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When it comes to taking care of your yard, we don’t take a “one size fits all” type of approach. Every yard is different depending on the type of grass, the amount of sun, the type of soil, how it drains, etc. Our professional lawn care services include customized fertilization and mowing programs. We know that everyone wants a green lawn, so we make sure to utilize the proper balance of seed, feed, weed control, proper mowing techniques and the right season for each application.

Our Full Service Custom Lawn Care Checklist

Gabris Landscaping provides customized, complete annual lawn care and maintenance programs because most lawns are different and have different needs. Although the components and processes are different for each lawn, this complete full service program includes custom fertilization, aeration, over-seeding, weed, fungus,and insect control, mowing, trimming and pruning.

As part of these services, our professional staff mows your entire yard, does the line trimming around all trees, posts, and fencing, uses a blade edger to create sharp lines along sidewalks, patios and driveways, and completes the job with a final blowing and cleanup.

Our blend of slow and quick release fertilizer to jump start your lawn for a quick and sustained green up, post-emergent weed control to kill any winter weeds, and a pre-emergent weed control to help prevent crabgrass and other grassy, small seeded broad leaf weeds will make sure your lawn is the envy of the neighborhood all year long.

We welcome the opportunity to provide our full maintenance Gabris Landscaping lawn care service. However, if you simply need a professional lawn mowing service, we are happy to help. This standard service includes mowing the yard, line trimming around all trees, posts, fencing, etc., edging sidewalks, patios and driveways, and of course, we always clean up.

Lawn striping is where we create a pattern in the grass during the mowing process. Visual results may vary based upon health of grass, length of grass, type of grass, available sunlight and seasonal conditions. As we mow, the weight of the roller bends the grass down in the direction we mow.

Our lawn mowing experts create the best design for the lawn size and shape. Our lawn striping system will not hurt your grass. It simply gently bends the grass blades in the direction we are mowing. It does not fold or break the blades of grass. It is important to rotate the mowing patterns and angles each time we mow.

Whether you only need lawn mowing and trimming, our lawn fertilization program, or our complete customized lawn maintenance services, we can create the right lawn care solution for your yard.

The relationship between soil and plant is one of our top concerns as the quality of your soil directly determines the development and growth of every species of plant. Proper knowledge about soil is imperative for the ideal management of your yard and landscaping.

Plants are sensitive to soil conditions. Their growth and development directly depends upon the texture and quality of your soil. Hence, to get desired results for your yard, we need to know the quality of the soil in your yard before anything else. This will help us select specific types of plants best suited for the soil of your yard.

What Is Soil Exactly?

The top part of the ground directly beneath the surface is what we refer to as soil. It consists of three main mineral particles: sand, silt and clay. Of all these, clay is generally found in greater proportion followed by silt and sand. The mixture of these three mineral particles determines the texture of your soil. If all of these three mineral particles are found in equal proportion then it is regarded as the best quality of soil. This type of soil is called loam.

Soil also consists of other various things like water, micro nutrients in the form of organic matter, air, minerals and microorganisms. Soil affects plant roots and serves as the nutrient storehouse which will help in the growth of plants.

The Benefits of Soil Testing

Soil testing is an essential part of your lawn service because the growth and development of your plants directly depends on the quality of your soil. It is the preliminary task of landscape design as it helps us determine which species of plants to choose for your yard. If landscaping is being planted for the first time, then soil testing is a must.

Soil testing also informs us about the minerals lacking in your yard, which we can add to enhance the quality of your soil. This will be done before we start the planting for your landscape:

• Soil should be re-tested every three to five years.
• We analyze the progress of your soil compared with last test.
• We take our sample of the soil when the ground is not frozen, during spring or late fall.
• We take soil samples with the use of soil probe.
• We gather a composite sample of the soil for the entire yard by sampling from different areas.

Improving Soil Quality By Adding Organic Matter

Organic matter goes on your yard to decay and form humus. Humus is the most important part of the soil. It is effective in enhancing the quality of the tilth which makes it easier for plants to grow.

Humus can be incorporated in various ways in the soil. It can be added in the form of manure, sawdust, mushroom compost, peat moss and many more.

Humus produces spongy texture which is helpful in:

• Enhancing your soil water holding capacity.
• Regulating the soil temperature.
• Releasing nitrogen in the ideal proportion.
• Enhancing your soil’s capacity to hold and release nutrients.
• Helping in the growth of microorganisms. They are essential in conditioning the soil.
• Opening up necessary pore space for air passage and many more.

Proper soil management is the key to success for every yard. It can improve results in a relatively small time frame. Our dedication and awareness to soil management will help make your yard beautiful.

The health and longevity of your lawn is highly dependent on planning ahead. The use of pre-emergent lawn treatments, including fertilizers and herbicides, is crucial in maintaining a gorgeous green lawn throughout spring and summer.

Timing, above all else is the most important factor in using pre-emergent treatments. Waiting too late to treat your lawn properly will still result in crab grasses and other weeds infiltrating their way into your grass despite the amount treatment you apply to abate this.

Following a few simple tips about using the right treatment at the right time will ensure that your lawn is properly nourished all summer long.

Lawn and garden enthusiasts often labor over treating their lawns correctly and still bemoan the fact that crab grasses seem to prevail in the war against weeds. Although it seems logical to begin treating your lawn with pre-emergent fertilizers and herbicides at the start of spring, this is actually too late in the weed-germination process to make a difference.

Spring coincides with the ability to work outside with greater warmth and longer days without having to endure a harsh winter chill. It’s when we start thinking about our lawn, but you need to begin treating your lawn in the final weeks of winter before the ground has warmed up in anticipation of spring.

This will likely have you planning effective lawn treatments as early as the final week in February before crab grass and other weeds are allowed to germinate. Try not to wait longer than the first week of April to start using pre-emergent treatments.

Laying down your pre-emergent weed fighting techniques early on before the soil temperatures exceed 50-55 degrees will ensure that new weeds are prevented promptly and efficiently. Herbicides work with the ground soil by constructing a vapor obstruction below ground, effectively cutting off the energy catalyst with unwanted weed seeds.

The importance in using an effective pre-emergent treatment is that it will halt these unwanted seeds from continuing to grow and take over your lawn. After you apply your lawn treatments, make sure to leave the area alone for at least a week. This means no mowing, pickup football games, or any other activities that may disturb or aerate the soil.

Moreover, ensure that you are familiar with the herbicide or fertilizer used on your lawn. Some treatments include chemicals and other ingredients that should be avoided immediately after application. Discuss the product labels with the experts at Gabris Landscaping so that you are familiar with how to maximize its potential.

Homeowners and lawn-care aficionados often struggle with weed control because of a simple lack of knowledge on pre-emergent treatments. The latest scientific evidence shows that scheduling your lawn applications early and effectively with the right treatment will produce the weed-free, perfectly green lawn you have always desired.

Most people only consider overseeding their lawn when their yard is bare or filled with large brown patches. But did you know that you can also spread grass seed over your entire lawn (even if it’s not bare or patchy) to make it fuller, denser, and healthier? This process is known as grass overseeding and it can greatly improve your lawn’s health and appearance, especially if you combine it with aeration and fertilization. To learn more about the benefits of overseeding, check out our tips for overseeding.

Tips for Overseeding Your Lawn

DO overseed your lawn in the fall. Hot, harsh summers often damage lawns, so autumn is a great time to give your grass some extra love and attention. Aim to plant in late summer or early fall, to give your new grass seed time to grow before the first frost of winter arrives. By overseeding in the fall, you’ll also give your grass plenty of time to mature before the following year’s summer.

DON’T just throw down the seeds. This is one of the biggest mistakes made by the do it yourselfers. If you want to give your grass seeds the best chance at success, help them penetrate the soil. So you’ll first need to aerate the soil to loosen it up and remove excess thatch. It’s important that the seeds come into contact with the soil instead of simply sitting on top of the grass blades. If possible, it’s also best to mow your grass a bit shorter than usual and use a commercial seed planter.

DO use quality grass seeds. For best results, you need to use high-quality grass seeds that have been selected and grown for the area we live in. Quality seeds will produce quality grass. That’s why we’ll only use a grass seed that is either (1) the same type as your grass or (2) compatible with your type of grass.

DON’T let the seeds dry up. After overseeding, you’ll need to make sure that the seeds stay wet for a couple of weeks, giving them plenty of water with which to germinate. After those initial two weeks, you can taper off your watering until the first frost of the season occurs.

DO hire a professional. With our carefully selected grass seeds, years of experience, and expert knowledge, our lawn care professionals can help you get the most out of your lawn through overseeding. We can also come back for a lawn “check-up,” to ensure that the overseeding process was successful and the grass is healthy and beautiful.

Mature grass has a slower reproduction rate, so overseeding (which brings in young seeds) will help keep your lawn lively and vibrant. After overseeding, your lawn will be thicker and any thin spots should be filled in with grass. Your yard should appear fuller, lusher, and generally more beautiful. What’s not to love?

If you’re planning to overseed your lawn, give Gabris Landscaping a call. Our overseeding program includes aerating the soil, removing thatch, and using a commercial seed planter to work the seeds into the soil. Additionally, we only use high-quality seeds, selected and grown for the southwest Missouri area. We look forward to making your lawn the best that it can be.