Lawn Care

Lawn edging should be performed at regular intervals to maintain a neat appearance. Power edgers can be adjusted to make either straight of bevel cuts.

Before you apply fertilizer and lime you should know your soil nutrient values. Soil tests can be done at most Land Grant Universities for little or no fee. Others avenues for testing are County Extension Agents and maybe some of the better garden nurseries. An easy way to take a soil sample is to take an old golf club. Keeping the grip in place cut the shaft at a 45 degree angle about 2′ down on the shaft. About 2″ up from the angled cut, cut out or notch 1/2 of the shaft circumference. By inserting this into the soil it will remove a 2″ core of soil. Take at least a dozen core samples from all over the lawn area. You will need about 1/3 -1/2 lb. of soil in total. You then remove the grass top from the core and place the remaining soil in a brown bag to be sent off for testing.

Using more fertilizer or pesticide than the label calls for wastes the product and doesn’t help the lawn. The extra fertilizer or pesticide will probably wash away into a storm drain and out to a nearby wetland, stream, or pond where it can harm aquatic plants and animals.

Here’s an option for reseeding your lawn. If you have a large lawn or yard area consider renting or having your landscaper use a power rake instead of a rototiller to prepare your soil. A power rake is much wider and larger than a rototiller and able to cover the area more quickly. You will save time and money preparing your lawn for new seed or sod.

Always buy “certified seed”. This is identified by a blue tag saying certified. By spending a few extra cents up front, you will save many hundreds of dollars along with the added aggravation of controlling unwanted weeds later. Choose the right grass seed, sod or sprigs for your situation.

When winter is over and it’s finally nice enough to venture out into your yard, the first thing you should do to ensure that your lawn will have a good head start for the growing season ahead is to clean up all the debris that built up over the last few months. A power blower will help you remove leaves, sticks and other materials.

The first cut in the spring and the last cut in the fall should be low. In the spring this removes any winter fungus and in the fall prevents fungus from getting established during the winter.

An underwatered lawn cannot thrive. Weeds that are more drought resistant can overtake dry grass. A thorough watering once or twice a week is sufficient in most climates.

During construction, soil will often be without grass, trees, shrubs, and other plants. Without this protective vegetation, storms can move the soil into your neighbor’s yard, clog storm drains and streams, and carry pesticides and nutrients into the water. To prevent erosion, cover these bare areas with mulch, such as straw, grass clippings, stones, wood chips, and other protective cover. On steeper slopes, you should cover the mulch with burlap netting for extra protection. Vegetated and mulched areas increase water filtration into the soil, reducing erosive runoff water.

A sharp mower blade is a key to a perfect cutting job. However, whenever you sharpen a blade yourself, always check it for balance. An out-of-balance blade can cause excess mower vibration and wear. One way to check is to tie a metal washer onto a string, thread the string through the center hole of the blade, then hold the blade up with the washer supporting it. The washer should be on center and turned perpendicular to the blade. The blade should stay level. If it doesn’t, grind it for balance on the back side of the blade. Always disconnect the lawnmower’s sparkplug wire before removing or replacing any blade.