By Kyle Caldwell, Owner & Agronomist, Century Outdoor Services | Austin, TX
One of the conversations we have fairly often with homeowners is, “I’ve been on a fertilization and weed control program, but my lawn doesn’t look any better.”
When we hear that, the first thing we want to determine is whether the problem is actually something that fertilizer or weed control can fix.
At Century Outdoor Services, our fertilization and weed control program is designed to provide the nutrients your lawn needs while preventing and controlling weeds throughout the year. We can also address many common lawn insects and diseases.
But there is something important every homeowner needs to understand:
A fertilization and weed control program cannot overcome improper mowing, poor irrigation, shallow soil, drainage problems, or too much shade.
You can have an excellent fertilization program, but if the basic growing conditions aren’t there, the turf is going to struggle.
A healthy Central Texas lawn depends on several things working together:
If one or more of these are significantly wrong, fertilizer isn’t going to magically correct the problem.
We sometimes take on a new property where the homeowner is frustrated with how the lawn looks and expects a fertilization program to solve everything. When we evaluate the property, however, we may find that the lawn is being mowed every two or three weeks, the irrigation isn’t providing enough water, there are only a few inches of soil over rock, or the turf is growing underneath heavy tree cover.
Those are growing-condition problems, not fertilizer problems.
Mowing is one of the most overlooked parts of lawn health.
During the active growing season, I recommend mowing your lawn weekly. For Bermuda grass in particular, we generally recommend maintaining it around 1 to 2 inches when possible.
Frequent mowing encourages a denser turf canopy. That density helps the lawn look better and can also make it more difficult for weeds to establish.
When a lawn is allowed to grow too tall and then a large portion of the leaf blade is removed at once, it creates unnecessary stress on the turf.
A fertilization application may encourage growth, but we can’t control how that growth is managed between our visits. If the lawn isn’t being mowed properly, you may never see the full benefit of the fertilization program.
This is why mowing isn’t simply about keeping the yard looking neat. Mowing is part of your lawn’s overall agronomic program.
Water is another major factor.
Central Texas summers can be extremely stressful on turfgrass. Heat, drought, watering restrictions and shallow soils can all contribute to dry areas in the lawn.
The goal isn’t necessarily to water more often. In most situations, we want to water deeply enough to move moisture through the root zone.
If you’re only applying a small amount of water that wets the surface, you’re encouraging a shallow root system. A deeper, healthier root system gives the lawn a better chance of handling our Austin summers.
You also need to make sure your irrigation system is actually providing even coverage.
We commonly see:
If an area of your lawn isn’t receiving enough water, adding more fertilizer isn’t going to fix it. In fact, actively growing turf needs adequate moisture to properly utilize the nutrients we’re applying.
This is a particularly important issue in the Austin area.
Many properties throughout Central Texas have shallow soil over limestone and rock. Sometimes a lawn that appears to have a fertilizer or irrigation problem is actually dealing with inadequate soil depth.
I like to see at least 6 inches of good soil, and more is even better.
Soil provides the environment where the root system develops. It also holds moisture and nutrients.
If one part of the yard has 8 or 10 inches of soil while another area only has 2 or 3 inches before hitting rock, those two areas can perform very differently even though they receive the exact same fertilizer and irrigation.
The shallow area is usually going to dry out faster and struggle more during periods of heat and drought.
You can’t fertilize your way out of a lack of soil.
Soil depth isn’t the only consideration. The condition of the soil matters.
Compacted soil, poor drainage, low organic matter and other soil problems can limit root development and reduce the lawn’s ability to use water and nutrients effectively.
This is one reason we look at lawn health from an agronomic perspective instead of simply asking, “What fertilizer should we put down?”
Fertilizer provides nutrients. It doesn’t create six inches of soil, correct severe compaction or fix poor drainage.
When the root zone is healthy, however, the fertilizer we apply has a much better opportunity to produce the results we’re looking for.
Homeowners will sometimes notice that the grass underneath a tree is thinning and assume that it needs more fertilizer.
Usually, that’s not the solution.
All turfgrass needs sunlight to perform well. Different grasses have different shade tolerances, but none of our common Central Texas turfgrasses will thrive indefinitely without adequate sunlight.
Bermuda grass generally requires the most sunlight. St. Augustine and certain varieties of Zoysia can tolerate more shade, but even they have limits.
As trees mature and their canopies become larger, an area that grew beautiful turf five years ago may no longer receive enough sunlight today.
Applying additional fertilizer isn’t going to replace sunlight.
In these situations, we may recommend evaluating tree canopies, changing turf varieties when appropriate or considering whether turfgrass is even the right plant for that particular area.
We can treat two lawns next door to each other with the same products and the results can still be completely different.
Why?
One homeowner may:
The other lawn may be mowed every two or three weeks, have poor irrigation coverage, shallow soil and several hours less sunlight.
The fertilization program didn’t suddenly stop working on the second property. The turf simply doesn’t have the growing conditions necessary to take full advantage of it.
This is an important distinction.
At Century Outdoor Services, we take responsibility for the things we can control. That includes selecting the appropriate products, applying them correctly, adjusting our program seasonally and identifying problems when we see them.
But there are things that happen between our visits that we can’t control.
That’s where the homeowner comes in.
We provide the fertilization, weed control and professional lawn treatments. The homeowner provides proper mowing, irrigation and the basic growing environment.
When both sides are working together, that’s when we have the best opportunity to produce a thick, healthy lawn.
If your lawn isn’t improving the way you expected, don’t automatically assume that it needs more fertilizer.
Ask a few questions:
Am I mowing every week during the growing season?
Am I mowing at the correct height for my turf type?
Is my irrigation system actually providing even coverage?
Am I watering deeply enough to reach the root zone?
Do I have enough soil underneath the turf?
Is the lawn receiving enough sunlight?
Are there drainage or compaction issues?
Once those fundamentals are correct, a professional fertilization and weed control program has a much better opportunity to do what it is designed to do.
A great lawn doesn’t come out of a fertilizer tank.
It comes from combining proper fertilization, weed control, irrigation, mowing, healthy soil and adequate sunlight.
Our job at Century Outdoor Services is to give your lawn the professional treatments and nutrients it needs. But even the best fertilization program cannot compensate for a lawn that isn’t being watered properly, isn’t being mowed regularly, doesn’t have enough soil or isn’t receiving enough sunlight.
If you’re investing in professional lawn care, make sure you’re also giving your turf the environment it needs to succeed.
When the fundamentals are right, everything we apply has a much better chance to work.
For Weed Control and Fertilization, Aeration, and Moisture Manager, the price is calculated by every 1,000 ft². Click here to see how we determine our prices.
If you’d like to receive an estimate, you can call us at (512) 786-1694 or send us a quick message.
No, Century does not require contracts for residential services. We set up a Service Agreement for your property based on the services accepted. This agreement requests at least a 24-hour notice of cancellation of service.
We’ve provided the most reliable weed control & fertilization to customers in Austin, Bee Cave, Dripping Springs, and nearby areas in Texas since 2013.
