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29 Mar

Posted at 11:26h in Landscaping

Texas is no stranger to droughts and dry lawns, and even in the wettest years, there are times when your lawn may dry out to the point of dehydration, which can end up damaging or even killing your lawn. It can happen from the daily heat, or it can happen as a result of even slight inattentiveness to the lawn’s needs.

Being able to tell when your lawn needs water and when it might be beneficial to make your grass tough it out is crucial for having a healthy lawn, year-round. Just watering periodically won’t be enough, here is everything you need to know about recognizing dehydration in your lawn, and what to do about it.

How To Tell If Your Lawn Is Dehydrated

You don’t have to be a botanist to tell if your lawn is a little dry. Some common indicators of a lawn that’s becoming dehydrated include:

  1. The footprint test. Step on a patch of your grass and see if the blades spring back up after a short while. If the footprint persists, your lawn is drying.
  2. Soil becoming crisp or shrinking away from edges is a sign of dehydration.
  3. Push a screwdriver into the soil and see how easily it penetrates. If the soil is too dry, the penetration will require significant effort.
  4. Keep an eye out for patchiness or dead spots on your lawn. This may be due to pests like grubs, but it can also be indicative of dehydration.

Preventing Dehydration…With A Little Dehydration

It might sound counterintuitive but watering your lawn in a cyclical pattern, allowing it to dry out a bit in between watering, helps it to push roots deeper. These deeper roots are insurance against dehydration during dry spells by giving the grass the ability to reach deeper moisture in the ground.

When Watering Works

Be sure you only water during the early morning or late evening, when the sun isn’t going to be beating down on your lawn, evaporating all the water. Water heavily in the early morning or late evening, and the water will have a chance to soak deeper into the soil.

Don’t Cut Too Often

Even if your grass grows quickly, be sure you don’t mow too often, particularly in the heat of midday. Cutting the grass and subsequently subjecting those tender, freshly-sliced blades to the midday sun of the Lone Star State can worsen the condition of the lawn by opening it up too much more evaporation, as well as increased stress.

Still Thirsty? Talk To A Pro

Sometimes, no matter what measures you take and how careful you are, you may not be able to keep your lawn from getting dehydrated. If you’re finding that even with being attentive to your lawn’s needs, watering carefully, and not cutting it too often that it is still looking a little dry, it might be time to work with a professional. Reach out to a local lawn care expert, and they will work with you to find a solution that keeps your lawn healthy and beautiful.

03 Mar

Posted at 15:00h in Landscaping

Your lawn requires a bit of care to keep it looking nice. This care should be considered based on the season in your area. While mowing is typically associated primarily with the spring and summer months, there are best practices to consider for every season.

You may not actually have to mow year around. However, it’s a good idea to be familiar with how to mow, when to mow, and what to do during off-season for mowing.

In this guide, we will walk you through all of the seasons and what you should plan for when it comes to mowing.

Scheduled Mowing

During the seasons where mowing needs to happen regularly, it’s a good idea to establish a mowing routine. We know you might not always be able to mow exactly on the same day or the same time but you should be able to plan pretty close.

How often you need to mow really depends on your lawn and your grass. Some types of grass should be cut shorter than others so you might also familiarize yourself with the type of grass your lawn has.

Some grasses do require mowing all year long but this is not the norm.

If you’re curious how often to mow, here’s a good rule of thumb for you. Typically, grass should be mowed to approximately 3 inches in height. Mowing it too short can be really hard on the grass. Of course, keeping it too long is simply not visually appealing.

Depending on your climate, you can probably set up a mowing schedule that handles the mowing every other week.

If your area gets a lot of rainfall or has a rainy season, you may need to mow more often during those seasons. The rain will cause the grass to grow much faster.

Off-Season Lawn Care

When you are getting close to the end of your typically mowing season, you should mow in such a way to prepare for this.

In most cases, you will be able to tell when you’re nearing the last mow of the summer. When you mow for the last time of the season, cut the grass just slightly shorter to prepare for your off-season.

This means rather than 3 inches, you might mow to a 2-inch grass height instead. For this final mow, we also recommend bagging the grass as you go. This will help keep your lawn from gathering more debris during the off months.

In the off-season you will not mow your lawn. However, you might need to mulch leaves or clear leaves from the yard. You can do this with your mower to make it easier. Mulching the leaves or cleaning them up allows your lawn to get important nutrients that it needs to survive.

StreamLine Designs All-Season Lawn Care

Lawn care is not just for spring and summer. While this is the mowing season, there are things to be done all year. We can help care for your lawn in every season and base that care about what your lawn needs in the season.

Get your quote for lawn care today.

03 Mar

Posted at 14:47h in Landscaping

If you’ve dedicated a lot of time and resources into making your lawn look amazing, it can be incredibly disturbing when the grass starts coming up in clumps. Clearly, something isn’t right if you are experiencing this issue.

There are several things here to consider and it’s good to be worried.

Check out this guide to troubleshoot what could be the problem and learn some solutions for handling this issue when it happens.

What is the Cause?

Grass that looks unhealthy or is simply pulling up in clumps most likely is experiencing an issue. This could be a sign that something is affecting the health of your grass.

Take a look at these possible causes. We can help you identify the cause and come up with a solution.

Grubs

Lawn grubs are nasty little buggers and one of the most common issues if you notice grass coming up in clumps. The grubs work their way into the dirt and the roots, causing your grass to become loose, for lack of better words.

Grubs like to feast on grass roots. Of course, if the roots of your grass are being eaten, it doesn’t have a solid foundation to hold it in the ground.

Moles are a nuisance but if you notice moles in the lawn, you might want to check for grubs as they often are found where grubs are present.

Lawn Disease

Lawns are prone to disease. Sometimes no matter how careful you are, the lawn is susceptible. One of the most common diseases for lawns is fungal. This can be more challenging to pinpoint.

Signs might include dying or dead grass as well as clumps of grass coming up. Lawn disease can be present with turf as well. If you suspect lawn disease or simply don’t know what the cause is, we recommend having your lawn inspected by a professional and then treated properly.

Too Much Water

Grass can get too much water. If it is oversaturated, it causes a drowning effect with the grass. Drowning the grass can kill it and could likely cause clumps of grass to come up. You think you’re simply caring for the lawn but too much water is no good.

Soil

Finally, the health of your soil also makes a difference. The problem might not be your grass at all but rather the soil the grass is in. Grass relies on the soil for the appropriate nutrients to survive. If the soil cannot provide that, the grass will not thrive.

This is where fertilization and other types of soil care can be beneficial.

Finding a Solution with StreamLine Designs

In most cases, there are treatment options for a lawn that is coming up in clumps. Our skilled technicians can inspect the area and pinpoint the cause of your problems. We can provide the appropriate solution to get your grass and your lawn healthy again.

The solution might be different depending on the underlying issue. The good news is that each of these potential causes we listed have solutions that we can help with.