Lawn Care in Economy, PA

Western Pennsylvania has some specific quirks that change how lawn care has to be done, and if you're working from a generic schedule you'll run into problems. The soil in Beaver and Allegheny counties runs acidic — pH in the 5.5 to 6.0 range is normal, and at that level the grass can't properly absorb fertilizer even if you're applying it on schedule. Lime correction is often the first thing we recommend for a new customer, and it can take a full season before you see the fertilizer program really start to work. The clay-heavy soils throughout the region compact easily under foot traffic and equipment, which is why aeration is almost non-negotiable here — the grass roots can't get oxygen, water, or nutrients in compacted clay. We're also in a window where the fall seeding timing is tight. The ideal overseeding window is August 15 to October 1; push past that and the new grass seedlings don't have time to establish before the first hard frost. The humid summers in the Monongahela and Ohio valleys also create real fungal pressure — dollar spot in shaded turf and summer patch on Kentucky bluegrass lawns are things we watch for specifically.

For Economy specifically: silty clay loam near the Ohio River corridor, transitioning to heavier clay loam on elevated sections away from the river. Established residential areas with decades of mowing and limited aeration show significant compaction in the top few inches of the soil profile.

The program runs five to six visits timed to what's happening in the yard, not just the calendar. First visit happens when the forsythia is blooming — usually late March in western PA — and we put down pre-emergent crabgrass control with a starter fertilizer to get the existing turf moving. Second visit comes around Mother's Day to Memorial Day, targeting broadleaf weeds that are actively growing: dandelions, clover, ground ivy, plantain. Third visit is the mid-June to early July window for preventative grub control — this is the visit people sometimes skip and regret in August when they find dead patches. If the program includes aeration and overseeding, that happens in late August, ideally before Labor Day, with a second starter fertilizer application to support the new seed. The final visit comes in October to November before the first hard frost — a winterizer application with elevated potassium that helps the root system go into winter in the best condition possible. Lime applications, when needed, can happen at almost any visit depending on the soil test results.