Vazquez landscaping Maintenance
P. O. Box 278, Canby Oregon 97013
503 309-8309
Business Hours
Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm
Closed Sunday
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Maintaining a healthy and hydrated lawn requires a combination of proper lawn care practices.
Tips from Vazquez Landscaping Maintenance to help you achieve a healthy and hydrated lawn.
Beat the Heat and Achieve a Lush Paradise:
Essential Tips for Summer Lawn Care
- Watering: Water your lawn deeply and infrequently. This promotes deeper root growth and helps the grass become more drought-tolerant. Watering deeply encourages roots to grow deeper into the soil, making the lawn more resilient to dry periods. Water in the early
morning to minimize evaporation and allow the grass to dry before evening, reducing the risk of diseases.
- Proper mowing: Set your lawnmower blades to the correct height based on the type of grass you have. If you have maintenance with Vazquez Landscaping Maintenance, we will make this adjustment as needed because different grass varieties have different optimal mowing heights. We generally, mow only the top third of the grass blades to encourage a healthy root system. Taller grass shades the soil, reducing evaporation and weed growth.
- Regular fertilization: Ask Vazquez Landscaping Maintenance about or when to apply a balanced fertilizer according to the needs of your specific grass type. Fertilizing provides essential nutrients for healthy growth. We follow the instructions on the fertilizer packaging for proper application rates and timings. Remember, over-fertilizing, as it can lead to excessive growth, thatch buildup, and increased water demand.
- Aerate the lawn: Aerating your lawn helps improve water penetration, reduces soil compaction, and promotes root development. You can rent a core aerator or hire a professional to do the job. Aeration is particularly beneficial for lawns with heavy clay soil or high foot traffic.
- Control weeds: Weeds can compete with grass for water and nutrients, impacting the health of your lawn. Regularly inspect your lawn and manually remove weeds when you spot them. Contact Vazquez Landscaping Maintenance before you consider using herbicides or organic weed control methods. If you do the maintenance DIY follow the instructions carefully.
- Avoid excessive foot traffic: Limit heavy foot traffic on your lawn, especially when the soil is wet. Excessive trampling can compact the soil and damage the grass, making it more difficult for water to penetrate the surface.
- Over Seeding: If your lawn has bare patches or thin areas, over seeding can help thicken the grass and improve its overall health. Choose a high-quality grass seed that matches your existing grass type and follow the recommended over seeding practices for your region. Remember, different regions and grass types have specific requirements, so it's important to consider your local climate and grass variety when implementing these tips. Consulting with Vazquez Landscaping Maintenance, a local lawn care expert, or extension service can provide valuable guidance for your specific lawn care needs.

The weather is warming and your lawn is responding to nature's spring wake-up call.
It is time to help it prepare it for healthy growth with some tips to help it thrive.
Spring Lawn Care Tips
Spring raking removes lingering fall leaves and grass blades that did not survive winter. This derbies, if left alone, can increase your thatch layer. Moreover raking helps loosen matted grass clumps to allow for healthy new growth.
Bare spots will show up, fill these in by over-seeding. The best time for warm-season grass is late spring and fall is best for cool-season grass, but in colder regions, spot-seeding small areas in spring yields good results. You can also have your yard service apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at this time. With an application of a quick-release nitrogen feed about 6 weeks later.
All lawns nee aeration to losten compacted soil. Be sure to check with Vazquez Yard care services for the best time to do this or have them schedule it. The frequency depends on soil type and the traffic that uses the lawn, usually fall is the best.
Dethatching should be done every spring. This removes dead grass that prevents air and water from getting to your growing layer of grass.
Weeding is another issue for lawns. Weeds grow all winter and things like crabgrass can be a problem. Be sure to check with Vazquez Yard care to fine the right pre-emergent and herbicide to get rid of the seeds and starts from last fall. They will know the timing and application rate for your specific yard in terms of grassy weeds and broadleaf weeds such as dandelion and clover.
After two or three mowing, be sure to apply lawn fertilizer for spring. If you are too early it might be the weeds you are feeding and your grass root growth has not had a chance to catch up with the grass blade growth. Typically in the Northwest, spring rain will be sufficient irrigation but watch the weather.
It is fall and soil testing helps take the guesswork out of managing your lawn's soil pH and nutrition. By making improvements in fall, soil amendments have extra time to complete their work and prepare your soil before spring. Test healthy lawns every three to four years, but test problem areas every year.
Fall fertilizing varies from your regular-season plan. With summer dormancy behind them, cool-season grasses benefit from fertilizing about six weeks before your first expected frost.1 A high-nitrogen fertilizer helps lawns establish vigorous roots, increase energy reserves and survive winter.
Fall conditions are ideal for germinating cool-season grass seed. Overseeding thin lawns pays off with thick, strong, spring grass. Overseed at least 45 days before anticipated frost, so grass gets established before colder weather. The fall temperatures and precipitation support quick establishment for those annoying bare spots.
That layer of organic matter that forms between soil and grass blades can benefit lawns when it's thin. But when that layer, known as thatch, builds up to more than 1/2 inch thick, it can limit the movement of water and nutrients and encourage disease. Dethatching tools range from handheld rakes to power equipment called dethatchers or vertical mowers. These tools work to cut into the thatch layer, pull it up for removal, and restore a healthy interface between grass and soil.
Compacted soil restricts root development and limits soil oxygen. Aerators correct compaction by creating openings in the soil Core aerators improve compaction by removing small plugs or cores of your lawn. Plugs break down on the surface, while the holes they leave invite air, water and nutrients in. As with dethatching, core aeration should correspond to active fall growth.
Grass needs water. But as fall approaches, you can stretch out a little and let rainfall help. Healthy, established lawns generally need 1 inch of water, including precipitation, weekly. As growth slows, that same amount may cover 10 to 14 days, under normal conditions.
Continue with good mowing practices for your grass type, timed to grass growth instead of calendar days. Mowing grass slightly shorter than normal can be helpful where winter fungal diseases are problems, but don't save it for the end; gradually decrease the height instead.
With weeds still going strong in early fall, a weed & feed fertilizer can help eliminate these plant pests but only on established cool-season lawns. Avoid newly seeded areas with targeted spot treatments you can get those tough lawn weeds. Another pest is leaves Left untended, mats of fallen leaves suffocate lawn grasses and invite disease. Mow and mulch small quantities of leaves, but rake, bag or compost large quantities.