Have you every noticed that some lawns like the spring more than other lawns? It may seem weird at first, but when you think about the complexity of the lawn, it is not so weird after all. In Michigan home lawns, there are three desired main species of grass, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescue. Of those three species, there are hundreds of cultivars (subgroups). With that being the…
Read MoreGetting Ready for Spring
Here we are, it is early March, and spring is just around the corner. At Harkes Landscape, we are getting ready for the growing season to start. Equipment is in the process of being woken up from its winter hibernation, and we are prepping as much as we can to get the season going. We are not the only ones getting ready for spring. Your landscape and lawn are getting…
Read MoreSpring Fertilizer
Every spring your lawn is coming out of dormancy from the winter and getting ready for the growing season ahead. Something that we do to help our lawn is put down a spring fertilizer application. What kind of fertilizer should be used? What does this fertilizer application do for your lawn? The spring fertilizer application should have a lower nitrogen content in the spring as compared to the summer. (The…
Read MoreEarly Spring Warm Ups
I will have to say that I enjoy the warm weather much more than the cold weather. But as we enter this time of transition between winter and spring, we can only hope for a smooth transition. Early spring warm ups can do quite a bit of damage to plants as they are coming out of dormancy. This is especially the case if we get very warm weather and the…
Read MoreDormant Grass
Spring is underway, and the grass will be looking better and better every week as the weather warms up. However, you may notice that not all of the grass greens up evenly. Why is that? Why is there still dormant grass? Not all grass greens up from winter dormancy at the same time. Some species like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial rye grass, and fine fescue will green up rather quickly. They…
Read More