What are the Best Steps to Making a Great Lawn in Westchester, NY

A beautiful, healthy lawn will enhance your Westchester, NY outdoor space. Lush, vibrant grasses show how much you care about your home, and it improves the overall appearance of a patio, outdoor kitchen, infinity edge pool, and walkways that traverse your landscape. Landscape maintenance is the foundation of a fabulous outdoor environment. That said, achieving a healthy, attractive yard is not that easy. It requires managing weeds and preventing disease, establishing nutrient-rich soil, and maintaining the grass with proper irrigation and mowing best practices. You could dedicate hours every week to these tasks in order to get the beautifully landscaped yard you deserve. But wouldn’t you rather spend the time enjoying your yard rather than working in it?

You might be wondering what steps a lawn professional takes to help your grass thrive. Here are seven strategies Neave Lawn Care uses to make sure our clients get the best yard service possible.

#1 Conduct a Lawn Analysis

Before starting any services, a professional should conduct a thorough analysis of the soil and identify problem areas on your Westchester, NY property. A lawn analysis includes studying weather patterns and examining the amount of sunlight areas of your property receive. A pro also should ask you about your landscape’s history to learn what disease, weed and insect problems you’ve experienced in the past. With this information, a tailored lawn analysis can be developed to address your property’s needs so you can achieve your goals.

#2 Implement Yard Aeration to Improve Soil Quality

Yard aeration should be performed in either early spring or the fall season. It involves pulling up soil plugs, which gives the soil breathing room so grassroots can access important nutrients and grow more deeply. Yard aerating literally gets to the root by addressing soil health. When soil is compacted, it stops water, oxygen, and nutrients from reaching the turf’s roots. Aeration perforates the soil with small holes so it can soak in all that good stuff.

Without aeration, lawns will eventually “choke.” Aerating grass also breaks up thatch, and it is usually followed by overseeding to promote the growth of new, vibrant turf and to help fill in the landscape.

#3 Attack Insects and Pests

Insects can feast on plants and ruin your landscape’s grass. Not to mention, mosquitos and other bugs can steal the enjoyment out of your outdoor living spaces—they’re a real pest! For the health of your grass and the sake of your sanity, be sure your lawn care service includes insect pest control. Ideally, you want an integrated pest management program (IPM) that focuses on the long-term health of your Westchester, NY landscape. IPM is a method of managing pests with minimal chemicals. It’s a long-term approach that focuses on plant health and includes prevention, monitoring, and control with safe products.

Beyond IPM, pet owners might consider a tick spray for the yard that can create a safer environment for four-legged family members. Also, mosquito treatments can prevent disease-carrying bugs from spoiling your outdoor fun.

#4 Prevent and Treat Weeds

Fighting lawn weeds can feel like a losing battle, especially when dealing with stubborn crabgrass and deep-rooted dandelions that seem to grow faster than your grass. The key to keeping weeds at bay is to adopt a professional yard service that includes pre-emergent (preventive) and post-emergent (curative) weed treatments.

Pre-emergent treatments are applied to the yard before you even see weeds. These applications prevent weeds from reaching the soil level. Post-emergent treatments knock down weeds that crop up in your yard. The two types of weed control work together, giving you the best chance of preventing weeds in your Westchester, NY property. Your property might require some hand-pulling of weeds, too, but the hard labor will be drastically reduced with customized turf services that incorporate pre- and post-emergent applications.

#5 Grass Fertilize The Yard

Grass fertilization helps nourish plant life by giving the grass the nutrients it needs to grow strong. Healthy turf crowds out weeds and is less likely to suffer from disease and insects. A fertilization program will provide consistent nutrition to your Westchester landscape. Over time, your grass may require less fertilizer as it becomes healthier and established. An experienced professional will make adjustments to your landscape grass to ensure the turf gets the fertilizer it requires while minimizing the impact on the environment.

#6 Smart Watering and Proper Mowing

Plants need water to grow, and Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate. Fortunately, today there is a range of efficient, and professional irrigation systems that allow you to use water wisely while giving the grass the H20 it needs to thrive. Find out if your lawn professional can design, install and maintain an irrigation system. A full-service provider gives you the advantage of a pro who can manage all aspects of irrigation, and who works with a lawn care team of professionals to address specific watering needs on your New York or Connecticut property.

Proper mowing also promotes healthy grass. Avoid cutting grass too short, which can make it more susceptible to damage from hot, dry weather. Ideally, only 1/3 of the grass blade should be removed during a single cut.

#7 Enhance Your Property with Plant Care

Your grass isn’t the only plant that needs attention. Landscape shrubs and trees have needs, too. Garden plants and trees share the soil, so taking a holistic approach helps assure that both aspects of your property are properly managed. Similar to maintaining healthy grass, plant and tree health care includes site assessment and monitoring, fertilization, and disease and pest control. Pruning removes diseased, dying or dead branches and to promote healthy growth.

All Eyes On Your Green Lawn

Our experienced yard service professionals will treat your landscape like their own. At Neave Lawn Care, we take pride in our certified green lawn specialists’ attention to detail and horticultural knowledge. They are constantly evaluating clients’ properties to identify potential disease, insect and weed concerns so those issues can be nipped in the bud.

Our dedicated team is a consistent presence on your property, and they get to know the ins and outs of your grass and landscape. This allows us to offer insight on ways to improve your property so you can enjoy your great outdoors without doing the work.

Get a free lawn analysis and ask us how Neave Lawn Care can improve the health and appearance of your landscape. Contact us by filling out our contact form, or call our Westchester, NY office at 914-271-7996