Burning off warm season grasses was the solution back in the day.

I remember years ago you could drive around St. Louis and notice a lot of Zoysia lawns that looked burnt with a smoky scorch across them, and I always thought those people were crazy for setting their lawns on fire. This is a way that people used to remove the dead top growth from the turf to jump start the lawn in the spring. I recently saw a yard that had done this process and wanted to explain it a lot better.

Setting your lawn a blaze was a technique used more by rural homeowners to remove dead top growth and warm up the soil temperature. It can also rid the turf of unwanted pests that may be residing in your lawn. Warm season grass usually doesn't come to life until we start seeing temperatures in the 80`s. Burning the yard increases the ground temperatures which in turn may cause warm season grasses to sprout early. There were a lot more risks than benefits I say when doing this procedure. The fire would have to be constantly watched and controlled for the fire not to get out of control. It would have to be a calm, less windy day for ideal conditions. You run the risk of burning up other things if the fire would reach your gardens and not stay in the turf areas. Air pollution is generating from the smoke from the burning of the lawn. Local authorities must be warned when doing this technique. There are now a number of ways to jump start the lawn or remove top growth from the lawn. Power raking will help to remove thatch from the yard and cutting on a lower setting in early spring will remove top growth.

Controlled burns are still a way of technique for cutting back wild prairies or large grassy areas. The burning of the areas helps to break down plant matter and ready the area for new growth the coming season. There were a series of controlled burns in Forest Park in the St. Louis area last fall to prepare prairie areas for renovation. There burns are done by qualified and trained professionals. I do not recommend using the controlled burned for your yard. Stick to the new way of doing things. The burning of yards is banned in a lot of cities and municipalities in the area. 

Preparing your lawn for spring in St Louis

Preparing your lawn now can help keep your yard healthy and green during the harsh summer months in St Louis.  The early spring is a good time to give your yard the head start it needs with aeration and fertilization.  Lawn aeration allows essential nutrients to reach your yard's root system and reduces soil compaction .  Improving the health of your yard's root system will help ensure your lawn can survive the heat stress of the summer months.  Applying fertilizer after you aerate your lawn, will get "food" immediately into your root system. Choosing the right fertilizer is important.  Usually a slow release product will be a good option for most lawns.

Keeping your yard weed free is also important.  Weeds are opportunistic and invade "weak" lawns so keeping your yard healthy is a good start.  To minimize weed invasion its important to take care of bare areas of your lawn by seeding, proper fertilizing, proper mowing and watering which will help your lawn stay healthy enough to keep weeds at bay. 

Here are some more tips to prepare your lawn for summer in St Louis:

1) Rake and remove excess thatch and debris accumulated, rake up matted areas to allow new growth of grass.

2) Apply a pre-emergent crabgrass control in early spring prior to temperatures reaching 60 degrees.  After it will no longer be effective as seeds will have begun to germinate.

3) Fertilize your lawn to provide nutrients to give your yard strength for the upcoming heat of summer.

4) Core aeration will allow water and nutrients to reach your root zone faster resulting in a stronger root system .

5) Repair damaged areas from salt by re-seeding areas 

6) Mow lawn properly and frequently. Frequent mowing helps strengthen roots and make your yard
 more hardy.

All these lawn techniques will help your yard survive the heat of summer, leaving you with a vibrant, healthy green lawn.

Grass is growing between my brick patio

Grass and weeds can eventually grow through the grout and sand after many years on your patio. Years of mother nature beating down on them weakens the strong hold between your bricks or pavers and weeds will find there way through. A couple of good steps and this can be taken care of.

Depending on how your patio was put together will determine what needs to be done. If the ground has started to become unlevel in spots it may be time to redo the patio and level everything out and install a new base underneath. If your bricks were laid next to each other and the gaps filled with sand, it`s time to bring in more sand. Before hand either hand pull the weeds or apply a good weed killer found at most home improvement stores. Always follow directions on the label for the pesticide. Once the weeds are taken care of let`s get that new application of sand put in. Simply dump the sand in small piles on the patio, use a good bush broom to work the sand into the gaps. Use a garden hose afterwards to clean off any sand that remains on top of the bricks.  There are also many environmentally friendly, natural weed control options available to use.

If the the bricks were grouted with mortar in between the gaps this may be a little more complicated. If there are just small areas, this is a simple DIY project for you on the weekend. Start removing the old mortar from in between the gaps with a chisel or grinder with a concrete wheel. Try to avoid damaging the bricks when accomplishing this task. Remove the bricks after the mortar is removed. Check the base under the patio at this time and make any adjustments if needed. Start adding the bricks back in place and using new mortar to connect them.  A larger area may need the attention of the professionals depending on the scope of work. St. Louis has a wide range of good tuck-pointing and brick layers that can assist with the project.

When to water your lawn during the hot summers in St. Louis

The good ole' heat of St. Louis summers is making its stay apparent. A lot of lawns are starting to experience heat stress from all the heat and humidity.  Warm season grasses like zoysia and bermuda love and flourish in this kind of weather. Your cool season grasses start to use extra energy from there root system causing the roots not to be as strong. A good watering can help your lawn from this stress.

A good morning watering 2-3 times per week will help lawns not resort to there stored energy and continue to prosper. When your lawn starts to wilt or starts to turn light brown (as if it`s going dormant) is a good rule of thumb to start watering. Watering in the morning helps the lawn to dry off by the night helping to avoid the infection of disease.  A good spring lawn care program helps the lawn during heat stress from higher mowing heights and proper fertilization.

Other things that help during heat stress is to avoid walking on the lawn and avoid using herbicides.  Also avoid dethatching and aerating as this can further hurt the turf.

How beneficial is fertilizer to my yard?

Your lawn is a living breathing plant just like any other plant. It needs food, air, & water like everything else. Good sunlight, a regular watering schedule are just a couple of things that can help you have a luscious green yard. Lawns generally get a lot of nutrients from Mother Nature but a good fertilization schedule can be very beneficial just like its good for us to get a daily serving of fruits and vegetables. A general feeding will help your lawn to develop a deeper root system and a thicker density of coverage (filling in more as it develops). These two things can help the lawn survive during the summer heat, and a thicker, denser lawn is a natural defense against those pesky weeds.

The main three ingredients of a lawn fertilizer consists of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K). Take a look at the front of a lawn fertilizer bag. The different numbers you see on the front (10-18-32) give you the information of how much of each of these elements are present in the product.  Each of these elements has its own benefit for your lawn. Nitrogen provides the green color and thicker grass blades. Phosphate helps feed the root system.  Potassium helps the roots to develop that deep root system.

There are two forms of fertilizers on the market, liquid and granular each having its own benefits. Liquid fertilizers provide a quick feeding with helps a lawn revitalize itself in days. The downside is that it’s a lot more expensive. Granular fertilizers do take some time to feed but will last longer with a lot of products now having a slow release system.

If any help is needed in developing a fertilizer program for your yard, give us a call. We provide a complete fertilization program to fit everyone's needs.

When should I aerate my lawn?

Aeration can be done almost all season long. Aeration is the process of making small holes in your yard. This in turn delivers more air, nutrients, & moisture to the root system. Causing the roots to grow deeper and develop a stronger root system. A deep root system on a lawn helps in times of heat stress & when the lawn is in its dormancy state.
There are actually two good times to aerate your lawn, in the spring and fall with each having its own benefits. Aeration in itself will help to loosen up thatch which nutrients have a hard time passing through when the thatch is thick. It will also help to reduce water run-off from the spring rains in this area. The only downside to aerating in the spring is that you can`t apply a pre-emergent to combat crab grass. Pre-emergent will not let new seed germinate and it's hard on the exposed root system from aeration.
Fall is a good time to aerate if you plan to over seed afterwards. You reap all the benefits as before plus also supply a new home in the soil for the seed to germinate. This gives the seed a chance to germinate and gain a root system before the dormant state in winter. It will also develop more in the following spring before the harsh summer elements affect them. This is best done in September.

Welcome to KPN Lawn Care

Thanks for visiting my blog.  I'm Kyle owner of KPN Lawn Care in St Louis.  I`ve always had a passion to work in outdoors and be in mother nature.  Our company offers a variety of lawn care services in the St Louis area including lawn mowing, fertilizing, aerating and leaf removal. We've been in business for 2 years with over 10 years in the industry. St. Louis is a great town to live in and have a great looking yard. It`s sometimes fun to go down the street, grab some Ted Drewes and look at the different landscapes around St. Louis. We are a locally owned business giving back to the community whenever possible .  We would love to come out and give you a free consultation on your yard.  Fall is a great time to repair your yard from the summer heat. Its also a good time to fertilize one more time before the grasses winter dormancy establishing a good root system for the upcoming spring.

If you are in need of any lawn care services in the St Louis metro area, give us a call at 314-810-9348 to schedule your estimate.

You can also visit our website KpnLawnCare.com to see a list of our services.