In Highlands Ranch, Colorado, where the weather and conditions can be problematic for your lawn, it’s always a good idea to at least get an initial inspection from a lawn care expert.
But there are also some things you can do today to minimize the risk of lawn disease.
One of our clients at Mountain High Tree, Lawn & Landscape recently called us, concerned about a trail of dead grass across his lawn in Highlands Ranch. He couldn’t put his finger on why the rest of his lawn looked gorgeous, yet one part was seemingly living its last days.
We immediately suspected it was some form of lawn disease, and we came to his property and inspected his lawn free of charge to find out what was the matter.
It turns out, this client of ours wasn’t following standard practice when it comes to maintaining a lawn. To ensure you don’t find yourself in the same situation, we have included some general tips on maintaining a lawn, as well as a detailed look at our various services, from lawn fertilizer to lawn disease control and insect and mite control. We hope this procures some “Aha!” moments for all of you, and feel free to give us a call if you think you might be interested in our services.
Tips for a Healthy Lawn in Highlands Ranch
- As we discovered with our client in Highlands Ranch, cleaning the bottom of your lawn mower regularly is so vital to your yard’s health. Our client was spreading fungus and disease across parts of his lawn because he wasn’t regularly cleaning his mower; thus, the trail of dead grass.
- Keeping your mower blades sharp ensures that your grass is crisply cut each time. Ideally, you should sharper your mower blades at least twice per season.
- Many of our clients know about mulching, but we find they don’t realize there is a standard amount of mulching to ensure a healthy lawn. Mulch every third or fourth cut to protect your lawn.
- You can throw your grass clippings in the garbage…or you can be more eco-friendly and throw them in your compost bin.
Highlands Ranch Lawn Fertilization
At Mountain High Tree & Lawn, we will always apply a pre-emergent before fertilizing so that we can control your crabgrass right off the bat.
After that, it’s up to you which fertilizer you want, and we have many options to suit each particular case.
First off, we have our Conventional fertilizer, which is a special blend specifically created for Highland Ranch’s particular soils and environmental conditions.
Our “Organic-Nature’s Way” fertilizer is a more environmentally friendly product that has a low-carbon footprint. It comes with or without weed control, whichever you prefer.
If you opt for weed control, we have a special type of weed control called Spot-Spray for those interested. With this weed control, we spray each individual weed instead of covering the whole lawn for a more concentrated application and a healthier surrounding environment.
Another popular choice is our Extended-Release lawn fertilizer. If you find that your grass starts dying at the end of seasons, it may be because you used a high concentrated fertilizer early on and then it wore off. This slow-release fertilizer of ours treats your lawn for the entire season at a steady and natural pace.
Lawn Disease Control in Highlands Ranch
Different Types of Fungi:
Necrotic Ring Spot (Also Known As NRS) – Also known as NRS, Necrotic Ring Spot is known for producing rings of dead grass. If left untreated, it will spread across your lawn until your lawn looks like crop circles. So, either you have NRS or you have been visited by aliens.
Aschochyta (ASK-KO-KY-TA) – Aschochyta browns just the tips of your grass blades, almost as if it’s taunting you. Typically, this fungus tends to embed itself in your lawn mower tracks. If you think you have Aschochyta, make sure you mow the infected area last so you don’t spread it any more across your lawn.
Dollar Spot – See Dollar Spot. See Dollar Spot take over your lawn. Dollar Spot produces small, sand dollar-sized circles across your lawn. It looks like a dog urination spot, except it doesn’t produce a dark green ring on the edges.
Leaf Spot – Leaf Spot not only browns your grass, but it also purples it. It may be a little more colorful, but it wears out its welcome when you realize it is destroying your lawn. If left untreated, this fungus can develop into the more damaging Melting Out fungus, which essentially can take over your whole front yard.
Fairy Ring Fungus – Fairy Ring Fungus sounds like something from a children’s book, but keep it away from your children. This fungus produces large circles that sometimes come with inedible mushrooms. Contact us for our lawn aeration and lawn fertilizer services to combat it.
Revive your Lawn in Highlands Ranch
In Highlands Ranch, we know that the soil tends to get pretty hard and dry, especially in the summer.
That’s why we created the Revive product, which is specifically designed to break up hard soils, allowing for better water permeation so roots get the attention they deserve.
Revive is often used by our clients during the warm summer months, as well as after the brutal winter.
Lawn Insect and Mite Control in Highlands Ranch
Bugs can be cute, but they can also damage your lawn.
If your grass won’t get any greener despite your best efforts, bugs may have taken over.
For your reference, bugs typically like the Southern and Western parts of your lawn because they are more exposed to the sun. This is particularly true in the winter. Check these parts of your yard, as well as your wall areas, your fence areas and your evergreens and juniper bushes if you have them. Also, make sure you are watering even in the winter to keep bugs away.
Here are some insects we’ve come across that love the summer months in Highlands Ranch:
- White Grubs
- Ataenius Beetle
- Chinch Bug
- Sod Webworm (the small, tan moths that fly into your grass when you are mowing)
- Bill Bug (like a construction worker, leaves a sawdust-like trail; can be found hanging out along sidewalks)
For a detailed overview of the plentiful bugs that have settled in Colorado, check out our list at https://mounthightree.wpengine.com/plant-health-care/insect-disease-pest-control/.
Highlands Ranch Lawn Aeration Service
Lawn aeration is another service we offer that has become very popular with our clients.
Lawn aeration breaks up sticky clay, allowing water to get to the roots of your grass better.
If your grass appears to be growing half as fast as your pompous, gloating neighbor’s glistening yard, give us a call and we will make sure you keep pace with him.
Other Services in Highlands Ranch
Perimeter Pest Control and Bug Barriers – Spiders, ants, pillbugs, earwigs – ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh. Once these critters find a nice, cozy home, they are apt to sleep with you at night without you even knowing. I know, creepy. Call us and we’ll have a little talk with them.
Vole Control – There are too many voles, and the only solution…is Vole Control! Voles can be rather rude creatures. They will invite themselves into your yard, and then create an elaborate network of tunnels under your lawn and around your trees without even asking you. We’ll help you get rid of these
Rock, Bed and Border Weed Control – Weeds are so persistent that they’ll even find a way to sprout from mulch dust. Our Rock, Bed and Border Weed Control ensures weeds no longer bother you anymore.
Native Grass Weed Control – We know that many of you like to keep native grasses on your property. After all, Colorado has some mighty fine native plants. But native grasses also can produce a lot of weeds. Call us and we’ll take care of the weeds, leaving your native plants happy.
There is the rundown for you. Hope you liked it. If you live in North Ridge, South Ridge, East Ridge or West Ridge in Highlands Ranch (that’s all the ridges, just for those counting), give Mountain High Tree & Lawn a call and our lawn care experts will come and inspect your lawn absolutely free of charge. If we find a problem, we’ll go over a strategy with you and return your lawn back to its glory days.