The spring of 2021 will go down in history as the driest spring season on record for most of the Northern Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin counites.  As of mid-June, our local service area has only received about 2.5 inches of precipitation since March resulting in a severe drought distinction for the area.  We usually average around 9 inches of rain during this time for most of our service area.  In a typical year, our area turns dry, and lawns start suffering drought and heat stress in Mid-June, however this has already been happening since early May.   Lawn on left suffering from drought stress 2021 Watering is already needed for most lawns, and some have already gone dormant.  With summer yet to start and another 90 days of typical dry and high soil temperatures, many lawns will be on the verge of serious damage this summer.  Here are some ways that you can save or limit the damage to your lawn this summer: Large droplet sprinkler 1. Begin wa...

Do I have Grub Damage in my Lawn this summer? We receive many calls this time of year (mid-summer) for curing brown spots in the lawn.  Many homeowners assume that the brown spots are a result of grub damage.  However, this  is not the case as grub damage will not show up for another several weeks after the eggs hatch and begin feeding on grass roots in August and September.  The brown spots are more commonly a result of heat stress on the lawn which often results in additional damage form diseases and insects in the lawn as the grass slows down growth due to the higher soil temperatures and less frequent heavy rainfall.   Most lawns across the Northern Illinois area are suffering from heat related stresses this summer.  With more sunny days above 80 degrees in June and early July, soil temperatures jumped quickly resulting in stressed out lawns by mid-July.  Once a lawn begins to weaken or go dormant the disease and insects can ...

Early Spring is the time to put down crabgrass preventer and fertilizer, and this is why? Your lawns roots need nitrogen to produce new spring leave tissue and stopping crabgrass now will give you a beautiful lawn.   Click here for a great lawn!

Call In Your Best Defense Yard Armour ®   Protects Against Mosquitoes    CLICK HERE FOR A 60 SECOND QUOTE Mosquitoes are both a nuisance and a potential health concern in your outdoor living space. Lawn Doctor's Yard Armour® Mosquito Control provides a protective barrier to defend your family and pets from harmful and annoying mosquitoes.

Antioch lawn growing well with current conditions Every year in the midwest lawns begin an annual ritual of browning up and thinning out by the 4th of July.  This is generally caused by high soil temperautres from long sunny days and warm air temperautres and a reduction in weekly rainfall amounts.  However, 2014 has brought a very different 4th of July to the many lawns in our Lake County area.  Surface soil temperatures normally reach into the 90 degree range resulting in early signs of dormancy.  However, we have received adequate rainfall weekly so far this year along with average temperatures and cloudy days resulting in ideal soil temperatures for turf growth and vigor.  We are averaging surface soil temperatures around 80 degrees which is ideal for bluegrass to thrive.  Lake Forest lawn thriving in ideal 2014 conditions. July is normally the beginning of the "dead zone" as we refer to it, where unless you are adequately irrigating the...

Spring of 2014 has brought some wild weather to the Midwest.  From a lingering winter that would not let go to a slow warm-up and even snow in May!   This spring has shown us exactly what mother nature is capable of; anything.  The good news is that the cooler temperatures and soaking rains have produced an ideal spring growing season for the lawns.  This is a much needed opportunity for the lawn to repair itself  from the recently experienced severe winter conditions in the Midwest.  Lawn Doctor's spring fertilizer applications along with the ideal spring growing conditions have brought thick green lawns to many of our customers.  We utilize highly soluble fertilizers with micronutrients and iron additives to promote green color development in grass leaf tissue.  Premium program in Antioch Not only have the lawn care programs brought great results this spring so have some of our additional services.  Power seeding jobs have taken v...

Today is officially the first day of spring 2014.  Every year this day brings unique conditions to the Midwest.   In recent years we have experienced anything from 80 degree sunny days to below freezing temperatures and winter storms and everything in between.  So, I guess it is normal that this year falls in between there somewhere.  However, this is not quite the hopeful first day of spring we have all been hoping for after this past harsh and everlasting winter.  This year spring is revealing damaged turf from a severely harsh winter and more than 90 days of snow cover on most turf areas around the area.  As the snow is melting away it revealing damaged turf below.   We are seeing turf that is severely damaged from snow molds, voles, and compaction due to the heavy blanket of wet snows.  The following services from Lawn Doctor of Antioch-Gurnee-Waukegan-Lake Forest will greatly help the lawns recover from the extensive winter damage. ...

The importance of “Winterizer”   Gurnee lawn 10/24/13   Lawn Doctor Lawn on left, competitor on right 10/24/31 Most people already know the importance of a late season fertilizer as part of their lawn care program.  This is often referred to as “winterizer” and applied during the late fall months of the year as the leaves are falling or have already fallen.  I would like to explain a little about why the late fertilizer or “winterizer” s so important.  It provides quickly available nitrogen, allows for root growth and greatly influences the lawns ability to green-up and grow with the first warm days of spring.   Lake Forest lawn 10/24/13 Our late fall fertilizer is a high source of nitrogen fertilizer with a very low percent of slow-release. This allows for most of the fertilizer to be immediately available for turf root uptake with the typical normal moisture levels and dews found this time of year.  Moisture allows th...

Some Successful Lawn Makeovers from 2013                                                                                                     Antioch lawn 5/13                                                                                                                                                  Same   Antioch lawn 10/13 The 2013 lawn season has brought ma...

Fall is also a great time of the year for repairing your lawn from summer stress through aerations, over-seeding and compost additions.  Fall brings cooler temperatures, less radiant heat and generally more precipitation to the lawns in the Midwest.  This is the perfect recipe for root and rhizome growth in your highly maintained lawns.  By combining mother nature's best efforts for root growth with a few simple lawn services you can greatly enhance your lawn's ability to thrive before winter dormancy. Aerations open up the soil by pulling small 3/8" x 2" plugs from the lawn and depositing them on top.  This allows oxygen, seed, water and composts or soil conditioners to have direct access to the rootzone of the turf.  This encourages root and rhizome growth and development by opening up more space in the previously compacted soil profile.  Compacted clay-based soils bind tightly together from summer heat and traffic resulting in a concrete-like soil stru...

Along with the first day of fall we are seeing some much needed improvements in the weather conditions.  The weather has finally cooled down and some rain has fallen on Northern Illinois. This is excellent timing for the early fall fertilizer that is starting to get spread.   Fall is the best time of year for fertilizing turf because the grass is responding well to the cooler temperatures and increased moisture levels.  Grass plants are producing more leaf and root tissues to repair itself from the summer stress and to produce food for itself through photosynthesis.  The turf is actively growing roots and rhizomes beneath the soil surface so that it can absorb more nutrients and expand during the ideal soil conditions.  Therefore fertilizer is required more now by the grass plant than any other time of the year.  Fertilizing now through the end of the growing season will assist in greening up leaf tissue, expanding roots and rhizomes and producing more top ...