Sterling is a tight-knit Rice County community about 45 minutes northwest of our Burrton headquarters. From the Sterling College campus to the family farms on the edge of town, Windy Ridge delivers the same expert lawn care we've been providing across south-central Kansas for over 20 years.
Sterling sits along the Arkansas River corridor in Rice County, where the soil ranges from sandy river-bottom ground near the Arkansas to heavier clay on the uplands north and south of town. That sandy soil drains fast — sometimes too fast — meaning nutrients leach out quickly and lawns can brown out in a hurry during dry stretches. A fertilizer program designed for these conditions makes the difference between a lawn that survives summer and one that thrives.
The wind in Rice County is relentless. It dries out turf, spreads weed seeds from field edges, and stresses grass that's already fighting heat. Crabgrass and foxtail blow in from surrounding agricultural fields, and broadleaf weeds like bindweed and dandelion take hold fast in any bare spot. Without consistent pre-emergent applications and timely weed control, a Sterling lawn can go from decent to overrun in a single season.
Our proven program starts with crabgrass preventer timed for central Kansas soil temperatures, followed by broadleaf weed control and granular fertilizers through the season. We also apply Solu-Cal to correct high-pH soil and Mycorrhizae to build the root systems your lawn needs to handle wind and heat.
In a small town like Sterling, your yard is your first impression. If your lawn has been overtaken by weeds or thinned out beyond recovery, starting fresh is the smartest investment. We grade the soil, address drainage issues, and seed with turf varieties that perform in Rice County's sandy-to-clay soils. A properly established lawn holds up better to the wind and heat that wear down patch jobs.
Rice County is surrounded by agricultural land and open ground that's ideal for native grass restoration. Whether you're managing pasture, converting idle acres, or establishing native cover on a rural property outside Sterling, we work with the right seed mixes — big bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, and sideoats grama — timed for summer planting when native species establish best.
A lot of companies come through and blanket-spray your whole lawn every visit. That's more chemical than you need and more money than you should be spending. Here's what we do instead.
First visit, we spray the full lawn. That knocks back whatever's growing that shouldn't be. After that, we spot-spray. We walk your property and hit the weeds where they actually are. If a section is clean, we leave it alone. No reason to spray healthy grass.
We also band the edges — an 18-inch strip along sidewalks, driveways, and fence lines. That's where weeds sneak in. Seeds blow in from the borders, not the middle of your yard. Hit those edges hard and the interior stays clean. It's a smarter approach. You end up with fewer chemicals on your lawn, and honestly, the results are better because we're not stressing the grass with product it doesn't need.
Windy Ridge Lawn Care is owned by Terrill Unruh and based in Burrton, about 45 minutes east on Kansas Highway 96. We're a rural Kansas operation ourselves, so we understand the mix of town lawns, acreages, and agricultural ground that Sterling property owners manage. Over 20 years in the business means we've seen what works and what doesn't in Rice County conditions. We show up when we say we will, do what we say we'll do, and your lawn will show the results.