Tips For Year Round Lawn Care

Looking after a garden is a year round job for some. If you get a brief break because there is snow on the ground, then there maybe some things you might want to research before Spring.

Spring isn't the only nor always the best time to do prep work. If you need to re-seed patches where the lawn looks bare, just before the snow comes is a good time of the year to start. The seeds will get worked into the soil as the snow falls and lay dormant during the winter months.

Once spring and the first melt arrive then the seeds will be in good mud and the early stages of germination will begin. Once they start getting the sun then good, fresh grass should follown in a couple of weeks.

Crabgrass and its relatives don't thrive in the Fall or Winter and this means that you have a head start on that kind of weed control. As the new lawn grass starts to spread, it has a good chance of stopping the crabgrass, and with any luck it won't develop at all.

Start applying the Spring fertilizer at the earliest possible time. This will help give the young shoots a good start and, if you use fertilizer that also controls weeds, you may solve two problems in one go.

As that snow continues to melt off there will be areas where the grass has become thatched - this is a condition in which the blades get lain over one another, then compressed from the snow pack on top. Some of these may die over the winter and this can leave you with a kind of straw-like covering, hence the name 'thatch'.

Doing something about this is easy. Just cut the grass a little later in Fall than you need to so that the length is controlled. This restricts the height and helps keep thatching to a minimum.

In Spring give the grass a good raking. Of course, if you raked in the Fall, there won't be any leaves to get rid of but the extra raking helps pull up thatched areas and allows air to get to the soil.

If the ground has become hard, or the soil is easily compacted, you can follow that up with an aeration. This can be done either by using a special attachment on a riding lawnmower and running it over the grass, or using special large-drum rollers with spikes poking out.

An inexpensive way is to use special shoes which are like golf shoes with spikes on the bottom. You just put them on then walk around the area you want to aerate. The tiny holes made by the shoes allow air to penetrate the soil more easily. At the same time, it makes channels for solid fertilizer pellets to fall into.

After de-thatching and aerating, your lawn will be ready for you to carry out any weed control and to start seeding, fertilizer application and regular mowing.

Lawn care may not be easy but it is worthwhile.

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Lawn Aeration and Why It’s Important

Most homeowners don’t put a lot of thought into their yard work. Plant the grass, put out some fertilizer, keep it hydrated, and mow it on a regular basis. Rinse, repeat, and think about other things in the meantime. While this process may be enough for some people, for others it won’t quite get the job done. If you’ve ever looked at your yard and compared it to your neighbors, wondering why you have patches of brown and his looks lush and full, it could be time to take the next step in grass care. Lawn aeration may be the next step for you.

The need for lawn aeration can be indicated by a number of symptoms. Normally, if you’re doing everything right for your yard but still have problems, this could be a sign that it is right for you. For instance, if you’re giving your grass a good amount of fertilizer and keeping it watered, by all rights you should have a fairly lush yard. If not, you could need to take some extra steps. Over time, people walking on the grass can cause your soil to become hard and compact, preventing the water and food from reaching the roots of the grass. When this happens, the grass will begin to die off no matter how much water and fertilizer you give it. Your only solution may be lawn aeration.

So what is lawn aeration? The concept is actually very simple. It is the process of punching holes in your yard, loosening up the soil. When the compact soil is broken up, it creates easy pathways for water and food to get down to the roots of the grass. Imagine trying to feed goldfish in a fishbowl that had an immovable top. How long do you think the fish would last in such an environment? The same principle applies here. Not only does this process allow the food and water to get to the roots, it breaks up the roots themselves and disentangles them, creating an environment where new root growth is possible.

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Referrals apply to residential customers only.

Lawn Care By The Season

Your yard will not be the same in winter as it is in the summer, and your regular lawn care routine will determine how many blooms you get as well as how dense your grass is in the spring.
Each different season brings different lawn care needs. Simply mowing and picking up the dead leaves will not be enough to ensure a bright and healthy garden by the spring. In order to keep your yard looking its best year-round, it is important to perform regular maintenance. The most beautiful yards have generally been planned and started well in advanced of when you seem them at their peak.

Spring
Mild weather and good growing conditions mark this season in most climates. Spring is a great time for lawn care enthusiasts because it's when a lot of the action takes place. You get to plant beds of colorful flowers, see blooms burst open, and any fruit or vegetables will start to bud. While spring is the time for planting, there is still other regular maintenance that is needed. Pests can start to nest and breed, which will quickly run afoul of your garden if left untreated. It is important to give your soil and grass a thorough inspection as well. Check to the soil to see it has become too compacted. If so, it will need to be aerated. Re-seeding and fertilizing may also be necessary to fill out bald patches.

Summer
Lawn care under the hot sun isn't the best chore, but if left untreated your lawn will take a beating from the heat. Frequent watering will be necessary to keep it somewhat lush, and the best times are when the weather is still cool such as early morning or late evening. Leaving the blades longer is suggested, so cut down on the amount of cutting. Fertilizer may be useful, but use it cautiously as the heat cannot only make the odor twice as deadly, but too much can burn up the lawn. Keep weeding as needed.

Fall
This is the season that many gardens fall into neglect due to the heavy workload. Most people's lawn care routines will consist of raking, raking, and more raking. If you're stuck with a lot of leaves, make the most of it and turn it into mulch to feed your lawn. Fall is all about cleanup and prepping for the coming spring, so it is important to not fall too far behind on maintenance. Work on strengthening your lawn by using winter fertilizer and de-weeding vigorously. Keep the blades clipped short, but not too short that they lose insulation during the winter months.

Winter
If you live in a colder climate, say goodbye to your yard for a few months and be sure to leave it neat and trim. Most plants become dormant so there is no need to mow or prune. You may wish to aerate, fertilize, and reseed just before the onset of cold. Article Submission, but you may have to repeat this process in the spring as well. People living in warmer climates with no snowfall can continue to care for their garden as if it was the fall. A little bit of trimming and pulling weeds should keep it strong.

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Helpful Lawn Care Tips

Creating a lawn that your neighbors will envy takes time and dedication. If you follow some very basic principles you will have a green lawn in no time. Here are some lawn care tips that will get your lawn in shape for BBQ season: Mowing
• Mow the grass at a height of 2.5-4 inches.
• Do not set your mower too low. Cutting your grass too short will not allow your lawn’s roots to grow deep. • Mowing should be done when the grass is dry. Mowing wet grass can cause disease.
• Use a high quality mower with a sharp blade.
• Sharpen the mower blades before mowing or at least once every 7-10 uses.
• Leave the clippings on the lawn. It will add nutrient as well will act as a mulch. Watering
• Apply water to keep the soil moist.
• Soak your lawn so the water penetrates the soil. Applying water to the surface makes the grass roots grow very shallow.
• Water when there is need, otherwise do not water.
• Do not over water lawns. This will cause disease, water loss, and other problems in most lawns.
• Apply water in the early morning.
• Do not water in the evening, this may create problems for the lawn. Fertilizing
• Use compost to improve the soil structure. You can apply compost at any time.
• Before seeding, mix compost and fertilizers in with the soil.
• In seeding, use a slow release fertilizer at the time of seeding. Again apply a fast release fertilizer after the seeds have germinated.
• Use commercial fertilizers which carry all the three major plant nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
• Fertilizer rates, application time and application process varies.
• There are different fertilizers available like organic, synthetic, inorganic, slow release, fast release etc. Use the appropriate fertilizer for your lawn and region.
• Tests your soil before applying fertilizers. Overseeding and Replacing Sod
• The best time for over seeding is early fall.
• Important for lawns which get more shade.
• Add compost while overseeding.
• When replacing sod, cut the affected lawn out with a spade or shovel and create a nice crisp edge before planting the new sod.
• Add fertilizer to newly replaced area.
• After installing the sod, use a soil press or roll it to get contact with the soil Aerating
• Aerate your lawn from time to time. Typically once in the fall and once in the spring.
• Keep checking I the soil to make sure it is ok.
• Use aeration to reduce compactness of soil and to remove the thatch.
• You can use mechanical and/or hand aerators. Thatching
• Try to thatch at least once per year. Thatch can stunt the growth of lawn’s and can prevent healthy growth. • Old thatch is difficult to remove.
• Use aeration to reduce thatch problems. Pest Management
• Lawn pests need to be managed with organic methods or pesticides.
• You can use mechanical method, cultural method, chemical method or biological method to control pests.
• One option is to use chemical pesticides to control pests. Make sure you read the warning labels. You may also want to look at organic options if you have children or pets.
• While using chemicals, be sure to follow the instructions.
• Follow the recommended dose to avoid toxicity to the grass. Weeding
• Weeding is very important and should be done in the fall and spring.
• Use pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides to kill the weeds.
• Mulching helps in weed control.
• Do not apply herbicide soon after seeding or after emergence of the grass seeds. For more information visit: http://www.lawn-care-secrets.com Lawn Care Tips

Article Tags: Lawn Care Tips, Lawn Care, Care Tips

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How to Take Care of Your Lawn

Lawns are great elements of homes. They are what people living in apartments and large buildings are giving up. Some might say that lawns just waste very valuable space, but a lawn provides more than aesthetic additions to a nice home. There many time-tested, age-old activities that can only be done in a lawn, and if you care for your children, or the people you live with, it is best not to deprive them of such priceless joys. A lot of people who might have the space and money to have a lawn are quite hesitant with keeping one. The efforts needed to take care of a lawn seem too hard to handle. But with the right know-how, this can actually be an easy task to take care of.

Establishing Your Lawn

There are many ways of establishing a lawn, and the one you use depends so much on the situation of your lawn, whether it is new or an existing one that needs to be refurbished. For existing lawns, that just need to be revamped, you only need to aerate it or add more seeds. This can easily be done by means of an aerator - a machine that digs holes in the ground making air more available to the soil. This can be brought in garden and landscaping supplies store, online. Once aerating is done, you can then spread your seeds. Much care is needed at this point since if you do not use enough seeds, your lawn would not be as think as you want too, if you use too much, the grass may overcrowd and end up growing irregularly. It is important to use a spreader when doing this as doing it by hand causes uneven coverage.

The process is quite similar when you are starting from scratch. The difference is you need more planning as to which parts of your lot would be covered with grass, which ones would be covered by stone or concrete. Of course, more seeds or grown grass would be needed since your lot would still be bare. It is good to consult with a landscaping architect when you are on this very early stage of lawn care.

Feeding Your Lawn

A great part of lawn care is providing your grass area with the right nutrients to is as green and as lively as possible. During the initial stages of lawn care, you would need starter fertilizers, that help seeds germinate quickly, so that they spread fast and cover your lot easily. But once the grass has covered your lot enough, you need to change your fertilizer. Usual lawn care requires only about four fertilizer applications every year. Usually after every two months during the growing seasons. It is important not to use too much though, because excessive fertilizer would make the grass conducive for fungus growth and weaken the grass.

Hydration

Grasses are basically plants, and they cannot live without water. More than fertilizers, grass need water to grow well and watering takes up the bulk of lawn care. While doing it manually by using a hose seems to be cheap, it actually could make you waste more water. It is ideal to have automatic sprinklers installed to make sure that you grass gets watered at the right time and the right amounts; you would be saving a lot on your water bills if you do not skimp on your watering system, you would also be saving a lot of time and effort when you have automated and programmable sprinklers.

Controlling Weed

Of course you want your lawn to grow grass that you intended to grow. It is annoying to find stray shrubs that could rob your lawn off nutrients and not to mention aesthetic space. You want your lawn as smooth and even as possible, without strange plants sticking up. You may manually remove weeds, but this process would only work temporarily, thus you may benefit from weed killers, just make sure you do not put too much that they kill your own grass.

Keeping Your Lawn Trimmed

Mowing is critical to keep a good lawn. You should mow your lawn whenever the grass is too long. However you should take care to set your mower at a right height so that it would not scrape your lawn and remove grass. Mowing also helps your grass grow healthily as it trims dead grass blades and allows the rest of your turf to get enough sunlight.

Lawn care can be simple and easy if you know what you need to do to keep a good lawn. To know more about lawn care, you may simply consult with your local lawn care experts and read about lawn care tips online and on print.
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Lawn Care For Your Home

A well maintained lawn proves to be the ideal spot to spend one's evening or early mornings and enjoy the fresh air and smell of the green grass. The kids can play exciting games in the lawn and a pretty lawn also proves to be a perfect location to host parties and get to gathers.

We see that many of the apartment owners in the western countries have their own lawns. It is extremely essential to maintain the lawn as an unkempt lawn can look very ugly. One should trim the grass once every week with a lawn mower. People also go for apartments with pretty lawns as they can while away their time there.

It is very much necessary to take proper care of the lawn. For example after the rainy season the lawn may become untidy. Too much trampling in the wet lawn can hamper the growth of grass and also cause dirt spots or brown spots. Use fungicides in the case of the grass being infected with fungus disease and also spray the lawn with insecticides if the lawn is infested with a lot of insects. Always ensure that the grass is watered every single day and the lawn falls under direct, natural sunlight. If there are chances of the lawn getting less sunlight, then one can shift to a lawn requiring less sunlight in the first case.

If the lawn is wet one should not mow it as this can trample the roots. One can water the lawn with a manual sprinkler or use automatic sprinklers. There are many types' sprinklers available in the market and one should find out the type of sprinkler system needed for a particular lawn. Also while using fertilizers or fungicides one should take care not to overdo it as the fertilizers contain nitrogen that can damage the roots permanently. Also during summers, it is prudent to water the lawn more often as the water evaporates at a faster rate than in winter.

Hence we see how keeping a well maintained lawn is appreciated by everyone. One can enjoy walking barefoot on the lawn and the kids enjoy playing in it in their free time. A lawn should be well looked after throughout the year and one can not afford to neglect its maintenance and care. The lawn proves to be one of the safest of places for the kids to play. But it is very necessary to keep the mowers and other equipment away from the kids when the kids are playing in the lawn. Also while maintaining the lawn look out for any sharp objects that can be present in the grass and dispose them off immediately. 

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