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Watering your lawn on a regular basis prevents drought stress and keeps the grass green, but too much water is damaging over the long term. You can tell your lawn is waterlogged if it feels squishy when you walk across it or you see puddles and mud. The extra water in the soil prevents air from reaching your grass's roots, and it can cause the lawn to yellow and die if left unchecked. Fortunately, you can salvage your grass if it's still alive.
With a flush of growth once springtime arrives, grasses respond to the warming temperatures and increasing daylight. This vigorous growth is the perfect opportunity for lawn maintenance before the summer heat sets in -- extreme temperatures often stunt grass growth or force it into dormancy. Depending on your grass species, several lawn chores should occur in early spring.
Warm-season grasses usually fall dormant on or before the first frost, and cool-season grasses need to be well-established before the frost hits. If you're expecting the fall season's first frost and you don't think your grass is prepared to survive it, watering the grass can help; instead of freezing, the water can keep the soil and grass warmer.
Having a healthy, green and lush lawn doesn't happen by chance. Planting your lawn or reestablishing an old one that has been neglected is only the first phase of your landscaping plan. It's followed by ongoing maintenance to make sure all of the time, work and money that you put in to it meets the potential you envisioned. Lawn care complaints often revolve around the time, the cost and problems you never bargained for.
The key to a great lawn -- one that is dense, green and free of pests and weeds – is about a combination of watering, weeding, mowing and annual maintenance. One way to get started on the road to that perfect lawn is by understanding common lawn care terms. When you visit your local garden center and ask for advice, it makes the clerk's job easier when you can explain the problem or tell her exactly what you need or what your project entails.
The wind blows them away. Birds snatch them up. Excess water can carry them out of your yard. Keeping seeds in contact with the soil looms as one of the most frustrating parts of planting a new lawn. If some seeds fail to germinate, your lawn will be patchy and bare in spots. With proper seed selection, ground preparation, seeding technique and maintenance, your seeds will stick and germinate, producing a healthy turf.
You might think of your yard as a safe, tranquil place. Usually you’d be right, but performing fall lawn care can expose you to a variety of hazards you might not have otherwise thought about. Identifying and neutralizing these potential safety threats before you begin your fall lawn maintenance routine can help keep you safe.
Corded electric lawn mowers are easier to maintain than other types of mowers. Caring for an electric mower mostly involves keeping it clean, and well-maintained mowers tend to last longer. For your safety, always unplug your electric mower from an electrical outlet before performing any type of maintenance on it.
Using a step edger doesn't require you to hire a lawn care professional. Find out how to use a step edger with help from an expert with over two decades of experience working in Garden Centers in this free video clip.
Controlling a sprinkler with a well pump is an efficient way to water an area that does not have access to a municipal water supply. Well pumps generate enough force to operate a sprinkler head efficiently while still supplying the house with water for other plumbing fixtures. Controlling the flow of water from the pump to the sprinkler head is a matter of installing a ball valve along the supply pipe. Adding a ball valve requires the use of a few tools and a general knowledge about plumbing.
The sickle-bar mower was invented around the time of the American Civil War as a way to partially mechanize the harvest of hay. While the first models were horse-drawn, over the years, many variations of the design emerged for use in smaller areas, such as lawns. Today, the sickle-bar lawn mower has largely been replaced by safer and more efficient mower designs.
Detection of partial discharges in transformers helps avoid certain problems. For example, this sort of discharge can be an indication that the transformer is aging. The accumulation of an electric charge in a transformer can lead to the release of energy in the form of a partial discharge. If you don’t deal with this problem early, it can result in more discharges and, ultimately, the transformer will not function properly. Acoustic sensors are one technique you can use to detect these partial discharges.
Larger lawn mowers, such as riding mowers and lawn tractors, have a kill switch system. It’s related to the ignition system and is designed to keep the rider safe and prevent harm to others. If something compromises the kill switch or related systems, it can endanger people or damage your mower.
Lawns are subject to traffic, pests, weed invasions and weather conditions, causing them to grow thin, damaged or neglected. Consider reseeding your lawn if you want to fill bare or brown spots, reclaim lawn from weed invasions or thicken areas with thin or sparse growth. Perennial ryegrass, a tough, cool-season grass, is a suitable choice for reseeding because it germinates quickly, tolerates traffic and forms a thick mat of growth on the soil. Whether you want to reseed the entire lawn or only parts of it, the process is the same, except for the scale.
A tow-behind aerator/spreader is a useful and versatile piece of equipment that spreads grass seed while creating an ideal soil environment for the seed. An aerator makes holes in the soil -- it's used to introduce air and moisture to compacted soil, which improve grass root development. If the piece of equipment is an aerator/spreader, it will also distribute a steady and adjustable flow of grass seed into the soil while it aerates it.
Enhance the beauty of your lawn while preventing the grass from overgrowing your sidewalk with the installation of a decorative brick border between your lawn and sidewalk. Decorative bricks come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors, allowing you to choose the bricks that best accentuate your lawn and home. The installation is simple, and once set into the soil the bricks will last for years without any maintenance.
Carpetweed and blanketweed thrive under very different conditions, but both are invasive and annoying if not controlled. Carpetweed is a compact annual plant that wreaks havoc in lawns during warm weather. It has dense, green foliage and produces tiny, white flowers in summer. Blanketweed is a type of algae that forms in shallow ponds. It resembles pieces of long hair and wraps itself around more desirable plantings. It may also lead to the development of green scum on the top of the water. Treating carpetweed and blanketweed requires different approaches, as their growth habits are not the same.
If you have trees in your yard, there will likely be a few roots poking above the ground. These can inhibit grass growth, making a lawn appear bumpy and less than lush. If you're facing this problem, remedy it by covering the exposed roots with sod, returning the green to your yard.
Lawn aerators foster healthy grass by softening the soil, allowing water to penetrate the ground and giving the roots room to grow. Professional lawn aerators actually pull plugs of soil out of the ground -- a very effective treatment, but it can be costly and it leaves temporary little tubes of dirt on the lawn. Aerating with spikes or large nails works well for do-it-yourselfers with limited budgets; manual aerators may be found as pitchfork-like tools, rollers you push and even spiked shoe attachments. Or, if you have a small lawn, you can make your own for the cost of…
Commonly found in deicing products, calcium chloride is an alternative to the ubiquitous and inexpensive sodium chloride, or rock salt. Because it is more expensive and more difficult to handle than rock salt, calcium chloride is rarely if ever applied for removing the ice on roads and highways. But homeowners may choose calcium chloride for use on their sidewalks and driveways in an effort to get rid of ice while preserving their landscaping.
Artificial turf provides a padded, real-looking play area to places where grass generally won't grow. Artificial turf is non-organic and manufactured to be antibacterial. To provide the padding that grass contains, artificial turf is installed on top of a foam pad, which enables the turf to be installed on top of dirt or concrete and still provide an exceptional playground.
Laying sod over sand is a quick way to establish a new lawn. A yard often contains a combination of the common soil types: sand, silt, clay and loam. Therefore, a yard that is sand might be sandy loam, sandy clay, sandy clay loam or loamy sand, depending on the percentage of each type of soil particles. Laying sod over sand is a similar procedure to placing sod over any other type of soil. A benefit of laying sod over sand is that water drains quickly. Many golf courses are made by laying sod over sand.
Ponds, waterways and wells can all be sources of water for lawns and gardens. Getting the water from there to where it is needed usually requires some kind of pump. The pump has an inlet connector that attaches to a hose dropped into the water and an outlet connector that connects to a hose to take water where it should go. The outlet hose is often connected to a water sprinkler for watering a lawn.
A gravel path through your lawn leading into your garden or a gravel driveway leading to your home may project exactly the country-style, rustic appearance you want. But keeping the gravel from skipping out of place into the lawn can become an unwelcome chore if you don't create a barrier to prevent it. Gravel in your lawn can damage your lawn mower and injure bare feet. You can create inexpensive gravel barriers quickly with a variety of edging materials, or choose a more costly but decorative specialty stone barrier.
Renovating a lawn damaged by pests, disease, or the elements is a job that no homeowner looks forward to. The best way to renovate a lawn is to remove the existing sod. New sod can be laid over old sod, but the success rate is not as high. Major drawbacks are that the height of your lawn changes, and considerable preparation with a large measure of hard labor is required.
FieldTurf, which is often referred to as “artificial turf,” is common in sports facilities around the world. FieldTurf is used in several Major League Baseball stadiums, National Football League stadiums and college football stadiums. It’s completely synthetic and is built with artificial, grasslike fibers, sand and rubber.
Rid a yard of grubs without using harsh chemicals with a little help from nature. Grubs are nuisances in many gardens. They eat through the roots of plants and grasses, killing the plants. Chemical pesticides are available, but may be hazardous to a gardener's health. Instead of spraying harsh chemicals, use the natural food chain making a yard or garden grub free.
Sand burs, those prickly, irritating weeds that grow on the dry fringes of your lawn, are the bane of many homeowners. They tend to have a scraggly, dry appearance, which may be why burning them seems like a good idea. Before you burn sand burs, though, consider safer options, especially if you live in a dry area.
In states such as Colorado, homeowners' associations (HOAs) have lien rights to foreclose on their homeowners' real property for nonpayment of dues or assessments. Their lien rights allow them to have superior lien status to many other creditors, including local tax authorities. HOAs can foreclose on a homeowner's property with or without judicial proceedings, according to state laws.
Lawn seed looks exactly like birdseed to hungry birds. Seeding rather than buying sod is an economical way to start a new lawn, but not if the local avian population eats the seeds before they can germinate. A combination of deterrents and distraction might be sufficient to keep birds away from the new lawn. If necessary, use simple physical barriers to keep the birds from reaching the seeds at all.
A bumpy, uneven backyard is not only is unpleasant to the eye, but it also can lead to injuries from falls and twisted ankles. If your backyard is not fairly level, you also won't be able to install certain types of outdoor additions such as a patio or a trampoline. Transform your backyard by making the ground even. An even backyard will be more attractive, safer and easier to mow.
A newly laid lawn needs sufficient water in order to thrive. The best way to ensure that you give sufficient water is to install a sprinkler system, and this should be done prior to laying the sod. Whether you install the sprinkler system yourself or have it done professionally, laying the sod neatly over the system without damaging the delicate sprinkler heads is challenging, as is making sure that the sprinklers are able to function optimally.
There’s more to getting a rich green lawn than just unrolling sod rows and watching the grass grow. You need to prepare the ground properly before you lay sod, and you need to pay attention to sod placement so the seams grow together. The best way to place sod rows is to alternate seams, much like you would stagger bricks on a wall. As the grass grows, the seams will be less noticeable in staggered rows.
Laying stepping stones will reduce wear and tear on your green lawn from foot traffic. The stones provide a convenient solution to both the people walking and the gardener trying to keep the lawn looking manicured. Even if you do nothing more than lay down store-bought slabs of slate or concrete, you have created a walkway. However, the next challenge is learning how to mow around the walkway without hitting the stones with your mower blade.
Worms make great bait for fishing. Although you can buy worms in bait shops, you can dig them up yourself for free if you know where to look. Worms often live in soil, mud or manure to protect themselves from the sun and keep their skin moist so they don't dry out. The presence of worms in soil or mud can be detected by castings, piles of the worm's waste left on the surface of the soil or mud. The castings often look just like the soil the worms dig through. This is because the worms tend to eat and…
Lawn aeration serves many important benefits, including increasing oxygen, water and nutrient movement in soil, helping grass develop root structures and helping prevent contamination of water systems by fertilizer and pesticide run off. These problems are caused in large part by compaction, the forced removal of air from soil due to activity aboveground, such as foot and vehicle traffic. Aeration resolves this problem by alleviating compaction and allowing mixtures of water and air to reach grass roots. Aeration on lawns is typically done with a core aerator, a device that removes plugs of soil and deposits them on top of…
Molasses is a thick syrup created from the sugar of beets or natural sugar cane. Molasses can be used to boost fertilizers in the soil, because the carbohydrate content stimulates microbes in the soil, promoting the health of the soil and plants.
Pre-emergent herbicides are applied to lawns before weeds have a chance to grow. The pre-emergent used depends on the type of grass growing, as some herbicides have negative effects on certain grass species. Pre-emergent herbicides are traditionally used against annual grassweeds such as crabgrass and bluegrass. The right herbicide for your species will kill weeds with little to no effect on the grass itself.
Mowing a steep lawn is difficult. Any lawn with more than a 30 percent is dangerous. It may cause you to lose control of your mower, trip and become seriously injured. Installing terraces is one method of dealing with a steep lawn. Terraces convert a steep hill into a series of flat steps, which you can cover with lawn grass or convert into gardens. Mowing a steep, terraced lawn is almost the same as mowing a regular lawn.
Some insects that are commonly found in lawns, such as lady beetles, assassin bugs, lacewings, earwigs, big-eyed bugs and syrphid flies, are actually beneficial and do not need to be eliminated from your yard. However, other types of bugs can cause damage to your lawn, and the dreaded mosquito can also be a nuisance and even a carrier of disease.
Lawns and flower beds go together but don't grow together. Keep them separated with a scallop-topped concrete edging. It's available in several colors and lengths at home improvement and hardware stores. The edging makes clipping the grass with a weed eater a breeze without whipping off the stems of the flowers or bushes. In a weekend it's possible to edge your entire lawn.
Not all lawns have good drainage. Heavily compacted soils will prevent water from soaking into the lawn and flushing out properly. Steady rains or flash floods can cause water to collect in the lawn, damaging the grass and, potentially, the topsoil. Adding a trench drain to the lawn helps move water away from the home, where it can do damage to the foundation, and keep water from collecting on the grass. Building a trench drain is labor intensive, so give yourself a few days to complete the project.
Core aeration helps your lawn by relieving it of soil compaction, facilitating nutrient movement and water movement throughout. It prevents too much thatch from accumulating on your lawn’s surface, and it increases the rate at which your lawn roots. Aeration should be done in the grass's growing season so it can quickly repair the effects of the aeration. April and September are appropriate times to aerate cool-season grasses, and June and July are suitable for warm-season grasses.
Scotch moss is a perennial ground cover that thrives in full to partial sun, unlike other mosses that require shade. This makes Scotch moss an excellent choice for a lawn replacement. If your grass has died or will not grow on your soil, try growing Scotch moss instead. It spreads quickly and lives up to moderate foot traffic. You can also alternate installing squares of Scotch moss with squares of Irish moss for a checkerboard look.
Bay grass is the common collective term for a number of species of aquatic plants known as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). In addition to acting as a food source and shelter for creatures including crabs, fish and waterfowl, SAV also acts to filter nutrients that drain from lawns and agricultural operations from even distant points in the watershed.
Framing a saltbox shed is slightly different from framing other sheds or structures. Unlike a regular shed, a saltbox has an A-style roof that is unequal on one side, to give more horizontal interior space without an increase in height. Fortunately, framing a saltbox structure is a simple and straightforward process. In use for hundreds of years, saltbox-style sheds are still popular today because they efficiently provide horizontal storage space for storing rock salt, lawnmowers, tools and other items that don't require a high ceiling.
When you want a beautiful, lush lawn in a short time, laying sod is the way to go. Although sod may be installed at any point in the year, it is best done during warmer months so the lawn sets up properly in the soil before going dormant. Laying sod in the fall, before it gets too cold in the winter months, is possible once you prepare the soil and properly install the sod. Laying sod before winter has benefits, as it reduces the risk of your new lawn being dried out or burnt by harsh summer sun.
Laying sod over an area that consists mostly of gravel is possible and recommended in areas where water runoff might be a problem. The gravel is not a suitable substrate for the grass, so you need to build up a layer of soil for the grass roots to establish themselves. Over time, the roots will reach through and below the gravel, creating a stable lawn. Choose a hardy grass sod such as St. Augustine that will need little maintenance.
Overseeding is a lawn and pasture growing technique in which seed from different grass and pasture crops are sown at different times on the same area as a way to encourage lush, perennial growth. White clover is used in residential lawns as well as in public areas. Red clover is used in pastures.
Laying wet sod helps facilitate rooting and prevents root systems from drying out. When sod's roots are allowed to dry out, they are unable to establish themselves in the soil. The result is patchy, dead areas of grass. Despite the many benefits of wetting sod, it is important for gardeners to avoid saturating their sod. Saturated pieces of sod have difficulty remaining in place for rooting and are at risk for contracting a fungal disease.
