If you are frustrated with the way your lawn looks for much of the year, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Many homeowners feel that the time they spend on their yard does not return the results they want. The good news is that most lawn maintenance problems can be analyzed and corrected with proper soil management, precision watering methods, and the right choice of grasses for your particular area.
During the winter months you have time to read up on grass and what makes it thrive or decline. There's no mowing or watering to be done in many regions, and the colorful flowers and vegetables in enticing seed catalogs are months away. If you want a gorgeous yard, you need to believe that grass can be as much fun as flowers.
Weeds that grow in your lawn compete with grass for sunlight, nutrients, and water. Since they can thrive with less of these things than most cultivated plants, they take over. Knowing the kinds of weeds that invade your yard is as important as checking the rate of growth and the color of the foliage of all your growing things.
Once you've identified them, you can then look up what soil pH they like. Two or more well-established acid-loving weeds mean that the soil pH is too high. It's more rare to find that the pH is too low, but this also impacts grass, which likes neutral conditions.
Weeds grow better on compacted soils which smother more shallow-rooted grasses. Moss shows that an area has poor drainage and stays soaked with excess rain or irrigation that collects in puddles. Weeds also need less fertility than cultivated plants, so mineral deficiencies and lack of nitrogen or organic matter affects their growth less than it does the plants you want to keep. Soil test kits and monitors are helpful tools, also.
Choosing the right grass for your region and the kind of lawn you want is very important. Grasses, like other plants, grow only in certain zones and precipitation conditions. For example, Blue Springs, Missouri, is in zone 6. Its temperate climate and plentiful rainfall makes fescues and Kentucky Bluegrass good choices for that region.
Along with loosening compacted soils with compost and aeration (removing plugs or piercing the surface of the ground with spikes) and correcting the pH and fertility, you need to focus on mowing and watering to best advantage. Mowing too frequently and keeping grass too short can weaken it. Tall fescue should be kept at about 3 1/2 to 4 inches tall. Watering is best when done regularly - once a week if it is thorough and the weather is not setting a heat record - and done early in the morning, between 6 and 9 AM. This allows the water to penetrate before evaporation peaks and foliage to dry, keeping fungus at bay.
It's easy to turn all these tasks over to lawn maintenance companies. However, if you prefer natural gardening and you like to care for your own plants, having a beautiful yard is entirely possible. Plan ahead for the next growing season and keep records of what works and what you learn as you go.
During the winter months you have time to read up on grass and what makes it thrive or decline. There's no mowing or watering to be done in many regions, and the colorful flowers and vegetables in enticing seed catalogs are months away. If you want a gorgeous yard, you need to believe that grass can be as much fun as flowers.
Weeds that grow in your lawn compete with grass for sunlight, nutrients, and water. Since they can thrive with less of these things than most cultivated plants, they take over. Knowing the kinds of weeds that invade your yard is as important as checking the rate of growth and the color of the foliage of all your growing things.
Once you've identified them, you can then look up what soil pH they like. Two or more well-established acid-loving weeds mean that the soil pH is too high. It's more rare to find that the pH is too low, but this also impacts grass, which likes neutral conditions.
Weeds grow better on compacted soils which smother more shallow-rooted grasses. Moss shows that an area has poor drainage and stays soaked with excess rain or irrigation that collects in puddles. Weeds also need less fertility than cultivated plants, so mineral deficiencies and lack of nitrogen or organic matter affects their growth less than it does the plants you want to keep. Soil test kits and monitors are helpful tools, also.
Choosing the right grass for your region and the kind of lawn you want is very important. Grasses, like other plants, grow only in certain zones and precipitation conditions. For example, Blue Springs, Missouri, is in zone 6. Its temperate climate and plentiful rainfall makes fescues and Kentucky Bluegrass good choices for that region.
Along with loosening compacted soils with compost and aeration (removing plugs or piercing the surface of the ground with spikes) and correcting the pH and fertility, you need to focus on mowing and watering to best advantage. Mowing too frequently and keeping grass too short can weaken it. Tall fescue should be kept at about 3 1/2 to 4 inches tall. Watering is best when done regularly - once a week if it is thorough and the weather is not setting a heat record - and done early in the morning, between 6 and 9 AM. This allows the water to penetrate before evaporation peaks and foliage to dry, keeping fungus at bay.
It's easy to turn all these tasks over to lawn maintenance companies. However, if you prefer natural gardening and you like to care for your own plants, having a beautiful yard is entirely possible. Plan ahead for the next growing season and keep records of what works and what you learn as you go.
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You can visit www.marshallslawnserviceinc.net for more helpful information about Good Soil Enables Easy Lawn Maintenance.
This type of article is interesting and fun to read. I love reading and I am always searching for informative info like this. Waste Management
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