Lawn Care

We understand the challenges to growing and maintaining a lush lawn in our area. Our soils typically are high in clay content, which results in poor drainage and makes it difficult for turfgrass roots to penetrate. Several methods are useful to reduce the negative effects of clay on lawns. The addition of organic matter to the soil will be most effective in the long run. This is easiest to accomplish when a lawn is established, but can also be done with existing lawns. We recommend Milorganite organic fertilizer and Natural Guard Soil Activator for this purpose. Gypsum can also be applied to turfgrass areas to loosen clay. Core aeration removes plugs of soil and turf and will also, over time, change the structure of clay soil.

Lawns require additional nutrients beyond what they can derive from the soil to thrive in our area. We feature ferti-lome Lawn Fertilizers, in several formulations, and can best advise you on the appropriate choice for your situation after a brief conversation. Please visit with us for more information.

The establishment of new lawn areas is typically done by installing sod or applying seed to a prepared area. Sod rolls are available at Lotus from early spring through the summer. The rolls we sell are 2 ft wide and 6 1/2 ft long (13 sq ft each). Multiply the length(in feet) by width of the area you wish to cover and divide by 13 to determine how many rolls you'll need. If you need more than 25 rolls for your project we offer a discount when you preorder your sod. Please call or email to order sod.

Establishing a lawn from seed takes more time, but costs less and introduces several turf species to the lawn, which is likely to make it better able to withstand stresses of cold, heat, or drought. We sell several seed mixes that are blended to our specifications. To figure out how much seed you'll need, measure the length (in feet) and width of the area. Multiply length by width to get square footage. A bare area requires 5 lbs of seed per thousand feet for adequate coverage. To overseed existing lawns, and keep them healthy or thicken them up you will want 2 lbs per thousand square feet.

Whenever possible, we prefer organic solutions to lawn care issues. For more information visit our Organics section.

For more information on Seasonal Lawn Plans, click here.