Friday

Lawn Care for Dummies


Lawn care tips usually take into consideration the organic part of caring for your grass. Lawn care tips should also take into account mowing the yard as well. There are time to mow and times not to. You shoul make sure the blade is set at the correct height. This article will go over these type of lawn care tips.

Never cut more than one-third of the grass length in a session. This is done because cutting more than a third will shock the grass and result in poor rooting. If your lawn has grown out of control, try to mow again after two days.

A longer lawn is healthier than a short lawn. This doesn't mean that you should allow your lawn to go crazy but instead avoid cutting the lawn too short because it will be more susceptible to weeds. A longer lawn can also provide shade that will result in cooler soil that won't need as much irrigation. The shade also inhibits the growth of various kinds of weeds. The best form of weed control is to have a thick healthy lawn, which crowds out the weeds as well as not cutting the grass to short keeps the weeds in more shade, preventing them from receiving needed sunlight.

Don't mow a wet lawn. Mowing a wet lawn can easily spread lawn fungus and grubs more quickly than mowing a dry lawn. Try to schedule your mowing in the evening or late afternoon since your lawn has probably dried up from the watering or morning dew.

Keep your lawn mower blades sharp. Blunt lawn mower blades mean that you aren't cutting the grass but tearing them apart. Not only will your lawn look ragged in appearance but the rough edges will increase the chances of lawn diseases. Try to replace your lawn mower blades the first time you see frayed or torn grass blades.

These lawn care tips will aid you in having a lush lawn during the growing season. Having a beautiful and lush lawn is what every howmowner ultimately srtives for. It can be hard work but enjoyable at the same time.



Only one thing is standing between you and a fabulous lawn: It's called Lawn Care For Dummies. If you want a spiffy and well-coifed lawn (and not the overgrown, unruly one that people comment on when they pass by your house), you'll find everything you need to know to help you make your lawn the most dazzling spectacle on the block.

Let authors Lance Walheim and the gardening experts at the National Gardening Association treat you and your yard to a megadose of lawn care information. In Lawn Care For Dummies, Walheim and the NGA give you the dirt on all the essentials, including how to

  • Design a low-maintenance or a high-maintenance lawn
  • Evaluate the pros and cons of planting a lawn from seed or starting one from sod
  • Discover how often you need to water your lawn without under-watering it or waterlogging it
  • Choose a mower that's right for your grass type
  • Deal effectively with wicked weeds and pesky insects
  • Create alternative lawns, such as ground cover plants, decks, and patios
Lawn Care For Dummies also features a beautiful color insert with photos illustrating the various types of lawns found in yards across the world.
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Monday

Early Spring Lawn Care Options

Early spring lawn care is required if you want to have a beautiful lawn during the hot and sometimes dry summer months. Early spring lawn care can depend on the climate. For cool-seasons, there is a technique gardeners can do in order for their lawn to maintain the lush and green characteristic.

Early spring lawn care begins with knowing your soil by conducting soil tests. Some of these come in pre-paid boxes that can be ordered online or bought in the store. The soil test indicates the amount of acidity (pH), the main nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, present, the organic matter and the micronutrients. The test will also point out the deficiencies which can be corrected.

Healthy soil needs biological activity. Therefore, there is a need for microorganisms and earthworms. The biological activity entails enough organic matter in order for the lawn to flourish in its natural green state.

In early spring lawn care, there must be the cleaning up and aeration of the lawn. Here is how you can do it. Thaw and dry out the ground before winter comes. Aerate the lawn by using spiked clogs.

Aeration alleviates the compact thickness in between the grounds density which results from gravity and winter snows. Through this cleaning up process, the soil gets injected by oxygen, making it easier for biological activity to take place. It also helps the penetration of fertilization in the roots.

It also helps to apply organic herbicides during early spring lawn care. The amount should be at least 20 lbs for every 1000 sq. ft. Choose organic herbicides that are made from corn gluten meal or have been proven to be a pre-emergent herbicides that are organic.

Afterwards, apply complete organic fertilizer. The amount is the same as that of the herbicide 20 lbs for every 1000 square feet. You can alternately apply herbicides and fertilizers every six weeks. Choose a fertilizer that is made from the best blended organic materials.

When you being to mow, you should do so at a cutting height of 3 inches at least. The exception to this rule is when they are the last cuts of the season by cutting low to an inch. Leave clippings on the lawn and you have to keep the blade of your mower sharp.

There are benefits to cutting the lawn at the right height during early spring lawn care. One of which is that the weeds are choked out, therefore making the roots develop and resistant to hardiness and drought.

From the original TAYLOR'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING, published in 1936, to the current best-selling Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening, the Taylor name has stood for the very best information available to American gardeners. Now this all-new series extends the market to new gardeners (and new garden-book buyers).
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Saturday

Lawn Care Without Spending Lots of Time and Money

There is no easy way to do lawn care spend time and money while doing it. Lawn care can be a chore if there is not some prevention involved in the maintenance. Homeowners typically want grass that is green, thick and lush. In order to have this perfect of a lawn will require the proper amount of feeding, weeding and mowing of the grass.

There are many steps involved in achieving the perfect lawn, including fertilizing and thatching in the spring, more fertilizer throughout the year and aerating and over seeding in the fall. If there are 20 houses on the block with perfect looking lawns and you ask the homeowners their secret, they will usually offer 20 different lawn care tips that enable them to have a yard worthy of getting their picture in a magazine. However, many folks do not have the time or money to spend on the type of lawn care that is required to achieve perfection.

For many folks there will come a time when the lawn looks good enough and they will move on to another home project. One of the best things a person can do for proper lawn care is to not cut too often or over water their grass.

Those without the time that have the money may consider paying someone for lawn care service. This does not mean paying the kid next door a few bucks to cut the grass. Unless they are an agronomy student, they probably do not know enough about appropriate lawn care beyond starting the mower.

Cutting the grass too short is a common mistake of lawn care with most thinking by having it short they can wait longer between cuttings. This places the roots in jeopardy for damage by the sun and allows the soil to dry out, effectively killing the grass. As a general rule of thumb, no more than one third of the blade of grass should be cut off, meaning the grass will probably have to be cut more often.

Proper lawn care calls for the grass to receive about an once of water every week. It may be best to water the lawn once a week, depending onthe weather, than to simply sprinkle a little bit of water every day. You want the roots to grow deep and a good soaking is best for that. Sprinklin encourages the roots to grow shallow.