Learn more: Lawn troubles…

Maintaining an attractive lawn can be relatively easy in the best of circumstances, and be a bit more challenging in others. Many home and business owners have had new sod installed only to find in a matter of a year or two it bares little resemblance to what they started with!

A decline in turf quality is usually caused by one or more of the following: inadequate sunlight, improper watering practices, poor drainage, poor mowing practices, and low nitrogen.

In the PNW, most lawn challenges stem from the winter months. To many, this statement may seem odd at first. Since after-all, don’t we plant “cool season” grass types? Without adequate drainage, it is quite common for many of us to see our heavy clay soils becoming water-logged. A waterlogged soil presents a few key issues, most notably: reduced oxygen levels, compaction, and nutrient leaching. Combine these challenges and throw-in reduced sunlight! We now have a set of conditions quite challenging for most plants! Assuming these conditions persist, our favorite cool season grasses will experience a high level of stress. This can cause the lawn to become thin and even die-off in some areas. When this happens, weeds, moss, and shallow rooting grass types take the opportunity to creep-in to fill the voids. Understandably, most people don’t spent a lot of time surveying the lawn during winter, so it’s unlikely many will notice this happening.

The early spring Many of us are enthusiastic about the change of seasons, and are likely to spend some extra time working around the yard. Generally most lawns in our area will look quite good late March thru early May.

Late spring A short time later many will be left scratching their head wondering what happened. You may notice areas of the lawn rapidly changing from green to yellow, and inevitably a “straw” color. What you are likely seeing is annual grasses (Poa Annua), and certain native grasses (creeping bentgrass) begin to go dormant. Unlike the perennial grass types we plant in our lawns, these weedy grass types are shallow rooted and will naturally fade as temperatures begin to climb. Visually this can give the effect that your lawn is diseased or dying from a lack of water.

The summer Seeing the lawn in decline, many give up, while others hit the panic button. In lawn care this often equates to a heavy thumb on the sprinkler timer. When this doesn’t work, many will turn the water up once more. Applying excess water during summer can lead weedy grass types to proliferate (at best) and disease outbreaks. (at worst.) While you may be able to keep some of these plants alive, it will come at a cost. (Not just an increased water bill!)

Now what? is there any solution? If this example sounds familiar, consider scheduling a free consult with us. In many cases we are able to diagnose what is causing problems and provide some recommendations. If your lawn is in need of renovation, late Summer and early Fall will be the best time to take action!