Lawn care is one of Ohio’s favorite hobbies, and some people even make a career out of lawn management.  The most environmentally friendly and beautiful lawns are accomplished when the professional and the homeowner are on the same page. 

Cultural Practices

Cultural practices is the term used to describe our lawn care management techniques such as mowing, fertilizing, aerating, and irrigating.  When cultural practices are performed properly, many other aspects of lawn care take care of themselves.  Below are a few examples of how using proper lawn care techniques can influence a healthy lawn. 

• Mowing- Raising the mowing height to between 3-3.5” in the early summer can help to shade out the soil surface.  This keeps weed seeds from receiving sunlight and can inhibit germination.  This also allows for less evaporation and helps your lawn stay strong during the hot summer months.

• Irrigating-  Proper irrigation will help your lawn while deterring diseases and weeds.  Newly seeded areas should be watered frequently and lightly.  An established lawn will react best to infrequent, heavy waterings. 

• Fertilizing- Whether using natural organic, or synthetic organic products, fertilizers will encourage your lawn to outcompete it’s weedy competitors.  The best case scenario for fertilization will give your lawn a slow, consistent food source throughout the growing season. 

• Aerating-  A practice that is often over looked as unsightly, or unnecessary, but can be one of the most important for encouraging fall root growth.  Aerating relieves compaction to your soils and increases oxygen availability for roots. 

When the homeowner and the trained lawn care professionals are on the same page, everybody wins!

Written by Andrew Muntz for Weed Pro.  Andrew is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Degree in Horticulture & Crop Science, Turfgrass Science, and Landscape Horticulture