Lawns – Page 4 – GRO Big Red

Lawns, Kids & Pets

Many families that have a lawn to care for also have children and pets. Are they mutually exclusive? In short, no. However, if you want the 3 of them to thrive and the kids/pets to be safe, there are some common sense guidelines to follow.

Aerating vs. Power Raking

One of the most common questions we get in the horticulture department of Nebraska Extension is “hey, should I aerate or power rake my lawn?”. We hate to answer the question with “it depends”, but that’s really the answer, because each procedure is done for a different reason.

Watering During Turf Establishment

If damage from voles, skunks, ice, cold temperatures or other factors have left your lawn a bit on the thin side, mid-spring is a good time to thicken up the stand.

Spring Lawn Care

Spring has sprung and cabin fever is high. Not just cabin fever; COVID-19 cabin fever. As we start venturing outside and focus attention on the lawn and landscape, here are some spring lawn care tips to keep in mind:

The Word is WAIT

If ever there was a year for cabin fever, it’s 2021. In mid-March, all Midwesterners are ready to do something outside in the lawn, landscape, veggie garden, patio…anywhere but inside. Add to that the feelings of enduring COVID-19, and the need to do something outside is almost at a fever pitch.

Falling Leaves are Great…for the Garden

It’s fall, which means the calendar says September, October and November, but in a gardening sense it also means falling leaves.

September Weather Patterns Predict Early Freeze, Deepening Drought

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center has some startling news for September 12 through the 15th—a cold front moving through the central Great Plains region will bring falling temperatures, with a moderate risk of these temperatures being below freezing. How far temperatures fall is dependent on just how cold the cold front is and…

Prioritize, then Water Efficiently

In the past few weeks, Mother Nature has not brought much in the way of natural rainfall to many parts of Nebraska.

Tall Fescue is Not Perfect

It seems like many landowners are jumping on the turf type tall fescue bandwagon, switching from perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. It’s understandable – the number of problems that these species have caused many homeowners to look for other options. The truth is no turf species is perfect, with resistance to all diseases, insects and…

Lawn Renovation – First Steps

We’ve been dealing with the “Dog Days of Summer” for a couple of weeks now. One of the things that go with this time of year are bad looking lawns, many of which need lawn renovation. Mid-August is the time for step 1 of that process. Steps 2 to 8 should take place in late…