Let's Talk Turf
Visit Turf Talk periodically to get the latest tips and tricks and things to look out for during each season. Would you like to know more about a specific topic? Call us today for personalized service at 515-322-3285.
Aeration
In technical terms, aeration is the natural occurring process of air exchange between the soil and its surrounding atmosphere. In practical terms, aeration is the process of mechanically removing small plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn to improve natural soil aeration. It’s commonly called “core aeration” but you may have also heard it referred to soil cultivation (coring, spiking and slicing). Most homeowners simply call it aeration.
Spring and Fall are ideal times to aerate your lawn. ILS performs Core Aeration. This can make your lawn healthier and reduce its maintenance requirements through:
-
Improved air exchange between the soil and atmosphere
-
Enhanced soil water uptake
-
Improved fertilizer uptake and use
-
Reduced water runoff and puddling
-
Stronger turfgrass roots
-
Reduced soil compaction
-
Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance
-
Improved resiliency and cushioning
-
Enhanced thatch breakdown
Products and Rain
Products such as fertilizer, crab grass pre-emergent, grub control, surface feeding insect control and some fungicides are commonly granular.
These small pellets don’t do their job until they dissolve. They need the rain to get down into the soil and into the turfgrass. Even if it rains very hard for a long time, the likelihood of these materials running off is rare.
Pellets will usually sink in water versus float, and get lodged in between grass blades, thatch, and root mass. Even if some does wash out, it’s very rare that you’ll loose a substantial portion during a downpour.
Remember, if your lawn treatment is put down one day and it doesn’t rain for a couple days and then pours, it’s the same thing as if it rained immediately after the treatment.
Dandelions
Did you know that dandelions are a perennial weed that can live for two or more years?
Perennial weeds require a different control method than your typical annual weed or they will continue to come back year after year.
ILS offers a solution to this pesky perennial, ask us how we can help you!
Grubs & Grub Control
Grubs are larvae from a variety of beetles and bugs. After hatching they begin to feed on our lawn's root system. Grubs can cause a huge amount of damage.
Beetles, like Japanese and chafer beetles, emerge in early summer, feed on plants in the garden, and lay their eggs in the soil in the lawn. Later in the summer, the grubs hatch and immediately begin to feed. They will continue to eat and grow until mid-fall, when they move deeper in the soil so they can survive through the winter. When the soil warms up again in the spring, the large, mature grubs move back into the upper soil levels, where they transform into adult beetles that emerge in early summer and start the whole process over again.
ILS offers a solution with a grub preventative application to reduce the risk of grubs in your lawn.