Action Lawn & Tree Service
Expert Lawn care Tips
Action Lawn Service is your Southeastern South Dakota professional lawn care company that truly puts its customers first. Our lawn technicians are highly trained and we want to help serve you with these lawn tips!
Mowing
- For a healthy lawn, never remove more than 1/3 of the total length of a blade of grass. If the lawn has become very long, cut 1/3 and then cut another 1/3 three days later. Repeat until the desired height is reached. As a general rule, remember "1 /3 - 3 days."
- For gas mowers remember not to spill gas on tires or get gas on shoes. This can track on lawn and cause spots to yellow or even die. Always check for gas leaks.
- Mowing can 'train' grass blades to lay in one direction rather than stand up. So, alternate which direction you mow. Try to mow during the cooler parts of the day during summer and or pick the coolest day of the week to avoid heat stress.
- Mowing too fast and mowing when lawn is wet can also cause grass blades to tear instead of cut. This can help promote turf disease.
- Consider purchasing a mulching blade, which will make the clippings short enough to prevent smothering the lawn.
- A longer cut of grass will require less water during drought seasons. It will also "shade" weeds, hopefully preventing them from growing.
- Set the cutting deck about 3.5 inches for sunny areas and 3 inches for shady to cut. How tall you mow during the summer will be a key factor in its appearance.
- Make sure blades are sharp. Dull blades pull grass apart instead of cutting it which results in stringy yellow tips and can lead to turf disease.
Watering
Key Points:
- Your lawn needs at least 1" to 1-1/2" of water per week.
- Water deeply 1-2 times per week, rather than daily.
- Big sprinkler heads will need to run an hour each zone and boulevard misters 20 minutes per zone. Hills or Sandy soils need to be watered 2-3 times per week.
- Water as early in the morning as you can, when possible.
- If you can't push a 6" screwdriver into your lawn, you're not watering enough.
- You will need to water more in the heat, especially if you have a blue grass lawn.
- Don't water so long that it runs down the street.
- If you have automatic sprinklers, check them regularly to be sure you're getting complete coverage.
- If a brown area doesn't respond to watering, look for another problem.
The A.M. is the best time to water the lawn because the air is cooler and there's usually not much wind to blow the droplets. In the middle of the day, water evaporates too quickly. In the evenings, water can cling to the blades of grass overnight, which can cause lawn diseases.
How long should you water to get one inch? We can't tell you that, because we don't know what kind of sprinkler you have or what your water pressure is like. With automatic sprinklers, it's usually one hour. But you can measure that yourself. Just get a tuna can, which is 1" tall, (eat the tuna out of it, first) and place it where your sprinkler is hitting. Run your sprinkler and see how· long it takes to get a half inch of water in the can - just like a rain gauge. Usually it's about 30 minutes. So 30 minutes, 2 times per week will get an inch of water on your lawn, and 30 minutes 3 times per week will get 1 ½" down. Bear in mind that during extreme heat, you will need to water more, due to evaporation and heat stress on the grass.
Mowing 3.5" tall and mulching is a great way to reduce water from evaporating. This is Key.
Green grass only near sprinkler heads is key example of not watering long enough.
We suggest Grub Control to prevent grubs and grub damage and Fall Core Aeration during the typical season for best results. Please call for more details.
Aeration
For years, golf courses have known that the secret to a beautiful, dense turf is to aerate their courses up to three times each year.
What is Core Aeration?
Core Aeration is the process of making thousands of small holes in the turf. These holes allow fertilizer, water and air to reach the root zone quicker, resulting in new growth and increased root development.
These holes also open up the soil and help reduce thatch build up and soil compaction, allowing your lawn to breathe and grow.
Action Lawn Service is your local Core Aeration experts. We suggest aeration at least once a year. We also can use this time to overseed your lawn with our hybrid drought and disease resistant seed.
Our Community
Referral Program
Referral Program
We offer a discount to any military members, senior citizens 65 and older, and any type of first responder.
Referral Program
Referral Program
Referral Program
We give our Sioux Falls lawn care program customers $30 off their next application when they refer us to their friends and family if they start a program of their own. We also give $30 off the first application to those they refer.
Pre-Pay
Referral Program
Pre-Pay
We offer a 7% discount if you pre-pay for your services. Inquire when you get your estimate for more information.