Lawn and Landscapng Tips
Core Aeration
Hard, compacted soil and thatch take away your lawn's breath. Aeration is the process of mechanically removing small plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn to improve natural soil aeration. This helps control thatch, improves soil structure, helps create growth pockets for new roots and opens the way for fertilizer and water to get into the root zone of your lawn.
Benefits of Core Aeration:
- Improved air exchange between the soil and atmoshere
- Enhanced soil water uptake
- Improved fertilizer uptake and use
- Reduced water runnoff and puddling
- Stronger turf grass roots
- Reduced soil compaction
- Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance
- Improved resiliency and cushioning
Mulching vs Bagging
Mulching is excellent if your turf is healthy. Remember to remove 1/3 or less of grass blade. The smaller the pieces, the quicker they break down.
If you have a damaged lawn with weeds or disease, bagging is preferred because you remove the weed seed heads and remove the diseased grass clippings which helps prevent the spreading of both weeds and disease.
Lawn Watering Tips
Lawn grasses and other plants in your landscape need water for growth and development. There is neither sufficient rainfall, nor is it adequately spaced throughout the year in much of North America, to sustain your landscape without supplemental water supplied by irrigation.
Proper watering practices improve the quality of your lawn, provide important environmental benefits, and save you money. It may be hard to believe, but most homeowners tend to over-water their lawns and actually waste water by not following a few relatively simple irrigation practices. These following points to proper watering will help ensure a healthier lawn.
Watering Basics
- The healthiest lawns are produced when they are watered heavily at infrequent intervals. On an average, the lawn needs about one inch of water per week, either by rainfall or in combination with irrigation. This 1-inch rule will normally soak the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches, allowing the water to reach deep into the root system.
- The best times to water your lawn are early morning when there is generally less wind and heat. Watering then allows for less evaporation into the air, greater penetration into the soil, and less run-off.
- Let the lawn completely dry out between watering intervals. Most lawn grasses can tolerate dryer conditions over a reasonable period of time. Water only when a screwdriver is difficult to push into the ground.
- Interrupt watering when puddles or run-off occur. Allow water to penetrate into the soil before resuming watering. Soil types vary in the speed at which water will soak into them. Generally speaking, most watering systems apply water faster than it can be absorbed by the soil. Sloping areas are particularly prone to run-off.
- Keep a newly seeded lawn moist, by not soaked, during the germination process. Too much water can cause poor germination and seedling disease. A light starter mulch over the seed will help keep the soil moist. As a new lawn begins to grow, lower the frequency of watering and increase the amount of water. After 4 to 6 weeks, treat the new lawn as an established lawn.
- If you have a newly sodded lawn, soak it completely after placement, for a period of about 2 to 3 weeks. This allows the root system to become firmly established in the soil. Soaking may require watering every day or two. After a few weeks, water the sod as an established lawn.
Check back soon for additional landscaping and lawn care tips from Elite Landscaping.
Lawn and Landscapng Tips
Core Aeration
Hard, compacted soil and thatch take away your lawn's breath. Aeration is the process of mechanically removing small plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn to improve natural soil aeration. This helps control thatch, improves soil structure, helps create growth pockets for new roots and opens the way for fertilizer and water to get into the root zone of your lawn.
Benefits of Core Aeration:
- Improved air exchange between the soil and atmoshere
- Enhanced soil water uptake
- Improved fertilizer uptake and use
- Reduced water runnoff and puddling
- Stronger turf grass roots
- Reduced soil compaction
- Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance
- Improved resiliency and cushioning
Mulching vs Bagging
Mulching is excellent if your turf is healthy. Remember to remove 1/3 or less of grass blade. The smaller the pieces, the quicker they break down.
If you have a damaged lawn with weeds or disease, bagging is preferred because you remove the weed seed heads and remove the diseased grass clippings which helps prevent the spreading of both weeds and disease.
Lawn Watering Tips
Lawn grasses and other plants in your landscape need water for growth and development. There is neither sufficient rainfall, nor is it adequately spaced throughout the year in much of North America, to sustain your landscape without supplemental water supplied by irrigation.
Proper watering practices improve the quality of your lawn, provide important environmental benefits, and save you money. It may be hard to believe, but most homeowners tend to over-water their lawns and actually waste water by not following a few relatively simple irrigation practices. These following points to proper watering will help ensure a healthier lawn.
Watering Basics
- The healthiest lawns are produced when they are watered heavily at infrequent intervals. On an average, the lawn needs about one inch of water per week, either by rainfall or in combination with irrigation. This 1-inch rule will normally soak the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches, allowing the water to reach deep into the root system.
- The best times to water your lawn are early morning when there is generally less wind and heat. Watering then allows for less evaporation into the air, greater penetration into the soil, and less run-off.
- Let the lawn completely dry out between watering intervals. Most lawn grasses can tolerate dryer conditions over a reasonable period of time. Water only when a screwdriver is difficult to push into the ground.
- Interrupt watering when puddles or run-off occur. Allow water to penetrate into the soil before resuming watering. Soil types vary in the speed at which water will soak into them. Generally speaking, most watering systems apply water faster than it can be absorbed by the soil. Sloping areas are particularly prone to run-off.
- Keep a newly seeded lawn moist, by not soaked, during the germination process. Too much water can cause poor germination and seedling disease. A light starter mulch over the seed will help keep the soil moist. As a new lawn begins to grow, lower the frequency of watering and increase the amount of water. After 4 to 6 weeks, treat the new lawn as an established lawn.
- If you have a newly sodded lawn, soak it completely after placement, for a period of about 2 to 3 weeks. This allows the root system to become firmly established in the soil. Soaking may require watering every day or two. After a few weeks, water the sod as an established lawn.
Check back soon for additional landscaping and lawn care tips from Elite Landscaping.