Saturday, March 30, 2013

Kansas City Landscaping- Ways To Manage For Your Turf Annually

By Brian Wilson


A determined home-owner with sufficient time to work shouldn't assume that an immaculate lawn is outside of their grasp. On the other hand a professional servicing takes a lot more than a weekly cut and water. Kansas City landscapers implement a spectrum of methods that we will cover briefly.

The first step must be to acknowledge the plant as a whole (roots, stems, leaves) and the unique needs of each part. Correctly treating each section of the lawn, both above ground and below, means the lawn will get what is requires in the right time and right way. But merely articulating the need for food, breath, and water will not be enough. It remains to take care of those needs attentively and with strategic skill.

Kansas City Landscapers understand the first 3 inches of dirt are very important for a good yard and will prepare it when possible. The correct ratios of clay, sand, and organic matter will provide you with a loamy consistency. Professionals know the important of soil that is conditioned for optimal water retention and oxygen exposure.

The pH level of the soil will affect the health of your lawn as well. Kansas City landscapers employ simple and easy pH testing kits that are available at many landscape-supply stores. Then you can use certain organic materials to raise or lower the pH, such as manure or sulfur (to lower) and firewood ash or peat moss (to raise). A pH level of between 6.5 and 7.0 is ideal. For help on what to use and how to use it, talk to a Kansas City landscaping company.

Kansas City's water run-off tendencies can mean pools of standing water or heavy erosion on your property, which can eventually harm grass roots. Proactive management will save you a headache later on and prevent damage to your house and property. To anchor and grow properly the soil in which it grows must not be washed away or over-saturated. Solve the issue by changing the level of the low areas and steep areas with soil. Sod, erosion blankets, and new landscaping itself are more drastic solutions for drastic erosion issues.

After the soil has been prepared and graded you will want to cover any bare spots (or even plant the lawn itself). You will have a huge variety of grasses to choose from and can either spread it as seed or install it as sod. If you have the money and need for pre-cut sod it is the best choice when addressing large areas, while the much less expensive choice would be seed.

Lawns with a number of conditions may require multiple species of grass to beat each condition, such as shaded areas or damp areas that are vulnerable to infection. This is a common practice used by professional landscapers in Kansas City for fighting the varied threats to Kansas City lawns. A Kansas City landscaping contractor can give you advice if you need to choose varieties or remove the varied conditions in your yard.

Proper watering is more important than many people realize. A good number of Kansas City landscapers employ a once-per-week irrigation cycle that will allow water to drain properly while keeping the soil moist. Thatch or fungus will be a clear result of over-watering. Two inches of water once a week should work for most lawns.

Uncontrolled thatch can be an issue if left unattended. The debris will choke sections of the yard and not allow anything to grow. Thatch itself is not bad, however. A small amount under healthy turf will be able to promote the health of the grass.

All too often this means even a successful lawn needs a de-thatching. To remove thatch Kansas City landscaper de-thatch with a power-rake or hand-rake. Try not to harm the grass as you rake the dead thatch out from the yard. Remove the thatch with a mower or by hand, making sure not to simply mulch it back into the yard.

The weather throughout the year can gradually compress the earth around your grass. Meaning the grass roots will not be able to diffuse oxygen and carbon dioxide successfully; a main hindrance in developing a wholesome yard.

To deal with the compacted soil Kansas City landscapers aerate the ground. To aerate the yard you will need to rent or borrow an aerator and run it over the yard a few times. If done right, this will lessen the compression and permit the roots to do what they do best.

At the conclusion of Winter or very beginning of Spring Kansas City landscapers employ an enzyme-inhibitor called "pre-emergent". Pre-emergent is a combination of an herbicide and a fertilizer that is designed specifically to stop weeds from germinating. This gives your lawn a huge boost over weeds in the pivotal early-growth phase.

You have to feed the grass just like any other creature. Nitrogen and other nutrients are continually leeched from the soil through different processes. The yard must have these essential elements or the stress and threat of disease may kill the grass. Kansas City landscapers recommend at least two feedings per year. And if it does not get too hot, where the grass is too stressed to feed, a Summer feeding is ideal. Chemical fertilization is not the only option. Manure and compost are better alternatives.

The grass should not be too long when it is fertilized or else the nutrition will never reach some areas of the yard and be too strong in others. But, also, remember not to fertilize immediately after mowing. That will add stress to the grass as it tries to grow back and potentially burn the cut leaves, sucking water from them. Often home-owners think that cutting the grass as short as possible is good for the yard. But this will be detrimental to the grass over time and in the Summer.. Kansas City landscapers usually grasp this and suggest higher settings on mowing equipment.

Fungicide is applied at least once a year by Kansas City landscapers for preventing disease before it happens. A yard that has areas of shade or flooding will be more vulnerable than most. Don't assume that a fungicide guarantees protection, however. Keep a watchful eye on your yard and learn the signs of infection.

As is true in so many cases, diligence and working hard in the good times will give you the extra assistance you need in tough times. There is no better strategy than simply keeping the lawn as healthy as possible. A yard that has bad roots and soil will die in tough times and consequently need to be replaced.

Make sure to integrate every one of these areas into a full strategy for your yard. Cultivating a lush yard is extremely rewarding. So what are you hesitating for? Get going!




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