How Do Lawn Care Service Professionals Diagnose and Treat Lawn Problems?
Lawn care professionals have the tools, equipment, knowledge, and experience to diagnose and correct lawn problems. Depending on where you live, you might encounter brown patches, thin grass, lawn fungus, pest infestation, and more. Here’s how lawn care professionals treat these common lawn problems:
Grass Won’t Grow
When your grass won’t grow, there is often insufficient sunlight. A lawn care professional will likely recommend professional tree trimming to increase sunlight reaching your lawn, helping the grass grow. You can expect to pay between $270 and $1,800 for tree trimming.
Bleach Patches
Bleach patches and yellow grass are common in areas with high humidity. Luckily, there are some simple remedies to bring your grass back to life, including:
Keep lawn watering to a minimum.
Apply a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to the grass, which will help your lawn recover.
Don’t cut your lawn too short.
Brown Patches
You might have brown patches on your lawn. Brown patches can happen for several reasons, including nitrogen burns, overwatering, poor soil drainage, improper maintenance, and more. Here’s how lawn pros repair brown patches:
Dethatch and aerate your lawn annually.
Water your lawn early in the day so your grass can soak in moisture.
Apply vital nutrients to your lawn.
Poor Soil Quality
If you regularly fertilize your lawn but it doesn’t make a difference, the problem could be your soil’s pH balance. Here’s how a lawn care pro will fix this issue:
A pro will perform soil testing, which costs $600 to $2,000.
Once your soil’s pH level is tested, pros will add the proper amendments to bring your soil to the right level.
A pro may also add lime amendments, which raise the pH of your soil, making it more alkaline.
Pest Infestation
Pests, such as grubs, chinch bugs, aphids, armyworms, and sod webworms, love to feed on the roots of grass and organic soil matter. These common grass bugs and lawn pests can quickly turn your grass brown and wilt the blades. In addition, skunks, birds, and raccoons also love to feast on these bugs—so you’ll have to contend with those animals. Here’s how lawn pros identify and treat pest infestations:
A pro will walk along the grass to see if it feels spongy.
Pros will pull up a handful of grass. If it comes up quickly, it’s because pests are eating away at the roots.
A pro will then treat your lawn with a grub guard or an organic pesticide to prevent bugs and pests from chewing on your lawn.
Thin Grass
Compacted soil and thatch often cause grass to thin. Compacted soil means your lawn can’t breathe, and little sunlight, water, and nutrients reach the roots. Because your grass isn’t taking in vital substances, it will start to thin and lose its beautiful green coloration.
Pros will perform lawn aeration, which costs $75 to $200. Lawn aeration is the process of poking hundreds of small holes in your yard, which then allows sunlight, water, and vital nutrients to reach the grassroots.
Lawn Fungus
Lawn fungus and disease thrive in moist environments, heat, drought, and compacted soil. To keep fungus at bay, many lawn care professionals will apply several lawn treatments, including:
Lawn dethatching
Lawn aeration
Adding specialized fertilizer
Applying fungicides to your lawn
Seeding your lawn in the fall
Weeds
Many different types of weeds can show up on your lawn. So, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to getting rid of them. Depending on the type of weed, lawn care pros may apply the following treatments:
Pre-emergents
Weed shield herbicides
Chemical-grade weed killer (not found in stores)
Mowing your lawn high
Properly watering your lawn
Preventative annual lawn maintenance