Kirkwood lawn care services
Heat and drought stress: Kirkwood is generally sunny and hot. So, two of the biggest problems faced by homeowners in this terrain is heat and drought stress. Warm-season grasses are particularly suited to Kirkwood's climate and can more easily adapt to its widespread weather changes than their cool-season cousins. Some homeowners combine grass types to avoid this. However, that will only lead to a patchy appearance. Frequent watering is a good option, but you have to be careful, as excessive use will invite pests and diseases like grubs, Pythium blight, etc.
Poor landscape: There are many beautiful structural designs and landscape options for lawns. We don't have experience with structures, but we do know that slanted lawns, as pretty as they can be, spell danger during the summer. When your grasses start to experience heat and drought stress, proper watering will do well. If your lawn is slanted, the water just runs through the surface, causing erosion without reaching the turf's roots. For inclined lawns, you should do slow, long watering for the best results.
Shade: Grasses come with different tolerances to shade and sunlight. However, they all need sunlight and an ample amount of nutrients to bud. Growing a shade-tolerant grass-like fine fescue won't give you any issue. However, bluegrass and ryegrass love the sun and won't thrive well under full shade. So, before seeding, you should get the right grass for your lawn's shade level.
When being shaded by objects, say a tent or canopy, the risk of growth problems is minimal. But grasses living close to big trees must compete for sunlight and nutrients. Sadly, they are almost always bested and that's why you find so few around the base of big trees. Worse yet, some trees (allelopathic plants) like red oak, American elm, walnut, etc., secrete chemicals that inhibit the germination and growth of nearby plants, especially bluegrass.
Bad mowing practices: The wrong mowing techniques and practices can lead to increased exposure to pests and diseases, sun exposure, and ultimately dormancy/death. Some of these practices include mowing too short, using dull mower blades, or trimming wet grass. Learning the right mowing technique goes beyond that, anyway. You may need to follow different patterns while trimming the turf, the power of the mower matters, and a few more tips and tricks are required. Your best option is to leave your mowing to professionals found through Kirkwood lawn care. That's because they have knowledge, experience, and the needed skills to effectively care for your grasses.
Compacted soils: Grass breeds like tall fescue, Bermudagrass, and zoysia can withstand heavy foot traffic. After a while, though, the soil will become too compacted even for these kinds of grass. Excessive compaction blocks pores that your turf uses to trap oxygen. It also makes getting nutrients hard for your grasses' roots. It is recommended to till your soil once per year. If you have a very small lawn, a spading fork is fine. But for large lawns, you will probably need an aerator. Irrespective of the size, it saves you time and cost to get a Kirkwood lawn care expert for aeration services.
Germination failure: There are two reasons behind germination problems in Kirkwood. First, you may be seeding at the wrong time. The conditions for perfect grass growth in Kirkwood occur between September to mid-October. You could also plant your grasses by March, and they will bud just fine. It may also be that your soil doesn't favor grass growth. In both situations, consult seeding specialists through Kirkwood lawn care. These experts will provide more detailed guidance on grass selection and planting. Kirkwood lawn service also offers spot treatment using topsoil to improve the overall quality of your lawn and provide the best conditions for growth.
Weeds: Weeds are the most obnoxious problem you may face as a lawn owner in Kirkwood. Some of the most common ones include dandelion, chickweed, violets, ground ivy, and bindweed. While a few of them, like dandelion and violet, might be colorful, all weeds will compete for nutrients with your grasses. If you have the time, inspect your lawn regularly and remove the weeds at an early stage with a trowel. Weed control experts can provide spot treatment to stop even the most aggressive weeds at any stage of their spread.
Pests: There are numerous animals and insects in Kirkwood who want your lawn to be their home. If they could live there without hurting the grass, that'd be fine. But they don't. These little annoyances will eat up the grass stem, leaves, and roots, whichever they prefer, destroying your entire lawn. Grubs, moles, chinch bugs, sod webworms, armyworms, etc., are a few common ones in this terrain.
There isn't a standalone practice for taking out all types of lawn pests, but maintaining a clean environment is a good start. You should get gutter cleaning or yard cleanup services through Kirkwood lawn care for quick removal of debris/leaves or an entire flush-out if needed.
Nutrient deficiency: Soils can eventually deplete their nutrient stores. Allowing the soil to rest for a while is one option for nutrient replenishment. The easiest and quickest way to get soils back to their full capacity is to apply fertilizers. The use of fertilizers, however, requires knowledge on the exact depleted nutrient, the amount required to replenish it, and how to do so in different seasons. Incorrect applications like excessive use will lead to sudden plant growth with an insufficient root system for survival. Worse yet, it will distort your soil pH, making it too acidic or alkaline to grow grasses. The best option is to allow fertilizer specialists through Kirkwood lawn care to handle the replacement of these nutrients.
