“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur”
– Red Adair
If lawn maintenance is not rocket science (and trust us- it’s not) how come so many lawn care companies mess it up so badly?
It all boils down to one word and one word only- professionalism
And when you typed “lawn service near me” we’re sure that you intended to find a professional service provider.
When it comes to lawn care, the right treatment at the right time is all it takes to have a beautiful happy lawn. Of course, there are levels to this game based on how crazy you are about your lawn but the principals stay the same.
Now here are the lawn service basics you should know if you got this far:
Grass Types
There are the main 3 (and a half*) common types of grass in the Austin, TX area. Of course, each of them has some variations but the basic treatment is roughly the same.
- Bermuda: Warm weather grass. Good for residential, commercial, and even sports fields. Needs at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Heat tolerance type that goes dormant during late fall and winter.
- St. Augustine: Warm weather grass. Good for residential and commercial areas. Needs at least 4-5 hours of direct sunlight. Heat tolerance type that goes dormant during late fall and winter.
- Zoysia: Warm weather grass. Good for residential and commercial areas. Needs at least 5-7 hours of direct sunlight. Heat tolerance type that goes dormant during late fall and winter.
- Winter Ryegrass (½): cold-weather grass that grows during the fall and winter and dies with the first heat waves. A great solution if you want to keep your lawn green year-round as it can be overseeded on top of a dormant warm-weather grass type during the cold months.
Sunlight!!!!
Let’s bust this myth once and for all, as of the writing of these lines, there’s no local warm-weather grass type that can grow and be happy in full shade!!! Some grass types, like Zoysia and St. Augustine, can take a little shade, but if you want to set your lawn for success, we highly recommend having the lawn installed in an area with good direct sunlight exposure.
Lawn Care
This is what separates the landscapers from the land scrapers. Lawn maintenance doesn’t have to be pricy, especially if it happens consistently. The cost starts jumping when 3 months pass between visits and all of a sudden there are piles of leaves everywhere, the grass is knee-tall, and the shrubs throw their branches everywhere.
So please, for the love of sod, unless you’re a “garden-head” or that taking care of your lawn is your meditation, have a pro come regularly to take good care of your lawn
Fertilizing and weed control
Now if you want to take it up a notch, you might want to consider boosting your lawn growth and removing weeds by having someone treat your lawn with weed control and fertilizing. Just make sure your service provider knows the job otherwise it might hurt your lawn more than help it.
Pro moves (Dethatching, Aeration, and overseeding)
As said before, there are levels to this game. And if you want to take your lawn game to a whole new level and have a golf-course quality lawn make sure you add these treatments to your lawn care schedule.
Dethatching– removing the layers of dead grass clippings and organic matter (thatch) from the lawn to help the roots absorb water, nutrients, and air easily.
Aeration– the process of making tiny holes in the lawn to loosen it up and let air and water get to the root system easily.
Overseeding– to maintain a thick and healthy lawn you might consider overseeding it with new grass seeds once every one or two years. This will create a strong root system and help your lawn stay lush green!
