How to Fertilize Your Lawn Properly

Why do you need to fertilize your lawn?

A healthy and fast growing lawn needs a lot of energy and nutrition. The soil does provide some of it but soil and water alone cannot provide all the nutrients. So we need fertilizers for extra nutrition and healthy growth of a lawn.

Since every lawn is different with different climatic conditions, soil type and grass, landscaping companies have different types of fertilizers to fulfill the needs of every type of lawn.

Fertilizers help your lawn stay healthy by:

1. Providing the right amount of all the nutrients
2. Promoting the growth of new leaves and root
3. Aiding recovery from foot traffic and pest damage
4. Controlling and reducing weeds

How do you choose the right fertilizer?

While selecting the fertilizer for your lawn, you should focus on the following:

1. Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are the main ingredients of a fertilizer. The 20-5-10 mixture is a good basic mix for spring.
2. A slow-release fertilizer with the right amount of nitrogen is considered better. It breaks down the nutrients over a longer period of time, giving you a longer gap between applications.
3. The type of grass, season and its growing period.
4. The pH of the soil. Sometimes the regular mix of 20-5-10 may not be the best option due to pH imbalances in the lawn soil.

Steps for the proper application of fertilizers

1. Fertilizing warm season grass
1. Start fertilizing when the grass turns green in Spring.
2. The growing season of this grass is late Spring and Summer when the temperature is between 80 to 95° Fahrenheit, although they also grow outside of this range.
3. Use either slow or quick-release fertilizer, but schedule fertilization accordingly so the fertilizer is used before the onset of severe heat.
4. Begin fertilizing again after the intense heat of the Summer has subsided.
5. Fertilizing too much is not a good thing. Design a schedule for fertilization.
6. Always follow the lawn care company’s instructions when fertilizing your lawn to avoid damage.
2. Fertilizing cool season grass
1. Fertilize heavily in the Fall and lightly in the early spring.
2. The growing season of this grass is during the cool months of Spring and fall when the temperature is between 60 to 70° Fahrenheit.
3. Fertilize when the intense heat has subsided, but well before the onset of severe cold weather.
4. Since fall is the favorite time of year for cool season grasses, you may choose to apply a special winterizer fertilizer for the fall application. These fertilizers are specially-formulated to help protect the grass during the Winter months.
5. In the Spring, begin fertilizing early. You may use either slow or quick-release but schedule fertilization accordingly so the fertilizer used before the onset of the hot Summer when cool-season grasses often go dormant.
6. Fertilizing too much is not a good thing. Create a schedule for fertilization.
3. Spraying liquid fertilizer

1. Fill the sprayer canister with liquid fertilizer and carefully attach the canister unit to the end of your garden hose.
2. Move at a steady pace to cover the entire lawn evenly.
3. Spray from side to side.
4. Do not apply other chemicals, such as herbicides or insecticides, at the same time as the fertilizer.
5. Buy fertilizers only enough for the season. Leftover fertilizer does not store very well.
4. Spreading granular fertilizer
1. Make sure the spreader and the fertilizer is dry.
2. Set the rate-of-flow lever according to the setting listed on the fertilizer bag. If you’re unsure either contact a lawn care company or apply less rather than more.
3. Wear gloves and a dust mask and keep the fertilizer away from your eyes and skin.
4. For complete coverage, cut the recommended application rate in half and apply evenly in a criss-cross manner.
5. Clean the spreader thoroughly after use.
6. Clean up any excess fertilizer from sidewalks and driveways.

The most important thing you can do for your lawn is to feed it well. A well-fed lawn is healthier, which means it has a better root system and resistance to combat heat, cold, drought, mowing, foot traffic and other stresses.

Tender Care Lawn Service is a family owned landscaping company established in 2004 in Sulphur, LA. Our land care services include lawn care, mosquito spraying, mini­excavator work, fertilization and weed control, sprinkler system programming and repair, shrub and hedge trimming, and landscape maintenance.

Taking care of your lawn in Spring

Spring is the season of flowers, colors, butterflies and chirping birds. But it’s not just about these things; Spring is about waking up your lawn after the winter and preparing it for summer.
As the spring approaches we’re sure you are excited to see your lawn blooming with colors and fragrances.
So how do you make sure that you get the best out of your garden in the Springtime? Here are some tips for you that can bring your lawn back to life. You can perform all these tasks on your own or you can hand them over to landscaping companies. They have variety of landscape maintenance services to give your lawn a new look.

1. Start with first things first – mowing. This will help you get rid of extra inches of grass and do away with weeds. If you have a big infestation of broadleaf weeds, spray them out first then two weeks later start your spring maintenance.
2. After mowing, check if the lawn soil is hard and compact. If yes, use a pitch fork for a small lawn or an aerator for a big one. Landscaping companies also offer services that ease the compaction.
3. Once aeration is done, fertilize your lawn. Make sure to use a good slow-release fertilizer.
4. Water thoroughly in the 1st 3 to 4 weeks of Spring, particularly if ’ve mowed your lawn.
5. Watering every four days will help the fertilizer work better.
6. If the water is running off the ground and isn’t penetrating, try using a wetting agent that will help the water to penetrate. After the lawn is healthy again you can reduce the watering.
7. Buy a PH tester from a land care company. It will let you know if it is too acidic (less than 5.5), or too alkaline (above 7.0). A lawn should be ideally between 6.2 to 6.5 PH.
8. Start with top dressing after PH testing is complete. Spread a top dressing mix, with sand or sandy loam content on top of the lawn. Use the back of a rake or a spade to get it even. It’s an effective way to fix potholes and depressions in your lawn.

Your lawn is now almost ready to bloom. You may need a follow up fertilizing session in early summer with a summer blend but for now your lawn is all set for seeding.

Tender Care Lawn Service is a family owned landscaping company established in 2004 in Sulphur, LA. Our lawn care services include lawn care, mosquito spraying, mini­excavator work, fertilization and weed control, sprinkler system programming and repair, shrub and hedge trimming, and landscape maintenance.

Author Bio:
Tender Care Lawn is a dedicated lawn care company started by Donald Lapoint and family in 2004 in southwest Louisiana. Our goal is to provide affordable, dependable, quality Landscape Maintenance Services. We believe in complete customer satisfaction. Our services include grass cutting, fertilization, weed control, shrub and hedge trimming in the Sulphur, Lake Charles, Moss Bluff, Westlake, Carlyss and surrounding areas.

8 lawn mowing tips: Keep your lawn clean and green

Cutting grass is an art. Proper mowing increases the density of the lawn, which in turn decreases weeds. Usually it’s the best practice to rely on Landscaping Companies for Grass Cutting Services but you can also give it a try for fun and a good workout.
Here are 8 useful tips for mowing your lawn and keeping your turf healthy:
Dry grass - Mow your grass on a day when the weather and grass are dry. It makes the cutting easy and quick.

Well maintained mower - Make sure the blades of your mower are sharp and balanced. This will allow you to avoid uneven results, including random patches of high grass.
Weeding - Start with pulling out the weeds first. It keeps your grass healthy.

Mow first - Most lawn care companies recommend that it’s a good practice to mow first, then trim the grass. Although you can do it the other way around, this way you reduce time spent on trimming. Make sure to pick up any sticks and rocks that may have fallen in your yard. This avoids damaging the blades of the mower as well as a possible aerial attack on cars, houses or innocent bystanders.

Mulching is good - Leave the trimmed and dry grass in the lawn. This helps the nutrients and nitrogen to get absorbed in the ground. Use a mulching mower for this.
Avoid scalping - Never cut the grass too short. Landscaping Companies advise to cut cool-season grasses to 2½ to 3½ inches and warm-season grass to 1 to 3 inches. But avoid removing more than 1/3 of the grass blade length at any one time.
Change mowing pattern regularly - As the grass grows, it tends to lean in the direction you mow. Alternate the pattern every time, so it grows straighter and healthier.

Mowing new grass - Newly-seeded grass needs 3 to 4 weeks to get established before you mow it for the first time. The grass blades are tender and can be easily damaged, especially if the soil is moist. Mow when the new grass is 3/4 inch to 1 inch taller than its recommended regular mowing height.
Regular fertilizing - It’s a good practice to fertilize the grass after mowing. Every turf grass has its own fertilizing time which varies from 3 to 5 weeks. You can coincide the mowing and fertilizing day accordingly.
Hope these tips will help you keep your lawn green and clean. It’s always good to be involved with your garden and take care of your plants. They bloom when you interact and care for them. Mowing your land is a good way to inspect your lawn and keep it beautiful.
Happy Mowing!
Author Bio:
Tender Care Lawn is a dedicated lawn care company started by Donald Lapoint and family in 2004 in southwest Louisiana. Our goal is to provide affordable, dependable, quality Landscape Maintenance Services. We believe in complete customer satisfaction. Our services include grass cutting, fertilization, weed control, shrub and hedge trimming in the Sulphur, Lake Charles, Moss Bluff, Westlake, Carlyss and surrounding areas.