Use Corn Gluten Meal As A Natural Herbicide And Lawn Fertilizer
Corn gluten meal;is used most frequently as a natural preemergent herbicide for turf grass and organic crops. However, it has the added benefit of fertilizing your soil. Corn Gluten Meal is a totally natural byproduct of the wet-milling process for corn . It will help control annual weeds in your lawn and will keep your grass fertilized. If you want to learn more about this great organic gardening product, please visit;Dr. Nick Christians University of Iowa Corn Gluten research page.
8. Use Mycorrhizal;Root Builder to improve your soil.
Mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial soil organisms that provide a sort of secondary root system for your garden plants and grass. They attach themselves to the roots and help plants and grass make better use of water and organic nutrients in the soil.
With a Mycorrhizal fungi root builder, you can get mycorrhizal fungi to work more efficiently.;Mycor Root Builder;is an excellent product that will work great on all the plants you grow, not just your turf grass. Like these eight easy steps? Dont forget to bookmark them or pin us on Pinterest!
Greener Grass Step : Fertilizing Using The Best Fertilizers
If you truly want the best results from your lawn, we do recommend investing in a quality fertilizer, such as Milorganite. You should also be sure which type of lawn you have, as this will affect how often you need to fertilize your lawn.
You should carry out a soil test to see what kind of nutrients are present. This will ensure the fertilizers include a balanced amount of nutrients, and in the quantities they state on the package.
There are also some products available to deal with weeds simultaneously, to find the best weed and feed available, see our post here.
With the best fertilizers, you also run a lower risk of doing harm to your lawn and staining your sidewalk.
Is Organic Better?
Organic fertilizers tend to work better as a long-term solution, and its more environmentally friendly. Theyre the slow-release type, but they usually have more complete nutrients for your lawn.
They build up your lawn in a natural way, without the risks of staining your lawn or sidewalk. They do also contain nitrogen, so theyre not ideal if you dont want your grass to grow so fast.
Synthetic high-iron fertilizers are fast-releasing and affordable. Epsom salts can be used on your lawn to add magnesium and sulfur.If youre not careful with the amounts of synthetic fertilizer you apply on the grass, though, it may turn your lawn a grayish hue and your concrete driveway orange. You should carry out a soil test fairly regularly, to keep tabs on the state of things.
How To Improve Your Lawn
If youre having a difficult time keeping your lawn looking great, you need to check the soil and make amendments to improve it.
You may need to treat your lawn with fertilizer in order for it to have the nutrients needed for the grass and plants to be healthy. Using lime can raise the pH balance. This will reduce the acidic levels and increase the amount of alkaline making the soil more suitable for grass to grow.
Unfortunately, sometimes its just not possible to have a beautiful, green lawn. And rather than pouring hard work and money into a lawn that just wont stay green, I suggest you tray one of these alternatives:
- create a front yard rose garden: itll greet you every day of the summer with beauty and delicious smells
- plant shrubs and trees
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Get Your Mower In Shipshape
Dull mower blades tear off grass rather than cutting it clean, leaving ragged tips that invite disease to set in. Holding the blade in a vise, sharpen it with long, smooth strokes using a Dremel blade sharpener or a 10-inch bastard mill file, following the manufacturer’s instructions for the proper angle. During the growing season, sharpen the blade after you’ve used your mower for about 8 to 12 hours.
Healthy Lawn Step : Identify Your Grass Type & Mowing Tips
The first step to the greenest lawn in the neighborhood is to identify the grass type growing in your yard. There are two main grass types, cool season grass and warm season grass. It may seem as though all grass can be maintained the same way, but there are subtle differences that once understood will only help to get greener grass!
Below are recommendations for how long to let the each grass type grow and the best grass height at which to mow. Adjust the mower deck on your Simplicity;zero turn mower;or;lawn tractor;to never cut more than the top one-third of the grass blade regardless of height recommendation.
Note: If you notice your lawn has a white tint after mowing, the mower blades need to be sharpened. Grass cut with sharp mower blades will have a green, even cut edge. Grass blades cut with a dull mower blade will appear white at the top with shredded jagged edges.
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Lawn Maintenance Tips For A Greener Lawn
Besides being able to troubleshoot problems and adapt to changes in the lawn, there are definitely some lawn care tips that should be adhered to when promoting lawn health. Lets take a look at some of the most common and basic lawn maintenance factors that affect a thick, green lawn as well as some of the lesser-known factors that are also important.
How To Make Grass Thicker
In addition to choosing the right grass in the first place and regularly aerating your lawn, you can do a few additional things to make your grass thicker
- Address diseases. Avoid mowing when the lawn is wet and check for signs of disease or fungal infection. This may appear as powdery residue or colored patches or spots. Also, check for indications of pest damage .;
- Ensure that your soil is healthy. Check for your local extension field office and obtain a soil-testing kit. It will alert you to nutrient deficiencies that may be responsible for your thinning lawn.;
- Water regularly and apply a nitrogen fertilizer. Dont worry, well discuss more about this below.;
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How To Select Grass
Beyond selecting a grass that will grow well giving your climatic conditions, there are some other things to consider like pH, fertility, soil moisture, and environmental stresses.;
Some grasses will be more shade tolerant than others , while others are better at forming sod . Additionally, some grasses are better suited for very specific activitieslike bentgrass being used for a putting green or a croquet court.;
When to plant grass can be found in our gardening guide!
What Are Some Grass Growing Tips
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Dont Cut Grass Too Short
If your grass is dry and brown, you may be tempted to remove as much as possible. After all, the less there is, the better, right? However, grassroots grow relative to the blade height.
This means if you mow your grass very short, the roots wont grow very long under the soil. Short roots make grass more susceptible to dying from heat or drought. When learning how to make your lawn greener, make sure you mow your lawn no shorter than 2-3 inches.
It may not look the best at first. But when the roots grow longer, your grass will have an easier time reaching water and nutrients needed to revive itself. Just a little patience can pay off big time.
How To Make Your Lawn Green
Learning how to make your lawn green isnt difficult, but it does take time and attention to give your grass what it needs. Once you get into a routine or hire the right lawn care professionals, you can sit back and enjoy your lush lawn. While you sit outside admiring your lawn, check out our archives for more useful information.
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How To Have The Greenest Lawn On The Block
If youve been losing sleep over how to make your lawn green, never fear there are some simple things you can do. You dont need to be out there slaving away with a pair of scissors individually trimming each blade of grass.
And you dont need to be secretly spraying your lawn with green spray paint in the dead of night to fool the neighbors.
Its all about doing the right thing at the right time and keeping on top of what needs doing. Its all well and good fertilizing and mowing your lawn . But, if you arent doing it at the optimal time, you will end up doing more work than you need to.
Final Thoughts On How To Make Your Lawn Green
If this seems like a lotdont stress it. Were here to help. Feel free to give us a call at any time to talk about how to make your neighbors green with envy because of a lawn thats just as green! Also, if you have any other tried and tested tips for supporting healthy grass, let us know in the comments!
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Keep Your Grass Longer
Mow your grass on a higher setting. Longer grass will allow for the establishment of longer roots, which can reach more moisture in the soil even when the weather is hot and dry. Keeping grass longer will prevent it from drying out too quickly and ensure that roots are better protected by the longer blades.
Mowing the grass too short can cause damage. It can leave the lawn scorched to the point where the grass may not be able to recover. Luckily, this problem is totally avoidable. As a general practice,;avoid mowing your grass shorter than three to three-and-a-half inches;or cutting more than;one-third;of its height at once. Mowing more frequently will make it easier to mow to the right length while still adhering to these guidelines.
Keep in mind that if you choose to mow your grass short, you will have to water it more often and more lightly. Light and frequent watering will cause shorter roots. In turn, this increases stress during droughts.
Speak To An Expert At Patuxent Nursery
For more answers to your questions about lawn care, visit the experts at our Garden Center in Bowie, MD.;There, you will find everything you need to keep your lawn green and healthy as well as a friendly and knowledgeable staff to help you choose the right tools and supplies for your needs.
Patuxent Nursery, located in Bowie, Maryland, was started in 1996 by longtime area residents Don and Susan Stelfox. Originally geared toward landscape professionals, Patuxent soon expanded to serve homeowners in Bowie and the surrounding areas in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.
Our store offers customers a unique shopping experience and features a;gardening-oriented gift shop, outdoor living accessories, an assortment of colorful flowers and edibles and the largest selection of trees and shrubs in the metro area.
We specialize in lawn care and we carry all of the products you need to maintain an attractive lawn, including seed, soil amendments, pest and disease control products, weed killer, weed-and-feed, fertilizers and soil conditioners.
Contact Grass experts in Bowie, MD to speak to an expert at our store today and find out how to keep your lawn healthy and green all summer long.
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How To Deal With Grass In Summer Heat
The dog days of summer are a constant worry for homeowners, as just a few days without rain can really impact a once-lush lawn. Then theres the heat to contend with!;
We cant give you any tips for how to stay cool yourself in the summer heat, but we can provide some recommendations to help support your grass:
- Use appropriate mowing techniques. Longer grass will help to shade the roots and prevent any harmful exposure to the sun.; This will also help the roots of the grass grow deeper, thus outcompeting weeds and creating a denser turf. That said, use a blade height of about four inches in summer, mow less frequently, and mow earlier in the day.;;;;;
- Avoid watering in the heat of the day, choose early morning or late evening instead. Keep in mind that your lawn will need about one inch of water a weekbut it can tolerate about half an inch every 14-days, depending on water restrictions in your area .;
How to keep grass green in a drought?
If youre starting from scratch, youre in luck. Its easy to find drought-resistant and fast-growing grass seeds, especially like the fescues we mentioned earlier. These grasses establish themselves quickly, dont require a lot in the way of maintenance, and are one of our best bets for having a green lawneven in periods of drought.
If youre not starting out with a new lawn, however, there are still some things you can do to keep your grass green during drought :
How To Make Grass Green: Test Your Soil Ph
No matter how much fertilizer you give your lawn, if your grass doesnt have the proper, balanced soil pH, it wont do much good.Important nutrients for grass are available in soil when the pH is at the right level not too acidic, not too alkaline. If your pH is off, your grass wont get the nutrients it needs, no matter how much you fertilize.If your soils pH level is out of whack, we can add the right soil amendments to bring it to the right level, setting it up to be that beautiful green you love.
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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 “cosmetic” 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.
Choose A Grass That Works Best In Your Yard
Not all properties are the same, and that applies to your grass type as well. There are many different types of grass, and each type grows best under different conditions. You want to set yourself up for success, so understanding your propertys requirements is the first step to achieving a positive outcome.
While some grass grows in colder temperatures, others require more sunshine; therefore, you need to determine which varieties of sod or seed are best suited for your location. Walk your property carefully and look at the area during the morning, afternoon and early evening hours to decide what areas receive sun, shade or part-sun. This will help you to decide what to buy for grass varieties.
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Caring For A New Lawn
How To Keep Your Lawn Green In The Summer
There are several steps that can be taken to keep your lawn healthy and green even during the hottest, driest days of summer. Keeping your grass green throughout the summer months doesnt have to be overly complex. By following these tips with consistency, your lawn should remain beautiful all season long.
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