The way customers and prospective customers view your commercial property is important. The quality of the Turf often speaks to how the overall property is cared for.  Turf that is thin, weedy, and neglected can give the wrong impression about how the rest of the property is maintained.  Turf that is thick, green and lush year round, speaks volumes about how important the property image is – not only to the tenants and residents, but also the managers and owners.

If your property’s Lawn is in bad shape, choked with weeds, or has thin/bare spots, you could benefit from a lawn renovation. Fall lawn care will help your commercial property look it’s best and possibly increase your property’s value. In addition, a thick, lush lawn helps control soil erosion, filters pollution from ground water, keeps the summer ground temperatures more moderate and adds much-needed oxygen to the air.

What Services are Part of Fall Lawn Care Program?

Soil Testing
First things first. A soil test will help determine the condition of your soil and provides specific information that will help your landscape company determine what exactly your lawn needs.

Seeding
Every commercial property is different when it comes to turf.  Some areas are under dense shade, others are in the blazing sun.  Some areas are high traffic while others may be hardly used. Selecting the right seed blend is key to getting a healthy turf stand.  State approved blends exist to address just about any environmental condition.  Your commercial landscape contractor should be recommending and using the highest quality seed to suit each area when they perform this service.

Weeding
Weeds are competition for nutrients, water, and sunlight.  The more weeds there are, the less healthy turf there is.  Beyond having a proper mowing program that allows turf to grow to a minimum of 3″ before mowing, the most effective control for tough weeds is with an herbicide. In the fall, perennial lawn weeds transport food stores from leaves to roots.  Liquid broadleaf herbicide applied in September to early October is carried to the roots and kills these tough weeds.

Dethatch
Your lawn cannot live without air, water and nutrients. When a thick layer of thatch builds up, water and fertilizer may run off instead of penetrating the soil. Dethatching can help rejuvenate a lawn by restoring passageways to the soil.

Aerate
Soil compacts over time. It compacts from use (think walking or playing sports or even from being driven over) as well as other natural causes like erosion.  Core aeration helps to revive turf by removing small plugs of soil and roots which in turn loosens the soil allowing for air, nutrients and water to reach turf roots.  Aeration reduces surface runoff and gives fertilizers direct access to turf roots.  This makes all of those fertilizer applications more effective.

Overseeding
After dethatching and aerating, it’s time to overseed your lawn. Lawns will naturally thin over time due to use, so adding 3-5 lbs per 1,000 sf of turf is a good maintenance seeding rate that will fill in thin areas.  If you have completely bare areas use a higher seeding rate and make sure that your commercial contractor is aerating and liming those areas to encourage seed germination and establishment.

Lime
This is often the most overlooked service when it comes to lawn care, but it has the largest impact on the continued health of the turf.  Lime applications “sweeten” the soil and make the pH more ideal for a healthy stand of turf.  Liming makes all of those fertilizer applications more effective by allowing the nutrients being applied to be available to the turf.  If you can’t remember the last time you had a pH test or a lime application – fall is the time to ask!!

Fertilizing
Your commercial landscape contractor will apply fertilizer according to soil test results during initial seeding period and it will last for 6 to 8 weeks. Follow up applications should be part of your regular maintenance program.

Why Do You Need a Fall Lawn Care Program?

Fall is the best time to improve the quality of the turf on your commercial property.  Temperatures are cooler, rainfall is typically more than sufficient to get seed to germinate, and the more aggressive weeds (like crabgrass) go dormant in cool weather.  Between September and the first frost, strong roots can be established and that sets the table for a beautiful spring lawn next season, and there is no fighting the summer heat to keep a new lawn healthy and well watered.

If you would like a quote for fall lawn care for your commercial property, contact us today!

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