What To Know About Diy Lawn Care
Before you start taking care of your own lawn, there are a few things that you need to know. One of the great things about using a service like Sunday Lawn Care is that you can get recommendations about how to take care of the lawn and the right times to do it. Here are a few things to remember when starting your own lawn care.
Perfect Lawn Maintenance Timing: When To Fertilize Water Spray Weeds And More In Texas
Theres a lot involved in Texas lawn maintenance, and timing is everything. When is the best time to apply fertilizerand what time of day should you water your lawn to get the best results? From controlling weeds to seeding a lawn, when you perform these essential lawn care and landscape tasks is the difference between success, and possibly hurting your lawn.
We know many folks who decide to care for their own lawns, and theres nothing wrong with thatexcept when they overlook timing and end up not getting the results they expect. Basically, you can do all the right things for your lawn at the wrong time and end up wasting your weekend and your money.
So, lets dig into this timing issue.
Here, well give you insight on the best time in North Texas to fertilize, water, spray weeds, prevent insects, service your irrigation system, seed a lawn and more. Youll see, theres a reason for this North Texas lawn care scheduleand with this knowledge, you can do all the landscape maintenance yourself, or hire a pro to handle the landscape maintenance needs youre not comfortable handling on your own.
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How To Have A Healthy Lawn
Like many Canadians, you probably take pride in having an attractive lawn. Find out how to care for your lawn as easily as possible, while reducing the need for pesticides!
Many people use lawn care products like herbicides and insecticides to maintain their lawns. But âcosmeticâ pesticide use is now restricted and even banned in many communities across Canada.
There are ways to have a healthy lawn without using pesticides. And when you do have to use pesticides, there are ways to use them safely.
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Recognition & Association Involvement
Professional lawn care services are associated with trade industry organizations that promote quality, education, and lawn care careers. Find out if the providers youre considering are involved in local, state, or national associations such as the National Association of Landscape Professionals or the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association .
Associations offer education so lawn care specialists can earn credentials and certifications. These are the pros you want caring for your lawn.
When To Fertilize Your Lawn
The best time to fertilize your lawn is in the fall while grass is growing and storing nutrients. However, your lawn fertilizing schedule will depend on the type of grass you have and the type of fertilizer youre using.
Early fall means cooler weather with warm soil and ample rain, creating the perfect environment for grass to develop strong roots and grass seeds to germinate. An application of nitrogen-rich, slow-release fertilizer around Labor Day will feed your lawn and provide essential nourishment for the coming spring.
Spring is the next most important time of the year to fertilize your lawn. Spring grasses come to life hungry and ready to be fed. Fertilize your lawn as soon as the dormant grass is at least fifty percent green again.
Summer is hard on lawns because of heat, drought, insects and increased foot traffic. Feeding your lawn slow-release fertilizer at the start of summer will help keep your grass healthy and green throughout the season. This is not necessary for cool-season grasses. If insects are a problem in your yard during the summer, consider using a fertilizer with insect control.
Apply slow-release, high-nitrogen fertilizer every 90 to 120 days at the start of spring, summer and fall. Apply all-purpose fertilizer every six to eight weeks.
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When Is The Best Time To Fertilize Your Lawn
Cool-season grasses: If youre growingcool-season grass, the best time to fertilize your lawn is in the fall. Spring is the second-best time to fertilize cool-season grasses.
Warm-season grasses: The best time to fertilize warm-season grasses is mid-spring through summer.
Lawn care tip: When fertilizing in spring, wait until your lawn has greened up. Otherwise, the turf will sacrifice healthy root growth for leaf growth.
Raise The Cutting Bar Of Your Lawn Mower
Still on the subject of mowing because it is a big subject and in my opinion 85% of a lawns appearance is down to the way it is cut.
Dont be tempted to scalp your lawn in the hope of creating a bowling green effect in your garden. Those close mown lawns are the result of decades of research and expertise. They have specially formulated growing media, expensive drainage systems and carefully researched seed mixes. Plus they are mown every day with specialist mowers. Those bowling green lawns are beautiful, but they do need intensive care and they wont tolerate a lot of wear and tear.
If you are just starting out, and you want to improve your family lawn, aim to maintain it at around 5-8cm cutting height. This length gives the plants plenty of leaf mass so that they can harvest energy from the sun and grow strong healthy roots and leaves.
Remember the 1/3 rule. Its the one golden rule of mowing. NEVER remove more than one third of a plants leaf mass in a mowing session. If your lawn is 9cm long when you start mowing, it should be no more than 6cm long when youve finished. If you want it shorter than that wait a couple of days before you remove another third of its length.
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Start Overseeding Your Lawn
If you have any bare patches on your grass, you may need to start overseeding your lawn as part of your spring lawn care. Apply grass seed to help grow new patches where the lawn died during the winter. Working with grass seeds completely on your own can be difficult. Check with your local Lawn Doctor professional to determine how much seed your lawn may need, how to water and care for the seed, and when during the season you should plant the seed in your lawn. We can help guide you on the best ways to overseed your lawn and help get your grass growing strong and healthy.
Show Your Lawn Some Tlc
DIY lawn care isnt rocket science, and it neednt be intimidating. Maybe youve never tested your soil before, or perhaps you need to learn more about your grass type thats OK.
It takes time to get to know your lawn. Make a note of which treatments your lawn needs yearly and which ones can wait. Every lawn is different, so remember to store a little patience in your tool kit .
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Doing Your Own Pest Control Is Safe And Easy
No matter what your task is outdoors, taking on that blanket of mosquitoes that is constantly hovering around your house, learning how to get rid of roaches, or trying to get rid of all the disgusting indoor pests and critters, we can show you just how simple and safe it is to make your home pest-free. We will help in the eliminating of insect pests and the removal instructions for nuisance mammals. We will also show you some preventative measures you can take to ensure your home is never infested with unwanted pests and show you the right pest control equipment you will need to be effective and have the right protection against these insect and mammal pests. Let us help you get started and youll see just how easy it is to do your own pest control!
Maintenance Requirements Are Decreased
A gasoline stabilizer additive contributes to the reduction of maintenance time and costs by preventing harmful deposits from developing in the fuel and tank system. After lengthy storage, a gasoline stabilizer eliminates the need to replace or clean carburetors.
A fuel stabilizer maintains a clean and functioning fuel system by battling hazardous corrosion. High-performance gasoline stabilizer additives enhance corrosion protection, preserving power and efficiency while also ensuring that metal remains brilliant and gleaming even when exposed to saltwater.
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Include A Mix Of Plants
Be sure to include a mix of many different plants and grasses in your lawn. A diverse landscape is better for the environment and can be easier to maintain, because it prevents pest problems from spreading to the whole lawn.
For places where it is hard to grow a lawn, try plants more adapted to the area. See Plant diversity for more information.
Lawn Care Company Cons:
- Cost : The downside that probably comes to your mind in hiring a lawn care service is the upfront cost. It may seem expensive at the onset to pay a professional. But the fact of the matter is that a do it yourself lawn care program can actually bemore expensive if you wind up making costly mistakes and have to pay to fix them.By using a professional who practices proactive lawn care, they can prevent problems in the first place. The cost of lawn care may only be slightly more than what youd expect, and well worth the value it provides beyond dollars and cents.
- Making a Bad Choice: Of course, hiring the wrong lawn care professional can also be a con. You simply arent going to get the professional benefits discussed if you choose a company that doesnt practice proactive lawn care.Some companies out there only address problems as they arise, playing an endless game of whack-a-mole and never really making any true progress toward the health of your lawn. However, a company that focuses on improving soil health, knows its what lies underground that is most important to a thriving lawn.
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Two Common Types Of Mulch
Wood products gradually decompose and enrich the soil.
A layer of mulch, usually shredded wood or bark, vastly reduces gardening chores. It discourages weeds by shutting out light to the soil and keeping weed seeds from germinating. It reduces the need for watering by slowing evaporation. And it enriches the soil as it breaks down, reducing the need for fertilizer.
Apply a 4-in. layer of mulch to the bare soil for best results. Itll gradually decompose, so youll have to replenish it every few years. For more information, type mulch in the search box above.
Materials For Garden Drainage
Woven Polyproylene fabric with 40 securing pegs usefull for holding the fabric in place when shoveling in the gravel. Lets rainwater through and is essencial in keeping the soil out of the gravel.
20mm Gravel/Shingle with free delivery in UK
This is the type and size of gravel you will need to fill the drainage channels.
As an alternative to using gravel consider the prefabricated crates below.
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Lawn Care Pricing & Programs
You can do as much, or as little, of your own lawn care as you wish. As you now know, getting the best lawn on the block takes time, knowledge, commitment, and an eye for lawn care weeds and disease. Can you properly identify brown patches in Texas lawns? And, would you know the difference between an attack by armyworms vs. grub worms? A trained, lawn care pros eye will help identify Texas lawn problems so you can head off issues that degrade the appearance and health of your grass.
But, who can you trust to do the job right? Maybe youve been burned by a pro that left your lawn looking no better than when you were doing it yourself. Or, say youre doing all your own lawn care and want help improving the grass so you can achieve your goals.
Here are some Texas lawn tips for comparing professionals so you can choose a lawn care service that delivers quality results at a fair, competitive price.
The Pitfalls Of Diy Lawn Care
When it comes to maintaining your home, youll likely consider whether you can do it yourself or hire a professional. Lawn care is no different. Besides time and money, there are a variety of other factors to consider that are often overlooked when choosing DIY lawn care or investing in lawn care service.
We dont want you to get stuck with a DIY fail that you couldve avoided. So, we put together some helpful advice you might want to consider before choosing to do-it-yourself.
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Weed Control Or Fertilizer Burn On Lawns
Fertilizer and weed control products can burn the lawn when applied at the wrong time or at the wrong rate of application. This is actually a pretty easy mistake to make, so dont feel bad if it has happened to you. We see it all of the time.
Unfortunately, it can be a frustrating setback to getting a great-looking lawn because now you have to focus on fixing those problem spots. Lawn burn can result in damaged or even bare patches that may take a little bit of time to fix, depending on their severity.
What Type Of Grass Seed Should You Use
The type of grass you have in your yard depends on your location. For people living in the hot areas of Florida and other subtropical zones, St. Augustine is likely the local neighborhood favorite. In other areas of the country, there are additional options. Tall fescue or Bermuda are both popular choices in many areas of the country.
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What Could Go Wrong With Diy Lawn Care
One of the questions you may be wondering right now is, what could go wrong? Most lawn care tasks dont seem overly complicated. You may recognize theres room for error, but dont realize how much. The last thing you want is to end up with lawn problems that harm your homes look and performance because of a mistake.
Here are 3 common problems where DIY lawn care can go wrong.
The Ultimate Texas Lawn Care Guide
You want the lawn that your neighbors will envythick and healthy, clean-cut and cared for, a lawn that makes you smile when you pull into the driveway. But getting your Texas property to look this way can be an aggravating quest: It takes time money spent on equipment, fertilizer, and other lawn care products and knowledge of what to do and when to do it.
Maybe your lawn just looks okay now. The weeds arent totally taking over yet, but you cant seem to stop them from creeping into landscape beds and cropping up in the grass.
Maybe youve even hired a pro to get the lawn you really want, but you just havent seen the results you expected. Or, perhaps youve been taking on the lawn care yourself and are tired of spending entire weekends stuck doing yard work.
Getting the lawn you seriously deserve takes a lot more work and experience than you might have imagined. And, if you hire a Texas lawn care company to help, you should see results.
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Seasonal Plant Growth Cycle
In early spring, roots are long and full of nutrients stored from the fall. Shoots, the part of grass visible above ground, use this stored energy for growth.
In warm summer temperatures, leaf and root growth slow down. Plants rest during times of heat and drought. Roots can be damaged when soil temperatures are above 85°F.
In the fall months shoots start to grow again and nutrients are stored in the long roots for the winter. Optimal shoot growth occurs with air temperatures of 55 to 75°F.
Cool-season root growth is stimulated by soil temperatures above 32°F, and is optimal with soil temperatures between 50 and 65°F.
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The Right Lawn Care For Your Grass
Determine the type of lawn you have. Aside from the name of the grass, you’ll want to know if it’s cool season or warm season. Figure this out because if youve got cool-season grasses planted in Florida, now you know why its never lived up to your expectations. Maintenance is similar, but this distinction will help determine when you should fertilize, mow, dethatch, etc.
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What Should I Do To My Lawn Each Month
Use these links to skip straight to the current month for a more complete list of tasks. January service your lawnmower. February hedge trimming. March early spring lawn feed, spruce up the patio. April spring aeration and scarify. May keep on top of weeds. June -early summer feed. July lawn weed treatments.
How Often To Maintain Your Irrigation System
Speaking of watering, you rely on your sprinkler system year-round in Texas, and ideally you should get a quarterly irrigation system checkup. At the very least , get an irrigation maintenance check annually in the early spring.
During an irrigation check, a certified irrigation technician will review all components of your system. Most homeowners are not qualified to audit and test sprinkler systems for efficiency and performance, so its best to rely on a pro.
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Connect To Your Local Lawn Expert
Ready for a greener, more enjoyable lawn? Call today for a free lawn care estimate. Each of our local lawn care service experts work to understand the needs of each customer with a comprehensive FREE Lawn Evaluation of his or her landscape or yard.
Once we have determined your lawns problems, we figure out the ideal lawn care solution for you, from a single lawn care treatment to ongoing yard maintenance. Every landscape is different, so we will customize a lawn care solution to address your specific requirements.
Lawn Doctors advantage is our local lawn care professionals who know all about your areas specific characteristics, from weather to soil types. Contact us for a FREE Lawn Evaluation or contact the Lawn Doctor in your area to learn more about our local yard care services.
