If this damage gets worse, this lawn needs an insecticide ASAP but if this is stable damage that has been there for some weeks and not getting worse, insecticide won’t help.

If you find that you need to apply insecticide, you can get one that attaches to your hose and is very inexpensive. Get it at your local hardware store. Brands vary, but you want the one that says “Kills lawn insects” or ‘Kills grubs.”

Don’t expect the lawn to recover from insect damage. Eventually, the dead grass in this spot will all fall out, leaving bare dirt, which will require re-seeding in the fall.

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Lawn Fact #1: In a well maintained, thick 10,000 square foot (929 square meter) lawn, there will be 6 turf plants per square inch (25.4 millimeters), 850 turf plants per square foot (30.45 square meters) for a total of 8.5 million turf plants.

Lawn Fact #2: Like most plants, grass plants are 75 to 80% water, by weight.

Lawn Fact #3: Up to 90% of the weight of a grass plant is in its roots.

Lawn Fact #4: A lawn, 50 by 50 feet (15.24 by 15.24 meters) (2,500 square feet) (232 square meters) releases enough oxygen for a family of four, while absorbing carbon dioxide, ozone, hydrogen fluoride, and peroxyacetyl nitrate.

Lawn Fact #5: A dense, healthy lawn prevents run-off, absorbing rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay field.

Lawn Fact #6: Turfgrass helps control pollution, trapping much of an estimated 12 million tons (10.9 million metric tons) of dust and dirt released annually into the US atmosphere.

Lawn Fact #7: The front lawns of eight average houses have the cooling effect of about 70 tons (68 metric tons) of air conditioning, while the average home-size central air has only a 3 to 4 ton capacity (2.7 to 3.9 metric tons).

Lawn Fact #8: As part of a well-designed and maintained landscape, a well maintained lawn increases a home’s property value by 15 to 20 %.

Lawn Fact #9: Lawn areas discourage intruders and heighten visibility. Lawns absorb noise and reduce glare.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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Some wetting agents are made from corn cob granules that have been impregnated (after the wedding, of course) with detergents and an acid to break down the corn, slowly releasing the surfactant over time.

Wetting agents are available in liquid and granular form, can be expensive, and need to be applied regularly. They are applied to the lawn and then watered in.

Why would detergent make a difference? It’s because of the nature of water. Water has a skin that carries a positive charge (just like newlyweds) that repels other positive things, like soil. If the water is hard, it has more positive charge. Soft water has much less positive charge, but it contains sodium, which is a salt.

We use detergent in our homes every day to break the surface tension to clean things, like our hands. The water gets “small” and can penetrate the smallest cracks, and even mix with oils and float them away.

When soil gets wet, how wet is it? That all depends on the surface tension and the pore size. If the soil has lots of tiny air spaces – spaces the water can’t wet, the soil can’t hold on to what it never had. Using a detergent allows the water to penetrate the smallest air spaces; those that would otherwise never get wet.

You’ve seen what happens to water on a duck’s back, haven’t you? Now that’s runoff! When you see water that acts like that on your lawn, your lawn might be hydrophobic (unable to absorb water efficiently to some degree).

You can make your own wetting agent using the same soap you use on your sponge, your hands and dishes. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Lux, Ajax, Dove or Palmolive (your lawn is soaking in it); you can use it as a wetting agent.

Some people say to avoid “antibacterial” types of detergents because they destroy some good bacteria that eat thatch. However, all detergents are antibacterial in many ways because soaps and detergents kill bacteria.

Homemade Wetting Agent Recipe:

Use this ratio: 1 cup detergent (NOT laundry detergent!) mixed in 3 cups of water per 1000 square feet’ (roughly the size of two 2-car garages). Put the water in a bucket, then stir in the detergent. Apply the mixture to your lawns using a hose jar sprayer (set on high) or a watering can like Mary Contrary had. Then water it in.

You’ll be amazed at how much better the water soaks in before running off. Remember, this won’t make the soil softer (that’s what aerating does); it will make your water go farther.

Another Option: Moisture Manager is a hygroscopic humectant (it attracts water) and is an excellent way to reduce overall landscape water use. When applied to turf or landscape areas and watered into the root zone, this product will allow plants to more effectively utilize any water they receive through rainfall and irrigation.

When water is applied to the soil, it has one of three fates. Firstly, it can be pulled down by gravity deeper into the soil and eventually added to the ground water. Secondly, it may evaporate and escape the soil back into the atmosphere above the soil. Finally and most favorably, it can be used by the plant.

Moisture Manager effectively minimizes the loss of soil water to evaporation by condensing the escaping water vapor back into liquid form for the plant to use. In fact, Moisture Manager has been documented to reduce overall water use by as much as 50 percent.

Moisture Manager is effective, inexpensive, lasts three months and will make a huge difference in the amount of water you use.

NOTE: Be sure to also have your lawn aerated. Lawn aeration is even more important than wetting agents because having your lawn aerated is the only way to ease soil compaction.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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You’d be surprised how important mowing is. You cannot only save a lot of water by mowing properly, your lawn will fare much better if you do. The rules are simple:

1. Cut your lawn at the tallest possible setting- (2.5 to 3″ high after you mow). Why? There are actually many reasons why this matters:

First, consider the “bonsai effect.” When lawns are cut short, they will always respond by growing thin, hair-like roots up close to the surface. That’s not very drought- resistant!

Then, there’s the “tropical rain forest effect.” When lawns are cut tall, a warm, moist layer of air is trapped near the soil surface, greatly slowing evaporation, even on hot windy days.

If the grass is tall, the sun never strikes the ground, just like in a jungle, where there is perpetual shade on the forest floor, also slowing evaporation.

Weed seeds need the sun to germinate, so 80% of weeds like crabgrass can be prevented from sprouting because of the shade created.

2. Never remove more than 1/3 of the blade.

If your lawn looks yellow just after mowing, you are likely violating this rule. Let your lawn grow to 4″ then cut it back to 3″ so it will stay tall and you’ll be cutting less than 1/3 off. Why does this matter? Because the blades grow from the stem and most of their usable area is in the 2″-3″ zone, cutting off the best part leaves only partial blades with stems that are cutoff. Lawns need blade area, not cut stem exposure.

3. Mow as often as needed so that you follow Rules 1 and 2 above.

This may mean that you need to mow weekly, because if you don’t, more than 1/3 of the grass blades will be cut off. Don’t be tempted to mow it short, thinking that you won’t need to mow it again soon. Your lawn hates that, and you’ll use more water trying to revive it after injury.

4. Sharpen your mower blade.

A sharp blade cuts cleanly; a dull blade shreds the grass ends, causing a frayed brown look. The torn ends also lose water faster than a clean cut.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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You’d be surprised how important proper watering is. You can save a lot of water by watering properly. As usual, the rules are quite simple (there’s only one rule):

“Water your lawns deeply, not daily, and only water twice a week.”

What? Isn’t that what my town recently told me to do, and we all freaked out because we were used to watering every day? Well, we’ve been telling people to water twice a week for almost 40 years!

You should only water your lawn every third day or so, and water enough so that you are applying sufficient water to meet the lawn’s minimum needs. Lawns need about 1″ of water a week.

So, how many minutes is that overall? It depends on your sprinkler system, and they can vary widely. Some sprinkler systems use lots of heads fairly close together. Other systems have far fewer heads and cover much more area so they need to operate longer to deliver the same amount of water. Here’s a test you can do to find out how many minutes to water every week:

To determine how many minutes to water to get the required 1″ of water every week, do this test:

Using a bunch of empty yogurt containers or coffee cups, distribute the cups all over the lawn, then water for a set amount of time, (go through each zone or station) such as 15 minutes.

Measure the amount of water in the driest cups, ignoring the cups that seem to have twice or three times the amount of water in them.

If 15 minutes got you an average of 1/2″ water in the driest cups, then 30 minutes would equal 1″ of water.

Do this test for each station or valve, then set the timer accordingly so you water twice a week for the total time needed.

Tip: You can adjust your sprinklers to water the drier areas more by cutting back on the heads that put out too much water in a given area. Use the test above to determine how long to water, then locate the fullest cups. The heads that cover those wetter areas can be turned down, increasing the pressure to heads that will benefit by the extra water pressure created.

Did you know?
When you water too often, it makes the roots grow closer to the surface. Why should roots grow deeper if all the water is near the surface?

Watering frequently also promotes weeds. In fact, 80% of crabgrass control is watering. If crabgrass seeds dry out during germination, they die and never become plants.

Watering too often also makes more thatch, as the roots respond to surface water availability and respond by making shallow hair-like roots that eventually die and become thatch.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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Actually, there are only seven possible reasons why a sad lawn isn’t nicer. You need a list of these seven rules so you can make sure you are following the rules.

The rules are surprisingly simple:

Rule #1: “Start with real grass, not weeds”

If there are too many annuals (plants that die yearly) or seasonal weeds, it’s not a real grass lawn. That’s why it’s important to start with at least 60% of desirable, perennial grasses (those that stay green all year long). Watering weeds that die yearly or grass that is seasonal will not make for a nice lawn.

The annual shown above is poa annua (annual bluegrass). It dies in summer and returns in fall from seeds. Watering winter annual grasses (such as poa annua) will not keep them alive in summer.

If necessary, renovate (dethatch, aerate and reseed) or re-sod. If you are not sure whether your lawn is “desirable,” send some images of your lawns using this link: Send pictures of your lawn to Fairway. We’ll call you with free advice as soon as we have seen your images. If your lawn is not at least 60% desirable grasses, we won’t aerate it because aerating is not the correct thing to do.

To learn how to control annuals and all other weeds growing in your lawn, visit the Lawn Weed ID Page. There, you’ll see photos of weeds so you can identify which weed you have. In addition, you’ll find information about how to control each weed. You can buy “selective” weed killers that don’t harm the grass, and you don’t have to spray the weeds individually. You simply spray the area of lawn that has weeds; they all die and the grass remains. Controlling weeds is easy and can be done by the homeowner whenever needed at a fraction of the cost of a pest control visit.

If necessary, renovate (dethatch, aerate and reseed) or re-sod. If you are not sure whether your lawn is “desirable,” send some images of your lawns using this link: Send pictures of your lawn to Fairway

Rule #2: Grass Won’t Grow on a Brick

Remember the Adobe Indians? They fashioned bricks from clay and built houses using the bricks. Since clay soil is very dense and compacts easily, the sun-hardened bricks became nearly waterproof. This was good for the Indians, but it’s bad for your lawn. Our soil is mostly clay and tends to compact, limiting water and root penetration. The only way to relieve compaction is by aerating. For more information about aerating and how is saves water, call Fairway Lawn Service 1-800-497-4075 or request a FREE Quote.

Learn what to do with the cores left from the aerating machine.

Rule #3: “Limit Shade”

Grass doesn’t grow well in shade. No matter what you do, grass in the deep shade gets thinner and thinner. Replacing the sod simply puts off the inevitable thinning.

Lawns need at least 2-3 hours of direct sunlight daily. So if you have lawn areas that get less sun, either trim out some tree branches, move the garage to the left, or consider an alternative to grass in those shady areas.

Rule #4: “Water!”

Water is essential for lawn maintenance. Whenever there is less than 1″ of water in a week (from rain), additional water is needed to sustain proper plant life. The capacity of the soil to store water for plant use depends on two factors: permeability and retention. If the water runs off and does not penetrate, retention cannot occur. Likewise, if the water penetrates but runs through the soil, it will not be there when the plants need it.

Clay soils retain water well but have penetration problems, mostly because of compaction. Once the compaction is alleviated, the penetration factor goes up and the lawn is able to hold more water.

To determine how many minutes to water to get the required 1″ of water every week, do this test: Using a bunch of empty yogurt containers or coffee cups, distribute the cups all over the lawn, then water for a set amount of time, such as 15 minutes. Measure the amount of water in the driest cups, ignoring the cups that seem to have twice or three times the amount of water in them. If 15 minutes got you an average of 1/2″ water in the driest cups, then 30 minutes would equal 1″ of water. Do this test for each station or valve, then set the timer accordingly.

http://fairwaylawnservice.com/how-to-water-your-lawn-properly

Rule #5: Feed Me!

Unlike humans, lawn plants don’t grow old; they can grow new blades and new roots. But, if the rate of decline is greater than the rate of regrowth, the lawn goes downhill (if you’ll pardon the pun). If you only ate once a week, you’d be hungry all the time. Your lawn is no different.

If you fertilize every six to eight weeks year round, your lawn will always be making new blades and roots, and the regrowth will be greater than the rate of decline, and your lawn will improve.

To feed your lawn, Fairway recommends using the same fertilizer we use, which is not available at your local big box store. You can get the right fertilizer at Site One Landscape Supply. It’s not as convenient as your local big box store, but Site One has the fertilizer you need. And, if you use Fairway’s Customer Number 1113909 at Site One Landscaping Supply, you’ll get over 30% off! Click HERE to read the technical specifications sheet.

This is the same fertilizer that golf courses use!

• In winter, we use 21-7-14 (Best Turf Royale)
• In summer, we use 16-6-8. (Best Turf Supreme)

Wait 6 weeks from when we fertilized, then apply 5-7 lbs fertilizer per 1000 square feet of lawn area. If you aren’t sure of your lawn size (square feet), please call us at 800 -497-4075 and we’ll look it up in our database.

Do NOT cast the fertilizer by hand; it won’t be even! Use a whirlybird type spreader to apply the fertilizer evenly. If you aren’t sure how big your lawns are, call us; we know!

For more technical information about fertilizers, visit this link: The Science Behind Fertilizer.

Rule #6: “Never Cut it Short”

If your lawn is being cut any shorter than 2 1/2″ or if mowing removes more than 1/3 of the grass blades, you’re asking for trouble! Just look at the list of problems that mowing short causes:

a. shallow roots (roots die back and re-grow annually; shallow roots are a response to the shorter cut)

b. thatch buildup (another response to cutting too short)

c. weeds (weed seeds need the sun to germinate; cutting short exposes the seeds to the sun)

d. crabgrass (same seed issue as above)

e. Bermuda grass (Bermuda grass tolerates short cuts – fescue and bluegrass do not)

f. wasted water (requires up to 30% more water to keep the lawn green)

Lawns that are mown at 3″ (after mowing) retain more water in their blades, have deeper roots, and provide shade for the soil, preventing evaporation. You’ll have a much nicer lawn and you’ll use much less water when you mow long. Mow as often as needed, so you aren’t cutting off more than 1/3 of the blade. For more information about http://fairwaylawnservice.com/how-to-mow-your-lawn-properly/

Rule #7: “Watch for Damage”

If you see brown areas forming in your lawn, immediately check your sprinklers for adequate coverage. There may be a blocked or broken head.

If there seems to be enough water, pull on the grass to see if it pulls out easily. If it does, you’ve got grubs like the the picture on the right above. If the grubs are active (spots are getting worse), use an insecticide such as Bayer Advanced Grub Control. The two pictures on the right show new grub damage and old grub damage.

If the grass seems well-rooted, the brown grass may be an annual or have gone dormant, like the grasses in the hills do as soon as it gets warm. This seasonal browning of annual grasses occur as soon as the grasses in the hills turned brown. There aren’t any annuals that turn brown in the middle of summer.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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Aerating will make what water you do apply go much farther. Instead of running off or only penetrating a few inches, water is better absorbed when the lawns have been aerated.

Each year, up to 80% of lawn roots die back, and the grass tries to grow new roots. If your soil is compacted, these new roots can’t force their way into compacted soil, and then grow shallow and hair-like, making more thatch and requiring a lot more water.

Aerating makes lawns more drought-resistant, saving water and increasing your lawn’s ability to store water. Lawns are healthier when they are aerated regularly. Lawns that have deeper roots require less water. In clay soil, aeration is not an option; it’s a necessity.

Look at the pictures above that show a cross section of a lawn. The first picture shows what happens when you don’t aerate. Once aeration has been done, note how much deeper the roots are.

The picture above shows what a lawn’s roots should look like. Deeper roots mean better drought resistance. It also means you can water less.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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Fairway is a “green” company, which means we don’t use poisons or chemicals when we aerate your lawn, but we do know that sometimes lawns need weed killers or insecticide. Rather than have our workers apply these chemicals, possibly exposing themselves and the environment, we believe that judicious, limited pesticides should be used sparingly.

If you choose to apply a weed killer or any other pesticide, we suggest you call Fairway first. We’ll tell you which treatments are effective and help you understand the procedure so you’ll get the best results.

When you see brown spots, or strange weeds or grasses, we can help. Max will personally call you with his opinion, so you’ll know what to do.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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Control: Sorrel is controlled using Ortho Weed-B-Gon or Bayer Advanced All-in-One Lawn Weed Killer, but you will need to spray several times to get the newly sprouted plants, as the seeds are unaffected by the weed killer. These chemicals will not damage the lawn grasses when used properly.

As with all broad-leaved weeds, spray in between mowing and do not water for several days.

Please use caution when spraying your weeds. Weed killer is a poison, but if handled properly can be completely safe. If you have pets, do not allow them to come into contact with treated areas until the lawn is completely dry. If you have cats, be sure that the cats do not eat grass that has been sprayed.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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Control: Violets are easily killed using Ortho Weed-B-Gon or Bayer Advanced All-in-One Lawn Weed Killer, but you will need to spray several times to get the newly sprouted plants, as the underground stems are unaffected by the weed killer. These chemicals will not damage the lawn grasses when used properly.

As with all broad-leaved weeds, spray in between mowing and do not water for several days.

Questions about your lawns? Request a Free Quote!

Call Fairway at 1-800-497-4075 or Contact Us for free advice. Attach an image of your issue and we will be happy to help! We'll give you free expert advice about your lawns, whether you're a customer or not.

Call Fairway Lawn Service to have your lawns aerated, have Moisture Manager applied to your lawn or yard or request a FREE QUOTE.

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