Posts Tagged ‘Lawn Care’

Some Advice on Creating That Lawn You Always Dreamt Of

You can have a beautiful lawn and better still you don’t need to use chemicals for it to happen. In fact there’s a very good chance that your grass may turn out to be healthier if you don’t use any chemicals. The chemical compounds not only pollute the ground, but also contaminate the water. The benefits that chemicals give are largely short term so try and live without them. You’ll be able to eliminate your use of chemicals by working on the following tips.

The best weed management method is to physically pull all of the weeds. The vast majority of weeds usually are annuals, so if you eliminate them before they go to seed, they won’t come back. Some others could have root systems that have to be taken out so they won’t grow back. Specific weeds like clovers need to be permitted to grow since they are beneficial to a lawn or garden. Clover delivers nitrogen to the soil making it great for keeping your lawn healthy and beautiful. Purchase a soil test kit, to find out how much organic matter is in the soil. It can be good to find out the pH balance of your soil as well as what nutrients are needed to improve the quality.

For the blank spots on your lawn, use a mixture of grass varieties when you re-seed. The sicknesses that get into your turf are picky, so a mixture will keep your lawn from being wiped out by a disease. You need to routinely aerate your soil and break up the grass so it does not become a heavy thatch. In that way, the roots are able to successfully reach the soils nutrients. Earthworms are going to aerate your lawn better than any other thing. If the layer of thatch gets to be a half-inch thick, you need to de-thatch it. By not carrying this out, you’ll have problems with water, nutrients and air entering into your soil. The majority of the thatch can be eliminated if you rake your lawn quickly after aerating it.

Considering that just a little thatch will encourage the decomposition of organic matter, together with the grass clippings, it can be a benefit to the health of your lawn. It is best to preserve the height of the grass at two or three inches, and to keep the grass from going into shock, only a third of the height should be cut at any one time. To counteract trouble for the grass, the mower blades should always be sharp. Never make use of anything but natural fertilizers, because they not only add nutrients into the soil, but they help them stay there longer. Grass clippings and thatch tend to be decomposed by organic fertilizer, and one of the most effective natural fertilizers you can find, is sheep manure.

Make sure you exclusively water when your lawn demands it, and get the water down deeply. If you don’t do this, the roots are going to turn out to be shallow and more predisposed to insects and disease. Once you carry out these methods, you will have a beautiful lawn that everyone will envy.

The First Thing Your Visitors Look At Is Your Gorgeous Lawn

Most people, who are living in their own house, take a lot of pride in looking after their home, both inside and out. The exterior landscaping is the first thing that visitors will see, which means you will want to have it looking the best it can. Additionally, you’ll have a feeling of happiness when you see your beautifully landscaped lawn. If you would like your lawn or garden looking its best, you will need the right tools and equipment for the job.

Many homeowners think that using dangerous chemicals and pesticides are critical for having a successful lawn or garden. That does not have to be the case, since you are able to use organic products on your lawn and garden, which will work on them without harming the environment. You will find quite a few harmful chemicals in the fertilizer for your grass, primarily phosphates and nitrates. It will require plenty of fertilizer to do the whole yard, in some cases, a couple of pounds, which will expose your family to some unnecessary problems. Significant health complications, like asthma and cancer can result. During rains, the chemicals become washed away and pollutes the water supply.

Using natural compost is really a better option than using fertilizers, especially if you can make your own. You can make your own compost simply by filling a compost container with old leaves, grass, food scraps and even pet droppings. It does not demand much effort once you set it up and you won’t create any health issues. The compost you create will likely be filled with nutrients. If you have a large yard, you will need to make a lot of compost. The quantity of compost you get isn’t going to be much because it shrinks as the elements first decompose. The lawn and other plants will grow really well in your nutrient-rich soil.

Having a healthy soil, the plants and grass will have healthier and longer roots. Having sturdy roots means there is less water for you to use consequently, you’ll have a lower water bill. Since several areas have constraints on water usage, you will need properly prepared soil, to get the best results from the water you are allowed. Even not having much water, you will still be ready to have a yard, full of green grass.

When you water in the early morning hours, you’re going to get the most effective benefits from the water, than almost every other time. Since there is less sunlight, there’ll be less evaporation and the water will have a chance to saturate into the soil. But don’t get it done at night since the water could potentially cause fungus to grow.

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.