My Lawn Care

By Chris S. Horton

Everyone wants to have a beautiful lawn that is the envy of the neighborhood, but a lot of people do not know how to achieve that beautiful, lush, healthy, green lawn during the warm summer months. It is actually not as hard as many people would think. If you follow these simple steps along with proper spring lawn care maintenance you can have a beautiful lawn this year.

First make sure your watering your lawn properly. Watering your lawn is a huge part of summer lawn care simply because for the most part it is the time of the year your lawn gets the least amount of water from rain. Normally you want to make sure your lawn is getting at least 1-1.5 inches of water including rainfall. During summer months this number sometimes needs to be adjusted a little higher, so look at your lawn and if you notice it is starting to yellow give it a little more water,1.5-1.75" should do the trick, but make sure not to over water the lawn either. It is also best to water your lawn in one bigger session than spreading it out all week long. You will want to water before 10 a.m. as well to cut down evaporation as you want all of the water to sink into the ground otherwise it will not help your lawn at all. You can also water at night when it is cooler, however it is best to water in the mornings because watering at night promotes fungus and disease in lawns. Never mow your lawn during the warm periods of the day as this will do absolutely nothing for your lawn, it can actually cause it to "burn up".

Second the height of mowing your lawn play a big role in the health of your lawn, especially during the summer. When mowing your lawn during the summer months mow it a little higher than you normally would. The reason you will want to mow the grass a little higher is to protect the roots from the heat of the sun. Although sun is important to the growth and health of your lawn it is also a big factor in the "burning", or yellowing "dead" effect many lawns suffer from during the summer. I suggest leaving your lawn at least 3-3.5" high. You may need to mow your lawn higher than that even sometimes as high as 4" depending on the grass type, and the heat of the sun.

The third thing you will want to do is mow your lawn less frequently. During the summer months you generally want to mow your lawn less then you do in the spring and fall months. You will at most want to mow your lawn once every other week during the summer. Also, mowing your lawn during the cooler morning and evening hours of the day is better not only for your lawn, but for yourself as it reduces the risk of heat stroke and dehydration.

Finally, keep your lawn mowers blades sharp. You always want to have sharp blades when mowing your lawn so that you actually get a good clean even cut. Dull blades do not really cut the grass they tear it. You want you want to keep your blades sharp year round, as it is important to cut the lawn instead of tear it. Tearing the lawn leaves it more open to diseases.

Horton's Lawn Care L.L.C. offers many services to assist you in the proper care, maintenance, and beatification 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.

Article Source: Ezinearticles.com

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