STIHL Lawn Maintenance Tips

You’ve worked hard to get your lawn the way you want it. Don’t let it go to waste – here are some tips to help keep your yard healthy and green.

Fight Common Lawn Enemies

Weeds

• Large numbers of weeds are normally an indication of a lawn suffering from poor nutrient levels. Sensitive lawn grasses require more nutrients than weeds, which is why weeds spread at the expense of grass in poor quality soils. Fertilizer is the ideal solution in such cases.
• Frequent mowing at a low cutting height acts as an additional defense against the growth of weeds by preventing access to the light needed for germination.
• Using good quality seed is also a factor that should not be overlooked. Cheap seed often contains a certain proportion of weed seeds and is cultivated to promote rapid growth, having an effect on grass density.
• Carrying out regular and deep scarifying is an effective method of preventing weeds from invading in the first place. Digging weeds out which have taken hold remains the best and often only solution.

Discoloration

• Yellow spots in lawns: Yellow tips and pale green grass indicate a deficiency in iron and nitrogen. Such spotscan be removed by direct application of an iron fertilizer. An Improvement is usually noticeable in a few days.
• Speckled grass in combination with water accumulation: Rainwater that fails to seep away properly and grass that appears speckled with color are hallmarks of excessively compacted ground. Ground has to be broken up and loosened to allow the excess water to drain away.
• Speckled discoloration after winter: Spots and mildew are unwelcome side effects of the onset of winter. To prevent their appearance, lawns should be fertilized in August or September to improve resistance. With a combination of an application of lime in September or October and increasing the cutting height, your lawn will be left better prepared for the winter months.

Source: Stihl Dealer