"Those who want a nice lawn often are overly concerned with fertilizing and watering. But proper mowing also is an important step toward obtaining strong, vigorous grass that resists disease and weeds."

Here are some of Landschoot's mowing tips:

Check your mower blades. If you haven't had it sharpened in a year or two, it probably needs it.

Make sure your mower is adjusted to between two and three inches in height. Cutting your grass shorter than that makes it more susceptible to heat, disease and drought stress.

Leave grass clippings on the lawn. This can reduce the need for fertilizer by as much as one-third -- and it saves you from having to bag and dispose of them.

"Although adult cicadas are difficult to control, those with trees at risk may want to apply registered insecticides around the time mating starts -- about 10 days after they first hear the males singing."

Other protection methods include covering the crowns of valuable trees with a fine mesh or delaying the planting of trees a few weeks until the adult cicadas are gone.

Damage caused by periodical cicadas occurs during egg-laying. A female will cut several small pockets in the bark of a twig before depositing 400 to 600 eggs. This can cause small limbs or seedlings to wilt and may provide an opening for disease.