Simply Turf handles fertilization, weed control, aeration and overseeding, compost topdressing, and mosquito and tick control along the US‑50 corridor in Aldie, in southwestern Loudoun County. We don't mow and you never sign a contract, and the old mill village and the newer parcels each get a different plan.
Why do two Aldie lawns a mile apart need different programs?
They grow on different ground. Lots by the old mill village are small and shaded, and the soil was never scraped. Near Gilbert's Corner, the newer houses on wide parcels were graded flat, so the open lawn gets plenty of sun but has very little rooting depth. That's why we walk each property before quoting fertilization in Willowsford, Stone Ridge, or Lenah Mill.
The newer builds are growing grass on subsoil.
Builders hauled off the topsoil and laid thin sod over packed clay, which leaves only two or three inches of rooting depth, so the open middle browns out every July before the edges do.
- Core aeration opens the pan so water and roots get through.
- Compost topdressing adds organic matter to the clay, feeds the soil and helps it hold water and nutrients.
- Fertilizer and compost do different jobs, so the soil work goes alongside feeding and doesn't replace it.
What can you do about a thin lawn on an old village lot?
Manage the light first. Tall fescue is our most shade tolerant option, but it needs four hours of usable light, and the mature oaks on Aldie's older streets don't always allow that. Limbing up the trees will do more than any product we sell. Where the turf can hold, we cut back on nitrogen, mow higher, and aerate and overseed with shade rated fescue.
Fall is when the real work happens.
Late August through October is the only reliable seeding window in Aldie, because spring seed dies in its first July. Aeration and overseeding relieves compaction and sets the seed in one pass. The slots fill fast across Leesburg and Ashburn, and our calendar covers the rest of the year.
Weeds and pests when your lawn ends at a hedgerow.
Lawns at the rural edge get a steady resupply of weed seed, and Japanese stiltgrass walks in from roadsides and ditches. Pre-emergent goes down when the top two inches of soil hit 55 degrees, from mid-March to early April, which also keeps crabgrass out of the sunbaked sections.
- Weed control handles broadleaf weeds, nutsedge in wet spots, and stiltgrass along the fence.
- Mosquito and tick control treats the perimeter and leaf litter, where deer keep ticks supplied.
- Our fertilizers are organic based and slow release. Keep kids and pets off until it's dry, usually about two hours, and see what dry means.
What it costs in Aldie. Open parcels are priced by the turf we measure, with larger turf about $240 an acre per visit up to two acres. See how we price a lawn.
For a straight assessment of your Aldie lawn, call or request a quote, and we'll look at the ground first.
