The Grass Doctor

Lawn care in midwest ,help needed ,plz?

We are new home owners and have no clue about lawn care. Until y'day our lawn was taken care by trugreen ,but we found their services are very expensive and got it cancelled.They areated our lawn y'day.Don't know what we have to do next before winter starts. Need help with lawn care tips ,season wise along with product names.This info would be of great help.Thanks in advance.

Public Comments

1. Go tot he local hardware store or nursery and buy a fertilize that is labeled Winterizer.
2. Your last duty of the season is to winterize. Use a fertilizer specifically formulated for this purpose and spread it with a lawn spreader. (they are cheap, but you can rent one if necessary) Just don't start too soon. The best time to do it is late November. Your lawn will green up sooner in the Spring and be thicher.
3. There are probably enough chemicals to last your lawn into the spring. The best thing to do is remove any piles of leaves so that they don't become matted over the winter, which can smother and kill the grass. Since it has been aerated, now is a good time to rake a layer of compost over the lawn, which will improve soil fertility, water retention, and provide a good environment for worms and beneficial bacteria. Keep it watered until snow falls - the lawn still needs about an inch of water or rain per week until it's under snow. If you're hardcore, mulch the leaves finely and spread those over the lawn in a thin layer as well. This will also feed the soil and worms.
4. I agree with the previous poster. If trugreen has been taking care of the lawn all season, there is surely enough nutrition in the system to take the grass into winter. But, it is true that late fall is the most important time to fertilize. I'd say for next year, fertilize twice. Once in the early spring, and again in the late fall. Apply 3/4 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in the spring, and 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in the late fall. You can also apply two more applications during the summer months of 1/2 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet for each application, but grass is usually most stressed during the heat of the summer. You run the risk of doing more harm than good. Plus the grass grows a lot more and you have to mow more frequently. It all depends on how high maintenance a lawn you want. Two applications (spring and fall) should be adequate.