Lawn Care News - Big League Lawns Ogden, UT

Tips to Beat Utah's Drought with Soil Conditioning

The start date for Secondary water from the Weber Basin has been pushed back. Utah's lakes are far from capacity, and now we're already getting recommendations to water only lawns only once per week. Utah's lawn survival rate is going to drop without doing something about it. Here are a few drought protection tips to apply right away! Tip #1 - Allow Watering to Go Deep During summers' hot days, the top layer of soil a few inches deep will dry up. Because roots only travel a few inches deep, they end up in dry dirt, further away from watering…

Lawn Aeration / Lawn Care - 05/05/2022 - Big League Lawns

How To Treat Different Types of Turf in Utah

If you're like so many Utah residents, you may be having difficulty figuring out how to cultivate a lush green lawn and maintain it. The answer starts with choosing the best type of turf for the terrain in your area and your particular property’s specific needs.

Topics covered in this blog:

Types of Turf Species
How To Care For Lawn Turf?
How to Care for Fescue Grass (Tall and Fine)?
How to Care for Kentucky Blue Grass?
Optimum Turf Care For Your Lawn
Top Lawn Care Company in Utah

Types of Turf Species

Every lawn needs special attention. A beautiful, thriving lawn requires suitable turf, based on its unique combination of features, type, use, and other considerations. Turf species are categorized into cool- and warm-season types of grass. Let us first understand these two types of grasses.

Warm Season Grasses

Warm-season turfgrasses grow best when temperatures are between 80° to 95°F. Cold temperatures cause these turfgrass types to become dormant for an extended period. Warm-season grass types need abundant sunlight and do not do well in very shaded lawn areas. Some common types of warm-season grasses include:

Bermuda
Hybrid Bermuda
Zoysia
Augustine
Centipede

Cool Season Grass

Cool-season turfgrasses start growing when temperatures are between 60° to 70°F. In the Utah climate, these grass species can struggle to survive the damaging sun and heat. In warmer months, cool-season grass types need larger amounts of water than warm-season grass alternatives. Cool-season grasses can grow well in shaded lawns. Trees provide shade that shields the lawn and protects the grass from long days and months of direct sun exposure. Some of the most common cool-season grass types include:

Kentucky Blue Grass
Fine Fescue
Tall Fescue
Rye Grass

How To Care For Lawn Turf?

The best lawn care practices are specific to the turfgrass type you select for your area and the conditions. Use the basic guidelines below to help you create a turf care program that will work best for your particular lawn. We’ll just focus on Fescue and Kentucky Blue Grass because those are the two turf types that people use most here in Utah. A Tall Fescue turf or Kentucky Blue Grass can give you a beautiful lawn in the western U.S. climate region.

How to Care for Fescue Grass (Tall and Fine)?

Among the broad-leaved Fescue grasses is Tall Fescue. Its familiar wide, flat blades are common among popular lawn turfs. Tall Fescue is a versatile species of grass used across a wide range of climate types. It withstands both hot and cold temperatures. It’s also shade-tolerant and resistant to drought. In good climatic conditions for this grass type, Tall Fescue provides an excellent option for the durability and resilience of a lawn that undergoes changing conditions.

Proper care of Tall Fescue grass should include:

Watering: Fescue turf needs a minimum of around two inches per week throughout the summer. It requires a minimum of about an inch of water per week, even throughout the winter months. If grass blades stay flat from foot traffic, that indicates that the grass needs water.
Mowing: Maintain Tall Fescue lawn turf at 1.5 to 3 inches grass height.
Fertilizing: Fescue should not be fertilized during the summer. The right time to apply fertilizer to Fescue grass is during the spring and fall seasons.
Aerating: The fall is the appropriate time to aerate Tall Fescue lawns.
Overseeding: Tall Fescue is known for its durability in withstanding hot temperatures. So, overseeding during the fall to fill bare patches of the lawn is recommended.

Fine Fescue is the category of all Fescue species with thinner leaves. Fine fescue has narrower blades than Tall Fescue. Some species of Fine Fescue grasses can be so thin that the blades have a needle-like appearance.

A strategy used for many lawns, where appropriate, is mixing Tall Fescue grass with Fine Fescue. This combination works well to produce a plush lawn with fine texturing while also thriving in the shade.

How to Care for Kentucky Blue Grass?

Lawn owners consider Kentucky Blue Grass as the ideal turf for a beautiful yard throughout much of the country. In suitable climatic conditions and appropriate lawn care, Kentucky Blue Grass provides a thick, lush, robust lawn. But, this grass species does not flourish without proper care. It requires comparatively frequent maintenance to make the most of its potential. But, the pay-off can be an exceptionally gorgeous, thick green lawn.

Proper care of Kentucky Blue Grass should include:

Watering: Kentucky Blue Grass needs a minimum of around a half-inch of water per week.
Mowing: This turf species performs beautifully when maintained at 3 to 4 inches height.
Fertilizing: Fertilize Kentucky Blue Grass with applications of 4 to 5 pounds of nitrogen for every 1,000 square feet of lawn area every year.
Aerating: The ideal period for aerating Kentucky Blue Grass and other cool-season grasses is early in the spring or fall, during the growing season.
Overseeding: Use aeration as an opportunity to help fill in sparse areas after removing soil plugs.

Optimum Turf Care For Your Lawn

A frequent error people make in trying to cultivate a great lawn is assuming all grass is the same and that all turf types have the exact requirements. However, as you can see above, different types of grass can have different needs that must be met to produce a dense, beautiful green lawn. So, for best results, seek expert professional lawn care guidance on your particular lawn’s specific needs.

For Lush Green Lawn, Contact Big League Lawns, Ogden, Utah

If you need help rehabilitating depleted or dead grass, contact Big League Lawns. Get full-scope lawn care programs, including fertilization, aeration, winterization, and lawn pest control. We serve our customers throughout Weber and Davis counties in Utah, with over 40 years of combined experience cultivating thriving Utah lawns. We use our own special locally blended fertilizer designed for Utah lawns. Big League lawn care services are 100% guaranteed.

Call Big League Lawns, Ogden, UT at (801) 773-9999, or contact us online to schedule a FREE lawn analysis and estimate by one of our Utah lawn rehabilitation experts.

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Lawn Care - 05/03/2022 - Big League Lawns

How to Take Care of New Sod?

Wow! You’ve just transformed your property from dirt to a suddenly gorgeous, magazine-perfect lush lawn! Of course, now it’s up to you to keep it alive, make it flourish, and protect your investment in it. (But, no pressure.) Fortunately, knowing how to care for new sod will help ensure that your new grass will take root and become a fully established beautiful lawn quickly. Use these instructions for caring for new sod to help you develop a strong, healthy lawn with a lasting, beautiful appearance.

Are you looking for a lawn care company that can help you maintain your lush green lawn? Our team of experts will help you take care of your newly laid sod, Call now or contact us online!

How to Take Care of Freshly Laid Sod

Especially during the first six weeks after laying it, it is essential to pamper your sod. Follow these basic steps to help your new perishable sod develop into a rich, strong, thriving Utah lawn that you can enjoy for a lifetime:

Click to Jump to Section:

Water Abundantly
Follow Expert Mowing Guidelines
Use Proper Weed Control
Apply Lawn Pest Control
Use the Right Fertilizer for Grass in Utah

Water Abundantly

Your new sod needs deep watering as soon as it’s installed. Don’t wait until the following day. Heat builds up in stacks or rolls of sod, so the grass becomes very dehydrated when installed at your home. Water your new lawn twice each day for around 20 minutes each time. This should give your grass six full inches per watering cycle.

Arrange your routine for the best time to water new sod — mornings and late afternoons. Those are usually the best hours of the day to water a lawn because temperatures are cooler. Adjust your watering schedule to make sense based on the amount of rainfall the grass is absorbing.

Make sure your sprinklers are reaching all areas of the lawn. Look for any signs that some areas of your new grass may be too dry. Add extra water to those spots as needed to rehydrate them. Your new grass needs the most watering through the first 14 weeks after the sod is installed.

Follow Expert Mowing Guidelines

Wait to mow your new lawn until the grass has firmly taken root. Typically, with sufficient watering, you can probably safely move after the first three weeks. If you installed the sod while it was dormant during the winter, wait around 3 to 4 weeks after the start of its growing cycle in the spring before you mow for the first time.

Before you mow, spot-check areas of your lawn to confirm that your sod is growing well and that a reasonably strong root system has developed and is binding it to the soil. Set your mower blades to cut off only the top one-third of the grass blades. After mowing, your grass should be around 3 to 4 inches tall.

Sharpen the lawnmower blades, as needed, to ensure that the mower is cutting the grass and not pulling it out of the ground with a dull blade. Your grass will flourish better, have greater resilience to common Utah lawn diseases and rot, and look more attractive if you cut it with a sharp blade.

Use Proper Weed Control

After your new sod is fully rooted and established as your lush new lawn, turn your attention to keeping your yard free from weeds that will try to crowd out the grass. After the first four mowings, if your lawn has endured those well and looks strong and healthy, you can start using weed control products.

Choose a weed control solution designed specifically for your lawn’s turf type and for the growing zone where your property is located. Ask for professional guidance on weed control products, if necessary.

Apply Lawn Pest Control

Wait another 4 to 5 mowings after you start using weed control before you begin using lawn pest control products on your new lawn. This should give your new grass plenty of time to recover from the process of establishing sod as your new lawn. Follow professional recommendations for your climate, soil condition, and turf species to determine the best lawn pest control agents to use on your new grass.

Ask your lawn pest control expert about bug barriers, protection from lawn grubs (beetle larvae), etc., and other common lawn pests in Utah. Begin to educate yourself on adequate lawn pest control in the region.

How to Take Care of New Sod - Pest Control

Use the Right Fertilizer for Grass in Utah

Lawn nutrients are a vital component of your new lawn care regimen. Knowing when to fertilize new sod is essential to growing thick, lush grass with a strong root system. New grass needs routine feeding with proper nutrients for it to grow strong during the first several months. It’s important to know when to fertilize new grass.

Apply the first round of fertilizer about four weeks after laying your new sod. That will allow the sod sufficient time to recover from the trauma of the unrolling and installation and will ensure that it contains abundant hydration.

Ask your grass cultivation specialist about granular fertilizer with the best formulaic specifications for new lawns in the Utah climate and for your soil condition. Ask about organic nutrient solutions for grass that are best suited for your particular lawn’s needs.

What Else Can You Do for Your New Grass?

In addition to watering abundantly, mowing judiciously, and administering weed control and lawn pest control solutions, avoid walking on your new lawn more than necessary to care for the grass. Give your new grass at least the first 2 to 3 weeks, or until after the first mowing before walking on the turf. This will protect the new grass from excessive stress and friction pulling at the tender roots and from potential soil compaction while the roots are striving to gain a hold on the soil.

Make Your New Lawn a Winner with Big League Lawns!

We are a leading Utah lawn care company. We provide lawn aeration, lawn pest control, and lawn nutrients to rehabilitate struggling grass into thriving, beautiful lawns. We serve our customers throughout Weber and Davis counties in Utah. Our team of lawn care experts has over 40 years of combined experience transforming Utah lawns. All our services are 100% guaranteed.

Call Big League Lawns, Ogden, UT, at (801) 773-9999, or contact us online to schedule your free lawn analysis and estimate for lawn care.

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Lawn Care - 04/29/2022 - Big League Lawns

Spring Lawn Diseases: Symptoms Early in the Season

Last year, you might have worked hard on your lawn and cultivated a beautiful, healthy lawn. But, like so many Utah homeowners, you may have discovered this spring that something has infected your turf. Even a thriving lawn is at risk of various spring lawn diseases that can quickly take over your yard and damage or kill much of your grass. When the weather warms up, and the snow starts melting, that’s a lawn owner’s cue to diligently inspect for early signs of common springtime turf diseases in Utah.

Common Lawn Diseases in Spring

Here are some of the most common lawn diseases that Utah homeowners and businesses struggle to diagnose and eliminate in the springtime and brief discussions about how to cure these:

Leaf Spot Disease

Utah's cool, damp winter conditions are an ideal environment for fungal turf diseases. Leaf spot disease is one of the most widespread of all. It’s an infection that damages the leaves of grass and causes roots to rot.

Symptoms: At the onset of the infection, light brown or darker brown spots typically appear on grass leaves. The spots may darken and even turn black as the disease spreads across the lawn. If left untreated, leaf spot disease will cause rotting the grassroots to spread and kill large lawn areas.

Treatment: To help prevent leaf spot disease, fertilizing, aerating, and watering according to a tactical plan for combating the disease. Ultimately, however, if your grass does contract the infection, a fungicide must be applied to stop the disease.

Snow Mold

Snow mold is a fungal grass infection that flourishes in the very cold Utah winter temperatures. There is gray snow mold, which infects the grass blades but does not significantly damage the roots. There is also pink snow mold, which affects the entire grass plant. That extent of infection makes pink snow mold more difficult to control and more threatening to the life of the grass.

Symptoms: Both gray and pink snow mold infections cause round patches of grass that look more like straw. Gray snow mold generates hardened fungal growths on the grass’s leaves and crowns.

Treatment: Both snow mold types can stay dormant and sustain themselves throughout the heat of summer. For less extensive snow mold problems, simply raking the grass can sometimes eliminate the outbreak. In more extreme cases, a fungicide application is needed.

Red Thread Lawn Disease

Red thread disease is yet another fungal infection that proliferates on lawns poor in nutrients, usually during the cool spring and fall periods. The red threadlike structures of the fungus take over areas of the lawn, blanketing patches of grass with this parasitic growth.

Symptoms: The infection is recognizable by its distinct pink or red fibers growing around the leaves and stems of the grass. As the disease advances, the red fibers develop roundish clusters or webs about 4 to 8 inches in diameter lying on top of areas of the lawn and clinging to the grass blades.

Treatment: Less severe cases of this fungal disease can often be successfully treated by aerating and fertilizing the lawn. Red thread lawn disease is unsightly but not actually damaging to the grass. A more extensive spread of the infection may necessitate a fungicide application.

Spring Lawn Disease Control in Utah

Consult with a turf disease treatment expert for preventive solutions that you may be able to apply as part of your seasonal lawn care or routine winterization. To find out how to ensure that you will be able to enjoy a gorgeous dense lawn of thriving green grass in the spring, speak to a grass rehabilitation expert. Get the best advice on the best strategy for your particular Utah lawn care and grass disease prevention.

For Expert Diagnosis and Cure of Spring Lawn Diseases

We provide lawn rehabilitation services to homeowners and businesses throughout Weber and Davis County, Utah. Our treatment services include lawn fertilization, aeration, pest control, winterization, pre-emergent treatment, etc.

To discuss spring lawn diseases and issues you are having, call Big League Lawns at (801) 773-9999, or contact us here on our website to schedule your FREE Lawn Analysis!

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Lawn Care - 04/28/2022 - Big League Lawns

Quick Guide to Lawn Fungus and Lawn Diseases

When dead grass or discolored areas appear on your pampered lawn, the problem is usually a disease or lawn fungus. Correct disease or lawn fungus identification is the first step to determining which fungal or lawn disease treatment will eliminate the problem and restore your beautiful lawn to full health. Use this handy quick guide to help you identify, treat, and prevent lawn fungus and disease from recurring.

Topics covered in this blog:

How to Tell if Your Lawn Has a Fungus
Treatment for Lawn Fungus
Preventing Lawn Disease and Fungus
DIY or Professional Treatment for Lawn Disease and Fungus
Professional Experts for Lawn Disease or Fungus Treatment

If you need a little extra help to transform your yard into a beautiful, healthy lawn, call our experts at Big League Lawns.

Call Now!

How to Tell if Your Lawn Has a Fungus

Treating your grass for the wrong thing could only lead to more damage. To avoid this risk, having a lawn professional identify the cause of the symptoms on your lawn is essential. Common symptoms of lawn fungus include:

Discoloration

The grass turns brown, yellow, or tan in some spots. However, hot temperatures, insufficient watering, or insect infestation can also cause this.

Mildew

Mildew looks like a layer of white substance on the grass, usually in shaded areas.

Leaf Spot

Spots on blades of grass can indicate infection. The grass may look brown, tan, or gray, while the spots on the grass blades may look purple or red.

Dollar Spot

Brown or tan spots the size of a silver dollar across the lawn, typically in hot, humid weather, may indicate brown patch lawn disease.

Blight

Various forms of blight impact different grass species. One type of blight might kill the grass, whereas another type may cause viscous white or brown patches to appear.

Keep in mind that some lawn diseases can affect virtually all types of grass, while others can only infect some species of grass. For example, Rhizoctonia can impact all kinds of cool-season and warm-season turfgrasses, whereas fusarium blight only affects bluegrass. Be sure you know which grass species you have and the types of lawn diseases that can impact it before you choose a remedial lawn treatment for it.

Treatment for Lawn Fungus

If your grass has a weather-related problem, such as snow mold that happens after snow melts, apply your lawn fungus treatment whenever seasonal conditions require. Some lawn diseases can spread and kill your entire lawn. So, as soon as you correctly identify the disease or fungus damaging your grass, start treatment as quickly as possible.

Start by experimenting to determine whether the problem can be remedied by changing your current lawn care practices, for example:
- Don’t over-water.
- Don’t over-fertilize.
- Don’t mow the grass too short.
If you prefer organic treatment, you can try applying neem oil, cornmeal, or baking soda on small areas of fungus. Be aware of the potential shortcomings of this approach.
But for the majority of lawn fungus types, you need to use an antifungal treatment to kill spores on the grass. You will probably need to reseed the treated area. Choose a product formulated for your lawn’s grass species to avoid killing healthy grass and the need to reseed larger areas.

Preventing Lawn Disease and Fungus

Of course, the ideal way to manage lawn disease and grass-damaging fungus is to prevent these problems from occurring. Some seemingly good lawn care habits can invite such issues. So, use these helpful methods of fungus prevention and lawn disease control:

Cleaning

Leaving branches, leaf piles, and other yard debris provides the ideal environment for fungal growth. Clear away landscape debris.

Watering

Over-watering can lead to mildew, mold, and lawn fungus. Watering with appropriate amounts and frequency is essential to healthy, disease-free grass.

Mowing

Grass cut too short is more vulnerable to disease. Mowing routinely is key to good lawn maintenance, but don’t cut the grass too short.

Drainage

Allowing standing water in low areas that do not drain well promotes fungal growth on grass. So, ensure proper drainage.

Testing

Grass issues can arise from poor nutrition in your lawn—test soil to maintain nutrient balance.

Tools

Rakes, mower blades, hoes, shovels, clippers, and other lawn tools can carry spores. Clean your lawn tools after use with a gentle mixture of bleach and water to kill fungal spores.

DIY Lawn Disease and Fungus Control or Professional Treatment

Do-it-yourself lawn cultivation that is working well saves money. But, when a disease or fungus begins killing or discoloring the grass on your lawn, choosing the wrong treatment can worsen the problem. Having a lawn professional examine and treat your grass ensures that you get the proper treatment for the specific problem.

Consulting with a Utah lawn expert for a solution avoids the mistake of putting treatment agents on your lawn that are unnecessary and ineffective. It also means that you will not have to go through a trial and error process and will be able to restore your lawn and enjoy its full beauty again as quickly as possible.

Stop Lawn Disease or Fungus with Big League Lawns Today!

We are a lawn care company in Ogden, Utah. Big League Lawn cultivation experts provide lawn fertilization, lawn aeration, and lawn pest control. Our professional team has more than 40 years of combined experience developing beautiful lawns in Utah. All our lawn care services are 100% guaranteed. We serve Weber and Davis counties in Utah.

Call Big League Lawns, Ogden, UT at (801) 773-9999, or contact us online to schedule your FREE LAWN ANALYSIS and start the transformation of your yard into the beautiful, healthy lawn of your dreams!

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Lawn Care - 04/25/2022 - Big League Lawns

8 Reasons Your Lawn is Yellow and How to Fix it

You may be bewildered by the mystery of what is causing your grass to be yellow in some spots, larger areas, or across the entire lawn. What’s causing it? Is yellow grass dead? Perhaps you’ve tried all the obvious remedies, and yet the lawn is still yellow. There is a pretty wide range of potential reasons why your grass is yellow and seems to be resistant to your best efforts to restore it to good health. Here are some of the most common causes of yellow grass and tips for growing a healthy green lawn. Why is My Grass Turning…

Lawn Care - 04/13/2022 - Big League Lawns

Contact the Top Winter Lawn Care Services Company Today!

Why Did Your Grass Die During the Winter?

Grass may die during the Utah winter, or it may just go dormant. Dormancy is a natural mode of self-protection for grass, and it’s not a cause for concern. Dormant grass may look tan colored in winter but can be expected to bounce back to the appearance of normal healthy green grass when temperatures become less extreme toward springtime. But, when the grass dies during the winter, it may require remedial lawn treatment to bring back lush, thriving, green growth to your lawn. Here are the typical causes of grass dying in winter: Mold Due to Snow It may seem…

Lawn Care - 01/18/2022 - Big League Lawns

Lush Green Lawn in Front of a Beautiful House

4 Fall Lawn Care Maintenance Tips

Are you wondering how to properly prepare your lawn for the fall? Here are some tips to promote a brilliant comeback in spring.

Lawn Care - 10/28/2020 - Big League Lawns

5 Smart Mowing Tips for a Lush, Green Lawn

In order to keep your lawn looking its best, you must use professional lawn mowing techniques to avoid killing the grass. Otherwise, your lush, green grass can quickly turn brown and splotchy, leaving you with a mess on your hands. Learning how to cut grass properly is easy to do. You just have to follow these five mowing tips to achieve the best results. Keep Lawn Mower Blades Sharp Sharp lawn mower blades are a must in keeping your lawn in great shape. Aim to sharpen them at least twice per season. Otherwise, the dull blades will inefficiently hack at…

Lawn Care - 10/27/2020 - Big League Lawns

The DOs and DON'Ts of Lawn Fertilization

Even though fertilizer seems like the answer for all lawns, there is no single guide when it comes to using fertilizer correctly. The reality is that all healthy lawns require sunlight, water, and food; however, too much fertilizer can also be bad for a lawn. When it comes to how to fertilize the lawn, there are a few DOs and DON’Ts that you need to keep in mind.

Lawn Fertilization - 10/26/2020 - Big League Lawns

Big League Lawns Blog

Types of Turf Species

Warm Season Grasses

Cool Season Grass

How To Care For Lawn Turf?

How to Care for Fescue Grass (Tall and Fine)?

How to Care for Kentucky Blue Grass?

Optimum Turf Care For Your Lawn

For Lush Green Lawn, Contact Big League Lawns, Ogden, Utah

Call Big League Lawns, Ogden, UT at (801) 773-9999, or contact us online to schedule a FREE lawn analysis and estimate by one of our Utah lawn rehabilitation experts.

Are you looking for a lawn care company that can help you maintain your lush green lawn? Our team of experts will help you take care of your newly laid sod, Call now or contact us online!

How to Take Care of Freshly Laid Sod

Water Abundantly

Follow Expert Mowing Guidelines

Use Proper Weed Control

Apply Lawn Pest Control

Use the Right Fertilizer for Grass in Utah

What Else Can You Do for Your New Grass?

Make Your New Lawn a Winner with Big League Lawns!

Call Big League Lawns, Ogden, UT, at (801) 773-9999, or contact us online to schedule your free lawn analysis and estimate for lawn care.

Common Lawn Diseases in Spring

Leaf Spot Disease

Snow Mold

Red Thread Lawn Disease

Spring Lawn Disease Control in Utah

For Expert Diagnosis and Cure of Spring Lawn Diseases

To discuss spring lawn diseases and issues you are having, call Big League Lawns at (801) 773-9999, or contact us here on our website to schedule your FREE Lawn Analysis!

If you need a little extra help to transform your yard into a beautiful, healthy lawn, call our experts at Big League Lawns.

How to Tell if Your Lawn Has a Fungus

Discoloration

Mildew

Leaf Spot

Dollar Spot

Blight

Treatment for Lawn Fungus

Preventing Lawn Disease and Fungus

Cleaning

Watering

Mowing

Drainage

Testing

Tools

DIY Lawn Disease and Fungus Control or Professional Treatment

Stop Lawn Disease or Fungus with Big League Lawns Today!

Call Big League Lawns, Ogden, UT at (801) 773-9999, or contact us online to schedule your FREE LAWN ANALYSIS and start the transformation of your yard into the beautiful, healthy lawn of your dreams!

Why Choose Us

Lawn Care Services

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