Lawn Garden Sprinklers

Of all the material that can be added to the soil, including chemicals, the most valuable is properly decayed organic matter, or compost. It not only adds valuable nutrients, it also provides fibrous humus which helps to improve the soil’s texture, or structure. It helps to break down the heavier soils, at the same time providing lighter soils with a medium that will retain moisture. It holds just enough for the plants’ needs without causing them to be surrounded by stagnant water, a condition few plants will tolerate.
Compost can be made from crops deliberately grown for that purpose, comfrey (Syrnphytum X uplandicurn) being a very good example, or from waste organic material from the garden. It is surprising how much vegetable and fruit waste can come from the kitchen.
At its simplest the compost heap is just a pile of weeds, lawn cuttings, and soft prunings, with perhaps some farmyard manure added. This heap will warm up, providing the nice warm arid moist. environment that will encourage bacteria to get to work, breaking it clown into a crumbly consistency.
A compost container can make this process happen more efficiently. The container will not only keep all the material neat, it will also help to maintain its temperature and prevent too much rain from penetrating the layers. A compost bin can be made of any material as long as there are holes to allow air to penetrate and a lid to keep the heat in and the rain out, an old carpet or sheet of plastic can be suitable for this.
The composting material is best added to the heap in layers: a layer of grass cuttings followed by a layer of vegetable waste, followed in turn by weeds and so on, each layer being about 6in (15cm) thick. Any material, such as grass cuttings, that could mat together and make a solid lump, preventing the circulation of air, should be mixed with another material to lighten it. The bacteria are a vital part in the making of the compost that needs nitrogen as a “starter” to get the process going. Farmyard manure is the ideal nitrogen material, but special compost activators can be bought if manure is not available. If there is not much soil on the weeds, a covering of good topsoil between every four or five layers is beneficial. A sprinkling of lime should be added every few layers to keep the heap from becoming too acid. A compost heap needs water, and in a dry season a few buckets of water might be added.
Weeds that are in seed should not be added to the heap, as the compost rarely gets hot enough to kill them off. Avoid using any disease-infested material or anything, cabbage stalks for instance, that is too thick or woody to break down.
Different composts possess different qualities. Some have a high nutritional value, while others are negligible in terms of the goodness they put into the soil.
Composted bark has become more readily available in recent years. Contains little nutrient value but is high in humus. It is particularly good as mulch.
Chicken manure is very strong manure that should be stored for several months before use. It is useful for adding as an activator in a compost heap.
Farmyard manure is a well-rotted farmyard manure, containing clung from cattle, horses, sheep, or pigs, is excellent for conditioning soil. Contains a high level of’ nutrients and the straw provides plenty of humus. Often contains weed seed, as doubtful as mulch.
Leafmold is slower to decompose than normal garden compost, but valuable both for its nutrients and humus. It is very good as mulch.
Peat has no nutritional value. It is useful in adding humus to the soil or as mulch, but breaks down quickly.
Seaweed is a very good soil conditioner containing nutrients including valuable trace elements. Best dug into the soil, but can be used as mulch.
Various mixtures used in growing mushrooms, usually including farmyard manure. Good value in both nutrients and bulk. Good for conditioning soil or as mulch. It also includes chalk so do not use on plants that dislike lime.

One of the things homeowners take the most pride in is a great-looking lawn. It can be time-consuming and frustrating, but with persistence, you can keep your lawn looking beautiful. Here are a few lawn care tips.

Begin by raking up leaves and cleaning up all debris. If there are high or low spots in the yard, level them. This will give your lawn a much more lush and uniform appearance–it levels the playing field, so to speak.

Use a good grade of topsoil to fill any holes, since you want your grass to have the best medium possible in which to grow. If the yard has bumps, cut an X in the rise and then peel the sod back. Using a garden trowel, scoop out enough soil to level the area, and then push the sod back into place. Tamp the sod down firmly, to bring the roots into good contact with the soil, and then give the area a good soaking to promote root growth.

If you find bare spots, you’ll need to add grass seed. Make sure that the new seed will be tolerant of your area’s weather conditions, and also for the particular spot where you’ll be planting it. Some grass seed is tolerant of a fair amount of shade, for instance, while other seed needs full sun. Also take into account how much traffic the area will be getting, because some grasses are less tolerant than others of being walked or played on.

To maintain a lush, green yard, you’ll probably need to water it at times. When you do, water it deeply early in the morning, so the water will soak down to the roots and not just be evaporated into the air or merely wet the surface, causing shallow root growth. You want your grass to have deep, healthy roots.

When you mow the lawn, never cut off more than a third of the blades, and make sure your mower’s blade is sharp. For photosynthesis, grass needs an adequate blade surface area and if you remove too much, your lawn will be susceptible to disease.

Most of all, keep a close eye on your lawn’s health through regular inspection. There’s an adage that says, “The best fertilizer for a piece of property is the footsteps of its owner.” That’s certainly true of a vibrant, healthy lawn. Look for trouble spots, learn to recognize problems, and address them immediately when you find them.

A healthy lawn is a huge part of a beautiful landscape and a home’s curb appeal. Whether you have a cool-season lawn or a warm-season lawn, new sod or established turf one thing is certain, with up to 1,000 grass plants per square foot of lawn fertilization is a must!

There are two ways to fertilize and achieve a green healthy lawn and beautiful landscape plants. You can do it yourself or you can hire a professional contractor to prescribe a maintenance program. Regardless of what you choose there are some things you should keep in mind when using fertilizers.

You should start by measuring the square footage of your lawn to determine the amount of fertilizer you will need. You should begin your fertilization program in the fall in order to promote healthy root growth. There are 3 basic ingredients in a well balanced fertilizer. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are required to promote thick, dense grass that will resist disease and weeds. The label on the fertilizer bag will tell what percentages of these 3 basic ingredients are in the fertilizer. Example would be 20-10-5 which contains 20% nitrogen, 10% phosphate and 5% potassium, the remaining percentage is carriers such as sand. Your soil contains these nutrients naturally but during construction much of the nutrient rich soils are removed or disturbed and over the years the soil nutrients in landscaping around a home becomes depleted.

Experts recommend fertilizing your lawn two to four times a year depending on your climate, the type of grass you have and your landscape/lawn expectations.

• Early Spring
• Early Summer
• Late Summer
• Late Fall

For established lawns in Colorado, it is best to use the N value to determine what fertilizer to buy. For Blue grass/Ryegrass, a common Colorado grass, a recommended amount is

<img style=”float: left; padding: 9px;” src=”http://lawngardensprinklers.com/images/grass-22-1.jpg” alt=”" />Your lawn takes nutrients out of the soil that it is bedded in and uses these nutrients to aid its growth. If your soil lacks these nutrients your lawn will ultimately suffer.

So while fertilizing makes your lawn greener it also provides a top of any nutrients that your soil is lacking helping grass to grow. When the nutrients are available, the lawn develops healthier roots which invariably grow deeper allowing the lawn to draw upon water and nutrients in the soil. Furthermore, deep roots reduce thatch and browning. Finally, fertilizer contains nutrients that grass needs to resist disease and drought.

Fertilizers also offer the additional benefit of including chemicals to inhibit or kill weeds. The three primary nutrients in a fertilizer are Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium. Each element has its own affect upon grass. Nitrogen stimulates grass growth and greening. Phosphorous stimulates the development of roots and seedlings. Potassium promotes disease and drought resistance.

As the weather changes, so too does your lawn have changing needs. In the heat of the summer, your lawn needs water and little else. In order to survive the cold weather, your lawn needs to have healthy roots and so a fertilizer to promote root growth should be applied before the cold weather sets in. At other times of year your lawn needs nutrients to enable growth and greening. Weeds also have their own growing seasons so you should fertilize at the beginning of the various weed growth seasons.

Where you live, the type of grass you have, the condition of your soil and the weather all affect your choice of fertilizer and when it should be applied. You also have a choice of organic fertilizer, liquid fertilizer, which is sprayed on, or time released granules which are distributed with a spreader. All of these factors result in the many choices of fertilizer. And of course you can always purchase your fertilizer via a wholesaler online, meaning that the more you buy the cheaper the deal.

Feeling too lazy to fertilize? Here are 10 reasons why you should get off your computer and give your lawn what it deserves!

1. Lawns that are never fertilized are far less healthy. They will have short, thin root systems, and few resources to get them through stressful periods such as droughts and cold winters.

2. Correctly fertilizing your lawn keeps the weeds out which means less competition for healthy grass to grow.

3. Providing the right amount of nutrients to your lawn means it will retain its natural lush green color. And we want our lawns to be green!

4. Pests, diseases, and insects are less likely to disturb or ruin your lawn.

5. Fertilizing is probably the cheapest, yet most effective way to positively impact your lawn’s appearance and health. It’s also by far the easiest!

6. A well-fed lawn comes to life earlier and is healthier in the spring.

7. Fertilizing properly corrects imbalances in ph brought on by irrigation water and water treatments.

8. Fertilizing regularly controls lawn growth rate which helps home-owners better estimate mowing time and height.

9. A proper fertilizing regime controls pesky brown or yellow areas.

10. Fertilizing gives you bragging rights because you will have the greenest lawn on the block!