My Lawn Care

By Barb Jensen

No matter where you live you will probably go through a dry spell and your lawn will turn brown. Should you wait for Mother Nature to water it or should you step in and water it yourself?

Even though your lawn is brown and dried up, one good rain will bring it right back to life. That's because the root system of the grass is close to the surface.

You hate looking at a brown lawn, so you decide to water it. All you have to do is turn on the hose and your lawn will be lush and green again, right? Well, sort of. But there is more to watering your lawn than just turning on the faucet.

If there is a drought in your area the community may have restrictions on outside watering. They may limit the hours you can water or ban it all together. Even if you have your own well, in time of drought you might want to think twice about using precious water on your lawn.

If you decide to water your lawn the best time of day to water is late afternoon or early evening. If you water in the middle of the day, water will be lost to evaporation. Don't put too much water on your lawn as a well irrigated lawn is more prone to diseases.

Water moves slowly through the ground so you will need to throughly soak the ground for the lawn to benefit. If you are using a hand-held hose, water one area of the lawn for about ten minutes, water another area for ten minutes, and then go back to the first area and water again. Keep watering until the lawn is well saturated.

Rotary sprinklers work well. These sprinklers allow one area to be watered while the other side is soaking up the water.

Remember the more you water your lawn, the more it will grow, and the more you will have to mow. If you are a person who doesn't like to mow, maybe that brown, dried up lawn doesn't look so bad after all.

Barb Jensen lives in upstate New York. She enjoys flower and vegetable gardening and mowing her lawn. http://freewebs.com/greenthumb1

Article Source: Ezinearticles.com

By Simon Whiley

All lawns require the correct nutrient levels to remain healthy and vigorous. When you maintain the correct nutrient input the chances are that you will have a lawn that is weed free, disease resistant and drought resistant.

There are three key nutrients required for a healthy lawn. These nutrients are Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P) and Potash (K). Any lawn that is deficient in any these three nutrients will not be healthy and will suffer. We will look at the role of each of these three key nutrients in turn.

Nitrogen - Nitrogen is responsible for healthy vigorous growth during the summer months and it gives the grass its deep green colour. Nitrogen is the most important of the three nutrients and should be applied in greater quantities than phosphate and potash. The reason being it is that it is used up by the plant quicker, it is also more prone to leaching through the root zone. Nitrogen is applied during the spring and summer to encourage and maintain grass growth and keep the lawn in a healthy condition. When your lawn is growing vigorously the grass can suppress any weeds and moss that would invade a weaker lawn. Nitrogen should not be applied heavily during the late summer and early autumn as it can encourage disease, especially fusarium patch which can be very damaging.

Phosphate - Phosphate is important for a deep and healthy root system, resulting in a more drought resistant lawn during periods of drought. Adequate phosphate levels mean an earlier start in the spring time and a healthier lawn during the growing season. Phosphate is more readily available in the root zone than nitrogen, but it would still beneficial to apply some phosphate annually.

Potash - Potash hardens the plant and helps with disease and drought resistance and can be applied at any time of the year.

For more information on all aspects of lawn care you can find us at http://www.lawn-craft.co.uk

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 Barb Jensen

No matter where you live you will probably go through a dry spell and your lawn will turn brown. Should you wait for Mother Nature to water it or should you step in and water it yourself?

Even though your lawn is brown and dried up, one good rain will bring it right back to life. That's because the root system of the grass is close to the surface.

You hate looking at a brown lawn, so you decide to water it. All you have to do is turn on the hose and your lawn will be lush and green again, right? Well, sort of. But there is more to watering your lawn than just turning on the faucet.

If there is a drought in your area the community may have restrictions on outside watering. They may limit the hours you can water or ban it all together. Even if you have your own well, in time of drought you might want to think twice about using precious water on your lawn.

If you decide to water your lawn the best time of day to water is late afternoon or early evening. If you water in the middle of the day, water will be lost to evaporation. Don't put too much water on your lawn as a well irrigated lawn is more prone to diseases.

Water moves slowly through the ground so you will need to throughly soak the ground for the lawn to benefit. If you are using a hand-held hose, water one area of the lawn for about ten minutes, water another area for ten minutes, and then go back to the first area and water again. Keep watering until the lawn is well saturated.

Rotary sprinklers work well. These sprinklers allow one area to be watered while the other side is soaking up the water.

Remember the more you water your lawn, the more it will grow, and the more you will have to mow. If you are a person who doesn't like to mow, maybe that brown, dried up lawn doesn't look so bad after all.

Barb Jensen lives in upstate New York. She enjoys flower and vegetable gardening and mowing her lawn. http://freewebs.com/greenthumb1

Article Source:Ezinearticles.com