My Lawn Care

By David Payn

How to get a lush, verdant hue from the lawn that you tend so lovingly from year to year; now that is a hotly contested subject and one that needs some objective comments.

Is it about the choice of grass originally sown or laid?; is it about climatic factors?; is it about the condition of your soil?; is it about the the type of soil?; is it about turf being better than seeding?; is it about scarifying and general care and maintenance?; is it about water application?;or is it about nutrients? You are about to get some answers.

Always bear in mind that there are two very general choices for grass, one strain that grows well in the Northern Hemisphere and that other that fairs well south of the Equator. Getting this wrong is disastrous, so ensure you have the correct variety. They are categorized as cool season grasses (for northern climes) and warm season grasses (for antipodeans).

For the north, Kentucky Bluegrass is a good choice - make sure it is a recent mix of varieties - because it tends to maintain its form without too much feeding and even in an extended rain free period. The variations of Fescue are also a preferred option as they need vary little care to maintain their lushness. So, mixture is critical; make sure you find the right mix from reputable suppliers.

The natural soil substructure need not be a problem with lawns; topsoil is normally all that is necessary for a successfully green lawn, although do make sure that the subsoil is sound and not likely to sink.

If you are starting from scratch, ensure you add enough sand to the topsoil to aid proper drainage; waterlogged areas will not give you the green lawn you desire but quite the reverse. Make sure you add in fertilizer which is probably the single most important factor for obtaining a greener lawn. We will come to that shortly. Bulk produced fertilizers tend to produce better results, but if you wish to go organic you can use materials such as peat moss, leaf mold and pine bark.

The condition of the soil should also be assessed with regard to adding extra lime where necessary.

Scarifying your lawn will obviously help because the roots thrive on an oxygen supply which will also help to make the grass leaves greener in the long term. Removing moss and other undesirables with a sturdy grass rake will also help immensely by removing competition for the soils nutrients.

It is nutrients which will ultimately give your lawn the greener look that you so crave. Organic nutrients are fine and have their place in the garden but they are time consuming to produce, hard to apply quickly and efficiently and do not contain the same intensity and concentration of proprietary brands.

To assess different fertilizer and nutrient products, first look at what they are designed to do. You want a richer, greener lawn so make sure that the product is geared up to achieve the results you want.

A broad rule of thumb to begin with is around ten to fifteen kilos of a high grade fertilizer, such as N5-P10-K15, N6-P12-K12, N5-P10-K10, or N7-P14-K21 for each 1000 square feet of lawn. When a soluble form of nitrogen is employed, do not utilize in excess 500 grams of nitrogen per 1000 square feet.

If you follow the few basic rules outlined above, it is then all about choosing the best product available for making your lawn greener. Shop around and see what works for you.

David Payn's blog

Article Source: EzineArticles

Give Your Lawn The Headstart It Needs For A Great Lawn This Growing Season

By Jose Nieto

Spring Lawn Care

Spring is an especially important season for your lawn grasses. What you do or don't do in the Spring can effect how your lawn looks year round. Basically what you do to your lawn in the spring is setting the foundation for a good growing season. There are basically eight steps you should take in the Spring to insure that you have a good foundation set for your lawn to prosper into the summer and fall.

Equipment Maintenance

I quite often see this as one of the last steps in a spring lawn prep program. I have to part from the crowd on this one. I can't see why you would want to take care of your equipment after you've completed your Spring maintenance. Better to get all your equipment in shape before, that way your not trying to cut the grass with a dull mower or any other horticultural atrocities. If you haven't done it in the fall now is a good time to sharpen the blades on your mower, do an oil change (Note, don't change your oil over your lawn, any spills on the the grass will probably result in a patch of dead grass). Check your rake and straighten out the tines if necessary. Have you ever used a rake that had bent times and gone over the same spot a dozen times without getting the debris you were trying too? Check you Fertilizer and Seed broadcaster (spreader) oil if necessary, add air to the wheels and make sure they are free and clear of old chemicals. Same for your sprayer if you have one, clean out any old water or chemicals test to make sure it works and replace any seals or gaskets that may have deteriorated.

Cleanup

Now is the time to get rid of twigs, leaves etc. A thorough raking of the lawn is in order. It isn't necessary to dig in with the rake but it is important to get rid of the debris so that your fertilizers and amendments as well as water have a chance to reach the soil.

Mow

You could of course be tempted to mow over all the winter debris but I wouldn't advise it. A nice mowing, preferably on the high side for your grass type is a fundamental start to all the next steps you'll be taking. Check out the section on mowing for mowing tips.

Aerate

I am a huge fan of aerating lawns. This is a key factor in your Spring Lawn prep. De-Compacting the soil, giving it room to open up and allowing the fertilizers to work their way into the soil is, in my opinion, one of the most important things you can do for a lawn. Whether you buy a pull behind core aerator or rent a power aerator, make sure it is a core or plug type aerator. The holes left behind will quickly fill in and the plugs will disappear back into the lawn bed over the next few weeks. Your lawn will love you for it! Here is a section dedicated to aerating that will be helpful. Read the section on aerating at The Lawn Place for a complete guide on aerating.

De-thatch

I'm not a big fan of de-thatching, I prefer to aerate and let the action of the aeration break into the thatch and help it along in decomposition. Many lawn experts highly recommend thatching so I have to believe there are circumstance where thatching is appropriate. I believe that this is chiefly with grasses that grow in clumps such as fescue's. Grasses that grow via rhizomes and develop a mat of interlaced "runners" can benefit as well. My only caveat is that I would hire someone with a power de-thatcher rather then use a pull behind detatcher with the steel tines on it. A power de-thatcher will cut and pull the thatch up. A pull behind de-thatcher will tear apart the network of rhizomes, you lawn will recover but wont look very pretty after your done.

Fertilize & Add Amendments

Now is the time to fertilize, giving your grass the nutrients they need promote healthy growth. As a rule I dislike fertilizing in the summer. The warm season grasses tend to tolerate summer fertilization well but cold season grasses such as fescue will not do well with high nitrogen application, especially when the temperature is over 90F.

Your grass will benefit from other amendments as well. Lime is the most common amendment and should be added if your soil alkalinity is to low, in most cases it is ok to add lime to almost any grass type without testing. Don't Lime Centipede or Carpetgrass though unless you have had your soil tested and the alkalinity is extremely low. Centipede and Carpetgrass prefer acid soils and lime will generally create an environment that Centipede and Carpetgrass will not thrive in.

Iron is another amendment that should be added at this time. Most experts agree that iron should not be added if the temperature is over 90F. Some fertilizers already have an iron amendment in them, if yours does not then products such as Ironite, chelated iron, or ferrous sulfate can be added at this time to prevent iron chlorosis. Plants require iron to manufacture chlorophyll, High PH as well as other environmental conditions can deplete your lawn of iron, resulting in yellowing or browning of the grass. Here is a link to a page on this site dedicated to Lawn fertilization .

Herbicides, Pre-emergent's, Insecticide

A well kept and healthy lawn should have little problem with weeds as the dense turf and frequent mowing should keep out any weeds. However, since this is reality we are all occasionally plagued with weeds, crabgrass and other noxious plants. A pre-emergent is probably the best solution, applied in the spring this will help keep the weeds down and allow the lawn to develop a dense turf to further control weeds. One consideration to take into account now is whether you will be overseeding, if you are the use of a pre-emergent or herbicide is NOT recommended.

Since we keep a number of pets I generally apply Insecticide to my lawn several times a year. I usually don't start applying until late spring and continue every four weeks until late fall. There are a number of insecticides suitable for use on lawns, most are broad spectrum so will work on fleas and ticks (Which is as a pet owner is one of my concerns). I prefer a liquid application as it is more economical. However, a granular application tends to last longer.I don't think there is really any difference in overall effectiveness between the two.

Overseed and Top Dress

If you have any bare spots in the lawn that you did not overseed in the fall then you should tackle those spots now, in the early spring for the cool season grasses and in the late spring or even early summer for the warm season grasses. Preparation is much the same as if you were seeding a new lawn, just on a much smaller scale. Loosen the first several inches of soil, remove debris and rocks, rake in the seed to the desired depth for the grass variety you are planting and put a thin layer of mulch such as wheat straw over it. If you have access to a roller it is a good idea to roll the seed in as well. Water daily for the first several weeks and gradually space out the watering until your seedlings have matured and have at least three or more leave per plant.One exception to this is centipede, I like to wait until later in the spring season, even early summer before overseeding. Even then I use a nurse crop such as carpetgrass since centipede is a very slow grower and wont germinate until the soil is consistantly warm.

Top dressing is an option at this time of the year. For those of you that have poor soil condition top dressing with peat moss or screened topsoil may be a good idea to help your lawn along in the summer.

In Summary

The work you put into your lawn in the Spring will pay dividends during the rest of the growing season. You should be able to complete all of these steps in one day on a weekend, planning ahead will help. Getting the neccesary supplies ahead of time will also be a great time saver. Be sure to visit The Lawn Place for more information on lawn care and keep an eye out for more articles on lawn care. JN

http://thelawnplace.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

By Chris S. Horton

Proper watering techniques guarantee the heath and beauty of your lawn and plants. It's important to water your plants deeply. The appearance of your plants reflects how much moisture they have. Yellow, drooping leaves indicate over-watering, while grayish leaves and wilting indicate under-watering. If you can leave a footprint on the grass, it is also an indication of under-watering.

Look at your plants carefully before watering them to gauge the right amount of water they need. It's best to water early in the morning before 10 a.m. because evaporation is less during these hours. Evaporation is also less during the night, but night watering can encourage fungal infestations.

Your lawn benefits most when it receives 1 to 1.5 inches of water all in one sitting as opposed to small waterings a few times per week. To help with measuring the water you are using I suggest using an empty tuna can as they are typically just over 1 inch tall. This makes your watering schedule dependent on the weather. Also, bear in mind that clay soils need less watering than sandy soils.

Leaving grass clippings on your lawn is generally a good thing, but when thatch starts to build up at a height more than half an inch, it's time to dethatch your lawn. Doing so will allow the water to access the roots of your grass rather than just slide on the surface.

Conserving water is an important aspect of lawn care, especially in areas where water is limited. Make sure that your watering equipment is working properly as broken sprinklers and hoses waste a lot of water. If you're using sprinklers, set it to water only your lawn and not the pavement, driveway, or sidewalks. You can also mix in peat moss or mulch with your soil in flower beds which retain a lot of moisture needed by your plants.

Horton's Lawn Care L.L.C. offers many services to assist you in the proper care, maintenance, and beautification of your lawn including: aeration, detaching, lawn rolling, re-seeding, granular fertilization, lawn mowing, weed whipping, edging, hedge trimming, flower, tree planting, landscaping, spring clean ups, fall clean ups, and snow removal. They currently provide lawn care services in the Genesee County Michigan area primarily in Burton, Davison, Flint, Flushing, Grand Blanc, Swartz Creek. For a Free Estimate call Chris @ (810) 877-9655.

Article Source: EzineArticles

By Andrew Caxton

One of the mistaken most currently done is to fertilize during warm season, this results in fertilizer burn. The new grass must adapt to its environment before receive any fertilization or it will burn. Don't trust too much on liquid lawn fertilizer, maybe it is safer but if don't take you cares before applying it, the burn will occur anyway.

How to Avoid Fertilizer Burn: Prevention Measures

Analyze the soil to know what nutrients are available before adding fertilizer.

Use the analyze to choose the right fertilizer. Once the vegetation has been established you can reduce the amount of nitrogen you are about to apply.

Climate and Fertilizer Burns

Warm and hot days have to avoided when applying fertilizer, even the hottest hours of the days must be declined as moment to fertilize. Other current problem is the called homemade fertilizers: if don't know how to do a fertilizer, or don't feel comfortable about doing and applying a homemade fertilizer, it is much better to look for professional advice. When you are growing tall fescue seeds, the same grass preserve the lawn thanks to their high protein content soil erosion, that helps to decrease fertilizer needs.

Add too much fertilizer at one application damages a garden or a lawn. Fertilization overdose is not recommendable, you only must apply fertilizer when the soil gives signs of lack of nutrients, when you use inorganic substance to fertilizer, remember to wash after the application to be sure that any residual can burn the grass. Organic and natural fertilizer don't need that kind of cares, they are safer to use and apply and the best time to fertilize your lawn must be chose to get the best results: May is one of the best moments, after the grass has grown enough to avoid burn, don't spread the fertilizer by hand, it won't get any results and can cause burn in different areas of your lawn, if the climates is dry and rainfall is not probable, watering is necessary after the application, instructions may differ but actually you must watering your lawn.

Take all the measure to apply correctly the fertilizer,doing this right will avoid any risk of burn. If you fertilize incorrectly, the burn will appear, earlier or later.

When Fertilizer Burn Occurs

Burn is burn is dehydration caused by as the salt from the chemicals, water can not reach the grass root and the nutrients lack shows in the appearance of the grass with yellowish , white or brown looks and dry out or dying but if the burn happens, you can solve the problem by frequently catering, water many time during the day, avoid the hottest hours, of course and try to "wash" the fertilizer out of you ground, you have to accept the problem and wait till the grass become lively once again, if the grass won't recover is better to consult a professional to help you with it.

Grass add beauty to your home and some time when you feel very anxious to improve it, you can make mistakes and spoil it, try to remember the basic rules above to avoid ruining your grass with fertilizer burns and will have a successful lawn care work all the year around.

Andrew Caxton contributes editing long articles on lawn care for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com Read additional info on cutting grass or tall fescue grass seed

Article Source: EzineArticles

By Dave Hunter

The majority of people I come across don't know what "aerate" means. Have you ever heard of lawn aeration? If not, don't worry, except for the fact that aerating is one of the best tips for having a healthy green lawn. There are numerous benefits that will keep your grass greener - and make your neighbors jealous.

Over time, the lawn forms a layer called thatch. Thatch is basically dead grass tissue between the healthy green vegetation and the surface of the soil. It must be removed every now and then in order to keep the lawn healthy. Aerating your lawn in spring or fall cuts down on this thatch and is a fantastic lawn care procedure.

So What Is Lawn Aeration?

Simply put, it's a fancy name for poking holes in the soil. The benefits of lawn aeration include:

• Breaking up thatch (as we discussed)


• Allows oxygen to reach the roots and soil


• Allows organic fertilizers and nutrients to reach the roots


• Greater water absorption in the soil


• Loosens compacted soil to allow the roots more room to grow

How to Aerate Your Lawn

You can aerate your grass with the help of a piece of lawn equipment called a "lawn aerator". There are two types You can choose from:

A manual aerator has two to four hollow cylinders (that remove soil) or spikes (that just create holes) that you push into the soil with your foot. (Hint: the hollow cylinders are better!)

A power aerator saves you some time and effort. However, power aerators cost more, tend towards the heavy side, and are often hard to control.

Additional Aerator Tips

Here are some extra tips to make the aeration process a whole lot easier:

Water your lawn the day before. This makes the soil softer and easier to aerate. The core aerators work better than spikes. The removal of soil allows the lawn's roots more room to expand. Leave the extracted cores on the grass to dry then rake them into the grass -- this creates micro-organisms that feed on thatch.

When you choose an appropriate lawn aerator and follow the tips above, you are sure to meet with a healthy lawn and some very jealous neighbors.

Dave Hunter is an avid gardener in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He highly recommends Liberty Lawn Maintenance as his number one choice for lawn care in the greater Vancouver, lower mainland area.

Article Source: EzineArticles