Your lawn needs proper care and maintenance to stay lush and green. It also needs essential nutrients to stay thick and healthy. Fertilizer provides those nutrients and promotes strong root systems and new growth. With a lawn fertilizing service, you’ll be on your way to a healthy, dense lawn that maintains a deep green color and gives ugly weeds a run for their money.
What Are The Benefits of Fertilizing?
Lawn fertilizers contain important ingredients, phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen, every lawn’s most important nutrient. Although each type of grass requires different amounts of fertilizer, all lawns need it for peak growth and performance. How often you fertilize your lawn, not only affects its appearance, but it also affects required maintenance. Because proper fertilization promotes healthy growth, the more you fertilize your lawn, the more frequently you will need to mow it.
Your lawn and soil need proper nutrients, but most soils are not healthy enough to provide necessary nutrients throughout the growing seasons of spring, summer and fall. Many soils contain too much clay or are too compacted to produce a healthy lawn which uses a lot of energy to produce new growth. Fertilizing your lawn will promote healthy root systems and new leaf growth. It will also help your lawn to combat environmental stresses like cold, heat, drought, mowing, foot traffic and other outdoor stresses. A professional lawn fertilizing service can provide a regular feeding schedule that will keep your lawn lush and green.
When is The Best Time To Fertilize?
- Early Spring (March – April) – After a long, cold winter, your lawn wakes up in the spring hungry to nutrients that were eliminated during winter. Fertilizing your lawn in early spring strengthens the root system that’s essential to healthy, stable leaf growth during warm weather.
- Late Spring (May – June) – During late spring, your grass is using up stored energy to grow and weeds are actively growing as well. Fertilizing with the right products in late spring provides nutrients for continued lawn growth and essential weed control.
- Summer (July – August) – Summer heat, as well as drought, foot traffic and insects put stress on your lawn. It’s especially important to fertilize warm-season grasses in the summer to encourage fall growth. Fertilizers can also offer added protection from summer insects.
- Fall (September – October) – Fall brings mild, warm days, cool nights and rainfall with morning dew, ideal growing conditions for your lawn. Fall is an especially important feeding time to strengthen your grass, so it can survive the upcoming winter.
- Late Fall (October – November – With the approach of winter it is essential to give the lawns one last application of fertilizer that is high in potassium which will encourage root development throughout the winter.
There’s a variety of lawn fertilizers on the market and it’s important to select the right one for your lawn. A professional lawn fertilizing service can determine the best fertilizer for your lawn and soil based on a property analysis to determine your existing soil type, grass type and landscape conditions. This property analysis is an important tool for selecting a properly balanced fertilizer for your lawn.
If you’re like most Northern New Jersey homeowners, you may not be aware that your soil has a pH level that’s important to your lawn’s health. The pH level of your soil tells you the chemical makeup of the soil, whether it’s acidic or basic. Soil pH levels range from 1 to 14, with levels below 7 indicating acidic soil, and levels over 7 indicating basic soil. A soil pH level between 5.5 and 7.0 indicates a healthy soil, one that promotes the best plant growth. A lawn fertilizing service will keep your soil pH levels within a healthy range during peak growth seasons, which will in turn produce a green, healthy lawn and vibrant trees and plants.
How To Hire The Best Lawn Fertilizing Service
- Research – You can start by doing an online search for professional landscape companies in Bergen County and Passaic County. Look for a reputable, qualified company that provides lawn care and lawn fertilizing service in your area. A company website is a great place to get important information on services, prices and previous work.
- Referrals –A company’s website is also a good place to read customer reviews, testimonials and references. You can also gather referrals from friends, relatives or neighbors in your area who use a professional landscape service. Personal referrals are always the best way to get information that you trust.
- Site Visit – If a landscape company that you’re interested in has a showroom or nursery, visit the site to get a better idea of their company and services. It’s a good way to talk to the owner and staff about a lawn fertilizing service for your yard.
Schedule a Consultation
After you do preliminary research, you’ll have a better idea of qualified landscape companies that you like. Select two or three and schedule a consultation at your home with each one. Ask each company to bring helpful information like a company brochure and a list of available services they provide. They may or may not have structured prices, since most landscape work varies according to property size and services needed at each location. However, after seeing your property and discussing your needs, they can provide you with more accurate costs.
A consultation can be a good indicator of company business practices and services. Did they show up for the appointment on time? Did they seem knowledgeable and professional? Did they explain their services adequately? Did you feel confident about the company? Would you feel comfortable hiring them?
A professional landscape contractor should arrive on time, in a well-maintained work van and appropriate business attire. You should avoid working with companies that show up late looking unprofessional and unprepared to discuss your landscape needs. Often, your first meeting is a good indication of your next one. As they say, first impressions are everything!
Get Estimates
If you get cost estimates from several companies for lawn care and lawn fertilizing service, make sure you read the estimates carefully and understand the services and costs. If you’re comparing prices, make sure you’re also comparing the same services.
Review your estimates for lawn fertilizing service and make sure you understand the scope of services to be provided. Everything should be spelled out clearly, but if you have questions, discuss your concerns with the landscape company before you sign any agreements or contracts. Be careful of any hidden costs for extra services or products that are not clearly spelled out in your cost estimate. A professional, reputable landscape service will take the time to make sure you understand your estimate and answer any questions you may have about costs or services.
Landscape maintenance contracts for lawn fertilizing service can consists of many factors, but a large portion of the contract is usually labor costs and product costs. When you’re reviewing your cost estimates, remember that cheaper is not always better. Estimates that are significantly lower can be a red flag for cutting labor costs by cutting services or manpower. You usually get what you pay for.
Consider Your Long-Term Landscape Needs
Before you hire a lawn fertilizing service in Bergen County, consider your long-term wants and needs for your home and property. If you want to do lawn renovations, create a beautiful garden or add outdoor features to your property at a later date, look for a qualified landscape company that can provide those additional services.
Many professional landscape companies offer various services that go far beyond basic lawn care and lawn fertilizing service. Other valuable services include design/build services, sloping and regrading services, irrigation systems, organic lawn care services and pest management programs. Talk to your landscape provider about other available services that will add beauty to your home and value to your property.