Lawn Care
Building a Beautiful Lawn
Merrifield Garden Center has the quality products and the expert advice that you need to build a thick, healthy and dark green lawn. Whether you are improving the existing lawn or starting over with a total renovation, Merrifield Garden Center can help you do the job right the first time!
To help you and other gardeners in northern Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan area build healthy and dark green lawns, Merrifield Garden Center has custom blended our own grass seeds and lawn fertilizers that have been specially formulated for this area. Having a handsome lawn will not only add a striking appearance to the residence, but it will better accent the surrounding landscape as well.
We encourage you to stop by either Merrifield Garden Center location today and speak personally with one of our turf experts about how to build a beautiful, weed-free, dark green lawn. From thatching and aerating to insect and weed controls, our knowledgeable staff can assist you with all aspects of lawn care.
Merrifield's Custom Blends of Grass Seeds and Lawn Foods
Grass Seeds
Merrifield Garden Center has formulated our own custom blends of grass seeds for the conditions we face here in northern Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan areas. We have chosen varieties that have performed well in local and regional turf trials. These bags are packaged in 1 lb., 5 lb. and 25 lb. bags and can be purchased at the garden center or online in the shopping section of this website.
- Merrifield Tuff Play -This is a blend that consists of top performing tall fescues with just a touch of Kentucky bluegrass. This all-purpose mixture can be used in conditions ranging from full sun to 70% shade and tolerates drought, wear and tear, and disease problems for a beautiful, low-maintenance lawn. This blend is great for high traffic areas, especially for children and pets.
- Merrifield Sunny -This is a blend that consists of top performing varieties of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. This mix provides a superior quality lawn of finer bladed grasses that perform well in full sun and part shade conditions. Also provides good traffic tolerance.
- Merrifield Shady -This consists of fine-textured fescues for use in moderate to heavy shade conditions. Like most shade grasses, this makes for a soft, fine bladed grass that is not quite as traffic tolerant as other types of grass. If you have shady conditions and a need for traffic tolerance, try mixing some perennial ryegrass into this blend.
For more specific information about these custom blended grass seeds or any other lawn care questions, please see one of our turf specialists at either Merrifield Garden Center location. For directions or hours, see the General Information category or call our Merrifield location at 703-560-6222 or our Fair Oaks location at 703-968-9600.
Lawn Foods
Merrifield's custom blended lawn fertilizers have been specially formulated for turf grasses in northern Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan areas to produce a thick, healthy and dark green lawn. These two products, Merrifield Premium 26-4-12 and Merrifield Select 14-18-14, will both provide a controlled, balanced feeding of the lawn and provide the nutrients necessary for healthy growth and development.
Merrifield Premium 26-4-12: A slow-release, high nitrogen formula that feeds the lawn for approximately 10-12 weeks. Ideal for both spring and fall applications, this product will provide significant green-up to the turf and maximize turf growth.
Merrifield Select 14-18-14: A high phosphorous formula that aids in root development and seedling germination, this product is ideal when seeding or sodding. This formula also contains slow release nitrogen and can be applied in the spring or fall and as a root-building winterizer. Both products are available in 5,000 sq. ft. bags.
When to Apply Merrifield's Blends of Grass Seeds and Lawn Foods
Building a thick and healthy lawn is easy when you follow a few simple steps from time to time, and give the lawn adequate time to benefit from periodic applications of quality lawn products. Spring and fall are the ideal time periods to sow grass seed, although dormant seeding can also be done during the winter months. For your convenience, Merrifield Garden Center has detailed informational bulletins on proper steps to take for spring and fall lawn care available at no charge at both of our garden centers.
To provide the nutrients necessary for healthy growth and development and optimum turf color, lawns should be fed a least three times per year with good quality lawn fertilizers. Timing of lawn fertilization depends upon whether you have cool season turf or warm season turf. Most of us in this area have cool season turf such as bluegrasses, fescues and ryegrasses, which maintain their green color throughout the entire year. The ideal time to feed these lawns with Merrifield Premium 26-4-12 and Merrifield Select 14-18-14 is with a program consisting of two applications each fall between the months of September, October, November and December, and one application of either product each spring between the months of March, April and May (See guidelines below).
On the other hand, warm season turf such as zoysia, which goes dormant and turns brown in this area over the winter months, should be fed with Merrifield Premium 26-4-12 and Merrifield Select 14-18-14 between the months of May, June, July and August when it is actively growing.
For a healthy lawn, regardless if it is cool season grass or warm season grass, we recommend a minimum of three applications of fertilizer each year, using Merrifield Premium 26-4-12 and Merrifield Select 14-18-14 as needed any time during these periods.
Established Lawns (Cool Season Grasses)
- September or October- Merrifield Premium 26-4-12
- November or December- Merrifield Select 14-18-14
- Spring- Merrifield Premium 26-4-12
Newly Seeded Lawns (Cool Season Grasses)
- September or October- Merrifield Select 14-18-14
- November or December- Merrifield Premium 26-4-12
- Spring- Merrifield Select 14-18-14