Lawn Care & Landscaping in Sycamore
Sycamore, IL
Trusted Lawn Service Since 2005
Serving Sycamore and DeKalb County
Lawn Care and Landscaping for Sycamore Homes
Green Acres has cared for lawns and landscapes in northern Illinois since 2005, and many Sycamore homes are customers of ours today.
What Sycamore homeowners ask for
The most common requests we get from Sycamore are core aeration paired with overseeding, and tree and shrub care. If your turf looks tired by late summer, opening up the soil and putting down fresh seed is usually where we would begin.
Christmas lights, too
Sycamore stands out for one more reason. Christmas light installation is one of the four services homeowners here buy from us most. If you would rather not spend a cold weekend on a ladder, plenty of your neighbors have already handed that job to us.
How core aeration and overseeding work on a Sycamore lawn
Because aeration and overseeding are what Sycamore homeowners ask us about most, here is what the work actually involves and why the timing matters.
Lawns in DeKalb County are cool-season lawns, usually some mix of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue and perennial ryegrass. Those grasses grow hardest in spring and again in early fall, and they slow down in the heat of July and August. Over a few seasons of mowing, foot traffic and kids or dogs running the same paths, the top few inches of soil get packed down. Water starts to run off instead of soaking in, roots stay shallow, and the turf thins out in exactly the places you use most.
Core aeration fixes the packing. A machine pulls thousands of small plugs of soil out of the lawn, each a couple of inches deep, and leaves them on the surface to break down. The holes let air, water and fertilizer reach the root zone again, and they give roots room to grow down instead of sideways. The plugs look untidy for a week or two, then crumble back into the lawn after a few mowings or a good rain.
Overseeding is the second half of the job. Right after aerating, fresh grass seed goes down across the lawn. Much of it lands in the aeration holes, where it sits in good contact with the soil and stays moist, which is where seed germinates best. Spreading seed on hard, unaerated ground wastes a lot of it, because seed that sits on top of the thatch dries out or washes away.
When to aerate and overseed
For a northern Illinois lawn, late summer into early fall is the best window, roughly from the end of August through September. The soil is still warm, so seed sprouts quickly, and the air is cooling off, so young grass is not fighting summer heat. Weeds are also slowing down, so new grass has less competition. Seed that goes down in this window has the rest of the fall and all of the next spring to fill in before it faces its first July.
Spring aeration can work too, but spring seeding is harder. New grass has only a few weeks before summer stress arrives, and spring is when crabgrass germinates, so a spring seeding and a crabgrass pre-emergent have to be planned around each other. If your lawn is thin in spring, it is usually worth talking through the timing before anything goes down.
What to do before and after
- Before: mark sprinkler heads, shallow irrigation lines, invisible dog fences and anything else buried in the lawn, so they can be avoided. Mow a little shorter than usual a few days ahead. If the ground is bone dry, a good watering a day or two before helps the machine pull full plugs.
- After: leave the plugs where they fall. Keep the seeded lawn evenly moist, with light, frequent watering, until the new grass is up, then move back to deeper, less frequent watering. Hold off on mowing until the new grass is tall enough to cut, and keep heavy traffic off the newly seeded areas for a few weeks.
- Leaves: in fall, do not let leaves mat down over new seedlings. Light, regular leaf removal keeps the young grass getting sun.
Mowing and watering between visits
What happens between aeration and the next season matters as much as the aeration itself. Cool-season grass does best when it is mowed fairly tall, around three to three and a half inches, because taller blades shade the soil, keep it cooler and crowd out weed seedlings. A useful rule is never to take off more than a third of the blade in one mowing, which means mowing more often in the fast-growing weeks of May and September and less often in midsummer. Sharp mower blades matter too: a dull blade tears the grass instead of cutting it, and the torn tips turn brown and invite disease.
For watering, an established lawn generally wants about an inch a week, rain included, given in one or two deep soakings rather than a little every day. Deep, occasional watering pushes roots down; shallow, frequent watering keeps them near the surface, where they dry out first in a hot spell. Early morning is the best time to water, because less is lost to evaporation and the grass dries off before evening.
Signs your lawn needs it
Water puddling or running off instead of soaking in. A screwdriver that is hard to push into the soil. Thin, patchy turf along paths, play areas and the edges of driveways. A spongy layer of thatch more than about half an inch thick. Bare spots left over from summer drought or grub damage. Any of these is a good reason to ask about core aeration and overseeding together.
Tree and shrub care through the year
Tree and shrub work is the other request we hear often from Sycamore. Healthy trees and shrubs depend on the same things a lawn does: roots that can breathe, steady moisture and the right feeding at the right time. A few things matter most across a northern Illinois year:
- Spring: look for winter damage, broken branches and early insect activity as leaves open. Shrubs that bloom in late spring are best pruned right after they flower, so next year's buds are not cut off.
- Summer: watch for leaf spots, curling or thinning canopies, which can point to insects, disease or drought stress. Newly planted trees need regular deep watering through their first few summers.
- Fall: fall is a good time to feed many trees and shrubs, because roots keep growing after the leaves drop. A deep watering before the ground freezes helps evergreens get through winter without drying out.
- Winter: dormant pruning is easier on many trees, because without leaves you can see the branch structure clearly and pests are inactive.
If a tree or shrub on your property looks off, it is much easier to treat early than after it has declined for a season or two. Our tree and plant health page has more on what we look for.
Christmas lights without the ladder
Christmas light installation is one of the services Sycamore homeowners buy from us most, so here are a few things worth knowing before the season. It pays to plan a display in the fall, before the weather turns, while there is time to think through rooflines, trees, walkways and where the power will come from. Getting lights up before the holidays means nobody is on an icy ladder in December, and the same goes for taking them down once the season is over.
The most common things people want lit are rooflines and gutters, front trees and shrubs, and walkways or porch railings. If you are thinking about lights this year, asking early in the fall gives the most flexibility on design and install dates. See our Christmas lights installation page for more.
Questions Sycamore homeowners ask
Do I need to aerate every year? Lawns with heavy traffic or packed soil often benefit from yearly aeration. Lawns that drain well and see little traffic may only need it every year or two. Looking at how water soaks in and how the turf is filling in is the best guide.
Can I overseed without aerating? You can, but much less of the seed takes. Aerating first gives the seed good soil contact, which is the single biggest factor in how well it comes in.
Will aeration damage my lawn? No. The plugs look messy for a short time, but the lawn recovers within a couple of weeks and is healthier for it.
When should I ask about Christmas lights? Early fall is best, while there is still time to plan the design and set an install date before the holidays.
Also nearby
We also work in DeKalb and Genoa. Tell us what your Sycamore yard needs and we will send you a free quote.
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Selected reviews from Google
Switched over from walter. Everything is great guys that come here very polite. And better pricing
Jesus and his crew were very respectful of my property, did a wonderful job and will consider him for any future projects.
Just started with Green Acres Lawn Service and have no experience with any other service. I have a challenging wooded lot with steep slopes and no shortage of weeds and grubs. Brent and his crew were here to aerate and over seed the lawn. They were on time, courteous, worked quickly and were careful around irrigation heads and controls. So far so good.
I paid for a pond rebuild in July. It leaked. They came out in September to fix it and charged me to do it. It still leaks. They won't repair it. Incompetence meets a lack if ethivs
Very friendly and knowledgeable and helpful. I liked that he asked me about our lawn being 1st time customer.
Dalton is attentive and professional and went right to work taking care of the problem. I will recommend Green Acres.
Horrible!! DO NOT HiRE! They are very careless with their work and when they damage your property they lie about making it right. So satisfying firing these people. Very poor work quality. Will be filing complaints with the BBB and making it public that they do a shit job. So sad because of they had some respect for their clients they could have made tens of thousands but now they are going to get held accountable for their transgressions. Sad part is they could have just left a note saying I hit your shit and will make it right instead they rode off and refused to fix it so now we are going to have to make an example.
Brent & Jason go above and beyond. They take care to make sure that I am happy with every service call. Thanks Guys!!
Jorge and Luis come to my workplace weekly to take care of our lawn mowing, weed trimming, and any type of general landscaping maintenance needed. They're always friendly, efficient, kind, and helpful. They do a wonderful job and we appreciate them over here at Hicks
I had a great experience with the service! The yard looked great! Communication was always on point! Highly recommend!
First year using. Have large dead spots in lawn. Over use of fertilizer maybe? It is not voicing back with the recent rains. Other area of lawn look very good and grass is thick.
Explained what they were doing answered my questions very polite respected property while working gave directions on how to to maintain after finished
Alex and Jackson did a Great Job on our Koi Pond cleaning last week. They worked well as a team, explained the process well and were meticulous cleaning the Pond. Highly recommend to others looking for this service.
Wonderful people and service! Worked so hard and fast! We’re so accommodating of our family and pushed through some not so great weather just to get the job done!
I earlier posted a 1-star review when no one showed up for my appointment. Subsequently, Irvin the owner came out and apologized for the mix-up. I worked directly with Irvin over the next few weeks to plan a replacement for my mother's rock wall. Irvin worked within our budget and provided several options. The work was completed last week on time and within budget. I whole heartedly recommend this company.
This company just does a horrible job. And when you call them on it they don't do a thing about it. They mow about half of the stuff they are supposed to and do a horrible job when they do. Worst part they send a full bill like they actually did a good job. Don't use them
I had an issue with weed control and Mike Do took care of the issue immediately.
Very friendly and knowledgeable about what needed to be done to fix the problem we were having. The work crew was excellent. They had the job done in a timely manner and also kept checking with me to make sure it was what I was expecting. The cost was very reasonable for the project. I would definitely recommend this company.
Good to know before you waste your time with this company- very frustrating experience. I called to ask if they install hanging tree lights, and the woman on the phone couldn’t tell me whether they even offered that service. She said it could be discussed during a consultation, which is $100. The day of the appointment, no one showed up because they forgot to schedule it. After wasting my time, they rescheduled and offered a $50 discount. He gets there and immediately says they don’t install that type of lighting at all. The entire consultation could have been avoided if someone had simply known—or bothered to verify—what services the company they work for provides before charging me for an appointment. The only bright spot was Brian (delivered quote) who was professional, kind, and courteous. My issue is with the company’s poor communication, lack of organization, and lack of knowledge about its own services. FYI for a single light, they start at $400.
Team did a great job shaping and trimming trees and bushes on the side of my house. Very professional. Explain what they were going to accomplish. Made suggestion on what would look best for the property as well as future trimming needs.
We just moved here from out of state and all the beds in our backyard are severely overgrown. With so much to do after a cross country move it’s a relief to hire this company to make our yard beautiful! I’ve heard great things about this company. Ryan took his time and went through the yard with me and showed me what was weeds and what wasn’t and designed a beautiful layout. Mike was very polite over the phone and explained all services in detail. I also like that they are a local company! Excited to see what they can do with Christmas lights!
Polite and professional! Yard looks great and they worked with us on a price that worked for us!
Really impressed with Gunner’s work today. He treated my whole yard, was fast, and didn’t miss a spot. I appreciate how thorough he was. The customer service that I receive from Mike ( in the office) is without a doubt top tier. It is obvious that customer service is a priority to Green Acres lawn care! It starts in the office and carries on to the field! Thank you Asian Mike!
Strong communication skills and willing to step in and help when needed. Thank you Mike for your support.
They did me and husband’s landscaping. This is the absolute worst company to work with. The ratings are deceiving. All the plant beds are over run with weeds. They never did what we paid them to do. Our plant beds resemble a forest preserve. I’m not sure you could pay someone more to do a worse job than these scam artists have. RUN AWAY!
This is by far the worst landscaping/lawn maintenance company I’ve ever had. I spent $3,000 dollar for them to redo my mulch beds, trench around, and trim the bushes. I would have been better off finding a homeless person on the street to do this work. The bushes were never trimmed. The tench is now overgrown with weeds. They did not order enough mulch so they just spread it thinly. They never applied the pre emergent, and if they did it was too late in the year. Less than a week later, it looked worse than before I had them mulch it. It took several calls to get someone back out. They had this poor guy Patrick just absolutely pouring weed killer in my beds. Then sent him back do pour weed killer again. The manager Josh? Oh he might as well have the title of “Tell you I’m gonna do something, and never do it”. I’ve reached out multiple times at this point to have them make it right. No response. The 4.8 stars is misleading RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN from this company. I’m talking Forrest Gump fast. Emphasis on the Forrest part, because that’s what my garden beds look like after they were done with it. If I could post pictures I would. I have them all in my camera roll. So if they eventually respond and deny it. They are all timestamped. I would have rather paid them 3k not to do the work or at least put it back to what it was before.
Just started with their service this year from another well-known local business after many years of frustration with them. That’s far everything has been excellent. Anytime I call I get a prompt answer and courteous Service. I’ve been having some trouble spots in my yard and Kris the field operation supervisor came out and took pictures of the lawn and gave recommendations about the trouble spots and compliments on other areas of the yard that I’ve been working hard to look good. when the Tax come to put fertilizer down, they spend a lot more time on the property and seem to be more detailed oriented
Areas We Serve
Green Acres Group is committed to providing the best possible service to every customer. We proudly serve: Belvidere, Byron, Caledonia, Campton Hills, Capron, Cherry Valley, Cortland, Davis Junction, DeKalb, Garden Prairie, Genoa, Gilberts, Hampshire, Harvard, Huntley, Kingston, Kirkland, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Malta, Marengo, Oregon, Pingree Grove, Poplar Grove, Rockford, Rockton, Roscoe, South Beloit, St. Charles, Sycamore, Union, Winnebago, and surrounding areas in Northern Illinois.