Insights, Tips, and Tales

Lawn Tips

White mosquito silhouette with a dashed curved flight path on a green background

Lawn Tips

Our #1 priority is to keep you, your family, and your pets safe as we deliver a World Class service experience. To deliver on that promise, it’s important that you, your family, and your pets not re-enter the treated area until the product is dry to the touch. This is usually 1-2 hours depending on conditions.

For added convenience, check out our Lawn Management Calendar below for monthly suggestions to help keep your lawn lush, green, and healthy.

Mowing Recommendations

  • Do not mow your lawn until the treatment has been watered in (see Watering Recommendations below). A percentage of the product will remain on the leaf and stem tissue of the weeds until it is watered in. Mowing can remove this herbicide and reduce its ability to control weeds.
  • Do not remove more than 1/3” of height at a time.
  • Follow the mowing height monthly recommendations by grass type.

Warm Season Mowing Explanation

Sometime between Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day you need to scalp your lawn as low as you can and bag the clippings. Hopefully, this is the lowest setting on your mower. Raise your mower one click and mow every 10-14 days until Mother’s Day. Next, raise one more click and mow every 5-7 days until July 4th. Raise one more click and stay on the 5-7 day schedule through Labor Day. Sometime around Columbus Day you can raise one more level and begin to back off to the 10-14 day schedule through Halloween till the first frost.

Cool Season Mowing Explanation

From Mother’s day to Halloween or until the first frost our height should be at 4” which would be the highest setting for most non-commercial mowers. Mowing higher helps our cool-season turf fight off weed competition and since root depth is proportional to h.o.c then we also benefit with a little more drought tolerance. Always return clippings (grasscycling) and mow often enough to only remove about 1/3 of the leaf blade (every 7-10 days)

After Halloween or until the first frost our seedlings are up and established from overseeding, we can lower our decks to 3” (about the number 4 setting) for the winter. Continue grasscycling and following the 1/3 rule. Your frequency may back off to even every two weeks during the cold part of winter and remember not to mow or even walk on grass that is still frost-covered due to the potential for damage.

Around Easter nature begins to wake up and start growing. We should raise our mowing height to 3.5” (about the number 5 setting). This will allow our turf to begin to reach its summertime height and thicken up. Follow the 1/3 rule and this may mean mowing every 5-7 days during the spring flush for a few weeks. Bagging will not be necessary either unless we get behind on our cutting. If that happens it would be better to bag versus leaving piles of clippings around the yard.

Watering Recommendations

  • Water in the treatment with ½” to ¾” of rainfall or irrigation within 2 – 3 days of the treatment. If you are currently underwater restrictions, you may wait as long as 5 – 7 days before watering in the treatment. Minor discoloration to the lawn from weed treatments may occur in drought conditions but typically will recover once water is applied.
  • Watering should be at least 1 inch per week during periods of no rainfall – especially during the growing season.
  • Watering should be done in the early morning hours to minimize the possibility of disease outbreaks.

Aeration Recommendations

For warm-season grasses, core aeration should be performed in May – July.

Overseeding Recommendations

Overseeding warm-season grasses like Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, and St. Augustine with ryegrass is NOT recommended. This can cause significant thinning of turf in residential lawns. Overseeding cool-season grasses (i.e. Fescue) is recommended in September – early October. Fescue seed can be applied every fall by your Waynes Lawn Professional to maintain a dense lawn. Seeding should be done at a minimum every other year and should be preceded by core aeration to ensure good germination.

Rebecca Wood

Waynes has been serving customers since 1973. We have grown over the decades through a commitment to providing a world-class experience for our customers. We believe that if our employees are happy and fulfilled, they will go above and beyond in delighting our customers.

Latest from Waynes Blog

Small dark rodent on a toilet lid next to several small mouse droppings

What Mouse Poop Reveals About the Size of Your Mouse Problem

Finding mouse poop in a pantry, drawer, attic, or garage is a clear sign that a mouse has been active in your home. What the droppings cannot do is give you an exact mouse count. A single mouse may visit the same spot repeatedly, while several mice may leave smaller amounts across different rooms. The…

Learn More >

Small reddish-brown bat bug with pale striped abdomen resting on rough wood surface

Bat Bugs Look Almost Exactly Like Bed Bugs and That Matters

You find a small, flat, reddish-brown bug near an upstairs bedroom and assume you have bed bugs. That conclusion makes sense, but it may be wrong. Bat bugs look so much like bed bugs that a phone photo often cannot show the differences clearly. Bat bugs usually begin near bats roosting in attics, chimneys, soffits,…

Learn More >

bold jumping spiders on a window

Black Spiders in Ohio That Are Not Black Widows

Finding a dark spider in your basement, garage, or near a window can immediately raise one question: Is it a black widow? Black widows do occur in Ohio, but they are not the only spiders that can look black or nearly black. Ohio State University’s Common Spiders of Ohio field guide covers hundreds of spider…

Learn More >

Close-up of an inflamed tick bite showing redness and a small wound, highlighting the skin irritation caused by the insect

What a Tick Bite Mark Looks Like Days After the Tick Drops Off

You may notice a red spot after working in the yard, walking through tall grass, or checking your skin after a hike. When the tick is already gone, the mark can be difficult to interpret. A tick bite mark after tick falls off may be a small bump, a pinpoint scab, or a limited patch…

Learn More >

Scared Woman Spraying with Insecticide a Huge Spider Girl suffering from arachnophobia fighting domestic pests

Spider Repellent Works Differently Than the Label Suggests

You apply spider repellent along the baseboards, around the garage, or near a porch light. A few days later, another spider appears. The product may still be working in the area where you used it, but it may not be doing what you expected throughout the rest of the home. Many homeowners picture spider repellent…

Learn More >

Close-up of a brown recluse spider inside a cylindrical structure. The spider’s light brown body, long legs, and detailed cephalothorax are clearly visible. (1)

Venomous Spiders in Tennessee Come Down to Just Two Names

Finding a spider in a closet, garage, crawl space, or storage box can raise an immediate question: Is it dangerous? When homeowners search for venomous spiders in Tennessee, they are usually trying to identify one of two medically significant spider groups, brown recluses and black widows. Most spiders use venom to subdue prey, but that…

Learn More >

Close-up of a small pale-brown booklouse with wings and long antennae on a white surface

Booklice Thrive in Humid Southern Homes and They Are Not Lice

You may first notice booklice as tiny pale specks moving across a bathroom wall, pantry shelf, windowsill, or stack of stored books. Their name sounds alarming, but these insects are not the lice that live on people. Booklice are psocids, and they usually appear where moisture supports microscopic mold or other organic material they can…

Learn More >

Small brown mouse emerging from a crevice in garden debris near a house foundation

Mice Are Nocturnal so Seeing One at Noon Is a Bad Sign

Seeing a mouse during the day deserves your attention because house mice are primarily nocturnal. They usually move around when a home is quieter, so a mouse crossing your kitchen, hallway, or living room at noon falls outside the activity pattern you would expect. Still, one daytime sighting does not prove that a large mouse…

Learn More >

Repairs to a weatherboard house. A rotten weatherboard has been removed exposing a rats nest made of dry grass and vegetation between the wooden uprights.

Finding a Rat Nest Means the Family Moved In Weeks Ago

Finding a rat nest in your attic, garage, crawl space, or storage area can make the problem feel sudden. It usually is not. By the time rats have chosen a sheltered location and gathered nesting material, they have already found a way into or around your home and started using the property regularly. A rat…

Learn More >

Scroll to Top