Summer Lawn Care: Essential Tips for Fertilization and Grub Control
As summer approaches, your lawn demands special attention to stay healthy, vibrant, and free from pests. This season brings unique challenges, including the need for proper fertilization and effective grub control. Below, we outline the best practices for keeping your lawn lush and green through summer fertilization—along with how to tackle the pesky grubs that can cause serious turf damage. Understanding Summer Fertilization Fertilizing your lawn during the summer months is essential for maintaining its strength and vitality. Here’s what to consider: 1. Choose the Right Fertilizer Slow-Release Fertilizers: Opt for a slow-release formula to provide a steady supply of nutrients over time. This minimizes the risk of burning your grass during high heat. Balanced N-P-K Ratio: Look for a product with an appropriate blend of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) that supports your lawn’s needs. A higher nitrogen level encourages greener, thicker growth. 2. Timing is Everything Mid to Late Summer Applications: Fertilize in mid to late summer—generally between June and August—to help your lawn recover from heat stress and gear up for fall. Watering Matters: Always water your lawn both before and after fertilizing to help the nutrients reach the root system. Avoid fertilizing during the hottest part of the day. 3. Application Method Spread Evenly: Use a broadcast spreader to ensure consistent coverage across your yard. Post-Application Watering: After applying granular fertilizer (and grub control, if included), apply at least ½ inch of water for best results and effectiveness. Grub Control: Protecting Your Lawn Grubs—larvae of various beetles—can do major damage below the surface. Take these steps to detect and control them early: 1. Identify Grub Problems Early Signs of Infestation: Look for brown or thinning patches, wilting grass, or increased bird activity. If your lawn feels soft or spongy underfoot, you may be dealing with grubs. 2. Preventative Measures Apply Grub Control Early: Use preventative products in late spring to early summer, ideally before grub eggs hatch. Choose treatments that contain beneficial nematodes or specialized insecticides. Maintain Healthy Lawn Habits: Strong, well-cared-for lawns are naturally more resilient to pests. Keep up with proper mowing, watering, and fertilization to discourage infestations. Conclusion With the right approach to fertilization and grub control, you can enjoy a healthy, green lawn all summer long. Be proactive, follow best practices, and invest in consistent lawn care now—so your outdoor space thrives throughout the season. For personalized advice or professional lawn care support, don’t hesitate to contact Royal Lawn Service. We’re here to help you get the most out of your lawn this summer!
The Best Fertilization Schedule for Lawns in Missouri
Fertilization is key to maintaining a beautiful, healthy lawn here in Missouri! The nutrients inside fertilizer can revolutionize your lawn’s appearance and even increase your turf’s health dramatically. However, when fertilizing your lawn, consistency is a key component to yielding the results you want. Ideally, you should follow a fertilization schedule that will be the most beneficial for your particular lawn, and where your property is located will play a big role in when you should fertilize it. In our state, for example, you should fertilize your lawn five times each year using a granular fertilizer throughout the winter, spring, summer, and fall. Here is more information on when to fertilize your lawn here in Missouri! Fertilize your lawn in late winter to help it recover after dormancy. Apply the first fertilization treatment of the year in late winter to help your grass recover after dormancy. In the winter, your grass endured cold weather, snow, and other seasonal stressors. So, as it comes out of dormancy, it’s best to fertilize it to give it that extra boost it needs. By applying fertilizer, you can enrich the soil in your lawn, aid root development, and enhance your turf’s green color! A high-quality granular fertilizer can help you achieve optimal results. Apply fertilizer in the spring to help your grass grow beautiful and strong! In the spring, your grass will be growing using all the energy it stored in the winter to grow. Apply the second fertilization treatment during the middle to late spring using a granular fertilizer to help support its growth. By fertilizing in the spring, you’ll be providing your lawn with the nutrients needed to grow beautiful and strong! The fertilizer can, as a result, help grass look green and help it better withstand diseases, insects, and even harsh weather. Pair fertilization with a weed control treatment to prevent weeds from stealing the nutrients from your grass! Fertilizing your lawn early in the summer can prepare your lawn for the heat. In the summer, temperatures in Missouri can sometimes exceed 90 degrees in July and August! You should apply the third fertilization treatment in the early summer to prepare your lawn for this type of heat. A granular fertilizer can prepare your lawn to withstand scorching hot days by providing the nutrients it needs to develop strong roots. This can help your lawn look beautiful and green during summer barbeques and other outdoor gatherings. Fertilize your lawn twice in the fall. Once summer ends, you should apply the fourth treatment of fertilizer in the early fall to help your lawn recover from the hot summer season. The granular fertilizer will enhance the turf’s color, help it recover after the heat, and even start to prepare it for fall weather by giving it the nutrients needed to develop a strong root system. Then, toward the end of fall, you should apply the last fertilization treatment of the year to prepare your lawn for the winter. By using a granular fertilizer at the end of the season, you can ensure your lawn has all the nutrients it needs to stay strong and healthy during harsh seasonal weather. Call us today to sign up for our fertilization service! Fertilization isn’t a one-time type of service! To get the best results, you need to fertilize your lawn multiple times throughout the year. Unfortunately, this can become quite a hassle for busy property owners! That’s where we come in! Call us at (816) 886-1121 to sign up for our fertilization service. Our professionals at Sam’s Turf Care will work to help you grow the ideal lawn you’ve always wanted! We service Independence, Gladstone, North Kansas City, and nearby areas in Missouri.
WHAT IS WINTER LAWN FERTILIZER & IS IT REALLY NECESSARY?
Providing essential nutrients to your lawn through fertilizer treatments is what allows it to grow to its full potential. Although the spring and summer months are the typical times of the year when you will fertilize your lawn, a winter fertilizer treatment should never go overlooked. But is it really necessary? Yes! Winter lawn fertilizer is used to help your grass develop a deeper and stronger root system and store important nutrients. It is important for lawns in Missouri because piled-up snow and cold weather can be huge stressors for lawns. When applying a winter lawn fertilizer, you should always use a granular, slow-release fertilizer to ensure your lawn gets the nutrients over an extended period of time instead of all at once. Winter lawn fertilizer plays an important role in helping your lawn make it through the winter season and it will help your lawn bounce back strong once spring arrives! What is winter lawn fertilizer? Winter lawn fertilizer, also referred to as winterizer, aids in the development of a deeper, stronger root system in your grass as well as the storage of vital nutrients to help your lawn get ready for the winter. It’s composed of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus that help your grass grow green, strong, and healthy. Because your lawn faces many difficulties during the winter, you’ll want it to be as strong as it can be before winter dormancy. It’s important that your lawn receives the nutrients it needs to make it through the winter season so that it can emerge healthy once spring arrives. Are winterizer treatments really necessary for lawns in Missouri? Winterizer treatments are absolutely necessary for lawns in Missouri. Cold weather combined with piled-up snow can be huge stressors for your lawn. Without a winterizer treatment, your lawn is more likely to fall victim to snow mold and you could end up with an unattractive, brown lawn once spring arrives. Winterizer will assist the roots o your grass in absorbing and storing essential nutrients that they can use at any time to combat these stressors, making it easier for your lawn to make it through the difficult winter season. Winterizer should be applied sometime in November or early December to give your lawn a chance to fully prepare for the winter season. Should the winterizer treatment be liquid or granular? Although liquid fertilizer treatments are very effective, when applying winterizer you should always use granular treatments. Granular fertilizer is a slow-release fertilizer, which will allow your lawn to receive nutrients over an extended period of time instead of all at once. Giving your lawn the ability to absorb nutrients for a longer period of time will allow it to use these important nutrients when it is needed the most during the harsh winters and store the rest. Give us a call today to schedule our fertilization service. If you want to keep your lawn healthy and thriving, you’ll need to make sure you fertilize it regularly. This is especially true when it comes to preparing your lawn for the winter season! At Sam’s Turf Care, we provide a high-quality fertilization program that includes a winterizer treatment to help your lawn prepare for the winter season ahead. One of our main goals is to make sure that your grass is green and healthy once the spring season arrives. We offer our fertilization service to commercial, residential, and HOA properties in Independence, Gladstone, North Kansas City, MO, and throughout the surrounding areas. Give us a call today at (816) 886-1121 to schedule our fertilization service, which includes winterizer treatments. We look forward to hearing from you soon.