If caring for your lawn were simple, there wouldn’t be a lawn care treatment service industry. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who looks forward to mowing and caring for their lawn. To most, it’s a chore, and a mandatory one if you want to keep up with the Joneses and care at all about curb appeal. Part of what makes this process difficult is distinguishing fact from fiction when it comes to lawn care best practices. As your local lawn treatment experts, we can make that job a bit easier by debunking five common myths about lawn care in the south…
Myth 1: If you see a grub, you’ve got an infestation.
Not so! Some grubs are a normal part of healthy turf. It’s a surplus that becomes an issue. To perform the “grub test” and determine if you actually have a grub problem, dig four inches down into the soil. If you come across ten grubs or more within one square foot, give us a call. You will need a local lawn treatment to get the grub population under control and prevent extensive damage to your lawn.
Myth 2: Grass is grass.
All grass is not created equal! A variety of grass types can be found in Atlanta lawns. There are big differences in care for warm-season and cool-season grasses since they thrive and become dormant at different times. They need aeration (possibly combined with overseeding) during different seasons, require different mowing heights and have different watering needs. It’s important to be familiar with your grass type, or to hire a local lawn care service that is.
Myth 3: Hose watering is just as good as irrigation.
While the cost of an irrigation system can be a hard pill to swallow, it may save you money in the long run. Watering with your hose puts you at risk of overwatering or underwatering your lawn, either of which can make your grass susceptible to weeds, pests and diseases. Irrigation, on the other hand, ensures that your lawn gets an even watering every time.
Myth 4: It’s better for the earth not to use fertilizer.
Holding off on the fertilizer will result in a sparse lawn, whereas fertilizing will create dense, healthy turf. You probably know that grass helps purify our air, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. But did you also know healthy grass helps to prevent pollutants from contaminating our groundwater?
Myth 5: Brown grass has been damaged by heat.
With the intense heat we deal with during Atlanta summers, it’s likely you’ll encounter brown grass at some point. But don’t assume the explanation is simply drought stress. Grass can also be killed by a variety of other threats, including pests and diseases. Sometimes these problems intensify each other -- for example, when common summer funguses are encouraged to spread by high heat and humidity. Many of these issues require immediate attention before they cause serious problems, so call your lawn treatment company right away if you’re in doubt!
