or areas that have exposed dirt without grass.

Take note of all the bare spots of your lawn, and use the fall (which has better growing conditions than summer) to cover these bare spots with grass before winter. These newly seeded patches need deep and thorough (and likely daily) watering. Try to prevent anyone or anything from stepping on the freshly planted seedlings until the grass is at least 3 inches high.

Another good reason to plant grass in the fall is to correct a thinning lawn. In addition to bare spots without grass coverage, you may also see areas of your property where the grass is thin. Overseeding, which is planting grass seed directly into existing turf without tearing up the turf or the soil, can make your lawn thicker and enhance color before winter.

Ensure your lawn is regularly watered until the seeds are established and the grass has grown at least 3 inches. An irrigation system will help ensure the amount of water your property receives is consistent to facilitate proper and healthy growth.

Here are a few tips for what happens after your new grass has been seeded.

• If your cool-season grass has yet to sprout after roughly two weeks, your lawn might need reseeding.
• Make sure your lawn is fertilized in early fall and again 6 to 8 weeks later.
• Once your grass is tall enough to mow, focus on watering deeply and less frequently than when the grass was still germinating.

Do you want to revitalize your lawn with fall grass planting? If so, contact Burkholder Landscape. Our team of passionate, certified landscape professionals has years of experience in turf care. In addition, we offer many services that will benefit your lawn, from plant health care to irrigation and more. For more information on our services, request a free consultation today.