Keeping a beautiful lawn and landscape year-round requires hard work and dedication. It’s more than just mowing the lawn and raking the leaves on occasional weekends. Good lawn and landscape maintenance in the Quad Cities requires knowledge about grass and plant care, maintenance procedures and the use of many different lawn care products. Unless you have the time for year-round lawn care and maintenance, it’s best to hire a professional landscaping and maintenance company with the proper knowledge, skill, experience and equipment. Below are four tips and tricks to use this spring that will help keep your lawn looking beautiful all year around!

  1. Provide Regular Lawn Care and Maintenance

One of the most important ways to keep your lawn beautiful is to provide regular lawn and landscape maintenance in the Quad Cities. A well-maintained property will make your grass, plants, shrubs and trees stronger and more resistant to lawn diseases and outdoor insects and pests that cause damage.

We recommend doing/hiring somebody to do the following on a weekly basis:

  • Weekly lawn mowing
  • Regular weeding
  • Border edging for driveways, sidewalks and walkways
  • Cleaning of all hardscaped surfaces like driveways, walkways and patio areas
  • Spring cleanup to remove yard debris and dead winter growth
  • Fall cleanup to remove dead summer plants and yard debris and prepare for winter
  1. Use Proper Mowing Techniques

Top lawn experts agree that mowing techniques have a big impact on lawn and landscape maintenance in the Quad Cities. Improper mowing is one of the most common causes of lawn damage. Regular, proper mowing will promote thicker turf and prevent weed growth and lawn diseases. Proper lawn mowing has a big impact on your lawn’s appearance and health.

Proper mowing techniques include mowing at the right height and mowing in the right direction. If you do not have a professional helping you, here a couple key mowing tips for this spring:

  • Grass Height – Each time you mow, it shocks the grass. We recommend mowing at a 3” mowing deck height for the spring. As a general rule, you should only take off 1/3 of the grass height with each mowing.
  • Mowing Direction – Don’t mow your lawn in the same direction each time. This can cause compaction and the grass to lean and grow in the direction it was mowed. By mowing in different directions, your grass will grow taller and more upright.
  • Overgrown Lawns – Let’s be honest, the spring is a busy time and sometimes are lawn can get away from us. Don’t try to mow it all at once if that is the case. Go ahead and mow, removing only 1/3 of the grass height, let the grass recover for 3-4 days, and then take off another 1/3 grass height. Don’t forget to bag your grass too!
  • Wet Grass – Don’t mow your grass when it’s wet. This can cause an uneven cut and result in a messy looking lawn. It can also clog your mowing and require more maintenance on your equipment.
  1. Provide Proper Irrigation

Water is essential to all lawns and landscape plants, but too much or too little water can cause damage. Too little water can cause growth problems, and too much water can set up the perfect environment for insects, grubs, and cause lawn diseases. Generally, your lawn needs about 1” of water ever week which can come from your irrigation system, sprinklers, or natural rainfall. (Don’t forget to reach out and schedule your irrigation system start-ups with us!)

  • Avoid watering during the hottest parts of the day. We recommend watering in the mornings between 6 am – 10 am or 4 pm – 7 pm.
  • Don’t water at night, as it promotes mildew, fungal diseases, and outdoor insects and pests.
  • Be sure to check your sprinklers. Don’t assume they always are distributing water evenly.
  1. Fertilize and Control Weed Growth

All lawns need proper nutrients to stay healthy, lush and green. Most soils lack adequate nutrients for healthy, strong plant growth, so proper fertilization is essential. In 2016, we started a new turf care program, and so far, are loving the results. Some of the key benefits include season-long crabgrass and grub control, low environmental impact, and a long-lasting nitrogen feeding.

There are hundreds of weeds common to the Quad City area, so along with proper nutrition for you lawn, weed control is a must! It’s important to include a pre-emergent herbicide in the early Spring since weeds grow must abundantly in the spring and summer. Call our office today to speak with a sales rep about getting a program started for your lawn!

As always, we are happy to help answer any questions or concerns you may have about your lawn. Greenspace provides a full-service lawn care and maintenance program that will take away all the stress and labor of maintaining a beautiful lawn. Happy Spring!