J&C Blog

When the autumn weather sets in and temperatures start to drop in areas if Northern Oregon, like Happy Valley, you may be inclined to stop watering your lawn abruptly. It is an easy misunderstanding to believe watering your lawn is just a summer task. During the summer, consistent water helps you maintain a lush, green, and healthy lawn in the hotter months of the year.

Why You Should Change Your Approach to Watering Your Lawn in the Fall

Once cooler weather starts to set in and the leaves start to fall, your approach to watering your lawn has to adjust to make accommodations for these changes. In regions with four distinct seasons, the fall is a critical period of growth for cool season grasses. The temperature drop, shorter days, and slower grass growth allow the lawn optimal daylight hours to soak in sunlight and moisture without the heat of the summer.

Keeping your lawn hydrated during this time is necessary for the roots to get their essential nutrients, before going into winter dormancy.

How the Cold Temperatures Affect the Ground & Root System of Your Lawn

Did you know that winter creates drought-like conditions for your lawn? The cold temperatures that freeze the ground also freeze your lawn's root system. This deprives your roots and lawn of the hydration it craves to maintain its health. Watering up until the freeze will help your roots get as much hydration as possible to last through the winter.

Guidelines for Proper Watering in ...

Spring landscape mulching is a common activity throughout the country for landscaping beds. Mulching during this time adds beautification to your landscape beds, while also providing the added benefits of weed control, moisture retention, and temperature control.

Mulching is one of the most beneficial landscaping practices that both protects and enhances your property. In areas such as Portland, OR winter mulching is necessary for protection against the winter freeze-thaw pattern that occurs.

What happens to the ground in Portland, OR in the winter and how does mulching help?

In the northern regions, winters can be extremely harsh, with fluctuating temperatures that cause the ground to freeze, thaw, and then freeze again repeatedly throughout the cold season. This cycle can damage the roots of your plants.

Mulching keeps the ground frozen by blocking out the sunlight and helps keep temperatures below ground consistent. This prevents your plants from growing during a warm spell that may happen during the winter. Mulching also helps keep moisture underground, so consistent watering until the first frost is imperative to help the roots of your plants stay hydrated throughout the winter.

The Best & Most Common Materials for Winter Mulching

There are a number of materials available for your winter mulching needs in Portland, OR. It is important to remember that aesthetics are not important in the dead of winter--you are simply looking to mulch for...

The fall season is the best time to get your lawn in its best form for the following spring. The temperature and weather conditions in autumn are perfect for restoring your lawn back to its full potential, including 100% grass cover, soil restoration, and making your lawn more wear tolerant.

The three most important tasks you can do for your lawn include:

1. Late Season Fertilization
2. Aerating
3. Weed Control

Getting a handle on your weed control during the fall can make a huge difference in the kind of lawn you get in the spring. Pre-emergent weed control can have a tremendous impact if used to treat your lawn earlier rather than wait for winter to be over.

Common Winter Annual Weeds

Did you know there are winter annual weeds that germinate in late summer through early fall and then grow throughout the winter months into early spring? These weeds, if not treated right away, will have a negative impact on your spring lawn.

Some of the most common types of winter annual weeds are

• Henbit
• Chickweed
• Corn Speedwell
• Lawn Burrweed
• Dandelion, however, this weed is also a spring/summer annual

Treating your winter annuals in fall vs. spring allows the pre-emergent herbicides to kill the weeds before they set seed in the spring when daytime temperatures begin...

How much you put into your fall lawn care services will set the bar for the kind of lawn and landscaping your property will have in the spring. When it comes to caring for your property in fall, there is a checklist for homeowners in Happy Valley, OR. These four major late fall lawn care services are imperative to the health and maintenance of your property.

1. Remove leaves and debris from your property.

One of the most important aspects of fall turf care is removing leaves and debris from your lawn and landscaping. A few scattered leaves may be okay to leave, but layers of leaves, or other debris, will create a breeding ground of disease, insects, mold, and fungus.

Additionally, leaves suffocate the plants and grass on your property. They block the natural process of photosynthesis, which is vital for the survival of plant life. Using a service, such as J&C Lawn Care, will ensure the leaves are properly gathered and disposed of.

2. Trim the small trees, bushes, shrubs, and hedges of your landscaping beds.

Now is the time to get your landscaping beds in good shape! During the late fall, trimming dead limbs off your small trees, bushes, shrubs, and hedges is essential to protecting your plants from damage. It also allows the trunk time to heal over the winter.

Cutting back perennials is also important. It helps the plant store more energy in the roots and allows your plants to grow strong in the springtime. When J&C Lawn Care provides your lawn care...

Autumn is a beautiful time for colors and one of the greatest assets to your yard is having large, beautiful trees to watch the changing of the leaves. However, once those leaves change color, they inevitably fall to the ground, which causes a covering of leaves on your lawn.

• Leaves have a tendency to smother the lawn by creating a layer that blocks sunlight and nutrients from reaching the grass and the root system.
• A build-up of leaves on the ground promotes the growth of various lawn diseases such as snow mold and brown patch.
• Leaves remaining on the lawn can invite unwanted pests that will consume the roots of your grass.

Removing the leaves from your yard before your turfgrass reaches its dormancy period allows it time to soak up extra nutrients before the winter. Without these nutrients to help rejuvenate your cool season grasses, you could be looking at a damaged turf come springtime!

Methods of Leaf Removal

Hire a professional landscaping company like J&C Lawn Care to come and remove all the leaves from your property. We use rakes and blowers to remove leaves by collecting them on a giant tarp and hauling them away.

Another option for yards that do not have a leaf covering that is too thick, is to use a lawn mower or a mulching mower to break them up over the ground. Breaking the leaves up into tiny pieces ...

According to many lawn care professionals, spring and fall are the prime times for aerating your lawn, due to the rate at which grass is growing. Most landscaping companies will tend to choose fall over spring. However, location and weather are huge factors in the success of your aerating.

When it comes to core aeration, the two different types of tools that are typically used are handheld aerators and rolling core aerators. Both are intended to create plugs that are removed from the soil, which alleviates soil compaction.

How often should your lawn be aerated?

Generally, homeowners will have their property aerated once per year, especially in areas where the soil is harder and clay-like. However, if you have a newly established lawn, two times a year could be more beneficial. This allows nutrients to reach deep into the root system, which in turn allows your lawn to restore itself and repair any damage it has sustained from traffic, disease, or harsh environmental conditions.

Why aeration is important for lawns in Happy Valley, OR and the surrounding area.

During the summer in both Happy Valley and surrounding areas in OR, your turf is exposed to long periods of hot, dry weather. This weather promotes compaction, especially where high foot traffic is prominent in your yard, and is even more noticeable in yards where there is high clay content ...

Are the proper precautions being taken when it comes to caring for your lawn? Homeowners in the Happy Valley, Troutdale, Gresham, and surrounding areas have killed their lawn by making simple mistakes. However, by making important adjustments to your lawn care approach or by using a professional lawn care company like J&C Lawn Care, you can see a tremendous difference in your property's appearance.

Here are six ways you might be killing your lawn.

#1: Mowing Your Lawn Too Short

Mowing too short, or scalping your lawn, can cause an abundance of problems for the turf. First, it starves the grass, causing it to turn brown. This happens because the amount of energy obtained by the grass is decreased, which causes photosynthesis to slow down. The result is a weak lawn that becomes more susceptible to stress, insects, and lawn disease. Additionally, the exposed soil creates an inviting condition for weed growth from previously dormant weed seeds.

Make sure you never set your mower to the lowest setting. Never cut your lawn lower than 2.5-3". Weekly mowing at the right height can avoid your scalping issues.

#2: Improper Fertilization and/or Herbicide Usage

Fertilizers and herbicides help your lawn grow better and stronger. Improperly using one or both of these can cause a number of issues for your lawn.

Overusing Fertilizer

Applying too much fertilizer can cause severe problems for the grass on your property. Overusing fertilizer...

A number of homeowners in the Happy Valley, Troutdale, Gresham, and surrounding areas think of mowing the lawn as a weekly chore that gets old quick. However, the benefits that come with weekly grass clippings and low-key maintenance on your yard are doing wonders for your outdoor landscape.

Here are five reasons why a regular mowing routine for your lawn is beneficial and important.

#1. Health Benefits for your Lawn

Your grass thrives by going through the process of photosynthesis, which is where green plants take in sunlight and generate food and nutrients from it. Photosynthesis keeps plants, flowers, and grass growing.

When you consistently mow your turf, you are exposing the grass blades to the right amount of sunlight routinely, which helps the grass grow healthier and greener. Additionally, the grass clippings left from your frequent mowing sessions provides added nutrients to your lawn, recycling up to 25% of the nitrogen back into the soil.

What happens when you do not mow your lawn consistently? Photosynthesis slows down tremendously, causing the health of your grass to decline along with it.

#2. Pest Control

Infrequent mowing leads to tall grass growing on your property. When tall grass takes over, it creates a breeding ground for ticks, fleas, and other pests. Lawns in shady areas tend to attract more pests as well, so it is especially important to keep your property well maintained with frequent mowing services.