Lawn Care FAQs

The ideal length to mow is 3″.  Grass blades are the solar panels of your lawn. The more blade length there is to take in sunlight, the more energy the plant produces and the healthier it will be. Mowing at a higher setting also helps root development. Roots grow in conjunction with the grass blades. When your lawn is mowed at a low height, its roots will remain short. Mowing your lawn at 3″ allows for deeper root development.

Avoid cutting off more than 1/3 of the grass blade at each cut. For example, if you normally mow your lawn at 3″ you should mow when the lawn reaches 5″ in length.

Mowing frequency depends on how vigorously the grass is growing.  In the spring and fall when weather conditions are ideal for our cool season grasses, your lawn may need to be cut twice per week.  In the summer months when conditions are hot and dry, you may be able to go 2 weeks in between mowing.

Our cool season grasses generally need 1 – 1.5 inches of water per week to maintain green color and active growth.

During the summer months, up to ½ inch of moisture can evaporate from the soil in just a single 90 degree day. As a result,  your lawn needs more frequent watering during any prolonged hot and dry spells. If you allow the lawn to go dormant in the summer, it still needs at least 1/2″ of moisture every two weeks just to stay alive. Be aware that your lawn is very susceptible to turf feeding insect damage during dormant states.

There are only a few times of year where collecting the clippings is needed, otherwise mulching the clippings is beneficial to your lawn as it returns unused nutrients/moisture to the soil.

The only times of year where you are encouraged to collect clippings are:

  1. The first mowing of the year – The grass clippings at this time of the year have no nutritional value.
  2. When your grasses are seeding – The seeds are immature and won’t reseed your lawn. They contribute to thatch build up.
  3. When your lawn has severe foliar disease outbreaks – Collecting the clippings will limit the spread of the disease spores.
  4. When clippings are excessive and are left in piles on the yard – Excessive clippings suffocate your turf and block out sunlight.

Rain will benefit most treatments; however weed control can be affected if applied during rains. Spraying for weeds before a rain is very effective as the atmospheric change triggers the weeds to open their pores, thereby taking in the weed control.

Fall is the absolute best time to seed. Seeding in the spring can be risky as you may not have enough time to establish that new grass before the hot and dry summer months. If your new grass is too immature to handle adverse conditions, it will need constant watering throughout hot and dry periods otherwise it will likely die off and you will need to re-seed.

By planting in the fall, you allow the grass plants to mature over two cool seasons before going into the hot summer thereby greatly increasing the chances of survival.

We model our fertilizing programs after the schedule devised by the University of Illinois. As recommended by the University of Illinois, the best times of year to fertilize your lawn is early May, early July, early September, and early November.

You may find it easier to reference the following holiday fertilizing schedule.

  • Mother’s Day
  • 4th of July
  • Labor Day
  • Halloween

Turf Techs Lawn Care is a true lawn care service, not just another lawn treatment company.

Each time we visit your property, we take the time to inspect for problems like insects, disease, cultural, and environmental issues. We then advise you on exactly what’s going on with the lawn and inform you of what needs to be done in order to keep it healthy throughout the growing season. We don’t just rush across your property and hang a bill on the door.

We provide a direct line of communication with the owner of the company and we encourage our clients to call whenever they have any concerns about the condition of their lawn.

Continuous communication with our clients is what sets us apart from the rest.

Lawn Care FAQ