Lawn maintenance in humid subtropical climate zones
According to the Köppen classification, Germantown and its surroundings have a humid subtropical climate. That means that they receive a lot of precipitation and experience temperature variation in a relatively moderate range of around 25 °F-85 °F. The annual averages for rain and snow are 43 inches and 25 inches, respectively. In other words, your lawn will get quite a lot of natural irrigation throughout the year.
That is both a good thing and a bad thing: you will not have to water your yards very frequently, but you will have to look out for pests and weeds. Still, maintaining a lush lawn in Germantown should not be too hard of a task, especially if you decide to employ the help from the professionals at Lawn Love.
How lawns impact the lives of homeowners
The residents of Germantown are well-aware of the importance of vegetation in terms of ecological balance and aesthetics. Locations like Seneca Creek State Park, Black Hill Regional Park, and Waters Landing Local Park, are frequented by locals and visitors from nearby areas.
A verdant lawn can bring the same kind of close-to-nature feel to your home as these parks have. Furthermore, you can use it as a party space, workout area, play area, etc. This way, you can end up using it one way or another every day.
Weeds and the ways to do away with them
Weeds are undesirable wild plants. The factors that help the grass and ornamentals on your lawn flourish also help weeds spread. This can become a big problem during the hot and humid summers in Germantown. Moisture helps the seeds of weeds germinate and their roots to grow deep. Some common weeds that can invade a lawn are the following:
Plantain
It has a herbaceous body with broad leaves. The most prominent parts of this weed are its greenish-brown flowers that bear purple stamens. These reproductive organs grow on an erect stalk. Plantain is wind-pollinated and is a tough species that can grow even in compacted soils.
Dandelion
This weed has lobed leaves, and they grow in a circular pattern near the base of the plant just above its taproot. Above this rosette is a hollow stalk containing white latex. A flower forms at the terminal position on each stalk with petals that are initially narrow and bright yellow. They later lose their color transforming the flowers into the white fuzzballs we all are familiar with.
Crabgrass
Most varieties of crabgrass, particularly hairy crabgrass and smooth crabgrass, are very invasive and can out-compete many turfgrasses. They have long, narrow, and pointed leaves, each of which has a single vein running along its length. Their purplish stems are less conspicuous.
Purslane
Purslane is another hardy weed that can tolerate compaction and a lack of aeration. That allows it to invade the territory of less competitive grasses. It has a succulent stem and leaves, the latter being short and round. In addition to these features, it can also be identified from its characteristic growing pattern: it forms a mat consisting of many branches.
There are many other ways than using herbicides to control the growth of weeds on your lawn. You can prevent smaller weeds from popping up by maintaining an appropriately thick layer of thatch and mulch on the soil. Try not to till too much because it can bring dormant weed seeds close to the surface of the soil, where sunlight can cause them to germinate. Rooting them out by hand and using competitive grass varieties are also good options.
Save your lawn from diseases
A humid or wet climate accelerates the prevalence of many plant diseases. The causes of these diseases are usually viral, bacterial, and fungal infections. They can discolor your lawn and damage the grass to a point beyond recovery. The following are some of the most common grass diseases.
Brown Patch
Usually occurring after a warm spring or fall, it results in the formation of circles of sunken grass. The blades along the perimeter of the circles turn greyish-brown. Its spread becomes faster if the lawn is over-fertilized and the air is humid.
Gray Leaf Spot
Small bleached-out spots with brown margins form on the grass. When the grass is wet, the spots appear gray. Thus, they are called gray spots. That usually happens when the lawn is overwatered and there is little ventilation.
Red Thread
In this disease, threads of red or pink color form near the base of the grass, tying the blades together. These threads emerge after cool and wet winters, especially when the soil is under-fertilized, has a lot of thatch, and is under the shade of some tree or bush.
Snow Mold
If snow is left standing on your lawn for a long time, it can cause the spores of this fungus to germinate. The mold grows in the form of pinkish-white threads that parasitize the grass. As nutrients are sucked out of the grass, it turns brown and tan, forming prominent discolored circular patches.
Fungal diseases are hard to treat, and the process is very slow, so you should try to prevent them from happening in the first place. For prevention, do not irrigate your lawn too often, allow good airflow, and remove excess organic matter that accumulates on your lawn. In case these measures fail, try applying neem oil or a dilute solution of baking soda to the soil.
We offer all the lawn care services that a homeowner could ever need. From cleanups to weed control, we will be happy to be of assistance to you. Each Lawn Love provider has an average of ten years of experience in the Germantown lawn care industry. They know how to tackle the challenges introduced by the geography of this region. You just need to sign up with us, schedule the tasks you want to get done, and receive an instant quote. It's that easy! To get more information about our services, please contact us by phone or email.
