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.
It's good to read up on the topic during winter months, when grass doesn't need attention. Put aside those colorful seed catalogs and focus on the plants that probably cover most of your yard. Grass can be as much fun as flowers.
Soil is the foundation of all that goes on in the garden. Healthy soil means strong, healthy plants that can resist insects, disease, and competition from weeds. Weeds, which can thrive in conditions that defeat plants we think more valuable, tell you a lot about your soil. The color of the foliage of both weeds and grasses, the kinds of weeds, and the luxuriance of growth helps you read conditions in your yard.
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.
After improving your soil (with organic fertilizers, minerals found in lime, epsom slats, and gypsum, and aeration techniques that allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate to plant roots) and choosing the right grass for your region, you need to learn about mowing and watering. Each grass has it's optimum height; tall fescue should be from 3 1/2 to 4 inches tall. Watering should be done every week in early morning - from 6 to 9 AM - generously enough to soak into the soil without running off or puddling.
You can turn all yard care over to professionals, but it's so satisfying to do lawn maintenance yourself. Be an informed gardener and enjoy the best-looking grass in the neighborhood, for which you can take the credit.
It's good to read up on the topic during winter months, when grass doesn't need attention. Put aside those colorful seed catalogs and focus on the plants that probably cover most of your yard. Grass can be as much fun as flowers.
Soil is the foundation of all that goes on in the garden. Healthy soil means strong, healthy plants that can resist insects, disease, and competition from weeds. Weeds, which can thrive in conditions that defeat plants we think more valuable, tell you a lot about your soil. The color of the foliage of both weeds and grasses, the kinds of weeds, and the luxuriance of growth helps you read conditions in your yard.
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.
After improving your soil (with organic fertilizers, minerals found in lime, epsom slats, and gypsum, and aeration techniques that allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate to plant roots) and choosing the right grass for your region, you need to learn about mowing and watering. Each grass has it's optimum height; tall fescue should be from 3 1/2 to 4 inches tall. Watering should be done every week in early morning - from 6 to 9 AM - generously enough to soak into the soil without running off or puddling.
You can turn all yard care over to professionals, but it's so satisfying to do lawn maintenance yourself. Be an informed gardener and enjoy the best-looking grass in the neighborhood, for which you can take the credit.
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You can visit www.marshallslawnserviceinc.net for more helpful information about Good Soil Enables Easy Lawn Maintenance.
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