J&C Blog

Your lawn requires many things to keep it strong, healthy, and green throughout the year. When fertilization is mentioned, most people think about springtime application, as this is when your grass is growing and needs all the food it can get to thrive. What many people don’t realize, however, is that your lawn also needs fertilization applications in the autumn.

Fall fertilization sets up a strong foundation for your lawn to sustain the winter by providing it with essential nutrients and helps your lawn recover from dormancy in the spring. Here are some reasons why your lawn needs fall fertilization in Happy Valley, Troutdale, Gresham, and the surrounding areas of Oregon.

Autumn Encourages Optimum Nutrient Absorption

Fall is the most important time of year for lawn fertilization. Fertilizing in the spring provides your freshly-awoken lawn with a boost of nutrients to help fuel its growth, but fall fertilization provides it with energy reserves needed to sustain itself throughout the cold winter months. Autumn brings with it cooler temperatures and moisture, both of which are needed to help your turf absorb your applied fertilizer. When applied in the fall, your lawn has ample time to break down the nutrients provided by the fertilizer and store these for food and energy to use throughout the winter.

Fall Fertilization Prepares Your Lawn for the Upcoming Winter Months

Unlike spring fertilizer that encourages grass growth, fall...

In order to keep a healthy lawn, it’s key to apply four fertilizer treatments a year. Specially formulated slow-release treatments give your lawn nutrients it needs to grow. While maintaining your lawn, you also need to make sure weed control is a priority by using pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides.

With these fertilizer and herbicide applications comes chemicals and many homeowners have concerns about whether those chemicals are safe for their children and/or pets.

The simple answer? After a time, yes. Immediately after application, however, is a different story. The potential dangers below are easily mitigated by following instructions on the product label or by consulting with a professional crew like J&C Lawn Care to get your lawn treated. 

How Safe Is Fertilizer for Pets?

For each season in the region of Happy Valley, Troutdale, and Gresham, OR, your yard should be safely treated with fertilizer. Some homeowners opt to use organic fertilizer, while others choose to use types that contain herbicides. Many contain labels that say to keep pets off the grass for 72 hours, but each fertilizer’s safety varies by type:

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, & Potassium Fertilizers

Most fertilizers contain at least one of these elements. Some contain all three, and each one is beneficial to your lawn in different ways. For example, nitrogen helps a plant in its middle stages of growth, giving the plant more leaves and...

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...