Lawn
Moss in the Lawn: What It's Telling You
Moss means shade, compaction, wet soil, low pH or low fertility. Here's how to find which one you have and fix it this fall.
The Library
Lawn-care guides, from seed to snow mold.
Mowers & Equipment
Battery vs. Gas Mowers for Northern Lawns
Battery or gas mower in snow country: how cold affects each one, the right fall mowing height, and how to store each over winter.
Mowers & Equipment
Choosing a Leaf Blower: What a Grounds Crew Looks For
Battery, gas or backpack: how to size a leaf blower to your yard, which specs count, what the noise does to your ears, and where gas blowers are banned.
Trees & Shrubs
Salt-Tolerant Shrubs and Grasses for Curb Strips and Driveways
Which shrubs, ornamental grasses and lawn grasses actually survive road salt along curbs and driveways, which to avoid, and how to plant them.
Trees & Shrubs
Emerald Ash Borer: Treat or Remove Your Ash Tree?
How to decide whether to treat or remove your ash tree for emerald ash borer: the canopy rule, size limits, timing, and what each choice costs.
Mowers & Equipment
Store the Spreader So It Works in March
Fertilizer left in a spreader eats the metal and jams the gate. Five minutes of cleaning in the fall keeps it working and spreading evenly next spring.
Fall & Winter
How Short Is Short Enough Going Into Winter?
Long grass mats under snow and invites snow mold. Scalping it hurts the crowns. The right final mowing height for cool-season lawns, and how to get there without shocking the grass.
Fall & Winter
Why Spring Seeding Loses to Weeds (and What to Do Instead)
If you missed fall seeding, spring sounds like the next best time. Up north it usually isn't. Why spring seed struggles, and why dormant seeding or waiting for August often works better.
Weeds & Pests
Dog Spots or Lawn Fungus? How to Tell the Difference
Round brown patches can be dog urine or disease. The ring test, the tug test and the timing that tell you which, and how to fix each one.
Fall & Winter
What to Do the Week Before the First Hard Freeze
When the forecast shows the first night in the 20s, here's the short list: the lawn, the hoses, the mower, the trees and the gutters. Most of it takes an afternoon.
Fall & Winter
Thatch Over Half an Inch Will Waste Your Grass Seed
Seed sitting on a spongy layer of thatch dries out before it can root. How to measure thatch, why it matters for overseeding, and what to do about it.
Fall & Winter
Watering New Grass Seed When the Nights Are Already Cold
Late-seeded grass still needs water, but cold nights change the rules. How often to water, what time of day, and when to stop once the irrigation is blown out.