A Healthier, Happier Lawn
With Yard Guard!

Author: Sidne

3 Mowing Tips to Keep Your Grass Greener on Both Sides

Now that spring has sprung and everything is beginning to bloom, we hope you were able to get in one good close cut to rid your lawn of its dormant brown blades. If not, it’s not too late to start a regular mowing schedule to get you grass in tip top shape this season. 

As you prepare for greatness, there are three things that we want you to keep in mind for each mowing session: keep your deck high, more frequent cuts, and sharp blades. Focusing on these three things, along with a great watering schedule and the added bonus of our lawn care services, will be all you need this season to keep your lawn vibrant and green as it continues to grow. 

Keep your mower deck high
Leaving your grass to grow too long can create a breeding ground for pests as well as fungal issues caused by a lack of air circulation in densely packed grass. On the other hand, cutting grass too short leaves it vulnerable to weed infestation, drought, and diseases. Removing more than ⅓ of the height of a blade of grass at one time not only stresses the grass, but it also leaves the grass with too little surface area for it to photosynthesize. This is known as the “one-third rule,” and in order to make sure you only cut ⅓ or less of your grass blade each time, your deck needs to be set high. Depending on the type of mower you have, your deck should be set to a height that will keep your grass blades between 3 ½  to 4 inches high after trimming. This is the generally accepted height range for grass that is neither too short nor too long.    

More Frequent Cuts
Spring is the peak growing season for your lawn, so it grows back just as fast as you cut it. This alone makes more frequent cuts a necessity, but it also goes hand in hand with keeping your deck high. We know, we know. With busy work schedules and balancing every other responsibility that you have, cutting the grass more often was probably the last thing you wanted to hear. But, there’s no way around this one. If you want to maintain grass that has a healthy root system, you must cut small amounts at a time and do so more often. This is important for the one-third rule that we just talked about, as well as the fact that the roots of a blade of grass mimic the leaf that is above ground. We want to encourage a thriving root system, and this can be done by cutting your lawn more often so that you’re creating a consistent mowing height which reduces stress on the grass as well.  A cool side effect of this, is the fact that these smaller clippings also decompose quicker and provide nutrients to the lawn that act as a natural fertilizer to your grass. Trimming your lawn 1-2 times per week should do the trick. As we progress into summer, this schedule will become much less frequent, and the cooler days and nights in the fall will start to push more growth for these cool-season Montana grasses. 

Sharp blades
The sharper the blades, the cleaner the cut! Plain and simple. If your blades are dull or they haven’t been replaced in a while, this may be the reason why your grass is yellow. Dull blades rip and tear at your grass instead of clipping it neatly and evenly. These ragged edges are now susceptible to disease and dehydration. Make sure your blades are up to par before every mowing session to prevent these tears and the yellowing that is sure to follow.

Now that you have these tips in your back pocket, the next steps would be to add in a consistent watering schedule and supplement with nutrients from one of our programs. Reach out to us to see what else you could be doing to get your lawn a cut above the rest.

Liquid Aeration

If you’ve been keeping up with the blog (which we know you have because you love it here :)) then you already know a little bit about aeration. Whether you aerate mechanically, with a liquid solution, or a mixture of both, aeration can be a major component to maintaining a lush, green lawn. There’s a reason golf course greens aerate once a month in the summer! Today we’re going to dive deeper into the liquid aeration that we offer here at Yard Guard, also known as our Compost Tea. We’ll give you the “tea” on what it’s made of, where we get our locally sourced ingredients, why we recommend this treatment, and how often. 

General construction, playful kids and pets, and everyday use (anything as simple as walking on your grass) compacts your soil. Compacted soil reduces the ability for oxygen, water, and nutrients to get to your grass’s roots. The best way to decompact the soil is through mechanical or liquid aeration. While mechanical aeration pulls out plugs to decompact the soil and can leave your lawn looking like your dog gifted you with forbidden chocolate, liquid aeration is a much less invasive process. Liquid aeration uses a solution comprised of acids and carbon that work together to make small air pockets in compacted soil. These air pockets allow oxygen and nutrients to penetrate to the root zone of the soil to nourish your grass’s roots and give your grass a fighting chance against weeds, pests, and diseases.  

Compost Tea is how Yard Guard does liquid aeration. We start with locally sourced compost from YES Compost. YES Compost redirects food waste that would normally be dumped into the landfills and uses worms to transform it into organic matter that is packed with nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. We then take this compost and blend in premium worm castings (also sourced from YES Compost) and extract the best parts by brewing a concentrated elixir that is packed with fungal acids, humic acids, amino acids, and micronutrients. Not only does this liquid brew nourish your soil, but it also aerates it, introduces helpful bacteria that strengthen the existing microbial community, and restores the missing organic material that is causing those stubborn brown and yellow patches that we all hate. It changes and improves the structure of the soil while also allowing for better water and nutrient absorption that reduces the need for excessive watering. Compost Tea is the sustainable, minimally invasive, and chemical free way to introduce beneficial microbes that strengthen the soil while fostering a safer environment for your family and pets. 

Now that we’ve given you the rundown on how we do liquid aeration and hopefully answered any questions you may have had about what you can do for your lawn, here is our recommendation. We recommend aeration on a yearly basis. Especially Liquid Aeration. We also recommend pairing our Blended Organic lawn care program with Liquid Aeration for the best results that will get you on a quick path to repairing your soil organically and keeping your grass green and weed free. 

To Rake or Not to Rake: Should You Pick Up Fall Leaves or Let Them Be?

I assume you’re looking at your yard, just like I’m looking at mine and wondering “do I really need to rake up these leaves, or will they be fine?” If you’re asking this question and wondering if you could free up your weekends from some yard cleanup, keep reading for your best practice this year. 

There are two main factors that contribute to making this decision. The first one is how many leaves are covering your lawn and the second is whether your trees had any foliar fungal diseases this year. 

Leaf Coverage
If your lawn has about 20% leaf coverage, you’re good to go! At this level, the leaves can still move around with the wind, break down naturally, and add nutrients to the soil. You’ll know it’s around 20% if you can clearly see most of the grass peeking through the leaves.

At 50% coverage, it’s still okay, but this is the point where we suggest a mow to mulch the leaves. Chopping them up will help them decompose faster, enriching the soil as organic matter. 

Once you go over 50% leaf coverage, it’s best to remove the excess until you’re back under that 50% threshold. Too many leaves can create a cozy winter haven for voles and suffocate your lawn, stunting its spring growth and potentially making it struggle to thrive all summer.

Leaving a manageable layer of leaves on the lawn is an easy way to return nutrients to the soil and encourage a healthier lawn. Just keep an eye on the coverage to avoid issues and enjoy a greener, stronger lawn!

Disease Management
The second factor that will aid in the decision is whether your trees had a foliar fungal disease. If your aspen trees were affected by Marssonina Leaf Spot, you’ll want to remove the leaves immediately so the disease doesn’t spread to your other trees or neighboring properties. Any other foliar fungal diseases need to be treated the same way. 

Evergreen trees don’t require as much concern, unless they have/had the fungal disease, needle cast. Be sure to pick up the needles immediately to prevent continued spread. 

If your trees suffer from any of these fungal diseases, give us a call and we can do a diagnosis and put together a treatment plan. If you’re not sure, we’ll have a consulting arborist come out and do a property walkthrough.

Getting Rid of Yard Waste
If you would rather pick up your leaves and dispose of them, I’ve listed a couple options for the local towns to utilize when getting rid of yard waste. Please see below: 

Bozeman
If you live in the city of Bozeman, they offer a leaf pickup service for certain areas of town on certain days. Click on the link for a full visual of the map and when your neighborhood is scheduled for leaf pickup. 

Second, the Bozeman Convenience Site is accepting compost material such as “grass, leaves, straw, manure, garden remains, plant trimmings, branches less than 1/4″ diameter, etc.” Their rate is $15/ton.  

Livingston
The city of Livingston is hosting their Leaf Collection Day on Nov 7th – all of your material needs to be out by 5:00 AM.

Belgrade
Everything can be directed to the Bozeman Convenience Site or the Logan Landfill

Once all your leaves have fallen and you’re only looking at about 20% coverage on your lawn, you’re good to go, find something much more fun to do on the weekend! 50% or so, just give it a quick mow to mulch up the leaves and over 50%, it looks like you’re going to be picking up leaves or call one of the awesome Lawn Maintenance companies in town to see if they offer a fall cleanup service and let them do it for you!

 

Yard Guard Staff’s Favorite Fall Activities

As we begin our descent out of summer and into fall (and immediately to winter), we thought it would be fun to share with you our staff’s favorite fall activities so you can get to know them better and see if you have anything in common!

 

 

Sydney (Customer Service Representative)
Her favorite activity in general is hiking and backpacking, but specifically in the fall, she can see the leaves changing and feel the cold weather on her skin and embrace the beautiful views!

 

 

Daniel (Lawn Technician)
Daniel just moved to Montana from Florida and so he has yet to experience a Montana fall, but his favorite fall activity is to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out the best pumpkin! He thinks his favorite activity is going to change to hiking after this season! 

 

 

 

Keri (Customer Service Representative)
“Fall is my fave time to visit Yellowstone! We always have people come to visit in what I think is Montana’s best season and I love taking them to Yellowstone because it’s crisp and cool and beautiful! And the crowds have died down, which I love! The perfect fall day for me is a trip to Yellowstone with some kind of picnic (like sandwiches from Mamma Macs) and some friends to hike around with! Add an afternoon thunderstorm and I’m in heaven!” ~Keri 

 

 

 

Colin (Owner)
Colin had a hard time deciding what his favorite was so he decided to choose two. First, Colin pretty much loves mountain biking at any time when he can during the year, but particularly loves mountain biking in the fall because it’s cooler and a different kind of beautiful! Second, you can’t keep this guy from skiing year round. He loves water skiing especially in the fall because the water is warm and there is less of a crowd on the lake!

 

 

Sidne (Office Manager)
I feel the same way that Colin does where it’s hard to choose. I love backpacking and hiking in the fall, just like a lot of our staff. In the fall, I feel like the competition is reduced for the best camp spots! I love cooking with the fall vegetables. Everything is so fresh and tasty and goes so well together (fall veggies hash with some chorizo is my fave!). I love walking outside to the crisp fall morning, I think it just has such a fresh smell, if I could spend my time in the fall at a cabin, I totally would. 

 

 

Gregg (Lawn Technician)
Gregg loves Harry Potter (don’t we all?) and specifically loves to binge watch the movies while it’s snowing outside. Not to mention all of the sweet fall treats. Anything with apple and cinnamon is a particular favorite! 

 

Carly (Dispatcher)
“One thing I love to do in the fall is make Halloween costumes! It was my mother who really started this tradition. When I was a kid she would take me and my 2 siblings to the craft store each fall to pick out costume patterns and fabrics. It was so special having a unique handmade outfit. As I grew older, she taught me how to use the sewing machine and I continue to make my own costumes to this day. I believe you are never too old to dress up!” ~Carly

 

 

 

Will (Consulting Arborist and Vendor Relationships)
“Hiking in New England! I love the colors of the fall foliage in the Northeast and visiting family out there when the leaves are changing colors.” ~Will

 

 

Nate (Lawn and Tree Technician)
We have a bit of a theme that runs through our team! Nate also loves hiking in the fall because the temperatures start to cool down and the colors are beautiful! 

 

 

Mickey (Lawn Technician)
It’s funny, I asked everyone separately what they love to do and the hiking just seem to be the mainstay answer! Mickey also loves hiking in the fall because it starts to cool down! She’s not a huge fan of the hot temps so she would prefer not to walk up a mountain at that time!

 

 

 

Logan (Lawn Technician)
When I asked Logan, I don’t think he even took a second to think, I asked “What’s your favorite fall act—HUNTING!” Logan said. I can tell he’s looking forward to getting out in the mountains and enjoying the quiet of nature!

 

 

 

Addy (Lawn Technician)
Addy had a fun answer! Her dad hosts a spectacular Halloween party every year and sometimes incorporates his family as props. One year, her and her sister were put on a pulley like system and dressed up as skeletons and when one person would jump down, the other would float back up and vice versa. (How do I get an invite, Addy?)

 

 

Dane (Floater)
Dane is a friend of Colin’s that’s joining us for a couple of weeks this season between some trips that he has planned to help with whatever he can. He loves ice climbing in the fall because there’s only some locations where the ice is established enough to climb and you need to walk 14-15+ miles to get to the climb itself. He has done a fall ice climb near Big Sky so often that his feedback and insight was sought after by a guidebook because he understands the conditions from year to year the best! Very cool.

 

 

 

Noah (Lawn Technician)
Noah is a busy guy in the fall. “Ooo that’s a tough one. Working out, duck hunting, deer, snatching up any last trout, and until there’s snow, golfing and running calls.” ~Noah

 

 

 

Sammy (Lawn Technician)
Bonfires, Rocky Creek Farm, and Football!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tommy (Lawn Technician)
We have another vote for hunting! Again, being able to be out in the wilderness and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature is always a great luxury. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t even see Tommy in this photo. 

 

 

 

 

George (Lawn Technician)
“My favorite fall activity is hiking. It’s the perfect time because it’s not too hot, there’s not snow to block access and it’s not a super busy season.” ~George

 

 

 

Pearson (Liquid Aeration Technician)
“One of my favorite fall activities is going up into the mountains to do a little off-roading and see all the Fall foliage, specifically in a Land Rover!” ~Pearson

Five Commonly Asked Summer Lawn Questions

We have the privilege of hearing all sorts of lawn questions about strange things people are seeing in their lawns all over the valley. We love taking great care of our customers and providing them with helpful information, so here are some of our most commonly asked questions about things you might be seeing in your turf this summer! 

Dog Pee Spots

We’ll start with one that every dog lover will know: “How do I get rid of pee spots in my lawn?” Due to the high amount of nitrogen and salt in dog urine, most pups will leave discolored, bare or burnt spots on your lawn. When dogs are relieving themselves in the same spot on the lawn, the discoloration is more noticeable and may need some extra help. 

The most severe cases of dog urine lawn damage result in brown spots, which are areas of dead and dying grass. Lawns that are dry or already weak and stressed are especially prone to this type of dog urine damage. Here are three tips to help bring those areas back to life! 

  1. Water is the first remedy for any pee spot. Flush the area out with an ample load of water to rinse away the excess urine salts and help your grass come back to life. 
  2. At this point, you could leave it and wait for the grass to return, but it may take a while. To give your lawn a hand, rake aside the dry grass, add a little topsoil, and overseed it with new grass seed.  
  3. Finally, to ensure the new seed sprouts, remember to water it diligently for three weeks. If you give it a drink twice daily for the first week and once daily after that, you should have new blades emerging after just 2-3 weeks. 
  4. Mow high! Set your lawnmower to its highest setting and your lawn will be stoked! (This will be a common theme for this blog.) 

Grass Going to Seed
This one has been extra popular this year, with the wet spring weather we’ve had: “My lawn is full of weeds!” When we get that phone call, text or email, we might ask you to provide a photo so that we can better understand the weeds that we’re dealing with. Usually we expect dandelions or broadleaf weeds, but we also get several photos of grass going to seed. With good fertilization and lots of rain, your grass is doing what it was made to do and going to seed! 

Most of our lawns are a blend of Kentucky Bluegrass and fescues- fantastic cool season grasses. These tolerate cold weather well and grow via rhizomes. Many other grasses require seed to germinate new grass, but Kentucky Bluegrass can spread and thicken by either seed or their rhizomes. 

As our soil starts to warm up to a point where Kentucky Bluegrass seed would germinate, we have the perfect environment for it to take off and go to seed, thus the weedy appearance. Oftentimes, we miss it because we’re mowing before this appears, but when spring is rainy and you have awesome fertilizers being applied to your lawn, you’ve got the perfect recipe for Kentucky Bluegrass seed! 

If your grass starts looking like this, no worries! A mow will take care of that and it also means that you’ve got a healthy and lush lawn! Way to go!

Dry Spots in Your Lawn
“I just have some really dry patches in my lawn!” Dry grass patches are areas of unhealthy grass. Over time, the soil in this area has begun to repel water rather than absorb it. This means the grass roots embedded within that section cannot soak up the water and nutrients they need. Eventually leading to the grass dying and the soil becoming bone-dry. There are a few reasons that you might see dry spots in your lawn that don’t seem to make any sense: 

  • High Traffic Area– if these are areas that have a lot of pet, sport or kid traffic, it’s easy for that turf to get worn down and compact. 
  • Pest infestations – pests and insects are not only an unpleasant thought, but once they bury under the soil, they’ll steal essential water and nutrients. Earthworms and grubs are some of the pests we see often.
  • Fungal diseases – we’ll talk about the one we see most often here next! 
  • Lack of water – if it took a while to get your sprinklers rocking and rolling this year, your lawn might be extra thirsty. Even when we have rainy days in the spring, nothing’s better than a regular watering schedule! 
  • Mowing Short – setting your lawnmower to a low-cut setting can result in shallow grass roots and more sun exposure on your soil that dries out your turf. Mowing high is one of the best things you can do for your lawn! 

The good news is that you can bring these areas back to good health with some pretty easy fixes! 

Aeration– if the issue is compact soil, aeration can help to break that up! Whether you do a mechanical core aeration in the fall, or use our Liquid Aeration in the summer months- breaking up that compacted soil will help!
Deep Watering- your dry spots will be extra thankful for some deep watering! Three times a week, make sure that those spots get ½ an inch of water.
Fertilizing– we always recommend our Blended Organic Program for lawns that just need some extra love. The fertilizers will help your grass to develop a nice deep root system that helps your soil retain water.
Mow High– this is one of the easiest ways to keep your turf happy and healthy!  

Look at those happy roots!

Melting Out

“My lawn is patchy and yellow! What happened?”  What you’re seeing is a fungal disease called Ascochyta Leaf Spot, commonly known as “Melting Out.” The fungal spores are always present in your grass, but usually don’t affect the turf unless it’s stressed and unable to protect itself.  When we get heavy snows and a quick warm up in temperature, we have the perfect environment for Melting Out to occur. Things might look worse before they look better, but your lawn will recover if cultural practices can be changed (more water and mowing at the tallest height). It takes roughly 2-3 weeks of good cultural practices to start to see a change.

Helpful Tips!

  • Watering! As a general guideline if you have healthy soil, an inch and a half of water is recommended per week (be sure to follow watering regulations) and water in the morning between 4-8 am is the best!  
  • Mow High! This is SO important: taller grass = more plant tissue for photosynthesis, longer roots (they mimic the top growth), shaded soil to hold more water, and GREENER GRASS – the longer the leaf blade the more green there is. 
  • Now that you’ve put your mower to the maximum height, wait a week or two to mow. Allow the turf to come back and strengthen itself while maintaining or slightly increasing your watering schedule.
  • Add more organics to the soil. More organics means more healthy bacteria and fungi that can help fight diseases like Melting Out. Just like our gut, when we add the right bacteria, our immune system is typically more strengthened and can outcompete sickness. Healthy soil full of organic material holds more water! This is a great place for me to recommend our Blended Organic lawn care program and Liquid Aeration application! They’re both full of great organic material that will help your lawn come back to good health.

Aspen Shooters:

We love our aspens out here and one thing that aspens love is growing in groves! One question that we’ll start to hear is “Can you get rid of my aspen shooters?” Also known as “suckers”; I had a customer call these “quakies” last year and I had never heard that! These are also easily mistaken for weeds, and not always welcome additions to your lawn or garden beds! 

There are a few things that you can do to keep these from taking over your lawn: 

  • Remove the suckers by hand when you see them.
  • Mow over them or prune them. 
  • Spray them with a selective broad-leaf herbicide to knock them back. (If you’re on one of our lawn care programs, we’re happy to do that for you!)

If you find yourself looking at your lawn and seeing any of these issues, we’d love to help! 

What Does “Organic” Mean for Lawn Care

If you polled a group of 50 random people about what comes to mind when they hear the word “organic” you’d probably get 20 different answers, i.e: healthy, expensive, natural, a political position/social movement, and so on. 

For us, “organic” is not a political stance or social movement. We believe it means providing an eco-friendly, premium service that yields better results than traditional programs (and believe us, we also custom-make and source premium products for our traditional program). Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable landscape, starting here in our own backyards. In this blog, we want to explain what “organic” means for lawn care at Yard Guard.

When developing our Blended Organic program, we looked to local farmers who have been doing this for years. To increase the organic material in their soil, they add manure, composted food waste, and byproducts like feather meal and bone meal. This results in increased crop production, more nutrient-dense products, and improved soil structure that retains water and reduces compaction. All farmers, whether organic or not, realize the benefits of adding organic material to their soil.

So our belief behind “organic” is that we want to do just that: add organic material to a living environment that needs these nutrients to grow and thrive in a harsh climate. Much like why it’s important for us as humans to eat our daily dose of vitamins and minerals via nutrient rich foods. Think of the soil as our bodies. Our hair, skin and nails are a byproduct of how healthy our internal system is, healthy grass is a byproduct of healthy soil. You may supplement with a vitamin or two, but we aren’t fully reliant on synthesized products to get our nutrition. 

What are we putting down?
Our Organic Fertilizer Blend includes: 

  • Kelp
  • Molasses
  • Composted Food Waste
  • Humic Acid
  • Folic Acid
  • Peat Moss
  • Feather Meal
  • Meat Meal
  • Blood Meal
  • Worm castings

We don’t yet offer a FULLY organic lawn care program at Yard Guard. We are currently testing different organic products, but so far, we haven’t found an organic weed control that we can stand behind. Our goal with Blended Organic is to build fertilizers that have as much organic material as possible while keeping weed control to a minimum.  Our clients ask for help with their weeds, but most of them would like to reduce the use of synthetic products at their homes which is why we created the Blended Organic Program to bridge the gap. 

We’re excited to continuously improve this program to meet the needs of our customers and to adhere to our Mission. If you’re already on the Blended Organic program, thank you and tell your friends! If you’re looking for a new lawn care company or are on our Traditional Program and haven’t made the switch, give us a call and we’d love to talk to you about your options!

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