10 Most Common Lawn Care Myths

April is here and that means Spring will soon follow! Make sure you're not falling prey to myths about "good lawn care." Learn about the top 10 myths from this totallandscapecare.com article. 

Lawncare Orlando, Flickr.com

Spring is in the air, and with April being National Lawn Care Month, PLANET, The Professional Landcare Network, has debunked a few common lawn care myths. “Our job as landscape professionals is to help advise and emphasize ways to save time and money on lawn care and, oftentimes, that means we need to dispel some fairly persistent myths,” says Glenn Jacobsen, Landscape Industry Certified, president of PLANET. PLANET asked its professional landscape members to name the 10 most common lawn care myths:

1. Myth: The best time to replace the lawn is in the spring, as plants get ready to bloom.
 Reality: Sowing seed in the spring sets one up for potential problems, as heat sets in during the
 summer months and weeds compete for space. The best time to sow seed is in the fall when the
 temperatures are more consistent and highly competitive weeds, like crabgrass, have gone dormant.

2. Myth: Water new plants every day to prevent them from drying out.
 Reality: Overwatering kills as many plants as lack of water. It is better to make sure you are wetting
 the entire root system of a new plant and then allow the soil to dry to the point that it is only moist.

3. Myth: To have a healthy lawn, dethatch in the spring.
 Reality: Thatch is a layer of living and dead plant material, including the crown, roots and stems of
 the turfgrass plant. The brown on the surface at the beginning of the spring will slowly recede into
 the background all by itself as new leaves emerge. While dethatching is a common and sometimes
 necessary practice, it should be done only when thatch is excessive.

4. Myth: It’s a good idea to remove clippings after mowing.
 Reality: There is a misconception that grass clippings contribute significantly to thatch. Grass
 clippings are mostly water and decompose rapidly, returning significant amounts of fertilizer to the
 lawn. Research shows that up to one-third of applied fertilizer can be recycled by simply returning
 clippings.

To read the rest of the top myths, click here.