Start your year off right with a Granular Pre-Emergent Fertilizer. This will get your lawn looking green right away. Plus, by applying the pre-emergent, you will be reducing crabgrass, foxtail and other annual grassy weeds that tend to pop up later in the spring months. The lawn technicians at Culver’s are licensed, insured and undergo annual training. Granular fertilizer will promote a fast start to the growing season.

This application is performed in late April or the beginning of May. The second treatment will consist of a Liquid Broadleaf Weed Control and Fertilizer. This is the one that will battle your dandelions and rid other ugly broadleaf weeds popping up in your lawn. Creeping Charlie is a major broadleaf weed that can be difficult to kill. However, our products do an excellent job in ridding your lawn of those hard to control weeds.

During the Summer months Culver’s will apply a Granular Slow Release Fertilizer. With the help of a regular water maintenance schedule, this will keep your lawn looking green, even during a pretty harsh drought! When dry granular fertilizer is applied in the summer during extended dry weather, it can bring a yard out of dormancy quicker than a lawn that goes untreated during this time. Grub activity is high at this time.

Summer is the optimal time to inspect and treat for any insect activity occurring in your lawn. The white grubs (pictured) created by the Masked European Chaffer (June Bug) are the main turf-destroying insects in Iowa and the Midwest area. At Culver’s, we apply a preventative insecticide grub control that must be watered in within 3 or 4 days of the application. This treatment consists of an EPA approved and registered product that is proven to provide excellent results.

If you notice brown patches, discoloration, or loose turf, that means your lawn is in a retroactive phase. It may not be too late to correct, but immediate curative control is needed and will require another product that activates and kills within 24 hours. This is usually a late summer – early fall application. Japanese Beetle larvae can be controlled in the turf also, but there’s a catch. Most, if not all, of your damage from Japanese Beetles may be caused from beetles flying into your yard from adjacent, untreated properties. That’s why it’s important to have a licensed Culver’s technician apply grub control, keeping your lawn grub-free for the whole season. Dry spot treatment of weeds will also be done as needed at this time and is apart of your application.

When the temperature begins to cool off again in late September, we will apply a Liquid Broadleaf Weed Control combined with our fertilizer. This is also a perfect time of year to start planning for any seeding that may need to be done. Seeding can usually be applied within 5 days after this application. Late season lingering insect activity will also be assessed, especially for clients that did not choose to apply a grub control preventative.

At this time a Culver’s technician may also speak with you in regard to your lawn’s need for any core aerations and or power raking that would benefit your lawn.

The late fall application usually begins in October and will be a Granular Fertilizer. This will help establish nutrients for the root system from the stresses of the summer months. By thickening the root system, you will develop a healthier and more disease-resistant lawn for the next year. Remember, vigorous growth takes place in the root system and not just above ground!

This is the best time of the year for nutrient uptake. Power Raking at this time of year also removes the dead thatch, enabling a better air exchange between the earth and air.

Winterizer is usually applied in early November. The application consists of a Granular Fertilizer, similar to the late fall application. However it is intended more as a food reserve to hold your lawn over until spring. This has also been shown to reduce snow mold and provides a quick start up once spring arrives.