#1 Lawn Care and Lawn Mowing Guide in Silver Spring, MD

The weather in Silver Spring, MD is particularly cold, with winter temperatures that drop as low as 23 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the NOAA. This makes Silver Spring tough for lawn care. If you want to keep your yard green, it requires more than simple lawn mowing. Silver Spring lawn care requires special attention because an unprepared yard for winter is at risk of turning brown. 

Our Silver Spring lawn care and lawn mowing guide offers all the important tips and info you need to know, so your lawn will be prepared for the city’s chill.

Lawn Mowing in Silver Spring

Lawn mowing in Silver Spring sounds simple—just drive your mower across the yard. But it’s easy to make mistakes and harm your lawn if you’re not aware of the following: 

• Never cut more than one-third of the height of your grass. Cutting your grass too short weakens it and makes it more vulnerable to pests and lawn diseases.
• Mow frequently until the growth of your lawn either slows or stops. Growth also slows down more during the cold seasons.
• Leave behind grass clippings. This might seem messy, but clippings after a mow will decompose back into the soil and become an organic fertilizer. If you hired a lawn service professional, make sure you remind the person.
• Remember to use a varying pattern each time you mow. Otherwise, your grass blades lean in the direction you mow, giving your lawn a strange appearance. Just imagine it like a bad haircut.

Here are the recommended mowing heights for the most popular grass types in Silver Spring, MD:

• Tall Fescue – 2 to 3 inches
• Fine Fescue – 2½ to 3½ inches 
• Kentucky Bluegrass – 2½ to 3½ inches
• Perennial Ryegrass – 2½ to 4 inches

The next section will explain in more detail what growing conditions and other traits there are that differentiate each of these grasses.

The Most Popular Grass Types in Silver Spring

Tall Fescue

This turfgrass is the whole package, resistant to both cold and hot temperatures. If you have a color preference, the narrow grass blades are dark green. It needs a good amount of sun exposure to thrive, around 6 to 8 hours daily. 

Fine Fescue

With thin grass blades that reflect a medium-to-dark green hue, this turfgrass is an attractive and shade tolerant variety to grow on your lawn. It survives well as a cold-season grass and only needs 4 to 6 hours of daily sunlight.

Kentucky Bluegrass

According to Kansas State University, this grass is the most widely used in the northern half of the United States. This grass is famous for its rich, deep color. It survives well in the winter here because it’s a cool-season grass. Usually, it takes 1-3 months for this grass to grow, depending on your soil quality, so make sure to plant it during spring or fall.

Perennial Ryegrass

This grass-type is well suited for most climates. It grows quickly and is highly resistant to heavy foot traffic. In most areas, this grass is used for overseeding (which we’ll explain below) or patching dirt spots in already existing lawns.

Additional Lawn Maintenance Tips

We want to further equip your Silver Spring lawn care skills with what only lawn service professionals generally know. These two skills are best for Silver Spring in the spring and fall.

Dethatching in Silver Spring

Dethatching is when you remove excess thatch that built up over time on your lawn. The problem with thatch is it reduces the amount of water that will reach your grass, harbors pests and diseases more easily, and blocks sunlight. Although some thatch may buffer your yard from heavy foot traffic, it’s best to avoid it becoming too thick. If your thatch is thicker than an inch, it’s time for dethatching. You can use either a power rake or a dethatching rake for the most efficient results. But remember to fertilize afterward because your grass will be thinned out. 

Core Aeration in Silver Spring

Aeration is the practice of creating holes in the soil, breaking apart compacted soil and improving soil drainage for your lawn. Silver Spring lawns need aeration because it raises resistance against pests, diseases, and droughts, and it boosts the overall health of your soil.

The recommended amount you aerate should be twice a year: once during spring and once again during fall. Also, choose a time early in the morning when the soil is moist and temperatures are cool—this will make it easier to plunge your aerator.

Overseeding in Silver Spring

Overseeding is when you add extra seeds on existing grass to restore your lawn and fix patchy areas. Like any plant, grass loses vitality over time and dies. Also, if your lawn sustains heavy foot traffic or is overwatered, this is a good method to preserve your lawn. Overseeding brings new grass life to your lawn.

Before you overseed, first rake your lawn and remove any dead grass. This will loosen up the soil, which the seeds need direct contact with for growth. Remember to scatter the seeds evenly across the lawn. The best growing periods are usually during the spring and fall.

Hiring a Silver Spring Lawn Care Company

Silver Spring’s below freezing temperatures make it hard for residents to maintain a consistent lawn care routine. No one wants a brown lawn, but no one wants to shiver at 7 am either. That’s why many Silver Spring residents instead choose an easier option: hiring a lawn care professional.

Beyond just grass cutting, Silver Spring lawn care services offer important lawn treatment services that range from pest control and weed removal to aeration and overseeding. It’s also wise in general to have an expert evaluate how much lawn maintenance your property truly needs. Additionally, there are some good tips to bear in mind when choosing a lawn care service in Silver Spring.

The first one is to hire an actual lawn service professional, not a neighbor or any person who can only offer a mower and a truck. Although hiring amateurs may seem cost-effective, their lack of expertise will result in a neglected lawn in the long-term, such as failing to identify diseases and pests early. The second tip is to hire a fully-insured lawn service professional. This will free you from any anxiety on the rare occasion that a pro damages your property.

Finally, you should consider organizing your neighbors together and ask for a bulk discount from a lawn care company. If several jobs can be completed with just one visit to a neighborhood, landscapers are more likely to offer discounts because they profit more from the time saved on their schedules. Furthermore, landscapers are held to greater accountability for quality work since you and your neighbors will be able to compare lawns afterward.

Top Lawn Care Companies in Silver Spring

Now you might wonder: where to find a Silver Spring lawn care service near me? Since finding a top-rated lawn mowing service can be challenging, we offer a list below that ranks the best Silver Spring lawn care services based on our review of online customer satisfaction. WikiLawn.com is in no way affiliated with these, nor have we used them.

Hands down, Silver Spring is one of the most beautiful cities in Maryland. The landscaping in the town is outstanding and Lipov Landscaping LLC is responsible for its fair share of that beauty. Stephen and his crew has been making simple landscaping, outstanding works of art. Whether you are in Silver Spring or the surrounding cities, Lipov Landscaping is a trustworthy name in lawn care.

If your lawn is getting out of hand, or maybe it’s not even growing at all, N&H Landscaping will help you diagnose and fix the problem. For many years N&H has been serving Silver Spring Maryland with professional level lawn care. Whether you need your lawn mowed, reseeded, resodded or fertilized shout out to Hector, and be sure to tell him we sent you.

Based in Silver Springs, Maryland, Galdamez Landscaping is headed by William Galdamez, a professional landscaper. William’s lawn care service is renowned for being reliable, and affordable. Galdamez Landscaping offers services specifically designed for the unique Maryland bay climate. When it comes to caring for your lawn in Maryland, William’s services can’t be beaten.

If you are on a budget and in Silver Spring or the surrounding area, Budget Landscaping inc is here to serve you. Don’t let their name fool you, yes they are affordable, but they are also reliable and do a great job. From spring to winter, all season lawn you can trust your lawn in the hands of Nelson and his crew. Though they are based in Silver Spring, they do travel to towns nearby as well.

Ever since he was young Chris Wertz has loved mowing lawns. In fact he loved it so much, he made a career of it. If you are looking for lawn care from someone who is passionate about what they do, there is hardly a better option than Chris. Give him a shout today, he is always ready to take on a new task.

What’s the point of having a garden if it’s not green? That is the thinking behind Simply Green Landscapes. This Silver Springs based lawn care service has been making Maryland greener year after year and they are great at what they do. If your lawn is under par, the staff at Simply Green will be happy to help you design and install something better.

Silver Silva keeps things simple and straightforward. Landscaping is exactly what it sounds like, a simple landscaping solution for you and your lawn. If you have some plants you need installed or have no idea about what you want, you can count on Silver to get the job done.

Wilmar is a landscaping professional in Silver Springs, MD. He has been serving silver Springs MD for over 23 years, and you can bet he knows how to do his job right. Greenbird Landscaping LLC is in their own words “Montgomery County’s reliable and hassle-free Yard Service company”. Whether you need a one time mow or a lifelong contractor, you can count on Greenbird.

Jacob INC is an all-around handyman and lawn care service. Whether you are looking for fall leaf cleanup, some outdoor light bulbs changed, or a new coat of stain on your porch, Jacob is the man for the job. Jacob is well known in Montgomery County for his professionalism and customer satisfaction. If you have a chore you have been ignoring, it’s time to call Jacob INC.

If you are looking for that lawn mowing service that does a professional job and shows up on time, look no further than Patton Lawncare. Patton Lawncare has been serving Silver Spring and Montgomery County for many years and will continue for many years to come. William doesn’t just mow lawns, he can resod, irrigate, or fertilize as well. Oh, and don’t forget fall clean up, he does that too!