Thursday, March 28, 2013

Intensive Yard Maintenance Approaches From A Kansas City Landscaper

By Tim Ward


A well informed and inspired person doesn't need to leave a professionally kept lawn to the professionals. But as the same time a lush yard requires much more than a weekly cut and water. This article will give you an idea of the broad spectrum of lawn care approaches that professional Kansas City landscapers apply.

You must acknowledge the demands of your grass as a living thing. Properly addressing each part of the lawn- root and leaf- means the lawn will get what is requires in the right time and right way. Being aware of the demands of your grass will not fix anything, however. You must also understand how to take care of them properly.

Kansas City Landscapers know the first 3" of soil should be conditioned if the lawn is going to reach its full potential. The goal of this preparation is a "loamy" texture that is somewhat compressible and retains moisture. The aim of this texture is proper hydration and gas-diffusion. Experts recognize that roots need to "breathe" a little bit of oxygen, yet stay moist.

An alkaline or acidic soil must also be treated. There are various types of test-kits in Kansas City landscaping supply stores. The acidity can be tweaked with lime or other products, like sphagnum peat moss, sulfur, or wood ash. A slightly acidic pH (6.7) is the best for most grass varieties. Check with local Kansas City landscaping suppliers for the price of materials and instructions.

Kansas City's water run-off tendencies can mean pools of standing water or heavy erosion on your property, which can eventually harm grass roots. If you are not proactive, one storm can do significant damage. Water left standing too long can suffocate roots and leaves or promote disease. Grass that is not well-rooted will be killed by fast-moving water and the essential top layer of soil will be removed. Solve the issue by changing the level of the low areas and steep areas with soil. Sod, erosion blankets, and new landscaping itself are more drastic solutions for drastic erosion issues.

You will need to choose between using sod or seed for covering bare areas. Seed is much cheaper but is more difficult and labor-intensive while it establishes itself.

Strategically using a variety of grasses together will reveal which one develops best in your particular situation. This can be particularly helpful if more than one condition is present- like when one area of the yard is heavily shaded and another receives full sun. This will cause the yard to thrive, though the lawn may not be uniform in color and texture. You might need another opinion on the subject. If so, speak with a local Kansas City landscape contractor..

Watering is a commonly misunderstood concern. Too often unawareness and assumption lead to a stressed and unhealthy lawn. Saturating the soil once per week, enough to keep the soil damp, is the general rule of thumb among Kansas City landscapers. Thatch and fungus are a result of over watering, while watering too little will obviously dehydrate the roots. The soil conditioning plays the largest role in deciding how to water. If it drains too quickly without retaining water or does not drain well you will have to adjust. One watering per week at around 2 inches is sufficient for most lawns.

Too much thatch can become an issue if left unattended. This breeding ground for pests and disease can harm the grass in several ways. But thatch that is kept in check, or that decomposes fairly quickly, is actually helpful.

De-thatching the yard will be needed here and there, even if the yard seems to be doing fine at the moment. A hand rake or power-rake are the two options when de-thatching. The goal is to draw much of the thatch out of the yard and remove it. If properly dried, thatch can provide great composting material.

Snowfall and frost will compress the soil every year. Necessary water, nutrient, and gas exchange will be choked or even stopped, which translates to an unfit lawn.

Aeration is the remedy Kansas City landscapers apply to this condition. An aerator cuts holes throughout the yard that simulate the natural holes of foraging birds and animals. This not only decompresses the soil but also provides surface-area for effective gas-exchange.

It is far more effective to stop weeds before they can emerge. To accomplish this Kansas City landscapers employ a pre-emergent. A pre-emergent is a compound that, just as you may guess, stops weeds before they can come out. So the weeds don't even take root. This will save a lot of time and labor trying to take out established weeds.

You have to feed the grass just like any other creature. Your yard will lose nutrients over time through various processes. Nutrients must be replaced or the yard will become sickly and prone to disease. Kansas City landscapers recommend at least two feedings per year. And if it does not get too hot, where the grass is too stressed to feed, a Summer feeding is ideal. You can feed the lawn with chemicals or, a more natural method, manure and compost.

Whenever the grass is too long, or if it has gone to seed, you should mow it and wait a few days before fertilizing, if not the nutrition will be concentrated in some areas and never reach other areas. Yet, if the grass has just been cut the fertilizer can do some major harm to the already stressed plants. It is significant to point out that many Kansas City landscapers recommend the higher settings on the mower for this reason and the problems the lawn experiences if it is cut too short.

Once per year Kansas City landscapers employ a fungicide for preventing the spread of disease. Shaded and damp yards and gardens are particularly prone to infection. Kansas City landscaping is especially vulnerable to fungus in warmer months while it rains and the water does not dry completely.

As is true in so many cases, proactive cultivation and diligence will make all the difference when tough times come. Strategic care will always save you work and headaches later on. A stressed or underfed lawn can be fragile and permanently harmed by even one day of bad weather but a healthy yard will stay strong through tough times.

The good Kansas City landscaper will tell you that it is not as easy as people may think but it is needed if your yard is going to reach its full potential. You will find few home-improvement projects as rewarding as gardening and lawn-care. So what are you waiting for? Get rolling!




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