FAQ

 
 

When and how often should I fertilize my yard?

It's not too soon to think about lawn care! Turfs Are Us, a Rockford based landscape management company, is offering a fertilization program in your neighborhood. Noted below are the processes included in our program to help keep your lawn healthy and weed-free:

  • Step 1. Early Spring: Crabgrass preventer plus fertilizer Prevents crabgrass seed from germination while it feeds your lawn in early spring. Applied in spring.

  • Step 2. Late Spring: Fertilizer Application

  • Step 3. Late Spring: Liquid weed killer application - Kills the weeds while they are actively growing. The fertilizer gives your lawn a balanced feeding to keep it well fed before the hot summer weather arrives. Applied early summer. Will treat with insect control with this step. (Not part of the regular program; additional cost may apply.)

  • Step 4. Early/Mid Summer: Fertilizer with weed killer as needed Helps your lawn stay green in the summer weather. Applied mid summer.

  • Step 5. Late Summer: Fertilizer with a liquid weed killer The weed killer kills off any weeds that may have germinated during the summer while the fertilizer helps the lawn recover from the stresses brought on by summer weather. Applied late summer.

  • Step 6. Late Fall; Fertilizer Promotes food storage for winter survival of your lawn. Applied in fall.

We also offer other treatments:

Insect control: Many types of insects feed on the roots of your lawn. Even skunks may feed on the insects in your lawn, completely destroying the lawn if left untreated.

Core Aeration: The mechanical removal of small cores of soil and thatch from the lawn. This helps air circulation, moisture, and nutrient movement into the soil while promoting deeper rooting of the turf grass.

What is Hydraulic Seed & Mulching?

It is a process whereby seed, water, fertilizer, and mulch, either from reprocessed wood or recycled paper, are mixed together and applied over the ground. In one application, the ground is seeded, fertilized and mulched. The green mat that covers your lawn is from virgin wood fiber or recycled paper that performs these functions:

  1. Water Retention. Because mulch fibers can retain up to 10 times their weight in water, seeds are kept moist. The result is a quicker and thicker grass stand.

  2. Soil Retention. Mulch fibers help prevent wind and water erosion.

  3. Protection. Mulch fibers protect young seed from the scorching sun and maintain soil temperature.

As your lawn grows and becomes established, the mulch fibers will gradually decompose and add nourishment to the soil.

How should I care for my hydroseeded lawn after it is applied?

The First 14 Days are the Most Important

The establishment of your new hydroseeded lawn is easy. The seed, fertilizer, and mulch are in place. All you have to do is water it. Keep the lawn moist at all times, preferably by frequent light sprinklings two or three times a day. Your sprinklers are set to run approximately at 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. every day for the first three weeks. Don't let the lawn dry out. If the germinating seedlings dry out, they will die. Let the newly sprayed hydroseed dry for 24 hrs. before watering begins.

Watering Your Lawn

Watering is most effective if done during the morning, mid day and mid afternoon. Some evaporation will occur during the mid day but the cooling effect of the water on the lawn is of greater benefit than the little evaporation you loose. After your lawn becomes established, it requires approximately one inch of water per week. The rule of thumb is that if you have a lighter soil you should water frequently at lighter rates. If you have a nice loam soil you can water to penetrate the soil 6' every two to three days. The best method is to see what keeps your lawn healthy, some experimenting will have to occur to find the best setting.

Fertilizing Your Lawn

A specially formulated turf starter fertilizer is used to help establish your new lawn. This fertilizer is mixed in with your lawn seed and mulch fibers. The initial application of fertilizer will provide the nutrients to give the young grass seedlings a healthy start. Two additional applications of starter fertilizer should be applied (in three to four week intervals) after seeding. The new yard fertilizer program is imperative for the first year of your new lawn. If you have not already signed up...Please consult Turfs Are Us for a "new yard" fertilizer program for your lawn.

Mowing Your Lawn

A new lawn should be mowed as soon as the grass blades are 3" to 3.5" high. This short mowing should continue for about 3 to 4 weeks, mowing twice a week. This will allow slower germinating seed plenty of sunlight to germinate. Delaying the first cutting may allow long grass blades to bend over, causing a shabby appearance. Do not bag the grass for the first 5 or 6 cuttings. Subsequent mowing after 5 weeks should be done often and lawn mower blades should always be kept sharp to prevent bruised and torn grasses which develop unsightly brown spots.

Weed Control

Weeds will appear in your new lawn. They come from seeds which have lain dormant in the ground or which have been carried in by birds. These weeds can best be controlled by growing good healthy grass. Grass which is properly watered, mowed and well fertilized provides too much competition for weed plants to gain any strong hold. Should your lawn ever become damaged or have bare spots, reseed to prevent competitive weed growth from becoming established. You will need to simply mow the weeds (don't bag) until your new grass is established enough to handle the weed killer (usually 5 - 6 mowings). Please consult Turfs Are Us for the proper methods and chemicals to control weeds before they have gained a strong hold in your lawn. If you have hired us for your new yard fertilizer program... we will keep a close eye on your yard and apply weed killer when it is ready. No need for you to worry. We will take care of it!

Pest Control

Pest control generally requires chemical treatment. Your local lawn care applicator has a variety of compounds for use on new lawns. It is best to act fast when you see a problem. Call your local professional.

Lawn Diseases

There are many factors that may influence the existence of disease in the lawn. Geographic region, grass variety, moisture and soil type are several. The best defense against diseases is a healthy plant from a healthy balanced soil. Contact your lawn professional for information on controlling various lawn diseases and building your soil to a healthy balance.


Maintaining Shaded Areas

Shaded areas require some additional effort to assure healthy turf. Turf in these areas generally suffer in three ways:

  1. Tree root systems tend to rob nutrients from the grass blades.

  2. Lack of sunlight caused by the shading effect of trees.

  3. Fallen leaves create a matted condition which prevents the turf from adequate exposure to sunlight and air.

Leaves should be raked early in the spring while the tree branches are still bare to allow the maximum amount of sunlight to reach this grass which is generally shaded throughout the remainder of the growing season. Minimum foot traffic and play should be observed in shaded areas.

I am thinking about doing a landscaping project at my home.  Do I need a landscape designer to get the process started?

Depending on the project, landscape designers are not always needed. We suggest that you call us first for a consultation and we can steer you in the right direction.

My dog's urine is killing my lawn, what can I do?

First thing you should do is make sure that it is in fact your dog’s urine that is causing the burned looking dead spots. Watch your dog and verify that it is peeing in those same spots each time, if not it may be a lawn disease and you should call us for a consultation.

If the spots are from your dog urinating, there are a few things you can do:

  1. Saturate the urinated areas (spots) with water.
    The best way to help prevent urine burns and dead spots is to saturate the spots with water. This will allow the excess nitrogen to dilute through the lawn and reducing the concentration in one area. It is usually best to treat the areas up to 9 hours after urination and to apply at least three-times the amount of water to urine to the area.

  2. Repair or replace the affected spot.
    Dead spots can either be over-seeded or totally replaced with new seed or sod. If you have a warm-season grass, it will generally repair itself over time through the spreading of stilons and rhizomes over the effected area.

  3. Replant with a more urine-resistant grass.
    The most urine-resistant grasses tend to be Perennial Ryegrasses and Fescues. The worst urine-resistant grasses tend to be Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda. If you have a number of dogs and/or confine them to small areas of the yard, then you may want to consider re-planting with one of the more urine-resistant grasses.

  4. Train your dog to urinate in certain areas.

If you have the time and location of your yard to designate as a "urinating spot", you can simply use an alternative ground covering on that spot such as a mulch. To help your dog utilize this spot, you can try moving his/her feces and/or pour their urine over the spot until they learn to associate the smell with the spot.