Archive for the ‘Landscaping’ Category
Richard Gilliland asked:
Part of the fun of living in Orlando is the ability to grow a lush lawn in every season. Outdoor recreation is enhanced by a beautiful lawn. For the best looking lawn in your neighborhood, twelve months out of the year, follow these lawn care tips for Orlando homeowners.
• Keep your grass mown at the tallest possible height for the grass species in your lawn. Grass grows a root system that is directly proportional to the height of the grass plant aboveground. To encourage healthy root growth, and reduce the need for watering, keep your grass as high as is optimum for the species.
• Keep your mower blades sharp. Sharp mower blades have several benefits. First, you will use less fuel to mow the lawn if mower blades are kept sharp. Second, your lawn will look cleaner and greener. The “whitish haze” on newly mown lawns is caused by mowers with dull blades that tear rather than cut the grass. The incomplete tears dry up and turn brown, rather than healing cleanly and staying green.
• Get a soil test at least once a year and amend the soil accordingly. Soil test instructions and kits are available from your local cooperative extension office. A qualified landscape professional can also collect a soil sample and send it for analysis. Before spending money on fertilizer, it is a good idea to have a soil test. The nutrients your grass needs might be in the soil already, but unavailable due to soil pH or the lack of organic matter. (A common problem in the sandy soils of Florida.) You may need to adjust the soil type or acidity before fertilizing to get the most bang for your buck.
• Leave grass clippings on your lawn. Warm season grasses are prone to thatch problems, but grass clippings do not cause thatch buildup. If you remove no more than 1/3 of the grass blade at any time while you are mowing, the clippings will dry up and decompose quickly, adding precious organic matter back into the soil.
• Aerate in the spring or fall, but not during the summer. Aerating is both beneficial and stressful for your grass. During hot Orlando summers, aerating can cause unnecessary stress for the plants. A spring or fall aeration schedule will allow your plants to recover quickly from being sliced apart. For best results, top-dress with a compost/topsoil blend. This will help amend the soil and add organic matter, as well as counter the effects of soil compaction. Aerating is especially important for lawns that see a lot of recreational use.
• Water deeply and infrequently. Depending on the time of year, your grass will need more or less water. December-March, your lawn will need about 1/3 as much water as during the summer months. This is because the grass is mostly dormant and not actively growing. This watering technique will also help your grass plants grow deep roots, which will come in handy during a drought.
• Calibrate sprinkler heads. To be certain that your lawn is being watered evenly, check your sprinkler system. Put five straight sided cans or pans around your yard and turn on the sprinklers for a timed run. After the sprinklers cut off, measure the amount of water in each pan. If one contains more than the other, you need to re-calibrate the distance and overlap of the sprinkler heads, or check for leaks.
A well-maintained lawn can provide hours of peaceful relaxation after the work is done. For the healthiest lawn in Orlando, Florida, follow the above lawn care tips.
Start a Lawn Care Business A Whole New Way!
Part of the fun of living in Orlando is the ability to grow a lush lawn in every season. Outdoor recreation is enhanced by a beautiful lawn. For the best looking lawn in your neighborhood, twelve months out of the year, follow these lawn care tips for Orlando homeowners.
• Keep your grass mown at the tallest possible height for the grass species in your lawn. Grass grows a root system that is directly proportional to the height of the grass plant aboveground. To encourage healthy root growth, and reduce the need for watering, keep your grass as high as is optimum for the species.
• Keep your mower blades sharp. Sharp mower blades have several benefits. First, you will use less fuel to mow the lawn if mower blades are kept sharp. Second, your lawn will look cleaner and greener. The “whitish haze” on newly mown lawns is caused by mowers with dull blades that tear rather than cut the grass. The incomplete tears dry up and turn brown, rather than healing cleanly and staying green.
• Get a soil test at least once a year and amend the soil accordingly. Soil test instructions and kits are available from your local cooperative extension office. A qualified landscape professional can also collect a soil sample and send it for analysis. Before spending money on fertilizer, it is a good idea to have a soil test. The nutrients your grass needs might be in the soil already, but unavailable due to soil pH or the lack of organic matter. (A common problem in the sandy soils of Florida.) You may need to adjust the soil type or acidity before fertilizing to get the most bang for your buck.
• Leave grass clippings on your lawn. Warm season grasses are prone to thatch problems, but grass clippings do not cause thatch buildup. If you remove no more than 1/3 of the grass blade at any time while you are mowing, the clippings will dry up and decompose quickly, adding precious organic matter back into the soil.
• Aerate in the spring or fall, but not during the summer. Aerating is both beneficial and stressful for your grass. During hot Orlando summers, aerating can cause unnecessary stress for the plants. A spring or fall aeration schedule will allow your plants to recover quickly from being sliced apart. For best results, top-dress with a compost/topsoil blend. This will help amend the soil and add organic matter, as well as counter the effects of soil compaction. Aerating is especially important for lawns that see a lot of recreational use.
• Water deeply and infrequently. Depending on the time of year, your grass will need more or less water. December-March, your lawn will need about 1/3 as much water as during the summer months. This is because the grass is mostly dormant and not actively growing. This watering technique will also help your grass plants grow deep roots, which will come in handy during a drought.
• Calibrate sprinkler heads. To be certain that your lawn is being watered evenly, check your sprinkler system. Put five straight sided cans or pans around your yard and turn on the sprinklers for a timed run. After the sprinklers cut off, measure the amount of water in each pan. If one contains more than the other, you need to re-calibrate the distance and overlap of the sprinkler heads, or check for leaks.
A well-maintained lawn can provide hours of peaceful relaxation after the work is done. For the healthiest lawn in Orlando, Florida, follow the above lawn care tips.
Start a Lawn Care Business A Whole New Way!
Jean Ma asked:
People seem to start avoiding extra expenses like vacations, hobbies and sadly, even lawn care, due to economic crisis. It is common to hold back household and outdoor projects due to budgeting. Also, the right care for landscape is now being forgotten by people just to save money. But these aren’t the right solutions to the problem, in fact, it would increase it. The landscape will start to look ugly and unhealthy in which the needed money to make repairs would only increase and so is the work needed. But there is a chance for you to have the best lawn in the neighborhood while still saving so much money. This is if you have the right knowledge and you use your resources right.
Right Lawn Habits to Save Money:
Mow your grass not lower than 2-1/2 inches to as high as 3-1/2 inches. Keeps grass moist longer for less need to water Not as much drag on blades so less gas usage No risk in undercutting and letting sun damage grass roots which will cost a lot of time and money to repair Smaller mulch pieces for quick decomposing and helps with fertilizing the uncut grass Keep animals off of lawns and garden areas Saves hassle of having brown spots all around the yard from animal urine which is hard to repair due to the fact it kills the grass roots in that area. No plants and flowers getting trampled requiring you to re-buy and re-plant to keep garden looking good. Catch weed, insect, and fungus problems early Saves from spreading so minimizing repairing costs Will not have to keep repairing/fertilizing the same area every few weeks due to killing the problem at its early stages. Aerating your lawn Only done periodically (every few years) this can loosen up the soil and allow nutrients to flow through the roots easier Helps keep fertilizers in the roots where it is needed instead of running off due to difficulty in sinking in Don’t leave objects sitting on grass for long periods of time ex. trailers, pots, hoses Seemingly small tip but can prevent grass dying for “being lazy” and not putting away your equipment Keeps lawn better managed and organized looking
Right Lawn Products to Save Money:
Use high quality fertilizers May be more expensive, but you will need to use it less often for the results you want Mix good fertilizer with less expensive one Get more volume and still a good amount of quality for less money than going all high quality Share equipment with neighbors Might get aggravating but this will save the renting and purchasing cost of a lot of needed equipment One day you will need something you don’t want to purchase so this will save all that unneeded hassle. Rent instead of buy Most major money draining equipment will not be needed for more than a specified project you have set out so renting saves a lot of money No maintenance on the equipment No need for storage places for equipment Do not hire companies for landscaping jobs Companies can be very expensive charging over $15 an hour There are so many young adults around the neighborhood looking for part time jobs that will work as hard for a lot less cost Young adults don’t have long term contracts and are a lot more convenient for spur of the moment jobs Example: vacation grass cutting, general landscaping, weekend project help
Create a Lawn care Business
People seem to start avoiding extra expenses like vacations, hobbies and sadly, even lawn care, due to economic crisis. It is common to hold back household and outdoor projects due to budgeting. Also, the right care for landscape is now being forgotten by people just to save money. But these aren’t the right solutions to the problem, in fact, it would increase it. The landscape will start to look ugly and unhealthy in which the needed money to make repairs would only increase and so is the work needed. But there is a chance for you to have the best lawn in the neighborhood while still saving so much money. This is if you have the right knowledge and you use your resources right.
Right Lawn Habits to Save Money:
Mow your grass not lower than 2-1/2 inches to as high as 3-1/2 inches. Keeps grass moist longer for less need to water Not as much drag on blades so less gas usage No risk in undercutting and letting sun damage grass roots which will cost a lot of time and money to repair Smaller mulch pieces for quick decomposing and helps with fertilizing the uncut grass Keep animals off of lawns and garden areas Saves hassle of having brown spots all around the yard from animal urine which is hard to repair due to the fact it kills the grass roots in that area. No plants and flowers getting trampled requiring you to re-buy and re-plant to keep garden looking good. Catch weed, insect, and fungus problems early Saves from spreading so minimizing repairing costs Will not have to keep repairing/fertilizing the same area every few weeks due to killing the problem at its early stages. Aerating your lawn Only done periodically (every few years) this can loosen up the soil and allow nutrients to flow through the roots easier Helps keep fertilizers in the roots where it is needed instead of running off due to difficulty in sinking in Don’t leave objects sitting on grass for long periods of time ex. trailers, pots, hoses Seemingly small tip but can prevent grass dying for “being lazy” and not putting away your equipment Keeps lawn better managed and organized looking
Right Lawn Products to Save Money:
Use high quality fertilizers May be more expensive, but you will need to use it less often for the results you want Mix good fertilizer with less expensive one Get more volume and still a good amount of quality for less money than going all high quality Share equipment with neighbors Might get aggravating but this will save the renting and purchasing cost of a lot of needed equipment One day you will need something you don’t want to purchase so this will save all that unneeded hassle. Rent instead of buy Most major money draining equipment will not be needed for more than a specified project you have set out so renting saves a lot of money No maintenance on the equipment No need for storage places for equipment Do not hire companies for landscaping jobs Companies can be very expensive charging over $15 an hour There are so many young adults around the neighborhood looking for part time jobs that will work as hard for a lot less cost Young adults don’t have long term contracts and are a lot more convenient for spur of the moment jobs Example: vacation grass cutting, general landscaping, weekend project help
Create a Lawn care Business
Craig Elliott asked:
The winter can be a hard time to deal with your lawn and garden equipment. It is a tough time on many aspects of your home and your lawn, because of the frigid temperatures. The equipment usually has a much rougher time than you would imagine, because many people seem to forget about their lawn mowers, weed whackers, and other types of equipment when the leaves fall. Many people stick these pieces of lawn and garden equipment into the shed or the garage without a second thought, and are then surprised when they don’t work right in the spring. You spend a lot of money on these pieces of lawn and garden equipment, so why not make sure that they are taken care of?
When you have pieces of lawn and garden equipment that you want to take care of, there are many things that you can do to make sure they are taken care of well when the snow flies. First of all, the pieces of lawn and garden equipment that run on gasoline should be emptied after the last time they are used. Before you mow your lawn for the last time in the fall, be sure that you put in just enough gasoline to do the job. After you are finished, run the mower so that all of the gasoline is used, or empty it completely out. For these items that use gasoline and have a motor, you want to make sure that they are cleaned, and then drain the oil and take out the spark plug. After that, you want to put in just a few drops of oil and crank the engine only enough to move that oil around. Then, you should put the spark plug back in place. The next thing that you should to the pieces of your lawn and garden equipment that have engines is to tighten any of the loose screws in the machine. Now, wipe down these machines and get them ready for storage along with the others.
For the lawn and garden equipment that don’t run on gasoline, you should make sure that they are functioning properly and then unplug them for the year. If they have batteries, remove the batteries and store them someplace else. Wrap the chords around these and get them ready for storage.
The other parts of your lawn and garden equipment – the ones that don’t run on gasoline or electricity – should be completely cleaned before the fall ends. Make sure that they are wiped off, that all of the dirt and grass is removed, and that they are ready for storage.
After you have taken care of each individual piece of machinery or other pieces of supplies, you have to gather them all together for storage during the winter. This is a very important aspect of getting all of your items stored properly. You want to find a place where you can store your items safely and where they won’t be bothered by the weather. Usually, your garage or your shed will suffice.
Once you have chosen a location, be sure that you gather all of your equipment together. You want to store it all neatly and in a well organized fashion, so that you can find it again in the spring. Be sure that anything you leave out is covered well. This will help them from gathering moisture. Also, you want to be sure that you are able to secure anything that is attached to the walls. This is because often things slip and slide during the winter or animals get into your shed or garage. You simply want everything to be secured during this time of year.
Another thing that you should think about is the moisture on the floor. Leaving your garden supplies and equipment in a wet garage or shed is just as bad as leaving them outside. If you have a garage or shed that tends to lead or one where the floor tends to get wet, an easy solution is to lay down some plywood or some higher pieces of board, and put your equipment on that. You can secure the equipment to these pieces of wood, and then cover everything with a tarp.
Remember, it might seem like much too much work to do for a small amount of time. However, each piece of lawn and garden equipment that you own is something that you are going to want to hold on to, and something that you have already spent a lot of money on. Take the time to do these fall chores, and you will be able to rest easy over the winter – waiting for the spring.
Lawn Care Business Marketing Plan
The winter can be a hard time to deal with your lawn and garden equipment. It is a tough time on many aspects of your home and your lawn, because of the frigid temperatures. The equipment usually has a much rougher time than you would imagine, because many people seem to forget about their lawn mowers, weed whackers, and other types of equipment when the leaves fall. Many people stick these pieces of lawn and garden equipment into the shed or the garage without a second thought, and are then surprised when they don’t work right in the spring. You spend a lot of money on these pieces of lawn and garden equipment, so why not make sure that they are taken care of?
When you have pieces of lawn and garden equipment that you want to take care of, there are many things that you can do to make sure they are taken care of well when the snow flies. First of all, the pieces of lawn and garden equipment that run on gasoline should be emptied after the last time they are used. Before you mow your lawn for the last time in the fall, be sure that you put in just enough gasoline to do the job. After you are finished, run the mower so that all of the gasoline is used, or empty it completely out. For these items that use gasoline and have a motor, you want to make sure that they are cleaned, and then drain the oil and take out the spark plug. After that, you want to put in just a few drops of oil and crank the engine only enough to move that oil around. Then, you should put the spark plug back in place. The next thing that you should to the pieces of your lawn and garden equipment that have engines is to tighten any of the loose screws in the machine. Now, wipe down these machines and get them ready for storage along with the others.
For the lawn and garden equipment that don’t run on gasoline, you should make sure that they are functioning properly and then unplug them for the year. If they have batteries, remove the batteries and store them someplace else. Wrap the chords around these and get them ready for storage.
The other parts of your lawn and garden equipment – the ones that don’t run on gasoline or electricity – should be completely cleaned before the fall ends. Make sure that they are wiped off, that all of the dirt and grass is removed, and that they are ready for storage.
After you have taken care of each individual piece of machinery or other pieces of supplies, you have to gather them all together for storage during the winter. This is a very important aspect of getting all of your items stored properly. You want to find a place where you can store your items safely and where they won’t be bothered by the weather. Usually, your garage or your shed will suffice.
Once you have chosen a location, be sure that you gather all of your equipment together. You want to store it all neatly and in a well organized fashion, so that you can find it again in the spring. Be sure that anything you leave out is covered well. This will help them from gathering moisture. Also, you want to be sure that you are able to secure anything that is attached to the walls. This is because often things slip and slide during the winter or animals get into your shed or garage. You simply want everything to be secured during this time of year.
Another thing that you should think about is the moisture on the floor. Leaving your garden supplies and equipment in a wet garage or shed is just as bad as leaving them outside. If you have a garage or shed that tends to lead or one where the floor tends to get wet, an easy solution is to lay down some plywood or some higher pieces of board, and put your equipment on that. You can secure the equipment to these pieces of wood, and then cover everything with a tarp.
Remember, it might seem like much too much work to do for a small amount of time. However, each piece of lawn and garden equipment that you own is something that you are going to want to hold on to, and something that you have already spent a lot of money on. Take the time to do these fall chores, and you will be able to rest easy over the winter – waiting for the spring.
Lawn Care Business Marketing Plan
Al Haneson asked:
In the lawn and landscaping industry there are opinions on issues that run deep. If you browse the internet for just a few minutes, you’ll find extremes all over the board when it comes to lawns and their care.
But there is one issue that most lawn pros and environmentalists agree on, and that is that bagged “Weed and Feed” products are NOT conducive to healthy lawns or our environment.
I have previously written about pesticides, lawns and our environment, but want to reiterate some of the key points for you here as we near the fall season.
Problems with Weed-n-Feed
1. Bags of Weed-n-Feed sold to homeowners contain an over-abundance of nitrogen which detroys the soil and pushes too much top growth. They most normally contain “quick release” fertilizers that create fast greening, but no sustainable long term benefit to the turf.
2. Many experts will tell you that phosphorous leaching into groundwater is the big problem with these bagged products. And while I am not a fan of dumping mass amounts of anything on the lawn, I believe if homeowners and pros alike would follow labeling instructions, they are not endangering our groundwater or lakes. The key is FOLLOWING the DIRECTIONS on the bag! (I included this one in the interest of covering all bases!)
3. A granular weed-n-feed product like popular ‘4-step’ products contain herbicide and fertilizer in one convenient bag: just dump in your spreader, set the release rate, and lay it down…easy! The problem is that you are hurling massive amounts of granular weed killers everywhere weather there are weeds there or not. In addition, much of this granular mix is left on driveways and sidewalks where it runs off into the street and down the sewer drain.
It doesn’t make sense to throw weed killer in areas of the lawn where there are no weeds! What’s more, while the weed control does not selectively kill the grass plants, it still puts heavy stress and pressure on them and can weaken them over time.
The best alternative to Weed-n-Feed products
I recommend a balanced approach that utilizes target weed control as needed with the eventual goal of eliminating it completely.
This is accomplished by spot-spraying weeds using a garden pump sprayer with liquid weed control mixed with water (according to label instructions). In some cases, a blanket application of liquid weed killer may be needed, but over time, this will be reduced until the weed problem is manageable by good old fashioned “pulling” by hand. (My own lawn is now managed by just hand pulling of weeds)
In addition to spot-spraying of weeds, I recommend slow-release organic or semi-organic (called ‘bridge’ products or ‘hybrid’) lawn fertilizers. These products will add nutrients to the soil without destroying it in the process. They also support healthy soil biotics which are the foundation of healthy turf. Organics do need heat in order to break down, so use organic fertilizers in later spring and early fall.
On a final note: it’s not a good idea to completely “refuse to use pesticides” in your lawn if you indeed do have a major weed problem. Think about this: if your weeds go to seed every year and spread out to all the neighbors on your block, and they do not share the same environmental devotion as you, won’t you be indirectly causing them to put down greater amounts of pesticides every year? Your weeds will continue breeding in their lawns, and they will soak them with more weed killer; year after year! Think about that.
As I always say, “Balance is the key.” When Mother Nature operates in extremes (hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes), people and the environment are damaged, but when she sees fit to offer us balanced conditions (warm breezes, light rains, sunny days), everyone is happy. Which attitude should we take?
Start a Lawn Care Business A Whole New Way!
In the lawn and landscaping industry there are opinions on issues that run deep. If you browse the internet for just a few minutes, you’ll find extremes all over the board when it comes to lawns and their care.
But there is one issue that most lawn pros and environmentalists agree on, and that is that bagged “Weed and Feed” products are NOT conducive to healthy lawns or our environment.
I have previously written about pesticides, lawns and our environment, but want to reiterate some of the key points for you here as we near the fall season.
Problems with Weed-n-Feed
1. Bags of Weed-n-Feed sold to homeowners contain an over-abundance of nitrogen which detroys the soil and pushes too much top growth. They most normally contain “quick release” fertilizers that create fast greening, but no sustainable long term benefit to the turf.
2. Many experts will tell you that phosphorous leaching into groundwater is the big problem with these bagged products. And while I am not a fan of dumping mass amounts of anything on the lawn, I believe if homeowners and pros alike would follow labeling instructions, they are not endangering our groundwater or lakes. The key is FOLLOWING the DIRECTIONS on the bag! (I included this one in the interest of covering all bases!)
3. A granular weed-n-feed product like popular ‘4-step’ products contain herbicide and fertilizer in one convenient bag: just dump in your spreader, set the release rate, and lay it down…easy! The problem is that you are hurling massive amounts of granular weed killers everywhere weather there are weeds there or not. In addition, much of this granular mix is left on driveways and sidewalks where it runs off into the street and down the sewer drain.
It doesn’t make sense to throw weed killer in areas of the lawn where there are no weeds! What’s more, while the weed control does not selectively kill the grass plants, it still puts heavy stress and pressure on them and can weaken them over time.
The best alternative to Weed-n-Feed products
I recommend a balanced approach that utilizes target weed control as needed with the eventual goal of eliminating it completely.
This is accomplished by spot-spraying weeds using a garden pump sprayer with liquid weed control mixed with water (according to label instructions). In some cases, a blanket application of liquid weed killer may be needed, but over time, this will be reduced until the weed problem is manageable by good old fashioned “pulling” by hand. (My own lawn is now managed by just hand pulling of weeds)
In addition to spot-spraying of weeds, I recommend slow-release organic or semi-organic (called ‘bridge’ products or ‘hybrid’) lawn fertilizers. These products will add nutrients to the soil without destroying it in the process. They also support healthy soil biotics which are the foundation of healthy turf. Organics do need heat in order to break down, so use organic fertilizers in later spring and early fall.
On a final note: it’s not a good idea to completely “refuse to use pesticides” in your lawn if you indeed do have a major weed problem. Think about this: if your weeds go to seed every year and spread out to all the neighbors on your block, and they do not share the same environmental devotion as you, won’t you be indirectly causing them to put down greater amounts of pesticides every year? Your weeds will continue breeding in their lawns, and they will soak them with more weed killer; year after year! Think about that.
As I always say, “Balance is the key.” When Mother Nature operates in extremes (hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes), people and the environment are damaged, but when she sees fit to offer us balanced conditions (warm breezes, light rains, sunny days), everyone is happy. Which attitude should we take?
Start a Lawn Care Business A Whole New Way!
Al Haneson asked:
In Summer, your lawn may turn brown and go dormant in an attempt to preserve itself in preparation for the cooling of fall, but you can keep it as green as spring by following these simple steps. Following are 4 tips for homeowners on maintaining a healthy, green lawn all summer.
Water Correctly
Assuming you want to keep your lawn green all summer, you need to water 2-3 times per week in the early morning. Sprinkling in the evenings can promote fungus as the water remains hot in the lawn during the night. A couple of heavy sprinklings during the week is much better than frequent, light watering which creates a shallow root system in the turf.
Mow Your Grass Tall and Mulch It
It’s never a good idea to cut your grass low. Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade in a single cutting. During the hot, dry summer, your lawn may not grow as fast as in the spring, but you should still maintain a regular mowing schedule and mulch or “recycle” the clippings back into the lawn. Mulching clippings returns natural moisture back into the turf.
Apply Organic Nitrogen
Organic nitrogen fertilizers applied in the summer help your lawn maintain its color and vigor. Organic fertilizers are naturally slow releasing so they won’t cause excess growth. Lawns need nitrogen during hot and humid periods to help fight off lawn diseases and fungus such as Red Thread and Dollar Spot. You should only follow this step if you plan to keep your lawn well irrigated during dry periods.
Be Wary of Grubs
Grub worms are the larvae of the Japanese Beetle and they will destroy a lawn if left to feed freely in high populations. Grubs feed on your turf’s root system, in a sense “sweeping its legs from under it” and killing large areas into the fall. There is no way to tell if your lawn is infested with grub worms until you see actual damage, so be sure to put down a long-lasting grub worm preventative treatment in early summer. There are organic controls available for grubs. Milky Spore is the most popular, but it only offers nominal control at best.
Keeping your lawn green during the hot months takes a bit more effort that in the spring. Keep an eye on every section of your turf to ensure nothing gets missed and you’re sure to be the envy of all your neighbors during late July and August barbecues!
Lawn Care Business Marketing Plan
In Summer, your lawn may turn brown and go dormant in an attempt to preserve itself in preparation for the cooling of fall, but you can keep it as green as spring by following these simple steps. Following are 4 tips for homeowners on maintaining a healthy, green lawn all summer.
Water Correctly
Assuming you want to keep your lawn green all summer, you need to water 2-3 times per week in the early morning. Sprinkling in the evenings can promote fungus as the water remains hot in the lawn during the night. A couple of heavy sprinklings during the week is much better than frequent, light watering which creates a shallow root system in the turf.
Mow Your Grass Tall and Mulch It
It’s never a good idea to cut your grass low. Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade in a single cutting. During the hot, dry summer, your lawn may not grow as fast as in the spring, but you should still maintain a regular mowing schedule and mulch or “recycle” the clippings back into the lawn. Mulching clippings returns natural moisture back into the turf.
Apply Organic Nitrogen
Organic nitrogen fertilizers applied in the summer help your lawn maintain its color and vigor. Organic fertilizers are naturally slow releasing so they won’t cause excess growth. Lawns need nitrogen during hot and humid periods to help fight off lawn diseases and fungus such as Red Thread and Dollar Spot. You should only follow this step if you plan to keep your lawn well irrigated during dry periods.
Be Wary of Grubs
Grub worms are the larvae of the Japanese Beetle and they will destroy a lawn if left to feed freely in high populations. Grubs feed on your turf’s root system, in a sense “sweeping its legs from under it” and killing large areas into the fall. There is no way to tell if your lawn is infested with grub worms until you see actual damage, so be sure to put down a long-lasting grub worm preventative treatment in early summer. There are organic controls available for grubs. Milky Spore is the most popular, but it only offers nominal control at best.
Keeping your lawn green during the hot months takes a bit more effort that in the spring. Keep an eye on every section of your turf to ensure nothing gets missed and you’re sure to be the envy of all your neighbors during late July and August barbecues!
Lawn Care Business Marketing Plan
