Cool fall air, the smell of dinner on a grill, and fallen leaves means holiday season is imminent, and first up is Spooky Season (as my wife likes to call it). My kids love to drive around the neighborhoods close to our home to see the houses that go above and beyond in decorating their homes for their favorite holidays. Here are a couple of strategies that allow you to have your cake (cool decorations) and eat it too (still care for the lawn)!
1. Move Your Decorations Regularly
When decorations stay in one place for an extended period of time, you can expect damage to your turf. The holiday season starts when our lawns are still green and growing in our metro-Atlanta yards. As the days get shorter and nighttime temperatures drop, the growth of our bermuda and zoysia lawns slow, meaning recovery is also slow. A nice, dense canopy is important for winter weed control when combined with pre-emergents, so protecting it is important.
Holiday decorations with a large footprint can be injurious to your turf, depriving them of sunlight and water. Even the best fertilizer program can’t overcome a shortage of these two fundamental needs. In the summer months, something that stays in the same place on your lawn creates a yellow spot (called chlorosis) or spindly growth (called etiolation). While the symptoms may be less obvious in fall, injury is still occurring. Maximizing autumn transitional health fortifies the roots and encourages health through dormancy and green up. Regularly moving your decorations helps limit the amount of time each area is smothered.
2. Stay on Schedule with Your Turf Product Applications
Not only is mobility beneficial to your turf health, but it also allows your turf to stay on schedule for applications. The completeness of an application is important, especially when we are talking about pre-emergent weed control products. As we spray these products, our goal is a uniformed application, creating a barrier that suppresses new weeds from germinating. Areas where application isn’t possible won’t have that barrier and are therefore susceptible to winter annual weed germination.
In situations where the placement of decorations prevents proper turf care, we will reschedule an application for a time when decorations can be moved. At Nature’s Turf, we send text notifications the day before we treat your property. If that isn’t enough time to move your decorations, you’re always welcome to reach out and have your application rescheduled.
3. Ask the Experts
If you plan to place decorations in your yard for the holidays, reach out to Nature’s Turf for answers to your questions about where to place them, how often to move them, and how to stay on schedule with your turf care products. Your beautiful turf is our priority. At Nature’s Turf, we love the festivity, and we will be glad to help you plan so your turf stays healthy through Spooky Season and beyond.
Important Takeaways
- Move your decorations around regularly. Decorations with a large footprint can deprive areas of your lawn the sunlight and water they need to be healthy. Even the best fertilizer programs can’t replace those two fundamental needs.
- Not only is mobility beneficial to your turf health, but it also allows your turf to stay on schedule for applications.The completeness of an application is important, especially when we are talking about pre-emergent weed control products.
- If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Nature’s Turf via email or phone at (770) 599-5280. We’re more than happy to help!
