We're officially in the full swing of winter. Morning temperatures are low, frosts are common, and some areas of Georgia are preparing for snowy weather. At this time of year, your grass is likely dormant, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't need care. In fact, getting ahead of lawn care during the winter months is a great way to make sure your lawn is healthy and green come springtime.

Lawn care is much more than simply mowing every week and making sure to water – as your grass goes through its natural life cycle, it's important to adjust your treatment plans to conform to that life cycle. As we usher in the start of the new year, we've put together a Lawn Care New Year's Resolution plan to help you keep your lawn healthy and fighting for every year of the month! 

Every lawn in Georgia, new or established, is susceptible to a variety of disease. Promoting healthy growth is the best way to prevent a severe disease outbreak. Most common lawn diseases can be avoided by optimizing mowing and watering practices. Stressed grass is much more susceptible to disease than healthy grass.

Anyone who's experienced a Georgia fall knows just how beautiful the landscape is when leaves start changing colors and the temperature begins to cool. But of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and once those leaves have finished their show, they will begin to fall down around us. Before we know it, it's time to start raking again.

During the fall months, the focus on lawn care can shift away from frequent mowing as the rate of your lawn's growth slows down. While your grass is preparing to go dormant for the winter months, it is essential to focus on preventative care to keep your lawn pest-free and capable of receiving as much sunlight as possible. Pests can wreak havoc on a lawn if left to their own devices, making it harder for your grass to come back as vibrant and green as it was before winter came. Here are just a few of the pests you may encounter while protecting your lawn this fall, and how the damage they cause can be mitigated: 

The fall months are the perfect time for seeding a lawn, due to the low air temperature but warm soil. That said, there are a few best practices to keep in mind when seeding your lawn for the winter. There are several ways to approach seeding depending on how big and how thin the areas are that need to be seeded, but there are three very important rules to follow no matter what kind of seeding you need.

As the weather begins to cool and leaves start to fall from the trees, you may notice that your grass growth is slowing before your lawn becomes dormant through the winter months. While things may be progressing slowly on the growth side, it's still important to keep up with your lawn so that it will continue to flourish in those high-growth months. Here are a few tips for taking care of your lawn as it begins to cool:

Dogs are said to be man's best friend, and understandably so. However, the love we have for animals doesn't eliminate the frustration that can come from early wake-up calls, the constant begging for food, overall maintenance, and the dreaded urine spots on your lawn. Now don't forget, your pup can't help it – it's just how they were made. We also understand that spots on your lawn might not be ideal, so keep reading for some tips on how to fix and prevent urine spots, with a few tips for your pup too!  

Every lawn in Georgia, whether new or established, is susceptible to a variety of lawn diseases because of our environmental conditions. Even if a disease-causing pathogen is present, infection will not occur unless the environmental conditions are conducive to disease development. If left untreated, your lawn is likely to undergo major damage that could take months to recover from.

If your grass is green, what does it matter if it's a combination of grass and weeds that look like grass? No harm, no foul – right? Not quite. Weeds compete for air, water, and nutrients, giving the good grass less of a chance to thrive and opening it up to disease and insect infestation. Though it may be just a few weeds to start with, they quickly take over your lawn and kill off your desirable grass before you know it. That's why it's important to know about the different types of weeds that find their way into your yard and disguise themselves as grass. 

Do you have dreams of a beautiful, green lawn next year? Believe it or not – now is the time to start the process with aeration and seeding. Aeration is one of the best things you can do for your lawn. It may sound complex, but it's really simple, as is seeding. 

In 2019, Georgia homeowners reported an increased amount of moss in their lawns over the summer. Though a couple of years have passed since that report, not much has changed. Homeowners are fighting off moss and they don't quite know how to win. If you have experienced moss growing where grass should be, there are a few things to keep in mind as you look into how to control your current moss issue and how to prevent it in the future.

There's no magic trick to watering your lawn properly. It's really just a matter of ensuring that the water you do supply to your lawn, trees, and shrubs is used efficiently. Especially during the summer months, it's important that your grass is getting the amount of water it needs to thrive. Between pop-up storms, moisture-scorching sun, and your valuable time, it can be hard to keep up with unless you know ways to get around the struggles of lawn irrigation. So, are you watering your lawn correctly? Let's find out!

Who doesn't want thick, beautiful grass covering their yard? We don't know many people who don't want that. However, there comes a dilemma that many people run across…how to grow grass in the shade. It can seem impossible, but your grass's future is about to get a little brighter (literally and figuratively). Get ready to learn some tips and tricks for getting your grass to grow – even if it's in the shade all day long! 

Obtaining a healthy, green lawn can be quite the task. Though it doesn't require you to be in the yard every day, it does require a great deal of patience. One of the hardest parts of getting your lawn healthy is knowing exactly what it needs. It can often feel like you're wandering around in the dark trying various tactics with no success. Here are some ways you can get your grass healthy and keep it that way. 

If you're a homeowner, you are likely acutely aware of the tendency for weeds to take over your yard quickly and effortlessly, creating a hostile environment for nearby plants. These pesky weeds become especially noticeable as the weather warms up and creates an environment for them to thrive. The more they thrive, the fewer nutrients your plants get, and that's the last thing we want to see! Not only are they unattractive, but they also suffocate your plants and make them more susceptible to pests and diseases. If you're at a loss for how to treat your weeds, we've put together some tips for you. 

Many of us patiently wait for warmer weather and are thrilled when we get those first few days of 70-degree weather. We break out the shorts and short-sleeve shirts and before we know it, we're scratching at our skin thanks to pesky mosquitoes. Not only are their bites annoying and itchy, but they can also carry diseases like West Nile Virus, Encephalitis, and the Zika virus. These diseases are all the more reason to combat these blood-sucking insects!