Originally posted on https://mytrugreenlawn.com/lawn-care-101/

 

The best way to keep your lawn in great shape is to maintain it between your TruGreen certified specialist’s scheduled visits. But knowing where to start and exactly what to do can be intimidating. Read our resources listed below to learn how to care for your lawn and what TruGreen’s services include.

Lawn Fertilization: How to Grow Healthy Grass

Do you struggle to maintain healthy grass, even though you water every day, mow it regularly and remove weeds? Chances are, those neighbors with the enviable lawns know all about proper fertilization—or have a professional like TruGreen take care of it.

 

Luscious lawns need a sufficient amount of nutrients to supplement what’s missing from the soil. You could either be using the wrong fertilizer or applying it at the wrong time. But how do you know what works best for your lawn?

 

Keep reading to learn the details of fertilization, why it’s so important for grass growth and how TruGreen makes your lawn the greenest in the neighborhood. To get a free quote on a lawn service plan and get 50% off your first application, call 888-535-3193.★

 

Why Use Lawn Fertilizer?

 

If your grass or your plants are under-fertilized—or lacking certain nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium—they can become patchy and dry, or even die out. To maintain their health and keep them growing year after year, it’s important to feed your lawn fertilizer as often as your soil requires it. However, avoid fertilizing too often, or the grass and plants won’t be able to absorb enough water and can become susceptible to weeds or browning. This is why soil tests, such as TruGreen’s Healthy Lawn Analysis®✦, are a big factor to a balanced lawn.

 

What Fertilizer Should I Buy?

 

Fertilization is much more complicated than simply buying the “best fertilizer” at the store and spreading it across your lawn. You need to buy the right fertilizer for your grass type and your soil’s needs—and spread it at the right time. Perform a soil test before you fertilize to know what nutrients are missing and what the pH levels are.

 

When I Should I Fertilize My Lawn?

 

Fertilize your lawn right before the growing seasons. This timing depends on whether you have cool-season or warm-season grass.

 

• If you have a cool-season grass, you should generally fertilize in early spring or early fall.
• If you have a warm-season grass, you should generally fertilize in spring or summer.

 

Depending on the grass type and your location, you may have to fertilize more than once or twice per year. If you feel you need to fertilize between seasons, check the soil to see if it’s lacking nutrients.

 

If you’re unsure how often to fertilize, trust the lawn specialists at TruGreen to make sure it’s healthy and properly fertilized.

 

How TruGreen Can Help

 

When you let TruGreen take care of fertilizing your grass, you’re skipping the tricky guesswork, risk of incorrect application and the cost of buying and storing your own supplies. Lawn fertilizer services are included in all our lawn care plans. We use a slow-release formula that stimulates and maintains growth year-round. Our TruExpert® certified specialists undergo rigorous PhD-developed training, so you can be confident that they know the right type of fertilizer to use and when to apply it.

 

To get a free quote and sign up for a lawn service plan with fertilization from TruGreen, call 888-535-3193.

Lawn Aeration: Let Your Soil Breathe

If your lawn gets plenty of foot traffic, the soil may compact quickly and suffocate struggling grass roots. Lawn aeration combats this problem by freeing up space in your lawn for roots access essential nutrients. Effectively aerating your lawn can be the difference between a struggling lawn and a beautiful one.

 

TruGreen certified specialists can spot symptoms of soil compaction in your lawn and provide aeration services through our lawn care service plans. Get a free quote by calling 888-535-3193.

 

Why Does My Lawn Need Aeration?

 

Aeration helps more fertilizer reach your turf’s roots, enhances the breakdown of thatch and allows you to use water more efficiently. The process works by creating “pores” in the lawn and leaving them open for the soil to take in nutrients and moisture, as well as letting roots stretch and breath.

 

Pro Tip: Stay Away from Lawn Aerator Shoes

 

Though lawn aerator shoes might seem like an easy way to aerate your lawn, there are several reasons to avoid using this method. The overarching problem with these shoes is that, even if used correctly, spiked shoes are generally too narrow and small to effectively impact an area of lawn. What’s worse is that these shoes can actually be counterproductive, as you could easily end up further compacting the soil.

 

Most high-quality aeration machines like the ones TruGreen uses operate by removing thin plugs of soil from the lawn, rather than driving spikes down into it to create holes. The difference is important. When you walk in your grass with lawn aerator shoes and press your foot into the ground, the compacted soil prevents grass roots from spreading.

 

Lawn Aeration by TruGreen

 

Lawn aeration can be performed by homeowners with the right equipment, but the cost of this procedure and the time commitment could cause more headache than anticipated.

 

For guaranteed results and a healthier lawn, hiring professional lawn care specialists is the best route to your lawn reaching its full potential.◆ At TruGreen, we’re here to help your lawn look and feel its best, and we’ll save you trouble by visiting your property regularly for scheduled lawn maintenance and annual grass aeration services. If needed, we’ll follow up with overseeding.

 

With our scientifically engineered methods, we’ll turn your yard into a welcoming environment for your family and friends. Our TruExperts® will keep your mind at ease, and our guarantees assure that grass aeration, soil composition, fertilization and weed control are in good hands.◆

 

No matter the issues with your lawn, TruGreen will find the solution—call 888-535-3193 to get a free quote in minutes.

Irrigation: The Importance of Watering Your Lawn

Watering your lawn is critical to maintaining a healthy, beautiful landscape. While this may seem obvious, it can actually be more complicated than you might think. Consistency and being careful to not over- or underwater is key. Using an irrigation system can be an effective way to make watering your lawn easy.

 

At TruGreen, we offer sprinkler installation, repair and maintenance services, so that you can create a healthy watering schedule that works for your lawn’s specific needs. Get a free quote when you call 888-535-3193.

 

What to Expect from TruGreen’s Irrigation Services

 

By installing, repairing and maintaining an existing sprinkler system, you will be saving time and money—your water bills will be lower and your trees, shrubs and lawn will thrive. If you don’t have an irrigation system, TruGreen can install one that’s tailored to your lawn. Here’s what this includes:

 

• Healthy Lawn Analysis®◆ to determine the current state of your soil and its needs
• Visits every 4-6 weeks, plus visit in between as needed to ensure your satisfaction
• Service summary at the end of each visit
• Advice for how to care for your lawn between visits

 

Once your system is installed, our TruGreen specialists can determine the best plan for sprinkler maintenance for the integrity of your soil. Our affordable Annual Sprinkler Maintenance Plan includes these services:

 

• System renovations and updates
• Rain sensor testing and repair
• Broken head and irrigation leak repair
• Timer box, zone and sprinkler head adjustment
• Quarterly checkups, including inspections and fine-tuning, for optimal performance year-round

 

Lawn Watering Tips

 

There’s no underestimating the importance of a healthy watering plan. Watering your lawn is tricky because you don’t want to drown the soil, which can actually bring drought, insects or weeds and destroy your beautiful lawn. On the other hand, you don’t want to skip the watering either and let your grass dry out.

 

Below are a few tips to get an idea of what a healthy watering schedule looks like:

 

• A longer, deeper watering session is more effective than several lighter sessions.
• Use a sprinkler or invest in an irrigation system that will regulate itself based on the soil’s moisture and the outside temperature.
• Vary your watering frequency throughout the year. When the grass is dormant or the weather is cold, you shouldn’t water it. However, when the grass is growing and the weather is warm, you should increase your watering schedule.
• Cool-season grass needs to be watered more often than warm-season grass.
• Plants and flowers should be watered more frequently than grass.

 

Regularly monitor the lawn and perform soil tests to see if the soil is dry or moist. Not sure how? Ask a TruGreen expert. When you leave your lawn’s health to our professionals, you can focus on enjoying your best life outside. To get a quote and sign up for one of our lawn care service plans, call 888-535-3193.

Weed Control: Prevention Is Key

Keeping weeds out of your lawn can feel like an endless battle. Because we know that weed control is essential to the health of your lawn, TruGreen includes Pre-Emergent & Targeted Weed Control as part of our lawn care services. Below, learn more about how TruGreen partners with you to prevent weeds from damaging your lawn.

If you’d like to get a free quote for one of our lawn care plans, call 888-535-3193 today.

How to Control Weeds Year-Round

Protecting your lawn from weeds is an ongoing process. Here’s our advice on what you can do in between visits from your TruExpert® certified specialist:

• Weeds have a hard time taking over a dense, growing lawn. Basic lawn maintenance alone can play a big role in controlling weeds.
• Overseed in thin or bare spots to prevent weeds from taking root in the open spaces.
• Weeds can be a symptom of a bigger problem with your lawn. Your TruGreen certified lawn specialist can test the soil, as well as point out problem areas, such as shade, too much mowing, compact soil, thatch, lack of nitrogen, wet soil and dry soil. Then, they’ll create a solution that fixes the problem.

Spring Weed Control

In the spring, a common concern is preventing crabgrass seeds from germinating. How? Fertilization is a crabgrass preventer. Also, you’ll need to mow often (and correctly) to maintain a healthy lawn. If this isn’t working and you need an immediate weed killer, use pre-emergent herbicides. Also, watch out for broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions and chickweed. If you don’t remove them completely, they will grow back.

How TruGreen Controls Weeds

At TruGreen, our main approach to weed control is year-round prevention. By stopping growth before it starts, you can keep weeds from taking root and spreading. Since weed control is essential to a healthy lawn, our Pre-Emergent & Targeted Weed Control services are included in many of our service plans.

We back our weed control services with our Healthy Lawn Guarantee®◆, promising that we’ll return to your property between treatments to ensure your satisfaction.

Read our customer reviews below, and get a free quote when you call 888-535-3193.

Customer Reviews

“I have seen a vast improvement in the quality of our lawn during this past season’s service: 1: in the amount of weeds that have been removed, 2: in the thickness of the lawn and, 3: the color of the turf.” – Roger L.

“For three years, I have pulled weeds and bought products from the store. I was pseudo-consistent, and the problem would come back (typically worse) in the areas I had removed weeds. I am only a few applications into my TruGreen service, and I am definitely noticing a difference, and seeing some patchy spots where the weeds were overtaking everything before. I definitely prefer seeding and sodding to pulling weeds up any day of the week, and now I have more time for other more enjoyable landscape maintenance. Thank you for the wonderful service, and I look forward to seeing my lawn by the end of the summer and every summer after.” – Patrick F.

Since we started using TruGreen a couple of years ago I have seen a real difference in the appearance of our yard, greener thicker grass and very few weeds. After wasting a lot of time and money trying to do my own lawn maintenance I believe that TruGreen is a very good value to our investment in our home. And we have recommended you to friends and neighbors. Thank You. – Brent H.

Basic Lawn Equipment: What Every Homeowner Should Own

Even the simplest lawn maintenance requires equipment. Whether you’re moving into a home with a yard for the first time or trying to bring a struggling lawn back to life, it may be challenging to know what to buy first.

 

What Lawn Care Tools Do I Need?

 

Our lawn care equipment lists below cover the necessities, as well as second tier items, so you’re prepared for any lawn care project.

 

The Essentials

 

• Lawn mower
• Gloves
• Hose
• Sprinkler or irrigation system
• Spade
• Shovel
• Rake
• Hand trowel
• Wheelbarrow
• Leaf blower
• Pruning shears
• Hoe
• Soil
• A place to store your equipment

 

Next Level

 

• Soil testing kits
• Fertilizer
• Grass seed
• Weed killer
• Spreader
• Aerator
• Edger
• Trimmer
• Eye protection
• Ear protection
• Hedge trimmer
• Sprayers
• Dandelion tool

 

What Tools TruGreen Provides

 

One of the benefits of working with a professional lawn care company is that they provide and use their own equipment and products. That means you don’t have to purchase, rent or store items like grass seed, fertilizer, spreaders, herbicides, pesticides, lawn aerators, soil tests and other tools that are essential to lawn care.

 

The cost of lawn care equipment can add up. A lawn mower alone is a few hundred dollars—or even a few thousand if you want a riding lawn mower. When you entrust your lawn to TruGreen, the cost of supplies isn’t extra.

 

Additionally, you won’t have to experiment with products like fertilizer, just to realize you applied the wrong type for your grass. Our TruExpert® certified specialists are trained through a rigorous PhD-developed program, so they know exactly what your specific yard needs.

 

TruGreen has everything you need to grow the healthiest, greenest lawn in the neighborhood. To get a free quote for a TruGreen lawn plan, call 888-535-3193 and learn how to get 50% off your first application today.★

 

★Requires purchase of annual plan. Special price of 50% off is for first application only, for new residential EasyPay or PrePay customers only, and applies to lawns more than 5,000 square feet. For lawns less than 5,000 square feet or for the regular lawn application price for a lawn of any size, please call for estimate. Lawns less than 5,000 square feet may qualify for a first application only price of $29.95. Valid at participating TruGreen locations. Availability of services may vary by geography. Not to be combined with or used in conjunction with any other offer or discount. ✦Purchase of full lawn plan required for Healthy Lawn Analysis, which is performed at the first visit.

◆Guarantee applies to full plan customers only.