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03 May 2017
Your Weekday Lawn Maintenance Checklist
May 3, 2017 By admin Lawn Maintenance Tips , , , ,

Here’s What Your Weekday Lawn Maintenance Checklist Should Look Like

A green yard is the landscapers’ dream and is almost as welcoming as a friendly dog. Besides boosting your landscape visual appearance, lawn that is green in color means it is healthy and strong enough to keep any weeds, pests and diseases at bay. Regardless of the season, your lawn requires your attention more than anything else in your yard, simply because it takes the largest part of it. Properly watering, regular fertilizing and weekly mowing are surely big musts, but they’re not enough.

Growing and maintaining a healthy and beautiful lawn does not require a lot of hours of landscaping work as much as it requires wise management. One great way to ensure your lawn is properly taken care of every week is to create a lawn maintenance checklist. The idea may sound a bit childish rather than efficient to you, but rest assured it will help you keep all things neat in your yard. Not only it is efficient and keeps you moving forward, but checking off the does you set for yourself can give you a sense of accomplishment too. If you decided to give it a try, here are 6 dos your weekly lawn maintenance must contain.

Watering: Watering is undoubtedly the most essential care tip for your lawn. Although it’s an obvious one, properly watering can be a bit tricky, as for how often and how much depends on multiple factors, such as your geographic location, your climate, type of grass and type of soil. If you live where the temperature goes beyond 100 Fahrenheit quite often, more frequent watering is of course required. The best time of the day to water an emerald-green lawn is early in the morning when the sun is still rising.

Mowing: Mowing is just as essential as watering and it is also known as a classical weekend activity. There are many different ways you can mow your grass, but usually it depends on the season. The ideal height also varies with each season. Over summer or during drought, you should allow any type of grass to grow taller, yet you should mow it once a week on a high setting. Over fall and spring, mowing once a week is also a must and over winter, weekly mowing is not necessary.

Eliminating weeds: Regardless of the type of grass, trees and shrubs you have in your yard, having a good control over weeds does a plenty of good for your lawn. A brief weekly walk around your landscape should be enough for you to identify any weeds that must go. Make sure to pull the weed off their root, because otherwise it will grow back. For the sneaky ones that hide among your lawn, you can apply a weed control product and wave them goodbye as well.

Edging Inspection: Any type of lawn starts showing some signs of wear when the summertime begins and that can certainly impact the curb appeal of your yard. The more often you maintain your yard’s edges, the better looking it will be. Look for any grass damage every week and take care of it right away. By putting the theory “Work smarter, not harder” into practice, you can greatly reduce the time you spend on landscape work per week.

Fixing Repairs: If you use to throw garden parties or gatherings often or you own a pet that enjoys digging spots of soil and grass, there must be some repairs that need to be taken care of. Remove the damaged patches of grass and reseed the area with the same type of grass. Although weekly check up for repairs and sorting them out immediately is efficient, you should think about reducing those lawn damages in a long run. For example, you could install stepping stones to prevent too much stepping on the lawn or choose a specific area for your pet’s playtime.

Insect Control: Chinch bugs, fire ants, fleas, mosquitoes, cutworms and similar types of pests could attack your lawn at anytime. What better and easier way to save your lawn than simply performing an insect control every week. Although in most cases grass can fight off these insects by itself, some can cause severe damages and affect your landscape’s visual appearance. A strong stream of water can help, chemicals too. The key is to take care of them on time.

15 Apr 2011
April 15, 2011 By admin Lawn Mowing Tips , , , ,

Lawn Mowing Tips – Grass Cutting & Edge Trimming Guide

By following simple recommended cutting heights for your grass type, you can make significant improvements to the health and presentation of your lawn. Setting your lawn mower to cut higher with longer cut grass, you can help improve and maintain the health of your lawn and help eliminate weed growth.

Lawn grass cutting – long and often
Regardless of grass type, you should always have your lawn mower set on a longer cut. Cutting your grass too short can encourage weed growth by allowing more light into the soil.

A good rule of thumb is to only cut one third off the grass height in any one mow. If your grass is overgrown, adjust your lawn mower to the highest setting possible, collecting the grass in the lawn mowers grass box or by raking with a leaf rake. Leave the lawn for a few days after cutting, then mow the grass at your desired height later.

Discarding grass clippings
Many people choose to dump grass clippings into refuse. Grass clippings can be a good source of nutrients including nitrogen. Never bin grass clippings, thrown them on a compost heap or use the clippings to start a new one. Alternatively, you can leave the grass box off your lawn mower and cut your grass without collecting. The grass clippings will break down fairly quickly and provide valuable nutrients to your lawn, cutting down on the need for fertiliser.

Recommended lawn grass cutting heights based on grass type
Each individual grass type requires slightly different cutting heights set on your lawn mower. Use the following table to find the recommended cutting height for your lawn.

  • Zoysia Grass, Centipede Grass: 1 – 2 inches (25 – 51mm)
  • Ryegrass: 1 1/2 – 2 inches (38 – 51mm)
  • Bermuda Grass: 1/2 – 1 inch (13 – 25mm)
  • Bent Grass: 1/4 – 1 inch (6 – 25mm)
  • Buffalo, Fescue, Blue Grama, Tall Grass: 2 – 3 inches (51 – 76mm)
  • Carpet grass: 2 – 3 inches (5.1 – 76mm)
  • Bahia Grass: 2 – 4 inches (51 – 10.2cm)
  • Floratam/St. Augustine: 2 – 4 inches (51 – 76mm)

Lawn edge trimming & repair
As mentioned previously, do not cut off more than 1/3 of the grass border height. The most popular power tool for trimming lawn edges is the string trimmer which uses a nylon plastic cord spinning at high speed, whipping and cutting the grass. Although popular, a string trimmer alone will not get you clean cut borders, you’ll need a manual or powered lawn edger for that. Some string power trimmers come with interchangeable heads for horizontal and vertical cutting without having to use two separate tools.

When trimming grass around trees, wrap a tree trunk protector around the base of the tree for protection. Damage to the cambium layer (under the tree bark) can kill off trees or cause serious damage. Alternatively, cut back grass at least 12 inches (300mm) from the tree base and surround with mulch or bark chippings.

Lawn edges can be trimmed manually with garden/grass shears (use long handled shears to save back pain) and half moon lawn edger, or with an electric or gas powered edger with star shaped blade for vertical cutting.

This work can be physically demanding causing significant pain to your arms, legs and back. Take regular breaks or consider hiring or buying a powered edger for large gardens.

Original article: Lawn Mowing Tips [http://www.gardengrower.co.uk/lawn-mowing-edge-trimming-tips]: Grass Cutting & Edge Trimming Guide @ Garden Grower Blog [http://www.gardengrower.co.uk]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_A_Bartlett

15 Apr 2011
April 15, 2011 By admin Lawn Mowing Tips , , ,

Effective Types Of Lawn Mowing Techniques Opted By You

One of the most important aspects of a lush green beautiful Naperville lawn is the type of mowing technique opted by you. Since improper mowing can solely result in a wide range of lawn related problems, therefore it is always advisable to go for the most optimum lawn mowing technique. In order to get the perfect lawn conditions that meet your expectations, a certain change in the mowing habits really prove out to be successful. So look out for the various techniques available and choose the most suited one.

Why mow your lawn?

Before learning about mowing techniques, it is important to learn the importance of mowing a lawn. Mowing is the only way of getting rid of certain unknown diseases and problems. It also helps growing thick grass and removing damaged tips as well as unwanted weeds. In case, no mowing is done, there are great chances of growth of inconspicuous flowers. Such flowers consist of allergic pollens and can prove very harmful for the lawn’s growth. Just make sure to undergo the correct mowing manner to avoid damage to the grass plant.

The techniques

The useful tips and techniques of mowing ensure that the lawn grass grows in a proper way and all the essential requirements are met. Some of such lawn mowing techniques recommended for lawn mowing includes-

· The type of mowing pattern plays a major role in getting the desired grass condition. Just make sure to use a varied mowing pattern each time you mow the lawn. Avoid mowing the lawn in the same direction every time. By choosing for a different pattern, the grass gets a chance to grow in an upright direction. Moreover, following the same pattern can also result in developing ruts that can make the lawn look disrupt.

· It is advisable that the time of mowing should be only determined on the basis of the height of the growth. You just need to learn about the grass type of your lawn and mow it accordingly. During spring, allow the grass to grow at least one-third more of its normal height and then mow it. In some cases, people mow on the basis of calendar and thus harm the lawn grass.

· It is important to choose the right mower with the suitable features. Make sure that the blades of the mower are sharp enough to make a clear and clean cut. An unsuitable mower can cause injury to the grass, and can even lead to disease and pest invasion.

· It is always advisable to cut a dry grass rather than cutting wet grass. While cutting wet grass, you may notice uneven cuts on the lawn.

· The sharp corners of a lawn should always be mowed at the end. Always mow down the rest of the lawn and then lastly mow the corners to avoid extra effort.

· The frequency of mowing is also a major lawn mowing technique that determines the lawn quality. Always mow at regular intervals and get the desired lawn look.

The above-mentioned tips and techniques of mowing ensure that you get a well-maintained lawn throughout the year. Just learn the techniques in the right manner to get the best results.

David S is a Lawn care expert. For more great tips on Mowing your Lawn and growing the Greenest Lawn visit http://www.mylawncaresecrets.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Spelling

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