 If you’ve noticed in our weekly posts about summer weeds, it seems like all of them are deterred when a lawn is rich with nitrogen. But what exactly does nitrogen do for grass other than keep the weeds away?
You’ve probably noticed that on most fertilizer bags, the key ingredient is nitrogen. That is because every plant needs it to survive and thrive. Nitrogen is the single most important nutrient to add to your lawn. It helps grass grow above the soil and then helps it photosynthesize. Without nitrogen, plants are unable to produce enough chlorophyll. Without chlorophyll, plants are unable to produce energy and feed themselves to grow. If a lawn doesn’t have enough nitrogen, the grass will be weak and susceptible disease. Think about it like our immune system. If we eat healthy foods and intake the correct vitamins and minerals, we have a strong immune system and thrive. If we eat unhealthy foods and don’t get the correct vitamins and minerals, we have a weak immune system and are susceptible to getting sick more often. Nitrogen keeps the grass healthy and thriving. Moral of the story: make sure your grass (and really all of your plants) have plenty of nitrogen! By: Hannah Raines Copyright Turf Boss 2021
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 Summer is right around the corner, are you ready? And more importantly, is your lawn ready?
Before the weather gets too warm, it is important to make sure that your lawn is cleared of thatch. If the thatch build-up is too much, it can be blocking sunlight and can prevent water reaching the roots of your grass. Just make sure that you don’t wait too long to dethatch. If you try to dethatch in the heat of the summer, you can cause stress to your grass and cause damage. (For more information, check out our previous blog post about dethatching.) Fertilization is also an important step to keep your lawn healthy. Applying fertilizer supplements nutrients in the soil and keeps your grass growing healthy and thick. Spring is a good time to fertilize your yard and should take place before 30 days before the highest summer temperatures. Next, make sure that your lawn is mowed regularly. Mowing keeps your grass healthy and growing strong. However, be careful that you don’t cut away too much grass. No more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blade should be cut at a time. It is also important in the hot summer months that you leave your grass blades a little bit longer. Keeping your grass slightly longer helps protect the grass roots and conserves moisture in the soil. Mowing every other week is fine, but if you are watering and fertilizing your lawn then you should be mowing weekly. Watering correctly is extremely important in the summer months. The summer heat can dry out your lawn if you aren’t careful. Make sure that you are watering less often, with more water, rather than less water, more often. This creates a deep root system for your lawn. Watering everyday is not recommended because you will create a shallow root system. Also, make sure that you don’t water in the heat of the day. The water will just evaporate instead of being absorbed. Watering early in the morning or later in the evening are the best times to ensure your lawn is watered correctly. These are just a few tips to get you started preparing for the summer months! If you have any questions or concerns about your lawn, drop us a comment, send us a message, or give us a call. We will be happy to answer any of your questions! By: Hannah Raines Copyright Turf Boss 2021  Thatch is a layer of build-up that contains dead grass, debris and roots. This forms a layer between the surface of the soil and the grass blades. The layer can become thick and keeps water, air, and nutrients from reaching the soil. This can then cause pests and diseases in your lawn. It is important that the thatch is removed. This process is known as dethatching. A lawn needs to be dethatched every so often. This is often overlooked, but it is very important for the health of your lawn.  Dethatching should take place at least once a year. Whenever the layer of thatch has a thickness of around half an inch, that is the time to dethatch. Spring is the perfect time to dethatch your lawn because the weather isn’t too warm. If you dethatch in the heat of the summer it could cause damage to your grass. Thatch can be removed by using a special dethatching rake or a dethatching machine, depending on how large the area is.
We can let you know if your thatch build-up has become too much. Now is the perfect time to dethatch so you have a healthy lawn before summer. By: Hannah Raines Copyright Turf Boss 2021 |
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