Below are some questions to consider when hiring a lawn service:

• Will the company perform an initial site analysis before recommending a specific lawn care program?  What does that analysis include?
• If it includes a soil test, will it be done by the University of Minnesota Soils Lab or another reputable laboratory?
• How much nitrogen will the lawn service apply to your lawn over the season? Compare this with the Extension Service recommendations in the chart at the bottom of this page.
• What weed, insect or disease problems are identified in the site analysis? Don’t be afraid to ask the service to point out those pests to you and the particular symptoms that led to that diagnosis. This will help you be more observant and informed about what is going on in your yard.

High Maintenance Lawn

Low Maintenance Lawn

According to turf maintenance professionals, the single most important thing a homeowner can do to improve a lawn is to raise the mower blade.

Longer grass means deeper roots. That helps the plant absorb more moisture and nutrients and protects it from stress and drought. Taller grass shades the soil to reduce moisture loss and reduce weeds like crabgrass that need sunlight to germinate. The result is a healthier lawn with less watering, pesticides, fertilizer and work.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture recommends mowing grass to a height of two to three inches. Another half-inch in the summer is even better, according to some turf specialists.
Whether cutting the lawn long or short, it’s important to remember to direct clippings back onto the lawn where they add the equivalent of one fertilizer application.

Residents are also encouraged to take two clockwise passes around the yard with your mower before starting your regular mowing pattern. This will direct grass clippings onto the lawn where they will help shade the soil and feed the growing grass plants.

City Prohibits Depositing Yard Waste in Streets

A Plymouth ordinance prohibits mowing, raking and blowing yard waste into the street. Rain carries yard waste from gutters and streets into the storm sewer system where it can block the flow of water. This can cause localized flooding.

Yard waste in the street also degrades water quality. Grass, leaves and other yard waste in streets are carried through the storm sewer system to lakes, wetlands and streams. They add phosphorus and sediments to these water resources. Phosphorus encourages algae growth and sediment clouds the water.

Fall is a good time to take steps to improve lawns and gardens. Many of these steps will also help protect Plymouth’s lakes by reducing storm water runoff and erosion.

Lawns

• Aerate and dethatch. Aeration loosens compacted soils to improve water infiltration, increase the movement of oxygen to grass roots and stimulate growth. Proper aeration extracts cores of soil 1/4 to 3/4 inch in diameter, and 2 to 4 inches in depth. Aeration is particularly important in areas with clay soils – like Plymouth.
• Late August through mid-September is the best time to apply fertilizer. Be sure to choose phosphorus-free fertilizer (look for bags with a 0 as the second in a series of three numbers). Carefully follow directions on the bag and be sure to clean up any spilled fertilizer.
• Seed bare spots, or top dress (August through late September) your whole lawn by spreading a thin layer of compost, then overseeding with a “northern mixture” of grass seed. Keep the grass seed evenly moist until it sprouts and is about one inch high.
• Apply broadleaf weed control, if needed (Mid-September through mid-October).
• Water until late October (one inch per week is adequate, and be sure to count rain).
• Mow until grass stops growing (around beginning of November).

Perennials

• Leave the foliage on native perennials to offer visual interest, help plants catch snow (a great winter mulch) and provide winter food for birds. 
• Unlike lawns, garden plants don't need fertilizer in autumn. Perennials need to slow down their growth before the onset of winter. 
• Tilling vegetable and flowerbeds in autumn gives you the chance to start planting earlier in spring, especially when we have late, wet springs the following year. 
• Lift tender bulbs such as callas, cannas, glads and dahlias if you want to save them for next year. 
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and crocus.

Leaves

• Leaves can be excellent mulch for gardens and plantings.
• Add leaves to your backyard compost bin. 
• Bring leaves to the Plymouth Yard Waste Site.
• Check with your garbage hauler about leaf collection. Most haulers have compost programs in place, and accept yard waste – including leaves – from their customers. There is usually a fee associated with this service. And remember, Minnesota law requires the use of compostable bags (either paper or compostable plastic) or carts for yard waste collection.

Spring is the time to prepare your lawn for the scorching days of summer. A little pre-planning in the spring can save water, time and your lawn when the summer heats up and spring rains diminish. On top of all that, some of the water-saving tips can save money too.

Fertilize Right

• One application of fertilizer in the spring is usually enough to help grass green up and start growing. Applying more than that will cause rapid and often excessive growth, fueling the plants’ demand for water. It will also lead to extra hours behind a lawn mower.
• Carefully follow label directions and clean up any fertilizer from hard surfaces like walks, driveways and streets.
• Be sure to choose phosphorus-free lawn fertilizer (look for bags with a middle number of 0). In an effort to protect lakes and other water resources, state law prohibits the use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus. Exceptions include starting a new lawn or lawns where a soil test shows that soil is deficient for phosphorus.

Seed Bare Spots

• Seed bare patches to prevent weeds and soil erosion. Scratch up the soil with a garden rake and shake grass seed evenly over bare soil. Scratch the seed in with the rake, then gently tamp the soil down to ensure seed/soil contact. Keep moist until new grass is established.

Dethatch

• Thatch is a layer of organic matter containing live and dead plant material between the soil surface and the actively growing green vegetation. Development of thatch greater than 3/4 inch thick can lead to greater drought, insect and disease problems.