Get matched with top lawn care pros in Melrose, NM

Hiring a professional lawn care service is generally worth the cost, especially if you have limited free time. Lawn care professionals can ensure your lawn receives the vital nutrients it needs to grow and thrive, guaranteeing a healthy, beautiful, and well-maintained yard with professional-looking results. While some homeowners enjoy doing the work themselves, hiring a company frees up your schedule. The decision also depends on your budget and whether you already own the necessary lawn equipment, as doing the maintenance yourself can reduce monthly costs. Additionally, many lawn care companies offer other services like snow and leaf removal to keep your property in top shape year-round.

To prepare your lawn for core aeration, water it the day before you aerate. (Alternatively, you can wait until it rains and aerate the following day.) Aerating after watering or a rainy day will make the process easier since you can penetrate moist soil better than dry soil. You should also flag your sprinklers so that you don’t accidentally hit them while aerating. If you have a lot of thatch buildup in your yard, you might need to dethatch your lawn before aerating as well.

You should not water your lawn every day, even in hot weather. For most lawns, watering one to three times per week is sufficient. It is best to water during a drought or when temperatures are high, but avoid watering in the middle of the day or if the temperature exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The extreme heat will cause the water to evaporate before the soil can fully absorb it. The best time to water is in the early morning at dawn or in the early evening (between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.) when the temperature is cooler.

Ultimately, pulling weeds vs. spraying them depends on what’s happening in your yard and your personal preferences. Manual weed removal doesn’t introduce any chemicals into your landscape, targets specific problematic plants, produces immediate results, can be free if you go the DIY route, and is inexpensive with a weed service if you only have a handful of weeds. On the other hand, spraying is often preferable for severe weed infestations and situations involving difficult-to-pull weeds because it treats multiple weeds at once, is usually more effective long-term, is less time-consuming, and costs less when done by a pro.