Fall is here and it is time to regenerate your lawn. The hot summer, drought conditions and insects have damaged and thinned out parts of your lawn. Not to worry a few steps will have it looking great again.

The first thing you need to do is mow the lawn a little shorter than you normally would. Typically I keep Tall Fescue at 3.5 – 4 inches. When I am going to reseed and aerate I would mow the lawn to 2.5 inches. This will help with seed germination and composting of the grass clippings. Some suggest that you gradually lower the lawn height over a few weeks as to not stress the lawn.

Next you will need to aerate your lawn. What is aeration you ask? It is the process of poking hundreds of holes in your lawn and removing a core of earth. What this does is open up the soil and help to break up the compacted top layers. The small cores allow a nice home for the seed to germinate and form a root structure. It also allows water and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil. You can rent a core aerator at your local tool rental or home improvement store or simply contact a landscaper in the area to do it for you. You will get the best results if you aerate when the soil is wet. This will allow for better penetration of the tines.

Top dressing the soil is an option here. The more you do the better the results. Top dressing is the process of spreading a thin layer of organic material on top of the soil. Peat Moss is a great option for top dressing your lawn. It will hold moisture and help the grass seed to germinate. Top dress the lawn after aeration and before seeding for best results. You can also follow the seed with a quality starter fertilizer.

Hopefully you have been enjoying this blog and the information provide here. We welcome your comments. If you are looking to buy or sell a home www.HPW.com is the place to search all of the mls listings. We have all of the homes for sale in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and the Triangle all in one place. We are the home for Raleigh Real Estate!

A properly feed lawn will be stronger and more likely to survive through the hot summer months in North Carolina. A great looking lawn will help your home stand out from other homes in the neighborhood. Your home is in competition with other homes in the real estate market. Regardless of the market conditions you want you home to show better than other homes. You want your home sell faster than other homes. Ask any real estate professional and they will tell you that curb appeal matters. Thinking about lawn care starts before you decide to sell your home. A lawn that is properly maintained is a lot easier to care for than a lawn that has suffered years of neglect

So lets talk about the feeding your lawn. Fertilizer is a combination of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K).  Nitrogen will take care of the intensity of the green color. Phosphorus helps to build a strong root system and Potassium help with the overall vitality of the grass. So how do you read a bag of fertilizer?

Here is an example of what you might see a fertilizer label: 24-5-11 in the order of N-P-K. This bag is 24% Nitrogen, 5% Phosphorus and 11% Potassium. To determine the weight of the nutrients simply multiply the percentage X the weight of the bag. For example a 50LB bag of fertilizer that is 24% Nitrogen would have 12LBS of Nitrogen.

50LBS bag weight X .24 = 12LBS of nitrogen.

Understanding how the fertilizer works helps you choose the right fertilizer.

•    Nitrogen (N) helps with leaf development and vivid green color.
•    Phosphorous (P) is for root growth.
•    Potassium (K) is for root development and disease resistance.


So now you understand a little more about fertilizer and how to read a bag what do I do with this information?

In the spring when you want a quick green up and accelerated growth you would use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen to potassium ratio (2:1 or higher). In the fall or winter you would use a more balanced approach and use a fertilizer that has an equal nitrogen to potassium ratio (1:1).  It is also important to have your soil tested to determine what nutrients you need and how much of them you should use.

Please take a look at the following links.
The first is for the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Turffiles site. They have a great Tall Fescue Lawn Maintenance Calendar.

Lawn Care Turffiles


The second link for the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. Publications for Commercial Horticulture, Nursery, and Turf. This site has more than you ever wanted to know about anything that can grow.

Publications for Commercial Horticulture

Please be sure and follow the application instructions that came with your fertilizer and use an appropriate spreader for the fertilizer. Using more fertilizer than recommended will not give you better results and may harm the environment. Organic fertilizers are available and will be discussed in a later blog.   


Hopefully you have been enjoying this blog and the information provide here. We welcome your comments. If you are looking to buy or sell a home www.HPW.com is the place to search all of the mls listings. We have all of the homes for sale in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and the Triangle all in one place. We are the home for Raleigh Real Estate!

Why drive around the Triangle area to learn more about the area when you can find out what the area has to offer from the comfort of your home or office?

We created the community films on HPW.com to help our local homebuyer as well as those relocating to the area get a better sense of what each area has to offer. Follow this link to the “Living in the Area” section. I have included a brief description of each community film. I hope you enjoy them and will share your thoughts on living in the area.

Current Community Film Descriptions

Cary, NC is consistently ranked among the best small cities and it's no surprise why. With its family-friendly atmosphere, tree-lined streets and fast-growing business environment, Cary is a bubbling metropolis of activity. You can spend your Saturday at dog park or an arts and leisure festival, then stop off at the amphitheatre to catch an evening symphony performance under the stars. Just a few of the reasons why there's no place like Cary!

Chapel Hill, NC is a unique city that offers the friendliness of a small town, with an inviting University setting at its core. Here you'll find a sense of place and community, rich in history and traditions. Among its assets are a lively downtown and wonderful neighborhoods. There is always something to do in Chapel Hill, whether you're after music and theater or sports and games. for education, research, and industry. This vibrant city is great for long-time residents and newcomers alike!

Durham, NC is the proud home to Duke University, North Carolina Central University, Research Triangle Park and the legendary Durham Bulls Baseball Club, to name a few. The city's prime location in the heart of North Carolina is a perfect setting for education, research, and industry. This vibrant city is great for long-time residents and newcomers alike!

Raleigh, NC offers the perfect combination of big city fun and Carolina charm. Whether you want to enjoy the bustling night life, cheer on the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes or visit one of Raleigh's beautiful parks or gardens, you can get a taste of all the culture Raleigh has to offer. And with its proximity to the coast and the mountains the city offers an abundance of vacation and recreation options.

Nestled in northern Wake County, Wake Forest is a progressive town of active residents, dynamic businesses, and vibrant shops and restaurants. Rich in history and heritage, downtown Wake Forest is an officially registered historic district. With character all its own, Wake Forest continues to emerge as an influential part of the Triangle while retaining its small town charm.

 

Hopefully you have been enjoying this blog and the information provide here. We welcome your comments. If you are looking to buy or sell a home www.HPW.com is the place to search all of the mls listings. We have all of the homes for sale in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and the Triangle all in one place. We are the home for Raleigh Real Estate!

When watering you lawn please keep in mind your local water restrictions. It is better to give your lawn a good soaking than it is to lightly water it. The deeper watering helps to get the water deeper in the soil and encourages the roots to go deeper as well helping the lawn tolerate a drought better. The best time to water is early in the morning. Watering a lawn in the evening or late at night may promote the growth of fungus.

In the Triangle area or Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Wake Forest and Chapel Hill you will need to apply about 1 to 1.25 inches of water each week in the spring and fall and about .5 inches of water every third day. This summer watering almost follows the current Raleigh water restrictions.

Please use the following link to the Wake County North Carolina Environmental Services Water Quality Division webpage to learn more about the water restrictions in your area.

Wake County Water Restrictions

 

 

Hopefully you have been enjoying this blog and the information provide here. We welcome your comments. If you are looking to buy or sell a home www.HPW.com is the place to search all of the mls listings. We have all of the homes for sale in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and the Triangle all in one place. We are the home for Raleigh Real Estate!

Having a thick green lawn can really help to make your home look great. It may also help your home sell faster. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and look through their eye’s. As they drive up to the home and see a thick green lawn free of weeds they know they can move in and enjoy the home. The outside appearance of the home may also an indication of how the home was cared for on the inside as well.

When I look at a home I make a mental list of what I need to do. If the list gets too long or involved I may start to lose interest. Excitement is replaced by disappointment. Instead of seeing a new home that I can enjoy I see more tasks and time away from family and friends.

Your home is in competition with other homes and you want to make your best first impression. This is the first in a series on lawn care. I will also be adding tips and techniques for having the best looking lawn in Raleigh.

Having a great lawn is not hard to do but it will require some time and effort. I think that the time and effort are worth it when you can see the results. To have a lush green lawn you need to feed your lawn, water your lawn, mow it at the proper height and aerate the lawn annually.

When I moved to Raleigh North Carolina from New Your more than 15 years ago I had no idea how to manage and take care of a Tall Fescue lawn. Back home I was had an established lawn of Kentucky Blue Grass.

Proper Mowing of Tall Fescue

The first thing that I need to learn was the proper mowing height for Tall Fescue. I have read much on the mowing height of Tall Fescue with mowing heights ranging from 2 to 3 inches and 3.5 inches if it is in a partially shady area. My experience in Raleigh North Carolina has been to mow the lawn at 3.5 inches. I have found that this has helped my lawn tolerate the heat and drought conditions in Raleigh and the surrounding RTP area. If you live in the Triangle area of Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill I think that a mowing height of 3.5 inches would be a good idea. Leaving the grass blades a little taller I feel also helps to shade the roots and keep them cooler requiring less water. If you were to mow the Tall Fescue too short it starts to thin out and look clumpy. The lawn may also become stressed and allow for the growth of weeds.

It is also a good idea to keep the mower blade sharpened. If you have not sharpened the mower blade perhaps it is a good time to have it serviced.

Next we will talk about the importance of nutrients and your lawn.

 

 

Hopefully you have been enjoying this blog and the information provide here. We welcome your comments. If you are looking to buy or sell a home www.HPW.com is the place to search all of the mls listings. We have all of the homes for sale in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and the Triangle all in one place. We are the home for Raleigh Real Estate!

We have had a lot of feedback on the new site and we are listening to what you have to say. We are adding back the street level search and making some changes to the way you interact with mapping among other things. We want you to have a great experience so your input is valuable. If you would like to share some constructive comments please send an email to website@hpw.com. Please let us know how you would like something to work if you do not like the way it works now.

 

The day has finally come to pull the covers off of our new website. We have worked long and hard to deliver what I think will be a fantastic consumer experience. The new site is easier to navigate and has features like Google Street View on the listing detail. Now when you are searching properties not only can you look at the front of the home but you can also see what the rest of the area looks like. Be sure and take a look at our community videos and check out our School and Community information associated with the listings. Stop back to the blog to get useful tips to maintain your home. I hope you enjoy the new website.