Cut and Trim
Summer lawn care requires raising the lawn mower for cool season grasses, and lowering it for warm season lawns. Lawns will require longer and more frequent watering, best done in early morning to encourage a stronger root system. This is also the time to apply an all-purpose fertilizer.
In the autumn, lawns can be mowed at a lower height, and thatch buildup that occurs in warm season grasses should be removed, although lawn experts are divided in their opinions on this. This is also a good time to add a sandy loam and apply a fertilizer containing some type of wetting agent. Cool season lawns can be planted in autumn if there is adequate rainfall.
Lawn care in the winter is minimal, requiring only light feedings of organic material, such as green-waste compost, and minerals to encourage earthworms and beneficial microbes.
Maintaining high visibility lawns may require special maintenance procedures:
In the autumn, lawns can be mowed at a lower height, and thatch buildup that occurs in warm season grasses should be removed, although lawn experts are divided in their opinions on this. This is also a good time to add a sandy loam and apply a fertilizer containing some type of wetting agent. Cool season lawns can be planted in autumn if there is adequate rainfall.
Lawn care in the winter is minimal, requiring only light feedings of organic material, such as green-waste compost, and minerals to encourage earthworms and beneficial microbes.
Maintaining high visibility lawns may require special maintenance procedures:
- Mowing regularly with a sharp blade at an even height
- Not mowing when the lawn is wet
- Removing no more than 30% to 40% of the plant tissue
- Alternating the direction of cut from the previous mowing
Aeration
Aeration commonly refers to the process of using mechanized equipment to either puncture the soil with spikes (spike aeration) or remove approximately 1"X2" cores of soil from the ground (core aeration). Aeration may be overlooked when trying to restore a lawn but is vital to bring it back to health. It improves drainage and reduces puddles formation.
Spike aeration involves the use of an aeration machine with spikes up to a foot or more in length. It is sometimes used to address drainage issues in areas with turf. Core aeration is done on turf areas as a means of reducing turf compaction, reducing thatch buildup, improving the infiltration of water/nutrients, and creating an environment where grass seed can have direct contact with the soil. There are many types of lawn aerators including walk behind models, ride on versions and tractor pulled versions.
Spike aeration involves the use of an aeration machine with spikes up to a foot or more in length. It is sometimes used to address drainage issues in areas with turf. Core aeration is done on turf areas as a means of reducing turf compaction, reducing thatch buildup, improving the infiltration of water/nutrients, and creating an environment where grass seed can have direct contact with the soil. There are many types of lawn aerators including walk behind models, ride on versions and tractor pulled versions.
Mulching/Bed Edging
In temperate climates, the effect of mulch is dependent upon the time of year at which it is applied as it tends to slow changes in soil temperature and moisture content. Mulch, when applied to the soil in late winter/early spring, will slow the warming of the soil by acting as an insulator, and will hold in moisture by preventing evaporation. Mulch, when applied at the time of peak soil temperatures in mid-summer, will maintain high soil temperatures further into the autumn (fall). The effect of mulch upon soil moisture content in mid-summer is complex however. Mulch prevents sunlight from reaching the soil surface, thus reducing evaporation. However, mulch can absorb much of the rainfall provided during light rainfall, which will later quickly evaporate when exposed to sunlight, thus preventing absorption into the soil, while heavy rainfall is able to saturate the mulch layer, and reach the soil below.
In order to maximise the benefits of mulch, while minimizing its negative influences, it is often applied in late spring/early summer when soil temperatures have risen sufficiently, but soil moisture content is still relatively high.
Flower bed edgings help control the outward growth of the plants within it, stopping the spread of vines into the lawn or into other planting areas. Edging a flower bed also contributes to the look of the overall design of the flower bed, and makes it look finished as well as neat and contained.
In order to maximise the benefits of mulch, while minimizing its negative influences, it is often applied in late spring/early summer when soil temperatures have risen sufficiently, but soil moisture content is still relatively high.
Flower bed edgings help control the outward growth of the plants within it, stopping the spread of vines into the lawn or into other planting areas. Edging a flower bed also contributes to the look of the overall design of the flower bed, and makes it look finished as well as neat and contained.
Fertilization/Overseeding
Why You Need To Fertilize
- Most soils don't have all the nutrients a plant needs. Some say that darker soil means more nutrients, but that isn't always the case. Nutrients from soils can be robbed by weeds, other plants or man-made damage like pollution.
Plant fertilizers are made to replace nutrients. They are essentially food additives for plants. Fertilizers typically contain the main three nutrients plants need to grow: nitrates, phosphorous and potassium. Most also contain additional nutrients such as calcium, sulfur and magnesium. - When fertilizer is placed on plant or lawn soil, it adds a super-load of those nutrients. Combined with the water and planting soil, the plants absorb the fertilizer nutrients and grow at a healthier rate. Think of it as an instant multivitamin shot straight to your arm. But just like those shots, over fertilizing plants can do more harm than good. Plants can burn up from too much fertilizer. Over fertilized lawns also can put those extra nutrients well past the root-base of plants and straight into your environment's water system. Even slow-release fertilizers are subject to this problem.
- Different lawn types require different fertilizer mixes. You can tell the difference in fertilizers by reading the back of the bag and looking for the NPK label. The NPK label has numbers like 25-5-7 which stands for 25% nitrogen, 5% phosphate and 7% potassium. Match that up with what your grass needs. That information can be found on your grass seed bag.
- Although there are differing opinions as to when it is best to fertilize your lawn, the differences really depend on what area of the country you live in and what type of grass you are growing. For example, warm season grasses grown in the south are best fertilized right before the temperatures are between 80 and 95 degrees F. That means you should fertilize warm grasses around the early spring or when the grass is just starting to get green. With a combination of timing and care, it won't be long until your dead yard can resemble the White House lawn. It is also a good idea to "SOD" your lawn: Fertilize in September, October and November to spur healthy root growth.
Pruning/Hedging
Because gardeners train hedges to have thick foliage that grows low to the ground, frequent trimming is necessary for proper growth. An occasional trim may work for other shrubs in the garden, but it is not enough to keep hedges dense. Before pruning, however, gardeners need to protect their hedges' health by considering the safest times to prune.
Early Pruning
- Hedges need to be trimmed the most when they are young as they must remain very short to grow in dense and low to the ground. When transplanting young hedges, gardeners should reduce their height to just 6 or 8 inches. For the first two years, gardeners may cut away half of the new growth, according to the Arizona Cooperative Extension's "Arizona Master Gardener Manual"; this forces hedges' growing energy into producing denser foliage below the cuts.
- After a hedge has grown dense and reached the desired height, gardeners should prune new growth when it grows out every 6 to 8 inches, according to horticulturalists Mike Zins and Deborah Brown on the University of Minnesota Extension website. Typically, two major trims a year -- the first in spring and the second in mid-summer -- will keep hedges thick and robust.
- Seasonal timing is vital in keeping hedges healthy and, in the case of flowering shrubs, encouraging blooms. Trimming in the late dormant season -- typically in February and March -- will keep deciduous hedges healthy and inspire new growth just in time for spring. Evergreens prefer pruning slightly later in April. Hedges that bloom in the spring are exceptions as late winter and early spring pruning may remove their buds; gardeners should wait to trim them after the blooming period in mid-summer.
Leaf Removal/Clean-up
While some people enjoy raking up leaves in the fall months, for others it is a dreaded chore. No matter how you feel about leaf removal, the fact remains that it needs to be done to maintain the health of the underlying grass. Keep in mind, leaves not only need removed from the yard, but the gutters, stairwells ad flower beds as well. Leaf removal seems like a task anyone can tackle, but a few hours of it can have the average do it yourself-er without the right tools heading for a good soak in a hot tub, perhaps even a trip to the chiropractor!
Pressure Washing
Not only do we provide lawn/landscape services but we also provide pressure washing services. Pressure washing is often used to remove loose mold, grime, dust, and dirt from surfaces such as buildings and concrete surfaces. We can pressure wash your home, sidewalks, decks, driveways, etc. Interested? We will give you a quote; just simply fill out a form on our "free quote" tab.
Not only do we provide lawn/landscape services but we also provide pressure washing services. Pressure washing is often used to remove loose mold, grime, dust, and dirt from surfaces such as buildings and concrete surfaces. We can pressure wash your home, sidewalks, decks, driveways, etc. Interested? We will give you a quote; just simply fill out a form on our "free quote" tab.