April is National Lawn Care Month, the perfect time to get your yard ready for summer picnics, parties, and evenings sitting by the pool. When it comes to lawn care services in Little Rock, Little Rock Lawns has a 17-year history of providing top-notch, professional service. Our many years of experience have shown us that there are some misconceptions and myths throughout the lawn care industry that could actually end up hurting your grass in the end.
Five Myths of Effective Lawn Care
When looking for the best lawn care in Little Rock, it’s important to pick a company that understands what is truth and what is fiction when it comes to lawn care. The following myths could not only harm your grass and landscaping, but could end up costing you money in the long run.
- Adding gypsum will increase the pH of the soil.
Gypsum might raise the pH of soil, but this is typically restricted to farms and agriculture, not residential lawns. It’s not an effective way to neutralize acidic soil.While gypsum can condition the soil, there are some disadvantages to using it. Nutrient deficiencies can occur. Gypsum affects sodium, calcium, and aluminum in the soil. It’s generally advisable that you not add anything to your soil until you know what is needed. - It doesn’t matter how tall you cut your grass.
This is just plain false. Cutting some species too short can actually kill the grass and destroy your lawn.Grass growth takes place in the crown of the grass, the white colored part right at the level of the ground. If the grass is cut too close to the crown, it will take a while for it to recover and grow again. You also need to make sure there is enough of the green part of the grass for adequate photosynthesis to occur.The height of your grass also determines how deep the roots go. If you consistently mow your lawn too short, the roots will stay shallow and there will be a greater chance of damage. - Synthetic fertilizers lead to soil sterilization.
The argument here is that inorganic and synthetic fertilizers sterilize the soil by killing microbes and causing the plants to become dependent on the fertilizer. This has been proven to be false.The fact is, microbes are everywhere and they are all different. While some may be harmed by the substances in synthetic fertilizers, other will thrive. This means that you can use any kind of fertilizer on your plants, inorganic and synthetic included. - Adding more microbes to the soil will result in healthier plants.
Microbes break down the elements in soil into nutrients so plants will thrive. It would make sense, then, that simply using products that add them to the soil will lead to more breakdown and, therefore, healthier plants. But this is not necessarily the case.The most important factor of how many microbes are in your soil is how much organic material is available. Basically, how much food is available for them determines how many there will be. So, for the number of microbes to increase, there has to be more food for them to consume. As their food source increases, the number of microbes will naturally increase. Simply adding them isn’t enough to increase the number. In the end, Mother Nature contributes a lot to the balance. - Don’t worry about the numbers on the fertilizer bag.
It’s actually really important to know what the numbers on the fertilizer bag mean. Knowing the right way to use different types of fertilizer to get the best results separates an amateur from the best landscaping in Little Rock. Using just any kind of fertilizer or not knowing what to look for can have terrible effects on your lawn.When it comes to fertilizer, some people think that if a little is good, more must be better. This is not the case. Sometimes, too much can cause long term damage by promoting disease, insects, or depleting other necessary nutrients.
For Lawn Care in Little Rock, Hire the Professionals
As you can see, there’s a lot involved in making sure your lawn is lush and green for the upcoming summer season. April is National Lawn Care Month because it’s a perfect time to start getting ready. It’s important to choose a professional lawn care service to maintain and keep your yard healthy and beautiful all year round.
You don’t just want someone who will show up. You want someone who understands what your lawn needs. If you’re looking for reliable landscaping, Little Rock Lawns is a professional, local company that has been in the business for 17 years.
Whether it’s regular lawn mowing, landscaping, or more involved grass treatment, Little Rock Lawns has the knowledge and experience to keep your backyard green throughout the summer season and beyond. Visit us our website or call (501) 257-0323 today to schedule your free professional lawn analysis.
