There are many factors involved in creating a healthy and thriving lawn. One of them that isn’t always considered is “timing.” Following the proper lawn care calendar for Kentucky lawns is an important key to success.
People sometimes ask us when the best time to get started with lawn care is, but the truth is, there is no best time. The best lawn care approach is one that is year-round. Even if you’ve missed some services, it won’t benefit you to wait. Unless it’s the middle of winter, and your lawn is dormant, there is likely something that you can do to get started with lawn care.
In this article, we’ll talk about following a cool season grass calendar, with the different lawn care services that can be performed during the different seasons.
While the typical lawn care schedule kicks off in the spring, we recognize that you might be reading this article at any time of the year. It’s okay if you don’t start in the spring or even if you’ve missed some of these tasks. For the purposes of this article, we’ll just start there as it’s the typical “beginning” of a new lawn care season each year.
The early spring season should kick off with fertilizer and pre-emergent crabgrass control in February or March.
Crabgrass is a pesky grassy weed that grows and spreads rapidly during the warmer months. A single crabgrass plant can produce up to 75,000 seeds which will lay dormant in the soil until just the right time. When this happens, crabgrass can begin to crowd out your healthy turf.
As we move further into the spring, we will continue with our crabgrass control efforts. Though crabgrass pre-emergents will prevent a large majority of growth, there is always some breakthrough. We can use post-emergent controls to address this where necessary.
Our spring lawn care calendar for Kentucky lawns also includes attacking other broadleaf weeds that might have popped up on your lawn and applying lawn fertilizer. As far as when to fertilize a lawn in Kentucky, we include fertilization at every visit.
Lawn fertilization provides essential nutrients to the lawn that are needed to help it perform its best, and can be used throughout the lawn care season (just at different rates of application).
For clients who want the greenest lawn in the neighborhood, we apply granulated iron in the spring and early summer to improve and darken the chlorophyll in the grass leaves. This deep, dark green option is only available with our Platinum program.
Our lawn care calendar for Kentucky lawns continues with summer weed control, lawn fertilization, and also nutsedge control.
Nutsedge is a difficult-to-control weed that tends to pop up in moist areas of the lawn and can grow quickly in warm weather.
One of the reasons that nutsedge can be so difficult to control is that it reproduces underground via tubers called “nutlets.” That means it might be spreading beneath the surface without you even realizing it.
Getting rid of nutsedge requires specialty controls. It may require repeated applications given its persistence.
Summer lawn care may also include fungal control products, as this is a time of the year when lawn disease can thrive. There are different types of lawn fungus and some are more aggressive than others.
Finally, summer lawn care should also include preventative grub control. Grubs, which is the collective name for several species of beetles in their larval stage, are a common Louisville pest that can decimate a lawn by eating its roots. When given the chance, hungry grubs quickly feast upon large patches of the lawn and cost you hundreds of dollars in repairs. That’s why we don’t even give grubs a chance. Our Gold and Platinum lawn care program includes free grub control.
When thinking about a cool season grass calendar, two of the hardest months on cool-season grasses are July and August. The intense heat is tough on even healthy turf. For homeowners who care about having the thickest and healthiest lawn, we recommend power seeding after these harsh months in order to give your new grass seeds almost a whole year before the next summer drought. We start our power seeding season after Labor Day.
We use a custom blend of premium turf-type tall fescues to fill in bare spots and create a healthy green carpet-like lawn.
This service will also help to set you up for success as the lawn care calendar repeats itself next spring.
Finally, as we move into the fall, our lawn care calendar for Kentucky lawns wraps up with continued lawn fertilization and weed control.
Keep in mind that because there are different weeds that come out at different times of the year, we use a varied approach. This also includes specialty controls, when needed (as mentioned for nutsedge, in particular). That means that even though we are performing weed control at each visit, it doesn’t mean that we are applying the exact same products each time.
The fall is also an important time for lawn fertilization as the last application will help set your lawn up for success ahead of going into dormancy. This will enhance its performance as it “greens up” next spring.
As we wrap up our lawn care calendar for Kentucky lawns, we want to mention that even though you aren’t actively having lawn care services performed in the winter, this could be a good time to start talking to a lawn care company and get set on their calendar for the spring. If you happen to be reading this article, and it’s the winter, start your research now and get set up with a lawn care company that you trust.
After all, our winters can be pretty mild (and often go quick), so you want to make sure you’re on the schedule in time to get in the window for crabgrass pre-emergent applications. If you miss that window, you’ll have to start with post-emergent controls which can make this pesky weed more difficult to manage.
We know that there can be a lot involved in following a lawn care calendar for Kentucky lawns—often more tasks than people realize.
But the good news is that you don’t have to handle it on your own.
The beauty of partnering with a lawn care professional is that you can hand over these tasks and let them take care of them for you. In fact, a pro will know exactly what your lawn needs (and when it needs it), so that none of the burdens fall on you in figuring it all out.
As you can see, there is ideal timing for everything in lawn care, and a pro will be able to help set your lawn up for success.
Along with understanding that timing, a lawn care professional will also be able to get you the best possible results.
Not only do you gain access to their professional expertise, but you can rest assured they have the full range of the best products and services that will be needed to keep your lawn in optimal shape.
While it might be tempting to put off lawn care and start at a later date, getting started with a pro as soon as possible can get you on the best path to success right now. That means you’ll no longer have to worry about dealing with your lawn (and the accompanying frustrations). Instead, you can simply get back to enjoying it fully.
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Are you ready to have a thick and healthy lawn that’s getting everything it needs at your Louisville, KY home? Get in touch with us to get a quote for our lawn care programs, which include three lawn care pricing options.
