Friday, March 29, 2013

Tips On How To Nurture Your Lawn From Landscapers in Kansas City

By Darlene Williams


You won't need to pay someone for the benefits of a good lawn care servicing. At the same time a professional servicing takes a lot more than a mowing and watering routine. Kansas City landscapers apply a variety of methods that this post will briefly go over.

A lawn is a living organism that needs more than basic weekly mowing and watering if it is going to thrive. Careful cultivation with knowledge and diligence will produce a flourishing and luxurious lawn. Yet acknowledging the wants of this creature called "grass" isn't going to answer them. You must apply that understanding strategically and diligently.

Kansas City Landscapers understand that the first 2-3 inches of earth should be conditioned if the lawn is going to reach its full potential. Learn what your soil needs and aim for a texture that holds moisture and holds together because of organic compost. Kansas City landscapers aim for soil with a makeup that provides excellent oxygen and water retention.

Soil acidity is another pivotal factor in your lawn's growth and health. Pretty much any Kansas City landscaping shop should offer a test-kit. After determining the level you will need to condition the soil to raise or lower the pH. Lime and ash are know to raise the levels (make more alkaline), while many organic compost, mulch, or nitrogen-rich material will lower (acidify) the level.. Most grasses enjoy an acidic level around 6.8. Kansas City landscaping suppliers have the common products and materials. Each material will have its own method for applying to your lawn so ask the supplier what they suggest

Erosion and standing water can be big issues in the Kansas City area. If you are not proactive, one storm can do significant damage. Grass in standing water will be stressed and prone to fungus. Erosion will remove pivotal protection from roots and wash away nutrients. The solution is relatively simple- level off and re-grade areas that are low or prone to high drainage, and plant sod or erosion-resistant vegetation, or place mulch, rock, or erosion-controlling materials over extremely steep areas.

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. Sod gives you instant grass. That's its greatest strength. But if you are needing a mixed variety of grass or needing to stay on a budget, seed is superior.

A great way to find out which varieties of grass will grow well in your yard is to spread several seed varieties and see which one thrives the best. This can be particularly helpful if more than one condition is present- like when one area of the yard is heavily shaded and another receives full sun. Mottling of color and texture is the only complaint some people have with a yard containing several grass species. The alternative to this is simply re-landscaping the yard to remove the varied conditions. A Kansas City landscaping contractor can give you advice if you need to choose varieties or remove the varied conditions in your yard.

Professional landscapers know that watering too often or not often enough can be detrimental. Soaking the soil once per week, enough to keep the soil damp, is the advised approach given by Kansas City landscapers. Signs of over-watering include- Fungus, Thatch (dead layers of grass throughout the yard), yellowing patches, burned grass (in the Summer heat), and an abundance of weeds. The soil conditioning plays the largest role in deciding how to water. If it drains too quickly without retaining water or does not drain well you will have to adjust. One watering per week at around 2 inches is sufficient for most lawns.

Thatch cannot be ignored for years or it will become a major factor in stress and disease. It has the tendency to choke and stress the grass. At the same time, it is healthy for the lawn to have a small layer of thatch unseen beneath the grass leaves.

De-thatching is therefore a required part of regular lawn-care. De-thatching requires a power-rake for large areas, though a hard hand-rake with suffice in small areas or if a power-rake is not easily obtainable. The process is meant to rake the dead layer of grass up out of the living grass and remove it. Once removed, the thatch can be easily composted (when it is not contaminated with fungus or insects) or simply thrown away.

Snowfall and frost will compress the soil every year. The compacting of the soil will inhibit several important processes and therefore must be dealt with.

To remedy these issues Kansas City landscapers aerate the lawn. Run an aerator over your yard twice- each time at right angles to the other. If done right, this will eliminate the problem of compacted soil and permit the roots to do what they do best.

In order to keep weeds from even emerging, Kansas City landscapers make use of a pre-emergent. A pre-emergent is a chemical that, just as you may guess, stops weeds before they can appear. This will give the grass a distinct advantage over competing plants that will steal nutrients, water, and sunshine.

Just like any other living thing your lawn needs food to grow. Erosion, wind, the sun, and bagging grass while mowing all remove nitrogen and other nutrients from the soil over time. Several times a year these elements must be replaced or the yard will become sickly and prone to disease. The beginning and end of the active season (Spring-Fall) are the best times to replenish the soil. There are organic and natural methods for feeding your yard.

Make sure the lawn has not grown too long or gone to seed when your are spreading the fertilizer or else the nutrition will never reach some areas of the yard and be too strong in others. And do not apply the fertilizer just after mowing either. The tender new leaves and cuts in the leaves can be harmed by the chemical nutrient, resulting in burns and yellowing. 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 appreciate this and recommend higher settings on mowing equipment.

Landscapers in Kansas City will invariably use some from of fungicide, at least once each year, because local yards are given to infection. Yards that are overly shaded or constantly wet are more prone to this threat. Kansas City landscapers may be able to treat an infected yard but they know that preventative maintenance is better than reactive treatment.

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 neglected yard looks unsightly, will be prone to die in tough times and consequently need to be replaced.

Every excellent Kansas City landscaper will tell you that it is not as easy as people may think but it is needed if your yard is going to reach its full potential. It may not be super simple but it will surely be worth the time. And few projects around your home will add as much value, both to you and the next owner. So have fun and all the best!




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