The Parke Company

Weeding is an important task year-round for your garden and your lawn. But it’s especially critical to tackle weeds in the fall for a variety of reasons, which we’ll explore right now.

1. Fall Cleaning

Fall leaves already create a big headache for homeowners looking to keep their lawns clean and healthy, so it might be a bit of a hassle to tack on weed control in this already busy time. But when you incorporate weed control into your fall lawn care routine, you actually reduce the amount of work you’ll need to do later in the year. It’s easiest to kill weeds in the fall because they’re in the early stages of development. Weeds are very hardy and can survive a lot, so taking them on when they’re weak and still taking root is a great way to ensure they’re dead before spring. Many winter annual weeds, like henbit, chickweed, and purple deadnettle, start germinating in the late summer, reaching the early stages of growth in the fall. Cleaning up leaves from garden beds and lawns takes away places for weeds to hide, ensuring you catch them quickly and early.

Since Nashville winters often don’t get too cold, we’re stuck with weeds year-round that can become especially visible and disruptive in the winter months when lawns are dormant. Removing weeds by hand is the most effective way of getting rid of them if they’re visible, and it only requires simple tools and some elbow grease. If you came here wondering, “Should I bother pulling weeds in the fall?” then wonder no more! The answer is a resounding yes. Fall is the best time to manually remove weeds, but more than that, it’s the best time for weed prevention, too. Read on to learn how The Parke Company can help you prevent weeds with herbicides.

2. Take a Weed Inventory

The best way to prevent weeds from forming this fall and winter is to know what you’re up against. Not every lawn and garden bed is susceptible to the same kinds of weeds. Different types of grass come with their own common weeds, so a one-size-fits-all weed treatment plan doesn’t exist for diverse Nashville lawns. While you’re killing weeds in the fall, take note of what kinds of weeds you’re seeing. Whether you’re removing henbit, chickweed, crabgrass, or deadnettle, each has its own treatment plan. Manually weeding is a lot of work, but when you couple the process with weed prevention, it should dramatically reduce the amount of effort you need to put forward next year. Sometimes, when you prevent one weed, a new type of weed takes its place. This is why a yearly weed inventory is so helpful—it can really help identify the problem you may face in the spring long before the weeds get out of hand. Fortunately, many weed prevention herbicides can treat multiple types of weeds, among other lawn and garden issues.

3. Weed Prevention

Weed prevention is important for your landscaping year-round, but fall is the best time to apply herbicides and make changes to prevent weeds from growing. Annual weeds spread by seeds, and winter weeds spread quickly and can be relatively hard to see until they grow quickly in the spring. You can spray for a variety of weeds in the fall, and it really is the best time of the year to tackle winter weeds. It’s important to note that herbicides for the garden and lawn are different, so ensure you’re using the proper type of chemicals for each area of your landscaping. Herbicides can be dangerous if applied incorrectly, so this is one area that you should rely on the pros for. At The Parke Company, we’ve been applying chemical weedkillers to lawns for years, and our experience means that you and your home will be safe from any issues these chemicals may cause. Expert precision also ensures that weeds are fully controlled and aren’t going to sneak into other areas of the lawn. Applying herbicides evenly can be difficult without specialized equipment, so a landscaping company is your best bet for getting that high-quality application. The weed killers applied in the fall are called preemergence herbicides because they target weeds before they grow in the spring. These weed killers are different from the kind you may use in the spring or summer, so ensure you’re using the right product in the right season.

4. Reduce Pests and Increase Moisture

Weeds are disruptive on their own in a garden or lawn, depriving your plants of nutrients and growing quickly over the grass line. But weeds are far from just unsightly nutrient hogs for a lawn or garden; they can also invite pests that a healthy lawn wouldn’t have. Many pests like cutworms that can harm garden plants and vegetables survive on eating weeds when vegetables aren’t available. Weed availability increases the presence of pests in your garden year-round, making it more likely that your lawn and plants will see pest damage in the spring and summer.

Weeds are incredibly resource-hungry and will choke out grass and other plants with their constant consumption of water. Even in their early stages of development, perennial and winter weeds can soak up hundreds of gallons of water in the soil. This deprives the soil of the hydration it needs to support grass and even trees, causing health issues with your lawn and other garden plants. Dry soil can cause a whole host of problems that extend far beyond brown patches in the lawn. When soil is dry, it’s far weaker against wind and rain erosion, making it fall apart and sweep away in a rainstorm. Weed control in the fall prevents pests and keeps your lawn more hydrated—it can also prevent the land from deteriorating.

Tackle Winter Weeds in the Fall

Weeds are a source of visible and invisible issues that can greatly harm your lawn and other plants, so prevention is critical. The fall is the best time to tackle weeds, so what are you waiting for? Call the experts at The Parke Company to see what we can do for your lawn this year.

Your lawn needs to be cared for all year round to ensure that it’s healthy and at its best. Fertilizing is an excellent way to keep your grass lush and free of pests and disease, so let’s explore a few tips for doing it right.

Five Fertilizing Tips for a Healthier Lawn

1. What to Do Before Fertilizing

If you’re new to fertilizing or just want to make sure you’re approaching it correctly, it’s important to note that some preparation needs to be done first. Preparing your lawn for fertilizer ensures that it’s evenly and effectively fertilized, so you can avoid issues and have a uniformly green and lush lawn. Mow your lawn a few days before you plan to fertilize. This helps the fertilizer penetrate through the soil rather than getting stuck on the thick grass. Mowing is important to do when preparing for fertilizing each time.

Once a year, or the first time you fertilize, further preparation is necessary. After you’ve mowed, you need to prepare the soil and thatch layers for fertilizing. Dethatching and aerating your lawn ensures that the lawn fertilizer properly penetrates the soil and delivers nutrients to your grass. The process of dethatching removes the layer of dead grass and other organic material on your lawn. While a thin layer of thatch is helpful in providing nutrients and protecting the soil, too much can keep water and fertilizer from getting into the ground. Dethatching can be done with a common rake or specialized thatch rake, but the goal is simply to remove some thatch. Dig a small hole in your lawn to check the thickness of the thatch. If it exceeds ¾ of an inch, it’s time to dethatch the lawn. Once you’ve cleared the thatch from the lawn, the lawn can be aerated. Aeration pierces the soil with small spines that help fertilizer and water reach the roots of the grass. Dethatching and aerating the lawn is extra work that goes a long way to get your grass looking healthy, and it’s best to do it in the spring. If you’ve never done it before, you can do this at any time as long as the grass is growing, and you should plan to do it each spring.

2. Choosing Your Fertilizer Correctly

Fertilizer comes in many forms, so finding the right healthy lawn fertilizer might sound like a daunting prospect. From its physical form, like liquid or granular, to its ingredients, the options can quickly become overwhelming. Each type of fertilizer has different uses, and your lawn’s needs determine which is right for you. Many DIYers choose granular fertilizer for its ease of application, but it’s not as uniform as liquid. If you want to save money and effort on application, granular fertilizers are your best bet. Liquid fertilizers cover better but call for more equipment like a fogger, and they can make a big mess if you’re not careful. Each type of fertilizer for grass will have different uses, like pest and weed control, so take some time to figure out what your lawn needs. One of the key components of any fertilizer is nitrogen, an indispensable ingredient that helps lawns grow healthy and green. High-nitrogen fertilizers are best used on lawns that are older but need a quick boost in terms of color. If you’ve just planted grass, weed and feed fertilizers are better because they prevent weed development while encouraging new growth. Each type of fertilizer has its application, and with a little research, you can find the right product for your grass.

3. Properly Applying Fertilizer

All of the tips on fertilizing your lawn we’ve given you don’t matter if you don’t get the application right, and believe us, there’s a wrong way to fertilize a lawn. Fortunately, applying fertilizer on your lawn can be a breeze if you arm yourself with a bit of knowledge beforehand and get the proper equipment. Fertilizer can be applied by hand or equipment to simplify the job. Handheld dispensers are cheap and effective but will take longer and require more elbow grease to operate. Using a fogger is great, but it can splash on your clothes and home, so practice with it well away from things you don’t want to get fertilizer on. For granular fertilizer, using a pushed or pulled applicator can help spread fertilizer uniformly and is less work, especially if you pull a device with your lawnmower. Follow the manufacturer guidelines on your fertilizer and use the equipment that it indicates, and you’ll be off to a great start.

4. When to Fertilize

Now that you’re aware of how to apply fertilizer and what sort of fertilizer you need, what is the best schedule for lawn fertilization? Most grass in Tennessee is what’s referred to as cool-season grass—most commonly fescue. Cool-season grass should be fertilized in the fall. It’s best to fertilize after the summer but before the weather gets too cold. Cool-season grass grows quickest when temperatures are in the 60s and 70s, making the fall a great time to fertilize. This is because cool-season grass is somewhat dormant in the summer when it’s very hot. Fertilizing after summer and then once again in the spring before temperatures get too warm will help your lawn look lush, thick, and green all year.

5. When You Need Help

All of the lawn fertilizing tips we have for you are dependent on you learning a lot and working hard—but you don’t have to! You can benefit from a properly fertilized and well-groomed lawn without lifting a finger. At The Parke Company, we’ve been helping to maintain and improve Nashville lawns for decades, and we can help you keep your grass properly fertilized. Since you only need to fertilize twice a year, you can bundle that service along with more regular landscaping maintenance. If you aren’t one to go hands-on or you’re just struggling to keep up with your landscaping and everything else going on in your life, don’t worry! We have affordable plans for any budget and can even just perform aeration and fertilization services twice a year for your lawn if that’s all you need.

A well-fertilized lawn is a healthy lawn, and it can really enhance your home’s curb appeal. If you’re looking for some help fertilizing your lawn this year, why not reach out to The Parke Company for a free consultation and estimate for your lawn?

Your lawn’s health is important year-round, but it’s never more in peril than in the hot summer months. With Nashville’s frequent droughts and high temperatures, how do you keep your grass green and lush?

How to Treat Your Lawn During a Drought

What Happens to Your Lawn During a Drought

Extremely high temperatures, like the kind we’ve been seeing in Tennessee recently, can quickly turn a healthy lawn into a dead one. A heat-stressed lawn can turn brown or patchy, leaving you with an eyesore that can last a lot longer than the latest heat wave. Grass is a living ecosystem that needs to be maintained, and when it dies, it’s hard to get it back to its former glory without more expensive and time-consuming lawn care.

When your grass starts to wilt or brown, it’s because it needs something. In the summer, what it usually needs is water. Hydration is key to keeping grass healthy and alive, but how do you address the issue when you don’t understand the cause? In Tennessee, native grasses are fairly hardy against the high heat, but with the recent hot summers we’ve been experiencing, even these species are struggling to keep up. The good news is that even if you note your lawn is yellowing or has stopped growing, it’s not too late to salvage things.

Grass can protect itself from dying by going into a sort of survival mode, using what little moisture it has to cling to life, rather than to grow. While this is great for you, it can get worse pretty quickly. It’s not advisable to start overwatering, fertilizing, or seeding a heat-stressed lawn. Instead, the best course of action is to let it recover on its own and take a hands-off approach. While it may sound counterintuitive, it’s really your best bet when the summer swelter gets intense. But obviously, you can’t just leave it to its own devices when a drought is showing no signs of slowing, so what can you do? How do you keep grass green in the summer heat?

Helping Your Grass Beat the Heat

There are two main facets of lawn care when heat is concerned: preparation and reaction. If you and your grass were caught off guard this summer by the oppressive heat, don’t stress! There are things you can do to help your lawn recover and nurse it back to health. Summer lawn care is usually when things ramp up. You’re using more water in your yard, mowing, possibly fertilizing, and treating with pesticides. These are all great ways to keep a lawn green, but if things have gotten bad already, it’s best to stop everything.

A heat-stressed lawn needs a mostly hands-off approach when the heat is at its most severe. The one thing you need to continue is watering. Your lawn needs water, but when you water and how much you apply matter, especially when it’s hot outside. Every state has drought restrictions on water usage, so make sure you’re staying compliant with those and helping to conserve water during the dry season. It is possible to overwater your lawn, and this is especially true when a lawn is already damaged by extreme heat.

An irrigation system is an excellent way to keep your lawn properly hydrated, but it’s not wise to install it during the summer. If you’re stuck with sprinklers or hoses for the season, it may be a good idea to get a sprinkler gauge and research your grass a bit. There are online resources for determining how much water a lawn in our area needs and how often it should be watered. A sprinkler gauge helps you to determine how much water your lawn is getting. If you want to get low-tech, set a few recycled cans or jars in the area you’re watering, and measure the depth there to determine if each part is getting the hydration it needs.

It’s best to water your lawn in the early morning since the water isn’t absorbed right away; you don’t want sunlight to cause it to evaporate. If you’re struggling to get your heat-damaged lawn back to its original condition, you don’t need to do it alone. Working with a landscaping company like The Parke Company can ensure your lawn recovers quickly despite the Nashville heat.

Preventing Heat Stress

Of course, the best way to keep your lawn looking good is to ensure it never gets too dry. Setting up sprinklers or spraying your lawn can be time-consuming, and it’s hard to get it exactly right. Irrigation system installation services take the guesswork out of watering, ensuring a consistent schedule and distribution of moisture to your lawn when it needs it most. In-ground sprinkler systems can be set to a timer that comes on early in the morning, so you don’t even need to get out of bed to get your lawn properly hydrated.

As mentioned earlier, it’s not wise to install a system in the summer months, so you need to plan ahead for the fall. While modern pipe systems are small, they still require digging and uprooting parts of the lawn. Irrigation systems aren’t cheap, but there are many types of installations, and chances are there is a system that can work within your budget. If your yard is important to you, a sprinkler system is the single biggest investment you can make into your home and lawn. An irrigation system isn’t a magic cure for heat stress, but it can make things much simpler. You won’t miss a watering while you’re on vacation for the weekend; just set your system and relax.

Defend Your Lawn Against Heat Stress

Since each lawn needs different care, it’s best to get as much information and support from the experts as possible. Work with The Parke Company to establish a maintenance plan to ensure your system is working efficiently and free of issues. Protecting your lawn takes a lot of planning, but it’s not hard to do with some help, even when facing a particularly nasty Nashville heat wave.

Need some help handling a sun-stressed lawn, or looking to get the jump on planning your new irrigation system installation? Don’t let heat stress you and your lawn out! Give us a call today at the Parke Company for expert advice and service.