What does your lawn look like?

Loughridge Landscapes can evaluate the condition of your lawn and make recommendations for appropriate care. The first thing to determine is what you want from your lawn. Does it have to be 100% weed free, or can you live with some clover? Is it thin in areas? How's the color? Are you trying to grow grass in heavy shade? Do you have irrigation? Have you had a soil sample taken and analyized. These are just some of questions that need to be answered before you do anything.

Many front yards in our area look like crap EVERY AUGUST. Does yours? Know what you are doing BEFORE you spend one dime.

Improper mowing, fertilizing or irrigation can be devastating. Understanding proper cultural practices is the key to grass health. Among these are proper mowing height and frequency. Mowing too low and too often will lead to an infestation of weeds. Raise your deck to 4" and don't bag your clippings. Almost all mowers now come with mulching blades that grind up your clippings into a natural fertilizer.

Your grass can also benefit from annual core aeration. This is a process where a machine removes plugs of soil from the ground. The primary benefit of this procedure is to increase oxygen levels into the root zone. Immediately after aerating your lawn, you should overseed. Improved tall fescue is the best grass to grow in full sun in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area. We use a mixture of several different varieties of seed. These varieties have been selected for their superiority in one or more qualities that make a good grass plant. Among these are drought tolerance, disease resistance, dark color and a thin blade. Fall is the best time to fertilize. Use a slow release, organic product. Apply at a rate of .5lbN/1000'. That's plenty of nitrogen if you are not bagging your clippings.

Topdressing with a product like Leafgro can be of great benefit for turf that is being grown in compacted clay soils.