Taking care of your lawn doesn’t have to be complicated. It might sound like a lot of work, but it’s not really that tricky. You’ll need to put in some effort, but it’s worth it. Alternatively, you could hire some pros to handle it for you, but if you want to do it yourself, here are some easy lawn care steps to follow:

Lawn Care Tips

1. Soil Preparation

Start with the soil. It’s where your grass will grow, so it’s important. When you’re planting new grass, mix in some natural compost about two or three inches deep. This gives your grass all the nutrients it needs to grow well. Don’t use chemical fertilizers – go for manure-based compost instead. It’s much better for your lawn.

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For those battling hot days, scorching sun and the occasional drought, landscape designer, Conners Lawn Care, offers some suggestions for keeping the lawn healthy and green until cooler days return.

Follow these essential lawn care tips to ensure your lawn remains healthy and green until cooler days arrive.

Summer Lawn Care Tips

Optimal Grass Length

Allowing your grass to grow a bit longer during the summer heat can work wonders. Longer grass develops deeper roots, preventing weed growth and reducing competition for water. Moreover, denser turf requires less water overall. Aim for a blade height of approximately 4 inches during the summer months.

Sharpen Mower Blades

Maintaining sharp mower blades is always important, but it becomes even more crucial in hot weather. Dull blades cause the grass to fray, increasing the likelihood of browning. Keep your mower blades sharp to ensure clean and healthy cuts.

Mowing Schedule

Reduce mowing frequency during the summer and consider mowing early in the day or as the sun begins to set. Freshly cut grass is more susceptible to sun damage, and keeping your lawn cool can minimize the appearance of brown spots.

Embrace Mulching

Instead of bagging grass clippings, use a mulching mower. Allowing the mulched grass to settle back onto the lawn acts as a natural moisture trap, keeping the soil cooler and better hydrated. Mulching mowers are beneficial year-round, but their advantages are particularly pronounced in combating summer heat.

Fertilization Considerations

In most cases, you can skip fertilizing during the summer months. If your lawn is struggling, it’s best to have the soil tested for any deficiencies before resorting to fertilizers. If fertilization is necessary, opt for organic, time-release fertilizers to avoid damaging your lawn.

Optimal Watering Times

Aim for approximately one inch of water per week to maintain a healthy lawn. While an irrigation system is ideal for consistent hydration, the timing of watering also plays a vital role. Contrary to popular belief, watering during the hottest part of the day won’t harm the grass. However, rapid evaporation can be problematic. Opt for deep, infrequent watering in the morning to ensure efficient absorption by the root system.

Contact our team of experts today at Conner’s Lawn Care Service, and let us help you maintain a green and healthy lawn, even during the hottest summer days.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/

The first crocuses, daffodils, and other spring flowers are a sign that the season is approaching. These early signs will also let you know that it is time to prepare your lawn. Here are some lawn care tips you need to know.

When to start your lawn-care tasks will depend on the weather in your area. Start your lawn care tasks when the snow is gone. Start your yard work as soon as the forsythia or lilac plants bloom in your area.

In most areas, homeowners should perform certain tasks in the spring in order to maintain healthy grass for the remainder of the year. Create a list of these steps and you will be on your way to a healthy lawn.

Spring Lawn Care Steps

Rake Gently

Raking your lawn is the best way to prepare it for new growth. An early spring raking will remove any thatch deeper than half an inch. You may have some fallen leaves lying on the ground.

Aerate if Necessary

Compaction of soil can occur if your lawn is subjected to heavy traffic such as running or playing in the same area.

The lawn aerator makes holes in the turf to allow air and water to reach the roots. Rent a lawn aerator from a large hardware store or use a hand aerator if your lawn is small.

Aerating the lawn in the spring is not ideal, but it may be necessary. Aerating the lawn in spring may be required if the soil is so compacted that the grass cannot grow.

Assess the soil

A moss-covered ground is another sign of acidic soil. The pH scale is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity in soil, with 7 being neutral. Alkaline soils are higher than 7 while acidic soils fall below 7.

Send a sample of soil to your local cooperative office for testing to determine the acidity. They offer free scientific assistance in agriculture, gardening, and other fields of expertise. You can find out how much lime you need per square foot by calling, checking their website, or visiting your local extension office. To apply the lime, you will need to use a fertilizer spreader.

Overseed

If your lawn has bare patches, it may be necessary to apply grass seed. This can be done due to dog spots or heavy traffic. Overseeding involves sowing grass seed over the existing grass. When you overseed, apply a nitrogen fertilizer with a slow release (starter fertilizer). Keep the seed moist up until it sprouts and starts to grow. After the grass has sprouted and germinated for five weeks, you can start a regular fertilization schedule using nitrogen fertilizer with quick release.

You can apply the seed to only the visible patches of bare ground, but it’s also common to overseed your entire lawn in order to keep the grass thick and healthy. It is also a good way to introduce different varieties of grass seeds into your lawn. If you have recently lost a few shade trees, for example, an overseeding of a sunny grass mix could help your previously shady yard continue to thrive.

Fertilize

Organic fertilization of lawns is possible by using mulching mowers to turn grass clippings into nitrogen-rich sources. ScottsMiracle-Gro offers a schedule of fertilizing lawns with a chemical fertilizer that is widely accepted.

Many experts suggest a lighter fertilization in the spring and a heavier feeding in late fall. If you fertilize in the spring, it can cause weeds and disease. However, if your lawn was fertilized in the fall, there is still fertilizer for spring.

Apply pre-emergent herbicides

Spring lawn care in Myrtle Beach for those who want weed-free grass is just as much about weed control as it is about encouraging healthy lawn growth. All lawn weeds are not eliminated in the same way. You will either use a pre-emergent or post-emergent weed killer depending on whether the weed is an annual or perennial.

Use Post-Emergent Herbicides or Pull Spring Weeds

Dandelions, cheerful yellow flowers with a stubborn perennial growth habit, appear in the spring. Snap off the flower stems of dandelions before they set seed. If you’re feeling more ambitious, you can dig them up by the roots with a tool designed to remove the entire root and prevent it from re-sprouting. There are many weed-popper devices that work well.

Lawnmower Maintenance

It’s also time to give your lawnmower a good once-over. It’s time to start it. If it is a little difficult to start, it may be in need of a tune-up. Once a year, give your lawnmower a tune-up. You can restore your mower to its original condition in three simple steps. Consider buying a new lawnmower if yours needs more than just a tune-up.

Sharpening your mower blade is a key part of any tune-up. Sharpening the mower blade regularly will help to ensure that the blade cuts the grass rather than tears it, resulting in a lush green lawn instead of one with brown tips.

Call Conner’s Lawn Care Service now. Our professionals will take care of all your lawn needs.

Like our Facebook page for more great info about lawn care services.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/

You may want to repair your lawn this weekend if you’ve noticed patches of dead grass. It is easy to fix and prevent patchy grass for experienced gardeners. However, you should first determine what is causing the patches. Here are a few lawn care tips you need to know.

You can easily identify the cause of patches on your lawn. The dog and wear and tear caused by children playing football are obvious culprits. However, a disease could be the reason for the patches.

These lawn care expert tips will help you maintain your lush lawn or fix any emergency patches.

Lawn Care Tips

You need to determine why your lawn has patches before you can decide if it is the right time to plant grass seeds. The cause of patchy grass can be a variety of things, including diseases like Red Thread or Snow Mould and pests such as Leatherjackets or Chafer Bug Grubs.

Patches of grass are often caused by constant usage, “poor drainage” or a ‘poor top’. This is especially common in newly constructed properties. He says that identifying the problem and resolving it are always the first steps to restoring your lawn before you repair or replace it.

Investigate when you should add lime to your lawn, since the pH of the ground could be the cause of patches of grass and poor health.

Dethatching a lawn can also leave bare patches of grass.

1. Aeration can penetrate the roots of grasses.

Aeration is a process that ‘increases airflow to the root, encouraging oxygen to promote root health’. This will encourage stronger roots to grow deeper and promotes a lush lawn that’s more resistant to patching in the future. This process will also reduce soil compaction, resulting in a more versatile lawn that is ready for cooler weather.

2. Sow grass seed

The best Myrtle Beach lawn care tip to fix your patchy lawn is with new grass seed that grows quickly. If you want a uniform-looking lawn, buy the same seed you used previously.

Before sowing, lift the soil and remove the brown or bare patch. Replace the sod removed with topsoil, compost, or a mix of the two, and scatter the seeds according to the directions on the seed packet.

3. Top Dress with Nutrient-Rich soil

Topdressing is a great way to fix your grass patches and keep your lawn thick and green.

The top-dressing of nutrient-rich dirt can make air, water, and nutrients more available to the roots as they break down.

This process will encourage the grass to grow thicker and re-root. It will also promote a healthier plot throughout the summer.

4. Regulate your Mowing

It may sound contradictory but the secret of a patch-free lawn is to maintain a regular schedule for the lawnmower.

5. Patch with Sod

What is another quick way to heal your patchy lawn?

You can lay sod any time during the year in a similar way to how you would use seeds.

To ensure a uniform finish, buy the sod from the supplier you used the first time.

Cut out the patchy lawn in a rectangular or square shape that matches the size and shape of the sod section, then loosen the soil underneath with a garden spade.

Keep the area at least an inch below the surface so it can be leveled with the soil. Cut a small piece of sod, and place it at the repair site. Press the patch gently and walk over it to settle it down. Water the area thoroughly so that the water sinks into the soil.

Why are there brown patches on my lawn?

Two things can cause brown patches on a lawn. Your grass could be just dormant, meaning it will grow back. It could also be dead or diseased. Knowing the difference is important before you fix the lawn.

If you gently pull a handful of dormant grass, it should not come off. Dormant patches are usually large because grass does not go dormant in isolated and small areas. Why do grasses turn brown and dormant? It’s usually a cold-season grass that doesn’t like heat or a warm-season grass that doesn’t like cold. Once the temperature is better, they’ll grow back green. Combine warm- and cold-season grass seeds when you sow to avoid this problem in the future.

A lawn care professional can diagnose and treat diseased patches.

If you gently pull on the dead grass, it will fall off in your hands. If you have brown patches of dead grass, it is best to replace the sod. Dormant patches.

Will brown patches in a lawn turn green again?

If the grass doesn’t have any disease or is dead, it will turn green when temperatures are suitable and you water it frequently after the frosts pass.

What causes bare patches in lawns?

The bare patches on your lawn are usually caused by wear. You can fix them easily if you convince the children to play somewhere else, move the water slide, take a new route to the shed, or lay down a path.

Excessive shade can also cause bare patches. This can be reversed by trimming shrubs and trees and sowing shade-tolerant seeds. Also, avoid cutting the grass too short. This part of the lawn will need to be fed.

Dog urine can also cause patches.

How to Repair Dog Urine Patches in a Lawn

Dog urine is often responsible for yellow or dead patches of grass on a lawn. You can’t stop your dog from peeing but you can minimize the damage.

This only works if your dog is willing to go out in the garden every time and then water it with a hose.

Sprinklers are best used in dry weather. Your lawn will be more likely to remain patch-free when it is kept moist.

Maintain a long lawn: this will keep the moisture in the grass and reduce the chances of developing brown patches.

A healthy lawn will be less likely to experience urine burn.

Call Conner’s Lawn Care Service now if you need help in maintaining your lawn.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/

Don’t neglect spring lawn care because if you do, you will pay for it for the rest of the year. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your lawn in good shape.

Lawn Care Tips For Spring

Raking

The first tip for lawn care in Myrtle Beach is that you need to do during spring, is raking. Rake deeply when you rake leaves during the fall to avoid thatching.

Checking For Compaction

Your lawn may start to show signs of decline in case it is exposed to high levels of traffic annually. During this time, the lawn is most likely dealing with compacted soil. You can address this but successful eradication starts with recognizing that moss must not be treated like it is just another weed.

Liming

Aside from compaction, having moss plants implies acidity. However, grass loves a neutral pH. You could fix this issue by liming the soil. However, do not expect an instant solution; the effects of liming are very slow to happen.

Overseeding

If your lawn is filled with bare patches because of dog spots, neglect, or heavy traffic, you may want to consider applying grass seed to fill in all those bare patches. This is referred to as overseeding lawns. What you need to do is apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer once you overseed. About five weeks following the grass germination, you should put in quick-release nitrogen fertilizer.

But spring is not the perfect time for overseeding your lawns. Fall is the recommended time so the new grass will not have to compete with the crabgrass, which is eliminated by the autumn frost. So you should most likely postpone the overseeding until the fall season

Fertilizing

Lawns could be fertilized organically by making use of compost and then mulching the mowers. However, for those who would rather use chemical fertilizers, you can always follow a schedule. Experts at Conner’s Lawn Care Service recommend lighter feeding during spring and heavier feeding in late fall, particularly for lawn grass types that are referred to as cool season grasses.

Applying Preemergent Herbicides

If you know very well that you’ve got issues with annual weeds, and crabgrass, then spring fertilization must go together with adding preemergent herbicides. They deal with weed control even before their seedlings emerge. They form a shield that prevents seed germination. Don’t take on core aeration after putting in the preemergent herbicides, because if you do, you will only decrease its efficiency.

Applying Postemergence Herbicides

Check for perennial weed growth. If you would rather have organic weed control, you always have the option to pull them out.

Tuning Up Existing Lawn Mowers

Lawn mowing all throughout the summer could be a tiring lawn care Myrtle Beach task. You don’t have to make it harder for yourself by using a lawn mower that does not start up right away. If your lawn mower is stubborn when it comes to starting up, that could be an indication that it requires a tuneup. Even though you can get by without tuning it up, we still suggest that you have the mower tuned up every year.

Buying A New Lawn Mower

Or maybe you are fed up with your old lawn mower and you are thinking of making a change. Do your research and find out what type is most suitable for your own unique lawn maintenance needs.

Call Conner’s Lawn Care Service for professional lawn care services if you wish to make sure your lawn is in perfect shape for spring and the rest of the year.

Like our Facebook page for more great info about lawn care services.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/

All agree that bushes are an important part of any lawn. They are a wonderful addition to walkways and fountains. They can be used as a background for your garden beds, making lawn care a must.

You must take good care of these woody plants, which can range in size from small to medium. This is how you ensure that they add structure, texture, and beauty to your landscaping.

There’s something for everyone, whether you have bushes already or are planning to plant them on your lawn. We will discuss the lawn care tips required to keep woody plants healthy and strong.

Lawn Care Tips

Plant the Bushes at The Right Time

You must ensure that the lawn plants you plant are able to adapt to your local climatic conditions. For information and labels about the best growing conditions, refer to the package.

Fall is the best season to add new plants to your lawn. This gives the plant more time to adapt and grow before winter. The plant’s root system will also be able to establish itself easily in the fall before it is too late for spring.

Establish a watering schedule

To thrive and survive, lawn plants need water. It is important to water your lawn at least once per week. Make sure you do this regularly.

Set the sprinkler timer to at least 10 minutes when watering plants. When the soil is saturated with water or the lawn has soaked in water, it’s time to stop watering.

Your new plants should be watered at the time of planting and every 2 to 4 weeks thereafter. After planting, water your plants every 2 to 3 days. This should be done between 3 and 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the roots will be more established.

Adhere to proper feeding habits

Mulch the soil with sufficient compost instead of fertilizing your newly planted bushes. Mulching enriches the soil with micronutrients.

You can later add fertilizers that are based on the plant’s nutritional requirements. A layer of compost can be helpful for fragile plants to increase soil nutrients.

Potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen are the most common nutrients used by plants. You will also need to have large amounts of calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

Prune at the Right Times

Regular pruning can help to maintain the size and shape of your plants. It is also important to use different pruning tools.

Spring is the best time to prune your plants. You must also determine when the plant blooms. If the plant’s blooming season falls in spring, you can prune it once flowering has stopped.

If it flowers in summer, you can trim it in the spring or in winter to prevent new growth. For deciduous plants, you can do light pruning in summer, but heavier pruning in winter is best for dormant plants.

Ties or Stalk the branches

If the new bushes appear weak or difficult to straighten, you can help them by stowing them. The plants should be supported until they grow a strong trunk. Ensure that the stalk is the same height as your plant while you do this.

The stalk can be tied to the branches with heavy-wrapped wire. To protect the bark of the plant from being ground, shield the cable with a hose.

Check the soil

You can test the soil to determine if there are any deficiencies. You can correct any deficiencies found by soil testing with the appropriate fertilizer. Slow-release fertilizers can help you overcome nitrogen deficiencies.

If you send a sample of your soil to a local soil laboratory, your soil can be tested professionally. This task can be accomplished using soil test kits that you have purchased locally.

Pay attention to Pests

Insects can be a problem when it comes to lawn maintenance. A lawn care expert will be able to advise you on the best way to combat pest infestations on your lawn.

Japanese beetles are some examples of lawn pests that can cause severe damage. Other pests include mites, caterpillars, and aphids.

Mulching the soil to retain moisture

Mulching is an excellent way to preserve the soil’s warmth and moisture. Mulch can be used to help your shrubs get water from the soil in winter. If you prefer the organic option, mulch can come in the form of either tree bark or wood chips. Plastic paper is an alternative.

Mulch can be applied to the soil around your plants. Mulch can be used to reduce soil erosion and control weeds. This will increase the growth of your new shrubs and reduce fertilizer costs.

The Takeaway

Proper bush maintenance and lawn care in Myrtle Beach are the best ways to ensure your lawn and bushes look healthy throughout the year. These practices can be applied to your lawn with great success.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service is available to assist you if you require professional lawn care and landscaping services. Get a free estimate by calling us today.

Like our Facebook page for more great info about lawn maintenance services.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/