Lawn Care

Turfgrass

Have you ever thought about what type of grass you have? Delaware is located in the turfgrass transition zone due to our northern location. Our grass types are primarily cool season but there are a couple of warm season grasses.

Kentucky Bluegrass	A cool-season grass that is dense, lush, vibrant green and ideal for high traffic areas.	It is typically blended in small amounts with tall fescue. By itself, it is high maintenance and requires frequent aeration. It is also susceptible to many diseases including summer patch and rust. It is not tolerant with soils containing a high salt content and it prefers full sun.
Tall Fescue	A cool-season grass that tolerates heat, drought, and heavy foot traffic. It is the #1 recommended turf grass in Delaware	It is a clump-type grass although it does produce small rhizomes. It can be susceptible to fungal pests such as brown patch and gray leaf.
Fine Fescue	A cool-season grass that is winter hardy and thrives in cooler temperatures	This actually describes 5 species, referred to as shade mixes: slender creeping red fescue, strong creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, hard fescue, and sheep fescue. Due to their fine needles, they can easily be missed by a mower blade, particularly if the blade is dull. They are also susceptible to summer patch.
Creeping Bentgrass	Cool-season grass that can be cut and managed at 1/4in or less.	It is typically used on golf courses. But is has a high disease potential, poor drought and traffic tolerance.
Perennial Ryegrass	Cool-season grass often incorporated into grass mixtures to provide quick groundcover	It has medium traffic tolerance but is not tolerant of heat, drought, shade, and salt. It is also susceptible to a number of fungal diseases and gray leaf spot.
Zoysia	Warm season grass	This has a good traffic tolerance. However, it can be prone to fungal pathogens and is also considered invasive. Used for both lawn and golf courses.
Bermuda grass	Warm-season grass used for golf courses, athletic fields, sporting surfaces	Not recommended for lawn due to its invasive nature and can invade neighboring areas and damage other plants or landscapes.

Soil Types

Delaware soils consist of heavy clay in New Castle and upper Kent counties and sandy soils towards the Sussex county with a mix in between. Lucky us.

Heavy clay soils can result in poor drainage, compacted soil, reduced root growth and increases the risk of erosion. It can also create an environment that is conducive to disease, particularly in terms of fungal diseases such as root rot and leaf spot.

Soil Additions	Peat moss, compost
Aeration	Use a lawn aerator to improve drainage and aeration
Drainage	Install a drainage system, french drains, or gutter pop ups to manage water run-off
Proper mowing and watering	Mowing and watering your lawn regularly to promote healthy growth and prevent compaction
Lyme	Raises pH, improves nutrient availability

Sandy soils can cause water logging and nutrient deficiency. We can perform soil analysis to determine your lawns needs and properly treat your lawn to maintain lawn health. Sandy soils tend to be more acidic, so it is important to monitor the pH since most grass species prefer slightly acidic to neutral pH. As with sandy soils, it is going to take a combination of soil additions and fertilizer to maintain lawn health.

Soil Additions	Topsoil, compost, or manure
Fertilizer	Because the water retention is low, nutrients are washed away before the turf is able to use what it needs.
Dethatching	Topdressing is adding soil to an existing lawn in thin layers over a period of time. Thatch will need to be removed during this process.
Proper mowing and watering	Mowing and watering your lawn regularly to promote healthy growth and prevent compaction