Summer stress affecting a lawn in Antioch August 2013 Every summer brings stress to the lawns in Antioch, Gurnee, Waukegan and Lake Forest.  This stress comes from heat, dry soil and compaction from foot traffic.  The result is usually a weaker thinner lawn in Mid- August than earlier in the year in May with cooler temperatures and adequate rainfall.  Late summer and early fall is the perfect time of the year to repair your lawn with over seeding.  This time of the year brings cooler air temperatures at night and warm soil conditions perfect for grass seed germination.  This combination also produces heavy morning dews to help irrigate the seed for germination. Over seeded lawn results fall 2013 Depending on your grass type, your lawn may need over seeding to help repair or an ideal organic nutrient mix to induce rhizome production. Bluegrasses and some tall fescues can thicken up naturally with the help of fertilizers by producing new rhiz...

      Here is just one sample of how the Lawn Doctor program can help turn a sparse lawn into a green and thick lawn in just 6 weeks.  The main difference between our lawn care program and that of our competitors is in the products we use.  Our program uses all granular fertilizers which fertilize the entire turf plant from the roots upward.  This means that the turf benefits from root and rhizome growth during the cool and wet spring months.  Liquid fertilizers just green up the leaf blades at the top of the plant and are not beneficial for the entire turf plant.  As seen below our fertilizer program helps bluegrass to promote its root structure and rhizome growth.  This helps the plant grow laterally and fill in the turf area.                     This picture was taken in late April around the time of our first fertilizer application.             ...

Bluegrass and Turf-type Tall Fescue Bluegrass and Turf-type tall fescue grass seed blends are both cool season grasses that can thrive in our cool humid growing zone.  One reason they are so popular in the green industry is because they produce rhizomes as part of their reproductive process.  What does this mean?  It means the plant sends out new shoots below ground to repair itself and reproduce across open areas in the lawn.  The picture above is a patch of lawn that died in the early heat and drought this summer.  As the cooler temperatures of August and September arrived, along with some much-needed rainfall, the surviving bluegrass plants began their process of reproducing.  The result is a fuller appearance of turf that will eventually fill in completely without any over-seeding.  This unique characteristic of these grass types is why experienced turfgrass professionals have preferred them for high-maintenance lawns. Many lawn...