San Diego lawn care services
In San Diego, we know a thing or two about having a good time. Maybe you're spending the day at Petco Park, cheering on the San Diego Padres to another win. Or you're taking the kids to SeaWorld San Diego or to the San Diego Zoo to have a chance to check out the animals. After a long day of entertaining the family, you've decided to have a nice stroll through Balboa Park's beautiful botanical gardens with your special someone.
It's a dream that many of us share to have an attractive home to come home to. After a busy day of seeing the city's many impressive sights, you want to kick back and relax in your own brilliantly green, lush and luxurious backyard. To get the perfect lawn requires that you follow specific steps, like using the right fertilizer and maintaining a regular lawn mowing schedule.
Here is a list of tips and tricks you can start using today to ensure you get the lawn you've always wanted.
Spring Clean
Just as your home requires a good spring cleaning, your yard can use some attention at the end of a long winter, too. Be sure to rake the yard, removing all the dead grass, branches and debris that have accumulated over the winter months. Remove all the thatch, dry grass and weeds. Then aerate the ground by removing small plugs of soil every few inches. You can purchase an aerator for the job, or you can do it by hand if you're not afraid of hard work. It's best if you water the ground thoroughly, allowing 1 to 2 inches of water to soak into the soil one to two days in advance of aeration. When you water the soil in advance, the job will be much easier.
The purpose of aerating your lawn is to break up the soil and allow water, air, and nutrients to absorb better into your ground. The result? Your yard will grow much denser and greener because the additional air and nutrients will allow your grass to develop a stronger root system.
Overseeding Your Lawn
To achieve optimal results, you want to start with the right seed mix. The San Diego area is in USDA growing zones 8, 9 and 10, which means you'll want to choose a blend of grass seeds that are tolerant of high heat and don't require heavy use of water.
Good choices for grass seeds include Zoysia, Red Fescue and Bluegrass. If you're looking to get your lawn as emerald green as the Padres field at Petco Park, you can buy a hybrid blend of Bermuda Grass and Perennial Ryegrass. Those seeds are ideally suited to the hot summer weather that San Diego brings, although you will have to water your lawn regularly to achieve maximum results.
Overseeding is a technique where you place the second layer of seeds over your pre-existing lawn in the spring. After aerating and watering, spread your new blend of seeds and water lightly to encourage your seeds to get established. Wait until your newly seeded lawn has reached a height of 2 and 1/2 to 3 inches before you mow the yard for the first time. This longer growing time allows the seeds to develop stronger roots, resulting in a greener and more lush lawn throughout the summer and into the autumn.
Lawn Mowing Schedule
It's imperative that you establish a regular schedule for your lawn mowing to achieve your best results. Lawn care professionals advise that you never mow more than 1/3 the height of your grass. Be sure you don't cut your grass too short. It results in having a scalped lawn, with a dull and brown yard of lifeless grass.
Timing is key. While it is better that you not mow your lawn too short, this does require that you mow your yard more frequently. The ideal time to water your grass is in the early morning because it lessens the opportunity for your water to evaporate. Given San Diego's high temperatures, this step allows you to save a significant amount of water and money.
Mow When Grass is Dry
Although it's better to water your grass frequently, the best time to mow your yard is when the grass is dry. Be sure to maintain your lawn mower properly, sharpening your mower blades at regular intervals. Mowing the lawn with sharp mower blades allows you to cut the grass, rather than merely tearing it.
Sharpen the Blades of Your Mower Regularly
If you mow your lawn with dull blades, it not only tears up the grass, it may even pull the grass out of the ground. The result? Bare patches in your lawn, something you'll want to avoid.
Choose the Right Fertilizer
Just as mowing the lawn too short can result in a brown lawn, using the wrong fertilizer can result in fertilizer burn. There are two types of fertilizer, fast-release, and slow-release. Each kind of fertilizer has its advantages. Fast-releasing fertilizer will encourage your grass to turn green quickly in the early part of the growing season.
You will not want to rely upon fast-release fertilizer throughout the summer, however, as it results in fertilizer burn. At your first signs of seeing fertilizer burn in your yard, you can water your lawn to dilute the chemicals. This will ensure your yard has a chance to establish a greener color.
Throughout the late spring, summer, and autumn, you will want to use a slow-release fertilizer. Ask a lawn care professional or go to your home and garden store to purchase a high-quality, nitrogen-based fertilizer. You will want to look for one that is granulated and is both pet-friendly and safe around children. There is an abundance of options for fertilizers, both traditional and organic. You will want to fertilize once every four to six weeks to ensure the greenest grass that will endure throughout the growing season.
Finishing Touches
To get the best look for your lawn, be sure to trim the edges. It will give you the cleanest, most attractive result. If you're hoping to achieve a lawn that looks like the Padres baseball diamond, be sure to mow in a pattern. You'll want to mow the yard entirely in one direction first, and then go over the surface a second time to create the diamond pattern you see. Another tip is to be sure that your grass length is a little longer because that will help to accentuate the patterned results.
Hire a Team of Lawn Care Professionals
Taking care of a lawn requires a significant amount of time, energy and hard work. Consider hiring a team of lawn care technicians to assist you with all the hard labor. Using a team of licensed, bonded and insured lawn care professionals lets you spend less time working on your yard, and gives you more time to enjoy it. Give yourself a gift today. After all, you've worked hard to earn it.
