Achieving a nice looking lawn isn’t as hard as you think.
Having a nice looking lawn in Ankeny is possible by following these top tips from a professional. While LawnOxygen would love to be your lawn care and irrigation provider, many of these tips can be successfully done as a homeowner. This guide is not meant to be all-inclusive but it hits on the top tips for a healthy, green lawn.
Fertilizer: Just like humans, lawns need nutrients to grow and stay healthy. Fertilizer contains main of the required nutrients need to survive. Macronutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus(P), and Potassium(K) are the nutrients most-needed by lawns and are easily recognizable on fertilizer labels. Example: A 20-3-3 fertilizer denotes 20% N, 3% P and 3% K. Secondary Macronutrients and Micronutrients are also needed by lawns and each nutrient serves a different purpose. Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Boron, Copper, Iron, and Zinc. Many of these are supplied in sufficient quantity for our Iowa soils, but many times these need to be supplemented via fertilizer or organic amendments. Knowing specifically what your lawn is lacking can be determined by a professional or by doing a soil test where soil samples are collected from your lawn and analyzed in a lab to determine the nutrient concentrations which recommendations can then be based on.
Deciding which fertilizer to use on your Ankeny lawn doesn’t have to be overcomplicated. Selecting a fertilizer with slow-release properties is important to reduce the risk of “burning” the lawn. By using a slow-release fertilizer, the nutrients are released slowly over time which results in even growth and decreases the number of times you need to fertilize. Selecting an appropriate fertilizer for the specific time of year is also important. Lawns in Iowa grow the fastest in the spring and fall seasons because of cooler temps and adequate rainfall (typically). This means the lawn is using more nutrients and hence, requires more nutrients. Alternatively, lawns in the summer months are growing slower and don’t require as high of concentration of many nutrients. This is a great time to supplement the lawn with micronutrients and organic fertilizers that help with summer stress and soil quality. Fertilizers are also available with added non-nutrient components to simplify the process of achieving a beautiful lawn and minimize the number of applications you have to make to your lawn. Some examples of these are fertilizers blended with crabgrass preventer (applied in spring) and fertilizers blended with grub control (applied in summer).
If this information is still daunting, fear not. LawnOxygen has crafted a professional lawn treatment package that is tailored specifically to Ankeny lawns. Check out our Lawn Treatment Service page for more information.
Weed Control: Weed control is important to a healthy lawn because weeds can rob water and nutrients from your lawn. Weeds compete with the lawn and can often outcompete your lawn. Weeds are also unsightly and can be hosts to allergens. Controlling weeds are done in two ways; pre-emergence and post-emergent weed control. Pre-emergent weed control can be done via either a liquid spray or in granular formulation combined with a fertilizer and is best done in Spring before weeds such as Crabgrass begin to germinate. Post-emergent weed control is best done by spraying a liquid onto weeds to kill them. Dandelions are one of the most common weeds in Ankeny and they are easily controlled by spraying them with a herbicide.
Mowing: Proper mowing plays a HUGE part of having a quality lawn. Mowing consistently and 
at the proper height is key. A common myth is that if you mow your lawn shorter you will have to mow less often. FALSE! Mowing short or scalping your lawn is one of the worst things you can do. Mowing short stresses the grass out, promotes weed growth, and dries the lawn out quicker. A general rule to follow is to not cut off more than 1/3 of the grass leaf blade. This typically requires you to mow once per week in spring fall and less frequently in the summer months depending on rainfall. The best mowing height for Ankeny lawns is 3.25-4.25 inches. Mowing higher in the summer months also allows the lawn to conserve water and survive the summer heat better. You should also make sure your mower blades are sharp and you are not mowing during the hottest part of the day in summer.
Watering: Again, just like humans, lawns need water to grow and survive. In Iowa, much of the rainfall occurs in the spring and fall. These are also the cooler parts of the growing season so naturally less supplemental water is required during these seasons. The summer months, however, can be brutal to lawns in Iowa, and proper watering is imperative to having (and keeping), a nice lawn.
A general rule of thumb is that lawns require 1-1.5” of water per week. It is best to water deeply and infrequently. Doing this trains your grass roots to grow deeper to access water which makes them more stress-tolerant. If you were to water a little bit every day, your lawn would only grow shallow roots because of the constant availability of water. Once that water stops, your lawn is likely going to wither pretty quickly. At LawnOxygen we understand that people have busy lives and watering your lawn is often lowest on the priority list. With the summer months being the time when lawns need the most supplemental water, you have a choice to either let your lawn go dormant, or water occasionally to keep it growing. From our experience, watering heavily even if just once a week can go a LONG ways. Many times we find lawns that are allowed to go dormant in the summer don’t always come back because they got so extremely hot and dry. When watering your lawn it is best to water in the early morning hours if possible. Watering in the evening can promote lawn diseases.
Lawn Irrigation systems can make watering a breeze. If you are blessed with a lawn irrigation system in Ankeny, LawnOxygen is here to help you water efficiently by following the tips laid out above. We can also complete your backflow test, upgrade your controller to a smart controller, irrigation service, and perform your irrigation shutdown, making watering your lawn a breeze.
Soil Amendments: Iowa is blessed with amazing, fertile, natural soil. Ankeny is part of the Des Moines Lobe and our primary soil association is Clarion-Nicollet Webster. The problem we face inside Ankeny is that much of our beloved topsoil was/is removed during the home-building process and not replaced. Building sites are often graded back out using heavy clay fill material which is not conducive to growing a quality lawn. Heavy clay can become compacted easily and will restrict water, nutrient, and air movement. An unamended clay soil will never produce a quality lawn as grass roots suffocate in this airless environment.
Clay soils can be amended over time by increasing organic matter. Practices such as fertilizing with Milorganite or topdressing amendments such as peat moss or compost help improve soil structure and increase water infiltration. The City of Ankeny offers a “Soil Quality Restoration” program to help with the cost of compost topdressing. LawnOxygen is a participating provider for this service and more information can be found at this link: https://www.ankenyiowa.gov/374/Soil-Quality-Restoration
Aeration: Aeration is the process of mechanically remove soil “cores” from your lawn. Aeration is the single best cultural practice you can do for your lawn each fall. Some of the benefits aeration provides are:
- Relieves Soil Compaction
- Increases air and water penetration to the roots
- Improves Nutrient Uptake
- Increases resilience to drought and heat stress
Aeration is also a great service to pair with over-seeding. Over-seeding during or after aeration allows the grass seed to fall into the aeration holes for better seed-to-soil contact which is required for seed germination.
We hope you found this guide helpful in your goal of achieving a nice looking lawn in Ankeny, Urbandale, Polk City or Johnston. If you have any questions about your lawn, irrigation system, or anything contained in this guide, please give us a call at 515-639-0604 or request an estimate online.