Minneapolis lawn care service
Minneapolis lawn care
Minneapolis lawn care is unique from other lawn maintenance plans. Winters in Minneapolis are some of the coldest in the country, which can make it difficult to grow a beautiful lawn. With some knowledge, perseverance, and a little help from skilled professionals, your yard can be the most beautiful on the block!
Minneapolis grasses
Most Minnesota grasses are either Bluegrasses, a Bluegrass mixture, or some other type of cool-season grass. Ideally, you should seed your lawn sometime in late summer between mid-August and mid-September for optimal growth. If you're looking to establish a picturesque lawn, you might want to start with these species.
Kentucky bluegrass is the most common turf grass in Minnesota. It grows primarily during the fall and spring seasons when the weather is a bit cooler. Its growth rate slows down in the summer with hot dry weather -- you'll need to supplement its watering if there is no rain. Kentucky bluegrass also requires substantial amounts of water when it is first planted for optimal growth. Once established, Kentucky bluegrass gives your lawn a beautiful blue-green hue. Its ideal growing height is between 1.5 and 2.5 inches. Since there are many different cultivars, the level of care required, color, and disease resistance capabilities vary widely. A lawn care expert can recommend a specific care schedule based on the cultivar.
Fine-leaved fescues are a broad category of cool-season turfgrasses. They are a bit more hardy than Kentucky bluegrass, which makes them a good choice for novice homeowners. They're also a good choice if you're financially conscious, as they require less water and fertilizer than most grasses. Fine-leaved fescues adapt well to shady sites and soil with minimal moisture. They are least tolerant of wet soil that is poorly drained. Fine-leaved fescues can be grown alone, but it's more common to put them in mixtures with bluegrasses. Some fescues are fine-leaved, while others grow in bunch-style clusters.
Perennial ryegrass grows well in Minnesota's climate. In the wild, it's characterized by a relatively tough stem and coarse leaves. Perennial ryegrass is another good choice for those who want a grass that is easy to grow and requires minimal care. Perennial ryegrass establishes quickly and adds a thick ground cover to your lawn. If your lawn is prone to erosion or gets heavy use, consider combining Ryegrass with Bluegrass. The combination is quite hardy and durable.
Rough bluegrass prefers shaded spots and moist soil. It establishes more quickly than Kentucky bluegrass, but it does not do as well in the heat. Unlike Kentucky bluegrass (and despite the name), this grass is light green in color. If you're looking to add variety to your lawn, consider planting Rough bluegrass in areas of shade and moisture. These conditions provide optimal growing conditions, and they are areas of your yard where other species might not grow as well.
Along with native grasses, you can find several dazzling flowers for your property in Minnesota, too. A few of the species that do well in the local climate include Wild petunia, Cornflower, chicory, and Aster. Wild chives, Wild garlic, and Prairie onion are other species that can add color and visual appeal to your property. Some are even good sources of food for pollinators and birds!
Minneapolis turf troubles
Minnesota is most definitely one of the most beautiful places in America, but there are some issues with soil when it comes to planting and growing lawns and gardens. Luckily, most of these problems can be easily remedied and have you back to your important chores such as Minneapolis gutter cleaning in no time. Perfect Minneapolis lawn services doesn't have to mean hours of toil and trouble. A lot of these issues can be cleared up with simple fixes.
Displacement of soil by wind, water, and high traffic is called erosion. It is arguably the most common problem Minnesota landowners face. It also causes a serious problem with water quality. Land erosion happens when water runs over gullies and channels making it easier for sediment to travel into waterways. It can also cause extensive troubles during Minneapolis snow removal.
Retaining walls and riprap are intended to protect the shoreline from destructive waterways. While this is effective for a time, both eventually wear down and become ineffectual and must be replaced.
Pesky Minneapolis pests
Grubs, billbugs, and sod webworms can be a long-lasting battle if not properly treated. Reed canary grass, wild parsnip, and bull thistle can be the bane of all Minneapolis gardening plots that haven't been properly maintained. Knowing what these problems are and how to deal with them is the first step in taking control of your Minneapolis lawn care.
Grubs cost millions of dollars to homeowners across the country each year, not only in damage control but also in extermination costs. Grubs are attracted to moist soil and they love gardens and turf that gets watered during dry, hot summer months. Females can lay anywhere from 40 to 60 eggs in your garden or yard. When those eggs hatch, the grubs begin to feast on the tender roots of your plants and vegetables until the plant dies. Summer is the best time to get a handle on a bad grub problem. Grubs hatch in early summer and are particularly susceptible to treatment at this time before they can begin damaging the plant roots around them. There are a few ways to treat grubs such as spores from bacteria milky disease, parasitic nematodes, and chemical insecticides.
Billbugs are beetles with long snouts and have powerful mandibles that they use to destroy grasses, plant stems, and roots. They cause problems both as adults and larvae. Adults voraciously shew away at plant stems and leaves while the larvae destroy the roots. Billbugs are hard to kill because of their tough exterior armor. It does not absorb insecticide easily. The larvae are difficult to exterminate as they live inside the plant stems for much of the cycle. They love Kentucky bluegrass and are often found in neighborhoods where that is the most common type of grass. They can sometimes be controlled by planting other types of grass like Fescues. Chemical pesticides are the most common type of control used against billbugs, but parasitic nematodes have also shown promise.
Also called lawn moths, sod webworms cause the most damage to Bluegrass and Bentgrass lawns. They sleep during the day and wake at night to drop their eggs in patches of grass and feed upon the blades. They also cut the blades at the base and use them in their burrows. A large enough infestation can do major damage to your lawn overnight. These pests can often be taken care of naturally by introducing natural predators such as wasps, robber flies, and the rove beetle. Parasitic nematodes also work well. Removing the infested thatch of sod can sometimes work if the infestation is small.
Minnesota has acres of gorgeous flora that people come from all over the world to enjoy. However, there is also a fair share of invasive and vexing vegetation that can invade lawns and gardens without proper maintenance.
Wild parsnip is on the Minnesota prohibited noxious weed control list. It easily takes over any ill-maintained parcel of land. It can cause a severe rash and blistering to the skin, especially if contact is made in direct sunlight. It can be controlled by fully removing the plant and root system or by using chemical toxins.
Reed canary grass is a cool-season grass that poses a serious threat to natural Minnesota wetlands as it overcomes all native species. Although most state agencies have removed it from the planting list, some people still plant it to battle erosion, exacerbating the problem. Cutting this plant during the growing season only causes a second growth in the fall. The best route to control is to burn it in spring and fall. Completely mowing it down in late summer and fall also helps to control its growth and spread, especially if you encourage native plants to grow in the area.
"Butter and eggs" is an obnoxious and scary weed that can adapt and grow anywhere. From garbage dumps, railroad yards, and roadsides to fields, croplands, and pastures, this plant will grow, thrive, and overtake any other nearby plant. Fortunately, this plant is easily controlled by frequent mowing, which weakens and eventually kills it. Beetles are also fond of chewing away at the leaves and flowers of this plant, also known as common toadflax.
Commonly asked questions
Are there any watering restrictions in Minneapolis?
There are currently no watering restrictions in Minneapolis. Majority of the water comes from the Mississippi River, which allows for the suburbs to get their water from underground aquifers which could run dry.
Can I be fined for overgrown weeds?/ What is the height limit for weeds?
No owner, operator or occupant shall allow to remain on any portion of the premises occupied or controlled by such person any accumulation of hay, grass, straw, weeds, vines, bushes, other plant growth or dead trees or dead tree limbs which in the opinion of the director of regulatory services constitutes a health, safety or fire hazard. Further, no person shall allow any bushes, trees or other vegetation to remain on any portion of private property which that person controls, when such vegetation is overhanging public premises unless said vegetation is cut back so as to maintain the following clearances: A clearance of seven (7) feet shall be maintained over pedestrian walkways and a clearance of fourteen (14) feet shall be maintained over vehicular passageways.
What are the requirements for fences?
Every fence hereafter erected within five (5) feet of a property line shall be erected in the following manner: Posts, supporting rails and other such supporting elements when located to one side of the wire mesh or other screening material shall be located on and face the fence owner's property.
What are the general landscaping requirements?
Overall composition and location of landscaped areas shall complement the scale of the development and its surroundings. In general, larger, well-placed contiguous planting areas shall be preferred to smaller, disconnected areas. Not less than twenty (20) percent of the site not occupied by buildings including all required landscaped yards shall be landscaped as follows (for purposes of this provision, a canopy or service area canopy shall not be considered a building):
Not less than one canopy tree for each five hundred (500) square feet, or fraction thereof. Not less than one (1) shrub for each one hundred (100) square feet, or fraction thereof. The remainder of the landscaped area shall be covered with turf grass, native grasses or other perennial flowering plants, vines, shrubs or trees.
