PRO TIPS - YOU'RE WELCOME 🙂
The pH of your dirt matters - a lot.
If the pH of your dirt is too low, about 70% of that Scott's fertilizer you got at Lowe's or Home Depot is wasted. In fact, it's actually breaking down and making your soil more and more acidic. The South has notoriously acidic soil which makes it exceptionally hard for most grasses to absorb nutrients. Remember back to Alabama History class, remember crop rotation? Back when cotton was king, they started planting peanuts in off years because the soil wouldn't produce crops as much.
Same with your yard.
The dirt is tired and in the case of 99.99999% of homeowners you've never checked your pH and you've never done anything to fix it. You just mow it, edge, weed eat, get the blower out - repeat. You get your 13-13-13 like your grandaddy taught you and water it in the summertime. You might even overseed it.
That's fine, but if you've ever wondered why you don't have a lush, rich, weed-free lawn - start with getting your pH fixed. You're welcome.
Bet you're over watering your lawn in the summer.
Almost every single yard we service, with an irrigation system, is over watering their lawn. You probably are too.
"But what about the heat and the sun?!?!" - you
"Your grass has roots and they will grow and go find water." - we promise
That's an extreme exchange we know, but if you're watering your lawn 5-7x a week that's about 2-4x too many. Save some water for the fish. You actually want a little summer stress on your lawn so that your grass grows deeeeeep roots (you want that stress earlier in the growing season, like in May/June to prep for July and Aug). Deeeeeep roots mean your grass can absorb more nutrients and if you'll think back to science class, remember roots are where plants store water. So when you water-water-water-water all the time, your grass won't grow deep roots and they don't store water. Your grass will instead grow shallow roots and with all the extra water, you're increasing the chance of root rot. And THEN your grass is dead and it's summertime while you've been watering it... Trust us, we see it every day and then it's time to re-sod.
You should water your lawn about 3x a week if it doesn't rain. If it does rain, only run your sprinklers 1-2x that week. You're welcome.
Ok, don't buy these ^^ but lawn aeration is highly under-utilized in Tuscaloosa.
Let's break things down a little:
The dirt around Tuscaloosa and Northport is red clay.
Most of the time it's packed pretty tight.
Every single home builder cuts costs, they just toss sod down over graded red clay dirt.
So you have about an inch of good soil that healthy grass is growing in, laid right on top of something where grass doesn't grow well.
That means the roots of that young sod can't grow deep. Your sod likely looks good for about 2 years and then it thins out. The top soil seems to be gone and the grass isn't nearly as lush.
Sound familiar? The good news is you're not alone and you need to do some aeration. You need to poke a billion holes in your lawn, down deep to the roots of your lawn.
"Why...?" - you
"Glad you asked. Because that tight soil, that red clay the builder drove trucks and bulldozers over is packed tighter than Dick's hatband. The roots on your sod need room to grow and exchange gasses. That's right, the roots need air so they can better exchange gasses or else they get choked out like a UFC fight gone bad. That is why your grass is thin. That is why your grass is stressed. So get us to aerate it or if you're feeling frisky, rent one and hold on for dear life when you crank it up. Don't have the kids around, core aerators are like bucking broncos." - us
Trust us, this is one thing you need to do every year and we recommend asking the pros to handle it so you don't get hurt. You're welcome.
Buy professional grade yard tools.
(never seen the show, just found the logo)
Did you know every single lawn equipment manufacturer has 2 different standards for equipment?
There is 1 (lesser) standard for equipment sold at the big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes.
There is a 2nd (better) standard for equipment sold at local equipment dealers.
True story ^
Ever wonder why you don't see professional landscapers buying mowers or weed eaters or edgers or chain saws at Home Depot or Lowes? Sure, you might see them getting a few odd and end things, maybe a chain trimmer line. But never equipment - ever.
But that's why - the better equipment that is built to a higher/better standard is sold at the local equipment dealers. Yes, the same make and model you can find at the big box is sold at the local dealer. Yes, the local dealer price is a little higher. But you know what you get? High-end, professional-grade quality tools. That's why you struggle with the choke and primer bubble sometimes with that weed eater. That's why the throttle is a hassle sometimes, it's not made to the highest standard.
And you're helping a local business, you're building a local relationship, and if you need service you know where you can take it, look them in the eye, they'll see it's not a big-box version, and get you taken care of.
Trust us, just buy your small engine equipment from a local dealer and you'll have 1,000 fewer problems. You're welcome.