6-Step Fertilization Program

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Cuttin' It Close Lawn Care & Landscaping offers custom 6-step lawn fertilization. Each program is customized based on the needs of each lawn, which is necessary to achieve a lush, green, healthy lawn. Additional services can be added to your 6-step program to enhance the benefits of fertilization, including grub control and lawn aeration. 

Below is the recommended program for most Central Illinois lawns:

Early spring application of fertilizer and pre-emergent crab grass preventer. This is a vital step in keeping crabgrass out of your lawn.

Mid-Spring application of liquid fertilizer combined with blanket spraying for broad leaf weed control.

Early summer liquid fertilizer combined with a target spraying for broad leaf weed control; grub control is applied at this time if included in your program.

Grub control is often referred to as the “insurance program” for your lawn. Not all programs include a grub control but should be presented as an option. Grub control is essential in protecting the roots of your lawn from damage done by feeding grubs. The grubs are larvae from Japanese beetles that hatch out in your lawn in the late summer. These larvae then feed on your lawn until the ground temperatures cool down and trigger their hibernation. These larvae will then hatch out the following spring as beetles having damaged and often destroyed an entire lawn in the process.

Late summer liquid fertilizer combined with a broad leaf weed control as needed.

Early fall liquid fertilizer is applied with a higher rate of nitrogen to begin the process of preparing your lawn for the winter months. This application is teamed with a liquid broad leaf control.

Late fall granular application that targets the deeper part of your lawn’s roots for weeds. This step is very important for your lawn before it goes dormant and helps keep weeds from sprouting in early spring.

This is the process of pulling “plugs” out of your lawn to let air exchange happen between your soil and the atmosphere. Aeration plays a key role in getting the fertilizer down deep into your soil. This process will strengthen the roots of your lawn. Aeration also helps de-compact the soil under your lawn, which helps your lawn establish deeper and stronger roots. This process helps your lawn maintain its strength during stressful times like heat and drought. Aeration can be done in both spring and fall, and is mostly commonly completed in the fall.