When money is no object, time sometimes is, and a professional lawn service will take care of many of the time consuming chores of landscape maintenance. With professional help taking care of fertilizing and weeding the lawn, protecting it from insect damage, and sometimes even mowing the grass, home gardeners are free to turn their attention to other tasks that are more interesting to them. Hiring a professional is no reason to neglect learning about lawn care, though, for without some knowledge about lawns it will be difficult to select a company that can provide you with good, safe service.

Your first decision when selecting a lawn care company is whether you want lawn care or lawn maintenance. For general maintenance such as mowing and trimming, a neighborhood teenager may be the cheapest solution, and with a little initial supervision will probably do the job as well as you would yourself. For fertilizer and pesticide application, it pays to hire trained professionals who know when and how to apply these chemicals in a manner safe to you, your neighbors, your plants, and the environment.

There are national and local lawn care services; the size of the company is not important, but the training, reliability, and experience is. When choosing a service ask for references and then review them. Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any outstanding consumer complaints against any companies with whom you are considering doing business.

When you are satisfied that the company you are considering is reputable, have the representative come to your house to thoroughly discuss the services you require, the services the company can provide, and the prices involved. Walk together around your yard, noting any special problem areas and discussing how the company can treat them. Find out what the basic care package includes and the cost of additional services. Check into the fertilizer and pesticide schedule, and find out what chemicals are applied. The representative should be knowledgeable and answer your questions in a straightforward, concerned manner.

Make sure that the company follows good lawn care procedures. Virginia Tech turf specialists recommend fertilizing bluegrass and fescue lawns in the fall; check to see that your lawn care company is up to date on this. Discuss timing of weed control. They should apply preemergent crabgrass control before the dogwoods are in full bloom and broadleaf weed control when those weeds are actively growing. The representative and the workers who perform the lawn care should show a healthy respect for and knowledge of the chemicals used. Proper application is necessary for proper results and for the safety of surrounding plants, neighboring property, and the environment.

Lawn service companies are beginning to address homeowner concerns over excessive use of pesticides and pesticide drift with alternative lawn care programs. They offer such options as a fertilizer-only option, a limited pesticide option which involves spraying pesticides only when a problem is evident, and a dry option which uses granular fertilizers and pesticides which will minimize drift onto neighboring property. Some now use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, with chemical controls as a last resort. Find out if you can obtain similar options from the company you select. Lawn care services use low pressure sprayers which reduce the likelihood of drift, but extra care is never wrong when dealing with pesticides. And, of course, there is no need to apply pesticide to a nonexistent problem.

Lawn Care Tips

Remember that anything applied to your lawn or garden can wash down storm drains, or seep into groundwater. Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure that whatever you apply to your lawn is safe for the environment.

1. Don¹t add anything to your lawn or garden until you have your soil tested for acidity and fertility. This can be done through your county agricultural extension service or by purchasing a kit at your local garden center.
2. Aerate your soil and remove dead organics by raking. This produces a stronger lawn and reduces the need to use fertilizers or pesticides.
3. Use organic fertilizers to condition the soil. Chemical fertilizers (which may run off lawns into waterways) produce chemically-dependent lawns which require more and more chemicalsto remain healthy. Some brandname organic fertilizers/ Espoma, Earthworks, Ringer, Lawn King, Fertell, Earth-Rite, and Sustain. For a greener lawn, natural source of nitrogen, such as composted manure, bloodmeat, and cottonseed meal, can be used.
4. Don¹t over- fertilize your lawn. Over- fertilized grass roots become lasy and remain near the surface, where they require more water and are more exposed to extremes in weather. Bone-meal and rock phosphate will aid in building strong roots.
5. Plant drought-tolerant grass seeds. Cultivate and mulch your gardens to help retain moisture and keep weed growth down. Water only when the soil is dry, but water thoroughy to encourage deeper root growth, which reduces the need for excessive watering. Garden centers sell water meters which indicate when water is needed. To discourage disease, water in the morning so that lawns and plants will be dry by evening.
6. Mow high, mow often. Mowing high and often reduces stress on grass and helps retain moisture which shades out weeds and keeps soil cool. Mow without a bag and leave your grass clippings, which will fertilize naturally and shade the soil.
7. Start a compost pile. Excessive grass clippings, leaves, weeds, kitchen waste, ect. can all be used to create a nutrient rich fertilizer to till into gardens.
8. Avoid using chemical pesticides. Pesticides may run-off into waterways, kill beneficial insects, and are long-lasting. Large insects (e.g. Japaneze beetles) can be hand picked from gardens and dispatched in soapy water or alcohol (don¹t use gasoline or other toxics). Biological non-toxic controls are available at graden centers.
9. Avoid lawn services that use chemicals. Run-off from these chemicals contribute to pointless pollution. Furthermore, despite lawn companies¹claims that treared areas are safe after 24 hours, dangerous pesticides remain well after application.
10. Plant trees. They contribute oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, reduce erosion, and give shade.

Proper Watering Techniques

The most neglected area of landscape maintenance is proper watering of trees and shrubs. Many ants are more prone to insect and disease attacks if they are stressed by lack of water. Watering your lawn is no assurance that adequate water is reaching the roots of your trees. Turf roots are shallow and thick, making it difficult for water penetration deep within the soil.

Trickle Irrigation

To water trees and shrubs properly, you need to use the trickle irrigation technique. Place a hose near the base of the tree or shrub and let the water run at a trickle for a few minutes. This method allows water to penetrate the soil more efficiently

Proper Mowing

Proper mowing, along with proper watering, can be the most critical factor in the appearance of a lawn. Good mowing techniques not only enhance the appearance of the lawn, but also increases the turfgrass vigor.

Mowing Height

Turfgrass stressed by mowing too low is more prone to disease, weed invasion, drought and traffic stress. Removal of most of the leaf blade limits food production. Limited food production decreases root, thizome, and stolon growth. Plants with limited food production and a limited root system will not have vigorous growth. A vigorous, dense turfgrass area is one of the best defenses against weed invasion. Weak grass plants with a limited root system are more prone to drought damage. It is particularly important to mow high during dry weather. Mowing height varies for different turfgrass species:

• Many turfgrasses such as Kentucky bluegrass should be cut at 2 1/2 to 3 inches.
• Bentgrass and bermuda grass should be cut at 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
• Determine the type of turfgrass in a lawn before recommending mowing heights.

Mowing Frequency

The second critical factor is mowing the lawn on a frequent basis

• The grass should be mowed so that no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is removed.
• If the desired height is 3", mow the grass when it has grown to 4".
• Mowing frequency will change throughout the year with different weather patterns.
• Cool season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass may require mowing twice a week in the spring, but only every 7-10 days in the summer.
• Warm season grasses such as Bermuda grass may need more frequent mowing in the summer than in the fall or spring.

Scalping

When a lawn is allowed to grow too high and then mown too low, excess leaf blade tissue is removed. Such "scalping" of the lawn can cause severe visual damage. More importantly, scalping shocks the grass plants and growth slows or stops, limiting the vigor of the turf. A scalped lawn may dry out quickly from drought, or may develop unusual weed and disease problems.

Blade Sharpness

A dull mower blade shreds the tips of the grass blades. The shredding opens the ends of the leaf blades for increased moisture loss and potentially provides a site for disease invasion. Lawns cut with a dull mower blade may have an overall white appearance from the shredded grass blades.

Improved Mowing Practices

Mowing during the heat of the day during hot weather may cause the lawn to brown. It is best to mow during the cooler part of the day. And leave your grass clippings on the grass.

Clippings

When grass is mowed frequently, clippings are small and degrade rapidly. Recycle plant nutrients by returning clippings to the lawn rather than bagging them.

Be Green: Grasscycle Your Lawn

As the world observed Earth Day on April 22, many U.S. homeowners did their part for the environment in their own backyards by grasscycling. Grasscycling or leaving grass clippings on the lawn when you mow, saves time, landfill space and nurtures the soil. The Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) coined the term and educates the public about it's benefits.

"About 20 percent of all waste that goes into a landfill is landscape debris and about half of that is simply grass clippings," says Michael Gaffney, PLCAA's technical resource specialist. "With yard waste bans in place in many areas of the country, grasscycling offers you an alternative, and at the same time increases the health and beauty of your lawn."

Grass clippings are 85 percent water, decompose rapidly, and return nutrients to the soil with no thatch buildup. They actually return 20 percent of their nitrogen to the soil to feed the lawn's root system. And grasscycling can be practiced year-round with most mowers.

"The key is to follow the one-third rule when you mow-never remove more than one third of the grass leaf blade at any one mowing," says Gaffney. He recommends cutting the grass when dry and keeping the lawn mower blade sharpened properly.

How to Tell You Need to Change Your Mowing Practices

Symptoms that indicate mowing practices require change are:

• Frayed grass blades
• Excess clumps of clippings
• Tall grass mowed short resulting in a yellow color
• Short grass with thin areas and weeds

Fertilizing

Complete vs. Balanced Fertilizers

Fertilizer is any material supplying one or more essential plant nutrients. Most common turfgrass fertilizers include nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, but they may also include other essential mineral elements for turfgrass growth.

• Complete fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, but they may also include other essential minerals elements for turfgrass growth.
• Complete fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the same product. If a fertilizer contains less than all three elements it is referred to as an incomplete fertilizer. If urea, a 46-0-0 incomplete fertilizer, is used for every application through the season, lower turf quality may result if other essential elements are not being supplied by the soil.
• Balanced fertilizers provide nutrients in a predetermined ratio that best meets he plant's requirements for those elements. Turfgrasses require nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the approximate ratio of 3-1-2, 4-1-2, or 8-1-3.
• Remember that the right balanced fertilizer ratio will differ with grass type, and is also influenced by soil levels of certain elements.

Helping Your Plants Survive Winter

Winter drying can be a problem on many evergreens, causing brown leaf edges or brown needles. These browning symptoms may not be noticed until spring or early summer. Watering during the fall or winter will help to counteract winter drying.

Frost damage results in sudden death of foliage, buds and/or flowers. Curling, browning, or blackening of leaves and twigs may be caused by frost. Hardy plants will generally recover.

Freezing injury may result in splitting or loosening of bark on twigs, branches, or trunks. Roots may also be damaged by low temperatures. As a result, plants may be killed totally or partially.