A lawn full of weeds is neither attractive or enjoyable to play on. Getting rid of the weeds can also seem like a full time job that eats up your weekends. Fortunately, a lawn care service can make short work of the weeds so that you have a lawn to be proud of.
1. Soil Improvement
Lawn grasses don't thrive in poor soil conditions, but many weeds will grow well regardless of the soil quality. Compacted soil with few nutrients can lead to a weedy lawn. Your lawn care service can aerate the soil annually, which will open it up so it doesn't become too compacted for grass growth. They will also apply fertilizers at recommended intervals, often with the help of soil tests to ensure that the nutrients provided are exactly what the soil and your lawn needs.
2. Timely Treatments
Proper use of herbicides to destroy weeds may also be a necessary part of a lush lawn plan. Some herbicides are applied early in the season, before the grass breaks dormancy. Without proper timing of use, these pre-emergent herbicides will be ineffectual against weeds and may damage your lawn. Post-emergent herbicides are applied later in the season and are meant to target specific weed varieties. Your lawn care service can work out a treatment schedule that ensures the right herbicides are applied at the proper timing.
3. Scalping Prevention
One of the biggest causes of a sparse, weedy lawn is improper mowing. Mowing the lawn too low, especially with dull blades that tear up the grass, is a recipe for weed takeover. The process of mowing so low that it causes burned or dead spots in the lawn is called scalping. For most lawn grass types, the mower blade should be set to 2 1/2 inches or taller, as mowing any shorter causes scalping issues. Mowing must also be done at the proper interval so that only an inch or so of grass is cut off at each cutting.
4. Edge Protection
Sometimes weeds invade from the edges of the lawn. Seeds can be blown or tracked along sidewalks, where they get under the matted grass that has grown over the paving and take hold. They can also invade from flower and landscape beds. In fact, some lawn weeds are actually little more than garden flowers that have escaped their beds. Your lawn care service can edge the lawn around paving and flower beds to create a barrier that makes it more difficult for weeds to invade.
Contact a lawn care service if you are ready to have a lush, weed-free lawn. A company like Alvarez Landscaping, LLC has more information.
