2008 August | Lawn Garden Sprinklers

14
Aug

Choosing The Grass For Your Lawn Wisely

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All yards are not the same: Choosing your grass wisely

First of all, you should determine what your ideal yard will look like, as grasses can vary in color, leaf width, characteristic and growth density. Each little blade adds up! Second, you must consider how much time and money you really are ready to spend on your lawn. The higher the maintenance lawn, the more you will need to put into it. This is a very important factor. Third, your specific growing conditions will affect which seed you should choose. Things like the amount of sun, shade, rain, soil type, humidity and moisture can affect how your lawn grows. Finally, what will you be using your lawn for? Your investment may differ if you lawn is a play area or for show, or even for erosion control.

First things first. Before you can care for a lawn, you must plant one. And, there are several things to keep in mind when choosing what type of grass seed to purchase. This is because that grass seed can grow into very different lawns. This difference could mean a lawn filled with pests and weeds, or one that is low maintenance and looks great. Here are some factors that you should take in consideration while in the seed aisle at your local home and garden store.

Once you determine these needs, you will be armed with the information you need to make you decision on your seed. It all grows up from there! And, if it grows, it must be mowed.

14
Aug

Lawn Care and Maintenance

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Lawns are wrongly regarded as a low maintenance part of the garden â€“ they can be low maintenance but not if you want them to look good. What follows is a range of tips and advice on how to maintain your lawn in tip top condition.

Mow regularly

Many problems can occur due to the grass being left too long between cuts and then being cut too short. If at all possible cut grass as soon as it is about half an inch (12 mm) longer than the length you are aiming for. For a general purpose lawn it is best to keep it to a length of about 1

14
Aug

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part I

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In this article we’re going to cover some common law maintenance chores for keeping your lawn in tip top shape.

There are basically three types of lawns; high maintenance for those who need to show their lawn off to the whole neighborhood, medium maintenance for your average lawn and finally low maintenance which is basically just doing the bare minimum so that the town doesn’t fine you for having grass as tall as trees.

Believe it or not, only about 2% of lawns fall into the first category. Not too many people are so fanatical that they have to have a lawn that is good enough to have the Queen of England over to see. About 60% of your lawns fall into the middle of the road range and finally the remainder 38% are lawns that you’d be ashamed to show to your worst enemy. Yes, there are a lot of lazy people out there when it comes to lawn care.

To determine which category you want to fall in you have to ask yourself two basic questions. How much time do I have and how much money do I want to spend? Once you’ve decided on a budget and how lazy or not so lazy you want to be that will determine the type of maintenance program that you’re going to dive into. If you’re thinking of a velvety putting green lawn then you are looking at very high maintenance. If you want your lawn just to be healthy then you are looking at a medium maintenance program, and if all you care about is not getting fined by the town then low maintenance is for you. However, this will not make you very popular with your neighbors. Of course you can always go with some kind of ground cover instead of grass and pretty much rid yourself of chores altogether.

Since most people will fall into the medium maintenance category, we’ll focus on that first. To do what is considered medium maintenance on your lawn you’re going to have to devote about 1 to 3 hours a week of your time to taking care of your lawn. The best grass type to choose would be a mix of creeping red fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, and maybe a perennial ryegrass. The Kentucky blue is quite resistant to drought and will form an attractive, thick carpet of dark blueish green. It’s really nice to look at and not expensive. These types of grass will provide a good base and stand up well to lots of traffic. Plus, ryegrass is not a fast grower so you won’t have to mow it a lot. Also, you won’t have to water very often.

For most people your medium maintenance lawn is the best choice and a nice happy medium between going overboard and letting your lawn go to pot. This plan will save you time, energy, chemical use and water. And the good thing is, with proper care your lawn will tolerate a lot of abuse from the environment. Even with a lot of wear and tear you’ll still have a healthy attractive lawn. It may not be fit for the Queen of England but it will be more than good enough for the neighbors, and the town.

In future articles we’ll go into a more in depth look at maintaining your lawn, whichever plan you choose.

14
Aug

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part II

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In this second article on lawn maintenance chores we’re going to pick up with what needs to be done in order to take care of a high maintenance lawn.

For starters, you’re going to need about 4 to 5 hours of free time each week to take care of your lawn if you want it to look like a putting green. You’re going to want to plant what is called a dwarf grass, which is one that will tolerate the low mowing heights that you’re going to have to set your mower to in order to get that putting green look. The best grass for this look is either Kentucky blue, or creeping bent grass. Creeping bent grass is the kind used by most golf courses. These grass types will give your lawn a lush, velvety carpet look and you will absolutely be the envy of all your neighbors. However, be prepared to pay for this look. This is truly high maintenance work involved here.

High maintenance lawns require constant work. Creeping bentgrass has a very shallow root system and will not stand up to any adverse conditions such as drought, heavy foot traffic and simple neglect.

You’re going to need to feed your grass at regular times during the spring, summer and fall. It’s during this time that the grass produces most of its new growth. On top of that, you’re going to need to cut it, hold onto your seats, at least 3 to 6 times each week to a height of about one-sixth of an inch. Hope you have a lot of gasoline for the mower.

The reason the grass needs to be cut so often is to preserve that mat appearance that you associate with putting greens. After all, that is the look you’re going for. It doesn’t happen by itself. If you don’t cut the grass frequently what happens is it produces soft green spreading shoots over a base of dry, scruffy soft leaves. This is not a nice look. If you’re going to invest your money in this type of lawn then you better invest in a mower that is made specifically for this type of cutting. Again, not cheap.

Also, you’re going to need to water your lawn at least twice a week and even more often if you run into a hot dry spell. You must water at the most beneficial times, like early in the morning. Hope you’re an early riser. Bent grass is very susceptible to disease, one of the worst being snow mold which comes from watering too late in the day where the grass doesn’t have enough time to dry out. That’s why you have to water early in the morning.

You’re also going to have to chemically treat your grass regularly to keep it bug and disease free. You may have to use as many as three different chemicals to keep your lawn disease and bug free.

Yes, a high maintenance lawn is a joy to look at. But it comes at a pretty steep price.

14
Aug

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part III

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In this next in our series on lawn maintenance chores we’re going to begin going over certain things that should be done depending on the time of the year. This of course may vary slightly depending on the climate you live in.

We’ll begin with the month of March. The reason is that in most places this is when the last big snow has melted and the ground is no longer soggy. You can now go out and do some raking of leaves and remove any debris from your lawn leftover from the cold winter. By raking the lawn you’ll remove any thatch that was left from the previous year, and will also aerate the soil. If you’re not fond of raking, an alternative is to lower your mower blades and attach a mulch bag to the mower. Use the mower to remove the leaves and debris from the lawn. Set your mower to leave about a three inch cut but don’t cut the lawn just yet.

You’ll probably want to wait until the first week of April to give the lawn its first cut. That way you can be sure that the cut is about three inches as there will be enough grass to cut. In March the grass probably hasn’t grown enough yet. The reason you want to wait is because if you cut the lawn too soon you will weaken it and then you’ll be spending April watering it. This way you avoid this problem.

Around the middle to end of April begin your fertilization. Feed the grass once between now and the middle of May. Keep cutting the lawn high so that it develops a thick strong base. That way it will be able to withstand draught, grubs and weeds. Get a fertilizer that has at least a 50% slow release factor. Make sure you only use weed killer when you can actually see the weeds. Most weed killers kill on contact but only if the weeds are visible. Otherwise they are totally ineffective and you will have wasted your money.

As the weather begins to warm up the weeds will begin to show some signs of life. If you have only a few weeds you can spot spray them. If however, you have a lot then you might want to use a hose and a sprayer and apply chemicals to the whole lawn. This can wait until late May or Early June. Also around this time you should apply your crabgrass killer.

One word of caution. That really annoying Ground Ivy or Creeping Charlie is unaffected by 2-4-D, so please check the label carefully that the weeds you’re trying to get rid of are covered by the chemical that you’re using. If you’re unsure of this, consult with an expert. He’ll be able to tell you based on what you have what you need to get.

In the next article in this series we’ll continue with chores that need to be done in May and June.

14
Aug

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part IV

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In this next in our series of articles on lawn maintenance we’re going to continue with chores that should be done around late May or early June.

Around this time of year the weather is warming up and it’s hopefully raining regularly. Cut the lawn as needed. Try not to let the grass get higher than 3 inches. Also, do your June feeding. Remember to watch out for broad leafed weeds and apply chemicals as needed.

Around the end of June is the time to start looking for crabgrass again. Even though you have already treated for this you may still get seeds from your neighbor’s lawns or even from birds passing by. If the soil of your lawn is very sandy the chemicals will drain more quickly and a second application at this time will help prevent any problems down the road. Crabgrass has a very sneaky way of disguising itself among the regular grass. Then suddenly it rears its ugly head. So it is important to carefully inspect your grass for these pests and get rid of them while they’re young.

Keep your mower blade at the same height of around three inches. This keeps the roots shaded and helps protect against draught. This way you can reduce how often you water to about once every ten days. Of course this depends on the weather and how much shade your grass gets. By using a longer blade this allows the plant to give all its energy to the growing of the roots. If the root base is strong this will help prevent weed grasses from growing. This will also minimize the growth of Creeping Charley, Clover and Dandelion. If you’re against chemical use remember, a strong healthy lawn reduces the need to use chemicals. With only a few weeds in your lawn you can easily remove them by hand.

Once July hits you’ll need to reapply all your crabgrass and weed killers if needed. Around now you can ease up on your cutting as it will probably be very hot with little rain. This is usually the driest time of the year.

Around the end of July apply grub killer if you see any of it on your lawn. If you see any brown patches, dig around the area. Mostly likely you’ll find grub there. Dig up small patches. If you see any grub apply chemicals only to that area. Or you can apply a combination of lawn food and grub killer. Make sure you water your lawn well after doing this. This will help carry the chemicals down to where the grubs are hiding.

Also, if you find any leafed weeds apply a good quality leaf weed killer or a combination of weed killer and fertilizer. Don’t cut your lawn for about two days after treatment. This will give the weed killer and fertilizer time to work. Cutting the grass is a waste here because it will cut off the leaves to which the chemical is clinging and thus you’ll be cutting away your treatment.

In the next article in this series we’re going to continue with chores that need to be done in late July and August.

14
Aug

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part V

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In this next in our series of articles on lawn maintenance we’re going to continue with chores that should be done around late July or early August.

If you’re planning on renovating your lawn, the end of July or beginning of August is probably your best time. By now the grass should be de-thatched and aerated. Get a de-thatching machine which you can rent for half a day. Your lawn will look like garbage after you’re done but, it will clear off old grass and will prickle the soil. After you do this you can seed, apply topsoil and peat moss, and then water your lawn, a lot. Every day for about a week should do it.

You can continue to re-seed until the third week in September but no later than that unless it is absolutely necessary. There are some lawn experts that will tell you that you can do this all the way up to just before the winter begins. Supposedly if you do this it will sit there over the entire winter and will help germinate the soil as the weather warms up.

If you are using a seed mix that has a high proportion of blue grass, seeding too late will make it so that germination may not take place until mid October, which is not beneficial to young grass as it would be an easy target for frost kill.

In September is the time to give your lawn its last feeding. If you haven’t been doing this up to now, get a slow release fertilizer for this last application. If you’re wondering why this is important, imagine what would happen if you didn’t winterize your car by getting new anti freeze. Most likely you’d end up with a cracked radiator. Grass is no different. If you give your lawn a little nutritional lift at this time it will stand a better chance of surviving the winter that’s ahead of it. So even though this last feeding may be costly it will be more than worth it in the long run.

In October, as the weather is getting cooler, you can lower your mower blades. Around October, since the grass isn’t going to be growing as much or as quickly, you can lower the blades to about an inch or inch and a half. One thing you should be aware of. If your lawn has a very bumpy surface, dropping the blades may create some bald patches. So when you set the blade height you have to take the surface of the lawn into consideration. Of course, if your lawn is very bumpy, you may want to think about adding some topsoil to it. This will help create a more even surface.

In November, after the leaves have fallen, rake the grass and clean up any debris. Do one last mowing before the first frost. This kills two birds with one stone. You get the grass ready for winter and clean up your lawn at the same time.

14
Aug

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part VI

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In this sixth article in our series on lawn gardening chores we’re going to discuss a little about maintaining your lawn using a low maintenance program.

There are several reasons that someone might choose a low maintenance program for their lawn. One reason is expense. Maintaining a lawn so that it looks like a professional job takes a lot of money. Seed is not cheap, neither is soil, fertilizer, chemicals and tools. Maintaining a lawn on high maintenance can cost you hundreds of dollars a year or more. Some people just don’t have the extra money. Another reason someone might choose a low maintenance program for their lawn is time. They may work a very demanding full time job requiring lots of overtime or may even have more than one job. Maintaining a lawn on high or even medium maintenance requires a lot of time and some people just don’t have it.

Another reason people might choose a low maintenance program is because they are physically unable to do the work required, such as the elderly, people who have allergies or people who just simply do not have a green thumb and wouldn’t have a clue where to begin. Other reasons could be that their lawn is situated so that it is difficult to care for, such as lawns that are on high hills or have trees all around. For these people low maintenance is hard enough.

Then there are those people who are just plain lazy. The last thing they want to do is spend their time on the lawn mowing, raking, seeding, fertilizing, laying down chemicals and weeding. They’d much rather be inside watching a good ball game.

So just what is involved in a low maintenance program? Actually, not very much. For starters you’ll probably only cut your lawn once every 3 or 4 weeks unless it rains so much that the grass grows to the point where the town comes and threatens to give you a summons. Some people only mow their lawn every 6 weeks, ely in the summer. And then after the grass is cut the trimmings are left on the lawn in order to regenerate nitrogen. As for fertilizing, you might do this once per each season. Some people only fertilize once a year and others not at all. These type of lawns are allowed to go dormant during the hot summer months. The leaves are allowed to turn brown and the appearance looks quite dried out. Basically, these lawns rely on natural conditions for survival. If the summer is hot and dry then most likely the grass will die as people who choose a low maintenance program never water their lawns. These lawns are usually only green during the cooler months where there is enough rain to keep them green.

Many parks adopt a low maintenance program because there just isn’t enough time and money in the town budget to care for these large areas. However, there are some residential people who for whatever reason stated above just let their lawns go the way of the weather.

14
Aug

Lawn Care

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<img style=”float: left; padding: 9px;” src=”http://lawngardensprinklers.com/images/lawn-nice-1.jpg” alt=”" />If you didnâ€™t have a healthy lawn last summer, your lawn care practices might be at the root of the problem. Actually, a healthy lawn needs very little care and quite often learning what lawn care tips not to try is the best advice you can get.

Donâ€™t over water. A healthy lawn needs about an inch of water a week and itâ€™s best if it gets it all at once. You can check this easily by digging a plastic cup into your lawn. Watering deep allows the water to sink and gives your grass incentive to grow roots and find the water. Saturating your lawn will drown the roots and watering too shallow will keep them satisfied with their present depth. Shallow rooted grass is no competition for deep-rooted weeds.

Donâ€™t over fertilize. In fact, if you rarely fertilize, both your turf and your topsoil would be better off. Aside from the fact that chemical fertilizers arenâ€™t safe for your family and the critters that live in your lawn (which are mostly beneficial), chemical fertilizers arenâ€™t safe for your soil. Although they are called â€œlawn foodâ€, what they really are is â€œturf candyâ€. Grass, like any other plant gets its true nourishment from the soil. Donâ€™t feed the plantâ€¦ learn how to feed the soil through sound organic lawn care methods.

Healthy lawn care starts with healthy topsoil. Your lawn will thrive with four inches of healthy top soil, but it will be at its best with six. The problem is how do you get more top soil without ruining the turf you already have? Simply said, topsoil is the top four to ten inches of dirt under your turf except that this layer of earth should be nutrient rich and robust with organic matter and some little critters (like earthworms). If you donâ€™t have good topsoil, you wonâ€™t be able to maintain good turf. You can start building good topsoil in the fall by mulching with good organic compost. About a third of an inch of fine compost on top of your grass will fall between the blades and soak into the earth over winter.

In the spring, aerate your lawn. This will work some of the left over compost deeper and in addition give your lawn and the critters that live in the soil a breath of fresh air. Aeration also makes new channels for water to pass through and helps break up clumps of earth that impede drainage.

When mowing, mow high. Mowing high gives your grass takes weeds out of the competition for sunlight. In addition, longer grass is more apt to propagate through rhizome growth. More grass means less weeds and less weeds mean more healthy grass! Healthy grass means less lawn care and more time to enjoy your lawn

14
Aug

General Lawn Maintenance Tips

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So you have owned your property for a number of years now and just realised you have a garden out there to attend to. It is never too late to start caring for you lawn, but attention must be given if you want to be successful.

Lawn care is not just about feeding nutrients, watering and mowing on a regular basis. Without any control on these aspects, you may begin to see negative effects.

The following are general tips you should consider when maintaining your lawn:

Mowing

To manage your mowing habits, you must consider the behavior of your lawn. This will differ according to the temperature, season and location. But points to consider are frequency of mowing, length of grass and the lawn mower itself.

Grass will grow quicker or slower at different seasons of the year, so therefore frequency of mowing is affected, which in turn affects the length of grass. Most lawns are often mowed too short or not enough. Mowing with a blunt blade is also very bad for the lawn.

Aeration

Like us humans and most other living species, grass needs air to breathe and water to absorb. This can be achieved by regularly driving a fork into the lawn, opening up the soil, thus giving the lawn more breathing space.

Thatch Control

Thatch is the layer of dead and decaying matter at the base of living roots. This problem can be alleviated by scarifying or raking the lawn.

Watering

The most obvious is sufficient watering. Watch out ely in the summer period for prolonged dry spells where growth can be affected.

Lawn Garden Sprinklers

Archive for August, 2008

Choosing The Grass For Your Lawn Wisely

Lawn Care and Maintenance

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part I

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part II

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part III

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part IV

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part V

Lawn Maintenance Chores Part VI

Lawn Care

General Lawn Maintenance Tips

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