There are 4 absolutely critical "must-dos" in order to obtain a perfect lawn in 2019. These include consistent and proper mowing, correctly watering your lawn, and ensuring it has the nutrients it needs. While basic utilization of these services will make your lawn amazing, combined, they still are quite enough to get you that “perfect lawn” you want this year in the St. Cloud, MN area.

1. Proper Mowing Techniques & Consistent Schedule

Here in the St. Cloud, MN area, our lawns need to be mowed on a weekly basis during the prime growing season (April through October). During the winter, our grass goes dormant, so there is no reason to continue mowing. At the end and beginning of the season, it is okay to drop to a bi-weekly mowing schedule.

Besides ensuring your grass is cut on a consistent schedule, it also needs to be properly mowed. A general, but an important rule, is never cut more than one-third of the grass blade. This is the perfect height to allow for maximum photosynthesis and strong regrowth. It's also important that your lawn is mowed on alternating patterns.

Most homeowners don't have the time to guarantee their lawn is properly cut on time. Hiring a professional lawn mowing service, like us here at Sunset Mowing, will make sure your yard is getting the attention it needs when it needs it.

2. Correctly Water Your Lawn - Avoid Overwatering & Underwatering

Although proper and consistent mowing is the #1 thing you can do to make your lawn thrive, it cannot live without water. To ensure you're correctly watering your lawn, it is best if you have an automated irrigation/sprinkler system that handles the consistency for you. For lawns in Minnesota, making sure your grass receives about 1 inch of water each week is ideal. One of the chief causes of dead grass is overwatering.

For homeowners in St. Cloud and surrounding areas, official regulations are that if your house address ends with an odd number, you are free to water your lawn on the odd days of the month. Alternatively, if your house address ends with an even number, you are free to water your lawn on the even days of the month. There are special temporary permits you can purchase from the Sauk Rapids Police Department for new lawns.

3. Deliver Nutrients Through Fertilization

Fertilizers, along with its sister, herbicides, are both very important for delivering the nutrients your grass needs while keeping weeds at bay. However, these are also very tricky elements that can cause extreme damage if improperly applied. For lawns in Minnesota, we recommend a 4-treatment process to apply both fertilizer for nutrients and herbicide for weed control.

Feritilization and weed control are not things you want to do yourself. These services take specialized knowledge of your turf, time of the year to apply, proper mixtures, and more. If you're in the St. Cloud area, it's best to give us a call at (320) 293-1625 for a quote on these services.

4. Repair Summer Damage Through Aeration & Overseeding

A lesser-known lawn care task for homeowners is core aeration and overseeding. Core aeration is the process of punching holes in the lawn and removing cores. This allows water and nutrients to reach the root system, but also helps break up thatch. When paired with overseeding, new grass will grow in thin or damaged areas.

Aeration and overseeding services are usually most effective in October. Core aeration and overseeding is another service that is best left to the professionals. It requires specialized equipment and knowledge of grass seed. If you're in the St. Cloud area, you can reach out to our team for a free estimate.

St. Cloud Area Residents - Get a free quote for our team to make your lawn perfect this year.

Although homeowners all over Minnesota can gain valuable information from this article, if you're located in St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, or other nearby community, call our team at (320) 293-1625 to get a free quote for us to handle these services. When you hire our team, your lawn is perfectly cared for and you get your weekends back.