How To Turf Your Lawn

Here Are 10 Things That Might Make You Think Twice About Artificial Turf:

Check For Underground Hazards

Water pipes and electric lines may be found under the surface of your desired installation area. Cover sprinklers at the pipe level or remove them if you dont need them anymore. Add required drainage pipes for easy water clear out. Mark the location of unused sprinklers to avoid uneven surfaces.

Protect your electric wires by moving them away from the perimeter by six to eight inches. Keep them out of the way so they wont be damaged when you secure the turf edges. Lay them on the top of the subgrade surface with u-nails later on.

If You Want To Piecemeal This Concoction Together Then Ive Provided Affiliate Links To Many Of The Products I Used Below:

Molasses Just go buy this at your local grocery store. Yeast You can buy this in small amounts at your local store or you can pick up a pound of it through this Amazon affiliate link. Low Dose Nitrogen Fert You can use household ammonia from a local grocery store or use freshwater aquarium water like I did for some natural and well diluted nitrogen that is absolutely necessary for efficient thatch layer decomposition. N-Ext Humic12 This is a brand I use that offers high quality humic/fulvic acids in a liquid suspension making mixing soluble powders an unnecessary task. You can get other brands on Amazon or a local garden supply store but I buy my Humic12 from Yard Mastery. Heres a direct affiliate link. Myco Bliss 1lb Organic Mycorrhizal Fungi This is a powder that can be mixed and sprayed from the same tank. It works by colonizing your lawn soil with beneficial fungi that work with your plants root system to enhance their nutrient uptake and reach. You can find this stuff through . CytoGro This is my product of choice for delivering a dedicated and potent source of cytokinins to my lawn. Cytokinins are found in sea kelp extracts and they stimulate plan systems to grow healthier and deeper root systems which are then used to increase plant health and stress resistance. This product is also on Yard Mastery. You can see it through this affiliate link.

Lawn Star Liquid Dethatcher via Amazon

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Maintenance Of Your Winter Lawn

It is important to understand that once your Winter turf is established, maintenance will be required. Just as your permanent lawn actively grows during the warm seasons, your Winter turf will be actively growing during the cooler temperature months. Therefore, you should begin your mowing regime when the Winter grass reaches around 1 to 2 inches tall. After the second mowing, a complete fertilizer such as 15-0-15 should be applied to keep your Winter grass a dark green color.

Overwatering and over fertilizing can make your Winter grass extremely susceptible to a disease called Pythium root rot. A fungicide should be applied to the lawn at the first signs of root rot as this disease can kill the entire Winter lawn within two days.

How To Turn Your Lawn Into A Wildflower Meadow

Published: by Cheryl Magyar · This post may contain affiliate links.

Remember when fireflies were flickering and lighting up the the night sky in the thousands, sometime around midsummer?

At present, that childhood joy is but a regional occurrence. The last time I saw just a few lightning bugs was three years ago in a marshy valley in rural Romania; before that about a decade prior.

And in the daytime, have you also noticed a loss of insect diversity in the past thirty or more years?

If so, you are not alone. You may be able to judge by the cleanliness of your car windows/lights after a drive in the countryside or the amount of pollinators in your garden and orchard.

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Selecting Native Meadow Species

What species you choose to incorporate into your wildflower lawn, will be dictated by your location on Earth.

How can you find out what grows locally? Visit an existing prairie or two, for several weeks in the summer to see what grows. Take detailed pictures, sit, observe and wonder at all the insects that come and go. Then pick up a reference book to find out just what plants you are looking at.

If you happen to have a nursery nearby, stop and ask as many questions as necessary to find the plants you are seeking. Depending on your whereabouts, some plants to include in your wildflower lawn may be:

• Asters

Here is how to identify the top 5 lawn grass species.

Grasses are important in every meadow because they ultimately provide protection and support for tall flowers, just as they help to prevent soil erosion with their deep, dense roots.

Grasses act as cover for grasshoppers, voles and all wildlife providing them with a safe shelter and a beautiful resting place. For bees this is essential. They can rest, gather more pollen, rest again and move on.

Youll need to do a bit more research to find out what native grasses grow near you.

Benefits Vs Real Lawn

There are so many benefits of artificial lawns. First and foremost, the level of maintenance on an artificial lawn is going to be a lot lower. In the summer months, you wont need to spend hours watering the grass and trimming it every weekend. There will be no need for expensive irrigation systems or hours spent wondering if the grass is going to get scorched by the heat.

Often, despite your best efforts, patches of grass die. Then you are left with the task of reseeding your lawn, sprinkling seeds to try and get an even match. Does it ever work? Rarely! So, people end up with patchy, uneven lawns that they are ashamed of.

Youll save money long-term too! Plastic lawns never die. They are durable at the same time as being soft. They will not scorch or die in the sun. So, while artificial grass may cost more than buying rolls of turf in the initial stages, over the following years you will certainly spend less on maintenance, care, or repair of turf.

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Remove The Existing Lawn

A perfect surface is one that’s level and free of any objects or debris that may hinder the turf from rooting properly.

If you have an existing lawn that needs to be removed and your garden isn’t too large, you can simply dig the turf up with a spade. Cut out small squares as you go, making sure you dig deep enough to remove the roots but not too deep that you need to invest in more sub-base further along in the process. The more people on hand, the quicker and easier this will be, and if you’re not used to manual labour it’s always nice to have someone else around to do the hard graft.

If your garden takes up a larger area you may want to hire a turf cutting machine from your local tool hire shop !

Seeding Maintenance And Care Of Your Wildflower Lawn

Depending on the size of your lawn, hand broadcasting the seeds will be a sufficient way of planting. If the seeds are very small, which is very likely with meadow seeds, you can mix them with a fine, damp sand to spread them more evenly. 4 parts sand to 1 part seed is a good ratio to shoot for.

Youll quickly find that wildflower seeds are of all different weights and sizes. They can be purchased in a mix, or separately.

Refining your choices even further, you can choose between annual wildflower seeds, biennial seeds, perennial seeds, grass seed and wildflower mixes, or plain old grass seed mixes.

Low-maintenance wildflower lawns have the added benefit of being drought tolerant, and can survive anything nature has in store.

Plus, they only need to be mowed once or twice a year.

Discover some Wildflower Seed Mixes here to get you started.

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Why Is Soil So Important To Lawn Health

A lawns soil provides nutrients, water and oxygen to the grass we grow, and if any of these things arent right then your lawn will not thrive. And because removing your entire lawn and replacing the soil isnt an option, there are other ways you can improve the wellbeing of your soil.

Just keep in mind theres no quick fix and most treatments require time and some expense, but consider it an investment in the long-term health of your lawn.

Measure The Space And Purchase Sod

Preparation is key for getting your sod to take root. Start planning a few weeks before youre ready to lay the new sod. Plan to lay sod on a day when the weather forecast is clear. Rain may delay this project.

On the other hand, too little water will also affect sod success. Avoid laying sod during times of drought or water restriction. New sod needs plenty of water once it’s in place. Its best to wait if watering your sod will be difficult.

Before you begin, take measurements of your yard to make sure you purchase enough sod. Landscaping is generally measured in square feet. The easiest way to calculate your space is to walk the area.

The average human step is roughly three feet. It may be less for shorter people. You can measure your step if youd like to be exact. To measure your yard by walking, follow these steps:

• Walk the length of your yard and note the number of steps. Then walk the width.
• Multiply the number of steps by 3 for length. Do the same for width. Multiply by 2.5 if youre shorter or by your exact step length in feet if you have it.;
• Multiply those two numbers, length and width, to find the square footage.;

You could also use a measuring wheel if youd prefer. Its a simple tool to measure long distances. A measuring wheel will give you a more exact measurement.

Once youve measured your yard, its time to plan your sod order:

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What Is Fake Grass

Artificial turf, often referred to as fake grass or synthetic lawn, is essentially a copycat lawn made from polyester or other materials. Many people have synthetic turf installed for residential homes, while many businesses and public spaces also opt for low-maintenance lawns. Most often the turf-like aspect of the product will be produced with a blend of nylon, polypropylene, or polyethylene. These materials can be shaped, cut, and softened to look and feel like real grass as much as possible.

These materials are stitched or glued into a backing material. It is this backing that both hold the turf in place and also gives it that cushioned feel, making it as close to real grass as possible. In the past, people worried that artificial lawns were never going to be as comfortable or believable as a real turf lawn, however, the modern product has gotten so good that its almost impossible to tell the difference!

How Often Should You Water The Lawn

Too much water is not the best option. Too little water is not good as well. Finding the perfect balance is the key to having a beautiful lawn. Whether you have established or newly seeded grass, there are several considerations to make when watering your turf. These include the type of grass, the time of day you water, and how long you water.

We live in a world with varying seasons. It is impossible to disclose a rule like water your lawn three times a day for 30 minutes. What if your grass doesnt need much water? What if you are located in a relatively rainy area? Dont bother looking for a precise formula that works in every location or on all turf types because you wont find any. Hopefully, by explaining the watering process and what is right and wrong, you will be able to determine how often to water your lawn to get the best results.

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Trim Down Any Unwanted Grass

Trim the excess artificial turf at least by 2 3 stitch rows out. The edges of the grass patch are the weakest parts of the turf. To avoid the edges of your artificial grass caving to either side, eliminate the problem early. Cut it off! You can use a utility knife or a carpet cutter to cut the underside of the turf.

How To Repair Minor Damage From Grub Worms

If you can spot only a few grubs in your lawn, the situation is far from serious and can be handled easily. Here is what you need to do to salvage your turf without a complete restoration.

Use a Garden Rake

Use your garden rake to get rid of the brown, affected spots and remove the dead grass. Make sure to rake the damaged area a bit more to remove the extra thatch and loose soil.

Sprinkle Grass Seeds

The next thing you can do is sprinkle new grass seeds over the raked area. We recommend sprinkling 10-15 seeds per square inch for a completely bald area and 5-10 seeds per square inch for a semi-bald area. Sprinkle less if the surrounding turf is healthy

Tamp the Seeds

Once youve sprinkled enough grass seeds, tamp them with your foot. Next, it is good to sprinkle topsoil over the grass seeds.

Water Your Lawn

Lightly water your lawn every day until the grass is a few inches tall. It is recommendable to water every day for two-three weeks.

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Dig The Soil To The Correct Depth

The soil should be cultivated well by turning it through with a fork, ensuring the topsoil meets a minimum depth of 15cm. If the existing soil does not meet this requirement you can purchase either normal topsoil or pre-turfing soil, which is designed to be the ideal sub-base for a new lawn due to the addition of pre-turf fertiliser and other nutrients.

If you’re using the existing sub-base or normal topsoil, spread a pre-turf fertiliser over the area to provide your new lawn with the nutrients it needs to get the best start in life.

The soil should be left to settle and given time for the weedkiller to do its thing. A few weeks is recommended for optimum results.

When To Lay A Lawn

Creating a new lawn from scratch is easy if you pick the right time of year and prepare the site thoroughly.

Turf will quickly establish on soil that is warm and moist – autumn is perfect as new turf will also be regularly watered by winter rain. Turf can also be laid in spring, but avoid this time of year if you live in an area hit by a hosepipe ban as new turf needs frequent watering to prevent grasses from being put under stress.

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Using A Motorised Lawn Aerator

Always be very careful when using any automatic machinery and follow the manufacturers instructions. Ensure that the area that you are going to aerate is clear of any debris such as rocks, tree roots, stones, branches, toys.

Aerate the whole of the area that needs doing, being careful not to rip the lawn by turning the aerator machine during use.

How To Start Changing Traditions

Realize first and foremost that chemicals are not needed to grow grass. Neither is it useful, or practical, to use vast amounts of clean, drinkable quality water to keep your lawn green.

Nearly 1/3 of all residential water use in the United States goes towards landscape irrigation! Let that sink in for a second. That can be taken as a selfish act of humankind, If there is flowing water, lets use it!.

However, if you are living and gardening with sustainability in mind, reducing your water consumption may be, in fact, one of your top priorities.

Stop using chemicals, reduce your need for irrigation and develop ways to promote diversity in your lawnscape.

Thats all there is to it!

Refrain from spraying chemicals on the land, in the hopes that now you wont hurt anything downstream, anymore there is always something, someone, some bird, insect, fox, owl, mouse, frog or fish downstream. We are all connected.

Be the positive change that nature desires and convert your lawn to a wildflower meadow, starting today!

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