How to Care For a Lawn: March 2008

Wednesday

How to Save Money on Lawn Care Services

Lawn care services do what homeowners do not have time to do anymore and that is lawn upkeep. It takes time to weed, feed and cut your lawn. Depending how large your yard is it may make more sense to have lawn care services take care of the chore. There are ways you can actually save money on lawn care services. Here are some practical steps that you can take to have professionals maintain your lawn without you having to spend so much.

If you are renting your home, try to negotiate with your landlord or landlady to have the lawn care service included in the rent. This is best done before your sign your lease contract and you will definitely save money if you have the lawn care service taken care of in your lease.

If your landlord or landlady does not give in to your request ask around recommended lawn care services. Ask for affordable providers that provide quality services. Lease companies should know their way around the real estate business and they will probably have contacts with different maintenance businesses including lawn care service providers.

Do as much yard work as you can on your own. There are many menial lawn care chores that you can actually do by yourself. Hire lawn care services only when there are big jobs that you can't do yourself. This cuts down how often you'll need a professional service to maintain your lawn. Doing the yard work yourself is also a great form of exercise and a nice way to fully appreciate your lawn.

Lawn care is very important if you want to keep your house as beautiful as you want, at least from the outside. With a little common sense, you can definitely save money on lawn care service.

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The Everything Lawn Care Book

The Everything Lawn Care Book: From Seed to Soil, Mowing to Fertilizing-Hundreds of Tips for Growing a Beautiful Lawn (Everything Series)

Keeping your yard in prime condition isn't always easy. From too much shade to too little water, and from persistent pests to heavy usage, it seems there is always an obstacle to overcome. But with The Everything Lawn Care Book in hand, anyone can grow a gorgeous lawn!

The Everything Lawn Care Book shows you how to nurture and maintain your lawn based on your property's needs - and according to your lifestyle. Filled with easy-to-follow instructions and professional pointers, this book proves that you don't need a green thumb to have a green lawn. From seeding and sodding to alternative landscaping options for difficult areas, The Everything Lawn Care Book can help you perfect your lawn - no matter what condition it is in.

You'll learn how to:

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Prevent and kill weeds

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All Green Lawn Care for a Beautiful Yard

All green lawn care will help you have a beautiful lawn that will make you proud to show off. Homeowners spend a lot of time and money creating lawns that are fun to look at and nice to play on. These all green lawn care tips will show you how to create that fantastic lawn.

One of the most valuable tips when it comes to caring for your lawn is to mow high, preferably about 2.5 inches or so. This is because if you mow too short you are going to end up weakening the root system and then this will end up giving the weeds a chance to compete with the grass, which is obviously the last thing that you want.

You also want to make sure that you mow in different directions and always alter the pattern each time so that you are not just repeating over the same rows time and time again. This will result in you being able to cut more leaf surface on weeds that may be leaning in one direction or another and also helps to reduce soil compaction and turf wear overall.

It is critical in the matter of lawn care that you make sure your mower blades are always as sharp as possible, and this means taking the lawnmower in to get the blades sharpened at least once every year, at the start of the season is ideal of course because then you will have sharper blades over the duration of the entire season.

Another of the most important lawn care tips is to water infrequently and deeply in order to encourage deep roots. You do not have to be exact when it comes to the amount that you water, but you can measure rainfall and sprinkler water with a rain gauge or container with straight vertical sides, in order to get an average.

In terms of pests, remember that turf diseases are easily confused with other problems such as fertilizer burn and even dog urine, so make sure that you are positive of what the problem actually is rather than just assuming and going ahead with a treatment method.

All lawn care tips are useful, and the more educated you make yourself the healthier and more beautiful a lawn you are going to have.

Sunday

How to Handle Lawn Care Problems

Lawn care problems always pop up at some point during the gropwing season. It might be a bad patch of grass or some kind of bug infestation eating away at the roots of your grass. It is a drag but you want to get a handle on these lawn care problems as soon as possible to alleviate it from geting worse.

Weeds are the biggest lawn care problems. These are plants, but they can destroy the good looks of your lawn in no time. You will have to identify what type of weed or weeds you are dealing with. Destroy them when they are still young, usually in early spring, late spring or fall. If you're planning on using chemical herbicides, ask your local retailer for advice on which weed killer to use and make sure to follow instructions to the letter.

If, however, your effort fails after one year, consider using a herbicide to destroy all your grass. Let it rest for a few weeks and then simply replant.

A common source of lawn care problems arfe bugs because they like to eat your plants. Bugs can either target the leaves or go for the roots. Worse, they leave eggs that can be as unsightly as they are destructive. If you notice those patches of dying brown grass on your lawn before the fall season, you might be having problems with bugs.

Best control with carefully chosen insecticide during summer when the eggs are newly laid. Combine with a good measure of fertilizer to give your plants a boost.

If you have a dog your grass may be suffering from him peeing in the same place over and over. Move the dog around to different parts of the yard.

If there are certain areas in your lawn that have bald spots, check if these are high traffic areas. Consider using stone paths to protect the spots instead. If not, rake the soil in spring or early in the fall and reseed. Keep moist for two to three weeks. This will help control these lawn care problems.

The Everything Lawn Care Book