Lawn Care

Lawn Seed Preparation and Costs

Looking for ways to come up with a durable, more lasting lawn? Consider lawn seeding. Lawn seeding ensures that grass on your lawn are deeply rooted and will withstand the wear and tear that most lawns are subjected to.

Although seeding a lawn takes and awful lot of time to do, it is definitely a lot less costly than laying sod. The first step is to determine the type of turf grass to plant. This step requires serious planning and it would be a good idea to get professional advise on what grass to grow in your particular area. Seed dealers can offer a wide variety of lawn products and services to choose from: from seed costs, to labor costs, and other requirements. One tip: never use quick grow seed packages as these contain a high percentage of annual rye, which dies after only one season. How much seed to buy? The rule of the thumb in seeding bare ground is 5 – 6 lbs per 1000 square feet; for over seeding add an estimated 3 – 4 lbs per 1000 square feet.
The initial establishment cost in lawn seeding is generally lower costs related to sodding. This is basically because seeds cost less than sod. Where to plant? Seeding is not an option in areas where there is a high probability of soil erosion. Too much movement of soil particles will prevent the seeds from properly taking root and will prove to be more costly when the process of seeding has to be repeated. Also, herbicides may be needed during the first year of seed establishment to ensure that the young grass plants do not compete with herbs for much needed nutrients in the soil. The cost of herbicide application should be included in the computation of seeding costs.

Taking Care of Grass

Seeding is a good option when you want to have grass in a shaded area; just be sure to plant the right type of grass seeds for the site. Other things you need to do in seeding include loosening the soil, which is a basic requirement for any lawn establishment procedure, clearing the area of weeds and debris, leveling the ground and applying topsoil where needed. Your usual garden tools are often sufficient for these procedures: shovel, rake, pick-ax. A rotary tiller might be needed in areas that are tough to loosen, but renting one rather than buying would be sufficient.

For seed application, you will need a drop or a broadcast sprayer, and then a garden hose and sprinkler to dampen the area where the grass will grow. Make sure the prepared ground drains well. New sprouts can be protected from heavy rain or strong winds by covering them up with a fine layer of hay, which can be removed with a rake when the sprouted seeds are strong enough to stand on their own.

A professional landscaper usually charges around $201for a 2,000-square foot lawn; others may charge around $90 to work on a 1,000 square foot lawn. Just a reminder: be wary of so-called professional grass seeders who charge too little for the job. You might be in for more trouble. Most seed /landscaping companies stay competitive and their price range will lie within a competitive range, so costs should be fairly even.

For an average-sized lawn, you will only need around $50 if you plan to buy the seeds and plant it yourself. If you need to add topsoil, you’ll have spend a little bit more. Some shops have a grass seed calculator that can help you in the computation of costs in preparing your lawn.
Your starter fertilizer should be an 18-24-12 mixture; a 50 lb bag will adequately cover about 12,000 square feet.
A final advice: do your seeding in late summer or early fall, when cooler weather and rains are expected. That way, the tiny plants will be less subjected to stress and will pass through their growing season more peacefully. You will also lessen the probability of having to reseed due to failed initial seeding attempts.

And remember choose the best lawnmower you can to keep the grass trim, and it’s especially important to keep the blades sharp when grass is young as otherwise your mower will tear the grass rather than cut it cleanly.

Lawn diseases, Pictures and Information

Lawn diseases can ruin the appearance of the healthiest and tidiest of lawns. Many turf diseases are difficult to identify and to distinguish from problems caused by pests or by poor maintenance. But with proper management practices, serious damage can be avoided.

The development of disease is often associated with poor turf management practices, such as improper selection and planting of grass variety, insufficient and untimely watering, untimely fertilization, not using the right amount and balance of nutrients, irregular mowing and not mowing at the recommended height, improper amount of light and air movement, non-maintenance of good soil aeration and drainage, and poor thatch management.

But setting these aside, the most common remedy for lawn disease is fungicide. While this may treat the disease, it can also kill off good organisms and insects as well. It should therefor not be used to treat the whole lawn area. The best method of applying fungicide is as a spot treatment. This would minimize damage to the lawn ecosystem.

Several types of fungicides are available in the market and are differentiated by the action they make in stopping the spread of the disease. Contact fungicides remain on the plant’s surface on application and kill spores that come into contact with it. Systemic fungicides move throughout the circulatory system of the plant and stay longer inside the plant’s system. Penetrant fungicides are similar in action to systemic types, but act as a preventive to stop the growth of pathogens.

It can be difficult to identify some of the specific diseases and I will be adding some lawn disease pictures to this post shortly.

Below are some of the common lawn diseases:

1. Snowmold, common to regions where snow falls and sits on the lawn for extended periods of time.
2. Brownpatch, common in regions with high humidity and where the grass grows in the shade. The disease usually starts as a small spot that quickly spreads outwards in a circular or horseshoe pattern. It can cover up to a couple of feet wide.
3. Dollar Spots, common to humid areas. These are small, silver dollar-like discolorations that are brown or straw-colored in appearance which, left untreated, may merge into large patches that are several feet in diameter.
4. Fairy rings, unsightly, difficult to control circular rings that continue to expand with each growing season, leaving circular areas of with poor grass growth and dying grass.
5. Rust, caused by a fungus that gives a rusty appearance to leaf blades. It is not seen every year, but when infestation is severe, it imparts a yellowish to reddish-orange appearance to the lawn. Mowing the grass sends out a red-orange dust that settles on surfaces. Rust makes the soil susceptible to winter kill.
6. Grease spot, slimy-brown patches of grass that are surrounded by white cotton-like fungus.
7. Red thread, characterized by pinkish-red threads that form around the leaf blades, binding them together. The leaves turn brown eventually.
8. Powdery mildew, which covers the grass with whitish powder. Grass eventually wither and die.
9. Pithium blight, or the formation of irregularly shaded spots of wilted brown grass, with cobweb-like mass of fungus; patches form long cluster streaks.
10. Fusarium, light green patches that turn reddish brown; the leaf then dies.
11. Leafspot-Melting Out, brown to purple lesions possibly caused by too much nitrogen.
12. Slime Mold, covers the grass with a powdery substance that looks like crystallized frost that thickens, preventing sunlight from entering the plant cells.

These are the more popular lawn diseases that can be controlled, if not eradicated, by proper care and management of the lawn. It pays to keep the lawn clean in order to ward off these diseases. Often, proper watering and fertilizing are all that are needed to keep the lawn disease-free.

Powerful Weed Killer – War on Dandelions?

Getting rid of those pesky weeds in your front yard can be a real headache, there’s a huge temptation to buying a really powerful weed killer. You pull them over and over again but they just keep coming back. My young son makes some handy cash by clearing my lawn of dandelions by pulling them up, of course the next day they’re back all over my lawn again again! It can also be very frustrating to buy a product that is supposed to obliterate the weeds but the little devils just seem to be invincible. There are a few tips that homeowners should know before they spend a fortune on weed killers that just do not do the job.

One mistake that some people make is that they believe granular weed killers will work better than liquid products. In fact, liquid weed killers can cover an area more thoroughly than the granular forms. You can also more effectively do spot treatments of lawn weeds with liquid products. It is important to note that putting a heavier dose of the weed killer on your weeds is not going to be more effective at killing the weeds. It is just going to be effective at killing your pocketbook.

Another mistake some homeowners make is that they do not read the labels of the weed killers they buy. Some products may start to work in a few hours and some may not work for a few days. Many weed killers need to stay on the weed for 24 hours without rain or irrigation. The label should also clarify what exactly the product will kill. You don’t want to spray your lawn with weed killer and then wake up the next morning to find you have no lawn at all. If you have pets, then you also need to especially look out for weed killers that may be harmful to them.

Many homeowners do not realize that weed killers that can be classified as “pre-emergence herbicides” and “post-emergent herbicides.” Pre-emergence herbicides work well on crabgrass and can be applied a few weeks before weeds are expected. Post-emergence herbicides are used for perennial broadleaf weeds and are used after the weeds have emerged.

Timing is very important when it comes to the application of pre-emergence herbicides. If these weed killers are applied too early, then weather will dilute them and weeds will go ahead and grow anyway. Timing is also important when it comes to using post-emergence herbicides. If you procrastinate with your weeds, then they will just become more of a problem and spread throughout your lawn.

In addition to buying chemicals and powerful weed killers that can wipe out weeds, homeowners should also look into products that will help their lawns flourish. A thick lawn can actually shade out weeds. It is recommended that you keep your lawn mowed at about three inches to shade the weeds. Weak spots in a lawn can be places where weeds will thrive. Nourishing your lawn with a good fertilizer can help your beautiful grass battle back the weeds.

Homeowners should not let weeds frustrate them. They are just a part of landscaping and gardening. With a little research, and perhaps a little patience, homeowners can get to the root of their weed problems and find the right solution.

ALM Lawn Mower Metal Blade

This blade is an easy fitting blade that can be fitted by the user so there is no need for costly repairs.

Alm Fl043 Metal Blade Size: 30cm (12in) – To Fit Flymo Hover Mower Models: Dle-02 Dle03 E30- 1/2/3/4/5/11/12/13 Xe30 Tl E30 Twin Sprinter 30 Sprintmaster 30 Hoverstripe 30 Turbo Compact 300 – Compares To 5126439-72/7 And 5126439-00/8

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Cat Repel – Enter the Big Cheese

I like wildlife, in fact although I live on a housing estate, the reason I moved here was it is next to a very old wood and a National Trust property and we get loads of wonderful birds. Anyway here is my story of how operation Cat Repel started. I am hopeless at identifying birds, I get all of them mixed up and that coupled with my diminishing eyesight means that I suspect my contribution to the RSPB survey this year might be flawed – but hey at least I tried.

But I also like other animals, but peering through the window yesterday I noticed a rather lack of birds despite my grand birdie breakfast laid out. On investigation I discovered a large, fat cat named after a famous footballer (name withheld to protect my identity) You see our garden is a bit of a suntrap, so animals who like to sunbathe, tend to lounge around our back garden which is fine, except for a card carrying member of the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds creating a bird killing zone is rather distressing.

So Operation Cat Repel was put into operation and I asked around to try and discover some humane way of repelling our feline friends at least from my back garden. I tried the water pistol method, but that never worked with the squirrels and had a similar effect with the cats. Anyway some suggested this device was a good idea- it’s called the Big Cheese

What it does is emit an ultrasonic sound whenever it detects movement of a large cat sized animal. The detection is infra red and works in a beam 12 metres in length and a 98 degree angle. Cats definitely do not like this! Humans are not really supposed to hear the sound but I’m afraid I could slightly, it’s not much of a problem though and not all can hear it, my wife says she can’t.

Cat Repel Device

It really is very effective, the downsides are you can go through the little 9 volt batteries but investing in rechargeable ones would do that. I do wonder how much more it would have cost to make this solar charged as it’s going to be outside all the time. If you need to repel cats from your garden it does work, although one of the difficulties I found was putting it in the right spot, this of course depends on your garden and layout. You might find you need to buy a few of these units if you have a big garden Overall the Big Cheese Cat Repel device is worht investigating – there’s hundreds of other reviews – Big Cheese reviews here if you want check them out

Bosch Rotak 40 Rotary Mower

There are two main tools that give me loads of problems in my life, printers and lawnmowers and I really don’t know why. If I could I’d happily live without both of them but I can’t, well some of the year I can’t! It’s time now to bring out the lawnmower and do you know what for once I don’t mind as I’ve finally found a decent one – the Bosch Rotak 40 Electric Mower.

I don’t really want a lot from a lawnmower but that’s exactly what I’ve got over the years. I’ve been down the horror that is hover mowers, if you’ve travelled that road you will commiserate I’m sure. I’ve also spent a fortune on big, well built lawnmowers even though I hardly have a huge sized garden – my latest lawnmower in that area is a petrol driven Hayter which set me back several hundred pounds. It does cut the grass well, or should I say did cut the grass well – my wife who could never start the huge thing, pointed out a small little tear in the rubber next to the primer – which is enough to make sure it now never starts for me also.

I did start the detective work trying to find a supplier willing to sell me this small rubber bulb thing for some extortionate amount but in the end just got fed up. I just want a mower that is quick light and simple, something that requires little maintenance and just cuts the grass.

So step forward my latest try and finding such a lawnmower.

Bosch Rotak 40 Rotary mower

The first thing you’ll notice with some dread is the enormous box that it arrives in, fortunately this is quite deceiving as really the Bosch Rotak 40 isn’t actually that big. In fact it’s actually quite light when you do extract it from the huge amount of cardboard – I had mine delivered but I can imagine it would be a struggle to get in a small car in the box!

It does take a little putting together, the grass box is a little fiddly to clip together but nothing too difficult. When you look at the finished item, the initial impression I have to say its plastic, and a slight worry that it looks a little flimsy. Will the Bosch Rotak 40 be able to survive a few summers of grass cutting is initially a worry.

Bosch Rotak 40 in Action

Well there’s not much to tell really, the cord is plenty long enough in my average sized garden even without an extension, it really is very light and you can move it around as easily if not more so than a vacuum cleaner. Being so light you can easily pick it up to avoid obstacles or if you have an odd shaped lawn. A task that was not possible with my cast iron hayter mower I can tell you.

The rotary blades cut quickly and efficiently, the little grass combs on the mower help force the grass back for a very low cut. The grass collection box, holds a surprising amount as it seems to compress the grass in the box, although it does need emptying a few times for most lawns I suspect. The blades seem to cut through everything, any length, leaves, weeds and it even cuts the grass quite easily when it’s damp although I’m not certain that’s a great idea.

It doesn’t actually feel like mowing the lawn, more like you’re running the hoover over it, you actually wouldn’t expect a great finish from the rotary blades in the Bosch Rotak 40 but it is surprisingly good and there are defined stripes which always look good on a lawn.

There is little to dislike, it cuts the lawn quickly and easily, you obviously need to be aware of the cord when mowing but it’s not too hard when you get used to it. It folds up pretty well and I hang it up in my shed. It cuts right up to edges very well and it cuts my average lawns in no time at all. You do have a worry about how well it will last as the majority is built from plastic, but in truth I’ve had mine for three years now and it is still going strong. At the time of writing it’s being sold for around about £125 which I think is a bargain. The Bosch Rotak 40 Electric Rotary Lawn mower is the mower for someone who just wants to cut their lawn quickly and easily, if you want more recommendations look at the reviews on the Amazon web site – here

Updated Links to the new Bosch Ergoflex model (basically the same but cheaper, with different handles)

Choosing Plants for your Garden

If you’re growing a vegetable garden, the first year is always the problem. If you have very acidic soil, some plants won’t grow well while others will thrive. You might end up with tomatoes that line your counters and cover every surface in your house. In that case, you’ll want to buy a pressure cooker and some canning jars. Canning is a great way you can cause your garden to be very fruitful all-year-round. When choosing plants for your garden, tomatoes are always a good choice. You can make them into sauces, chop them up and can them or eat them raw. If you plant a variety of different tomatoes, they will have give you more variety. Try planting Roma in one row, cherry tomatoes in another and regular tomatoes in another.

Tomatoes should always work well for you no matter what soil you have. In the case of tomatoes, however, you should never try planning tomatoes from seeds. Some do, but it’s far more beneficial if you purchase ‘flats’ of tomatoes. That means that they’ve been grown until they’re about three-inches tall. Then, you transplant those tomato plants to the garden. Insects love tomato plants, though. Cutworms are a problem, so if you’re in an area of the country which has them, you’ll have to put something as a wall which keeps the worms from eating the plants. If you cut both ends off a tin can, then you can push that can into the soil, then transplant the tomato plant in the middle of the can. The depth of the can beneath the soil is the main thing.

The Black cutworm and the variegated cutworm are the two most common species which damage your garden. Since they feed at night, they generally won’t be noticed in the daylight. Other plants which can be damaged by cutworms are celery, onions, pepper plants, eggplant, rutabaga, carrots, sweet corn and several others such as beans. If your plants are lying on their side in the morning, you’re having problems with cutworms; but even if they aren’t, cutworms might be the culprit. They go down about 5 cm in the ground, or 2 inches. Thus, your tin can or waxed milk carton should go about 3 inches down.

Other vegetables which give good yield are peppers. Again, plant many different varities of peppers such as many different types of Chile peppers as well as typical green peppers. Peppers can also get attacked by insects, so make sure you put a protecting can which encircles their stem as well. They start out as a little green bud, then grow bigger. Insects go for the leaves rather than the peppers themselves, but since peppers can be harvested the whole summer, you’ll want the plant to thrive without dying.

Corn is always a difficult one to raise. You can try them, but realize that every one of those little strands that go down the inside of a corn husk is how each kernel gets pollinated. If a kernel isn’t pollinated, then your corn will have large sections on the cob where it will be bare. Also, many different insects like corn, it being so sweet to eat. Try corn in one row, at first, then if it does well, expand. The thing is, when choosing plants for your garden, experiment. The first year is always the hardest.

Hope you enjoyed this gardening article, remember to check out the latest news on our website dedicated to the best lawnmower reviews

Looking after your Lawn

Everybody knows that a lawn can make or break a house. That large expanse of pure beautiful grass is what you had in mind when you bought the place. Wow, did it look good. Now, however, it’s turning brown, it has some bare spots where the kids put their pool over the summer and it died, it’s peppered with dandelion weeds, poison ivy vines have started growing in the back yard, and the neighbor’s dog is doing it all over the back yard.

What can you do, if your lawn isn’t what you had imagined it should be when you look out the picture window? Well, remember that tending the lawn can be a Zen-like art. You might use that time to enjoy the smell of fresh-cut grass, hear the kids playing next door in the pool and enjoy the rays of sun as they hit your face in the cool breeze. The secret to life is, you have to enjoy it. Instead of thinking that it’s a miserable chore that you have to do, make it enjoyable. Since looking after your lawn is important to you, have it be an enjoyable experience for you.

First is cutting your lawn. One of the main things which will make your lawn look shabby is if you let it grow too long. Are your neighbors eying your lawn as they drive by? Well, most likely it’s because they’re thinking, “If they don’t mow their lawn, soon, all those weeds are going to germinate and those seeds will be peppering my own lawn with yellow dots, too.”

Unfortunately, the freedom of America isn’t truly complete freedom; because freedom for one person might mean extra work for another; and that’s not fair. And, you know that. You are a caring person, and although you might even like a lawn that’s gone to seed because it feels more natural and wild, it is being brought back to its more natural wonderful form. Yeah, that’s what you’ll tell yourself so you won’t have to go out and mow it. You like upholding a neat front. So, when looking after your lawn, enjoy that feeling of satisfaction after the lawn has been mowed.

Some of the problems you’ll run into are… leaves. If you live in the North, in particular, you will have to rake leaves in the fall. Raking leaves can get to be a pain. After it has rained, oak leaves start to rot and get heavy. If you mow the lawn and there are oak leaves on the lawn, they’ll get chopped up, but they’ll also stick to the inside of your mower. Rake the leaves, and you’ll have those nice big homey stacks of leaves. However, have you ever raked a lawn before? Yes, a rake is cheap to buy; however a lawn mower leaf attachment can greatly speed things up. If you have a ride-on lawnmower and you have two acres of land, and you’d like mulch for your garden… a leaf attachment is the way to go.

Leaf blowers are a good way of looking after your lawn. With a leaf blower, you can have the kids blow your leaves into the other guy’s yard (heh heh). “No, really… they were there before they used the leaf blower” you can say.

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A Vacuum for your Leaves

In certain parts of the country the leaves look beautiful when they change color in the fall. However, they are not such a welcome sight when they fall onto your front yard. In the past, a good rake and a little muscle was the only way to get rid of these leaves. Today, we have the leaf vacuum. Leaf vacuums are becoming more and more popular and there are a wide variety of them on the market. There are many things to consider before purchasing a leaf vacuum.

First, the amount of leaves and the size of the job is an important consideration. For those homeowners that have a significant amount of land and a serious amount of leaves, then they may consider the higher-end leaf vacuums. For example, there are push vacuums, ride-on vacuums, and vacuums that can be hauled behind a tractor. Most of these vacuums conveniently pick up the leaves and mulch them. However, these products can be expensive.

The most popular leaf vacuums for homeowners are the hand-held type. These hand-held products generally have blower, vacuum, and mulch functions. These devices can be found at many retail stores. One way to find the leaf vacuum that is best for you is to simply pick one up. If the vacuum feels heavy, then maybe it is not the right one for you. The lighter models are around seven pounds.

Some hand-held leaf vacuums are gas powered and some are electric. A disadvantage of the electric vacuums is that the cord only allows you to get so far away from an outlet. The electric vacuums are convenient for jobs that are on the patio or front walkway, but would require an extension cord for leaves further out on the backyard.

Hand-held leaf vacuums are also equipped with a bag to catch the leaves. You may want to consider the size of the bag when making a decision about the vacuum. If the bag is too small, you will need to empty it more frequently. However, if the bag is too big, the device may become too heavy and burdensome to use.

The horsepower of the leaf vacuum engine is also important when making a decision. An engine without the necessary horsepower may not adequately do the job that needs to be done. Wet leaves will especially be difficult for a low-powered vacuum to clean up and the vacuum would become easily clogged. Forcing a lower horsepower engine to do a big job may also burn out the engine.

Homeowners may also want to consider the noise factor when purchasing a leaf vacuum. Some machines can be louder than others. This would be especially important if your city has a noise ordinance or if you just don’t want to irritate your neighbor.

There are obviously many aspects to consider when choosing a leaf vacuum. Another option may be to rent a leaf vacuum or borrow a friend’s machine to help make the final decision. When it comes right down to it, the decision will most likely be based on your budget and how many leaves you actually have. Of course, if none of the vacuums seems to meet your specific needs, there is always a $5 rake.

Taking Care of Grass

Many people feel that the grass is always greener on the other side, but what if for you it is literally true? It can be frustrating to look across the street and see your neighbor’s green grass practically glowing in the sunlight. You may be taking care of your grass and wonder what you are doing wrong. There are a few landscaping tips that may help you discover what you can do right.

Taking Care of Grass

First, when it comes to watering the lawn, less is more. Too much water can cause damage to your lawn. In fact, brown patches on the lawn can be caused by over watering. Most lawns only require approximately 1-1.5 inches of water per week. Over watering can actually leach valuable nutrients from the soil. These nutrients are essential to making your lawn a lush, green color.

Another important tactic for keeping your lawn green is to ensure that you are mowing it properly. Cutting your grass too close to the ground and cutting with a dull blade can both cause problems. For example, ripped grass is more vulnerable to pests.

Pests that can damage your lawn can be divided into two categories – soil inhabitants and thatch inhabitants. Examples of soil inhabitants are mole crickets, white grubs, and billbugs. Examples of thatch inhabitants are spittlebugs, clinch bugs, and sod webworms. It is best to figure out what kind of pest you are dealing with before spending any money on the problem.

Weeds can also deteriorate the beauty of a lawn. It is best to nip a weed problem in the bud before it gets too serious. Weeds can spread quickly throughout your lawn. A liquid spray weed killer would be best to spot treat weeds on a lawn. However, it is important that you read the label and do not purchase a weed killer that will do damage to your grass as well.

Then there is the issue of fertilizer. Most experts recommend using a fertilizer on lawns but they may disagree on how often. The frequency of fertilizer use and what type of fertilizer to use can depend on climate. The best option would be to ask your local lawn care supplier for his or her advice on the matter.

If you are still not satisfied with your lawn after changing your landscaping techniques, then sod is always a possibility. Laying sod takes a little work but it is not difficult. It would require you to rip up your existing lawn to make room for the new one. The process of laying sod generally takes two or three weeks. Sometimes putting your current lawn out of its misery might be the better option than continuing to watch it struggle.

There is obviously hope for even the worst lawns. Changing your lawn for the better is often just a matter of figuring out if you are doing something wrong or if there are other forces at play. It could be a problem with how you are watering your lawn or maybe it is just an unknown pest that has invaded. After some research and some changes, your grass can be among the greenest on the block and you’ll need to get the best lawnmower you can.