Lawn Care

Contrary to popular belief, lawn care is more than a spring and summer project. The more preparation done during the off season months –late winter/early spring – the less of a project it will be during those late spring and summer months. Enjoy your lawn when it is in its peak season and worry less about watering and mowing by getting a head start in its dormant months.

Corn gluten meal is a pre-emergent as well as a fertilizer. If applied before weeds have sprouted, the herbicide in corn gluten meal will suppress the “bad” and fertilize the “good”. After corn gluten meal has been put down, a good turf builder/compost will need to follow. Soil Mender Turf-Mate 4-2-3 is a granulated lawn food that is easy to spread and contains poultry manure. Apply as a top dressing and water in deeply.  To top things off apply a soil activator, such as Soil Mender Stimulate. This will boost the natural processes within your soil, attract beneficial micro-organisms, and promote thatch decomposition.

*Thatch is a layer of living and dead stems, leaves, and roots in between the soil and the actively growing grass. As long as it is not too thick, thatch can increase the resilience of your lawn against traffic. However, a layer more than an inch thick of thatch will restrict air, water, fertilizer, and other beneficial materials from reaching the roots.

To lessen the load, don’t bag your grass clippings! You’re throwing away free fertilizer when you take the time and effort to bag and dispose of those supposed unwanted clippings. Simply attach a mulcher to your lawn mower and go. Apply Soil Mender Stimulate after you’ve mowed (and left your mulched clippings on your lawn) to help speed up the decomposition and put the beneficial nutrients back into your lawn’s soil. After your lawn begins to thrive, another application of the turf builder can be made as a light top dressing or just to damaged, bare spots. The corn gluten meal application can be repeated every 90 to 180 days, to keep those weeds under control.