Your first task is to make changes to your mowing method, I would suggest raising the height of cut by 1cm above your summer mowing height which will give you an ultimate mowing height of 3cm (1 ? inches). The reason why you raise the cut to this height in autumn is to allow for the slowing of grass growth, on top of this I would usually mow just once a week once this growth begins to slow.

Should your lawns suffer from slow growth in the spring or during dry spells in the summer you may consider applying an autumn lawn feed to develop strong roots and hardiness. If you feel your lawn is not all it should be and would benefit from this autumn pampering then by all means apply the fertiliser but ensure it is specially formulated for autumn application, an autumn lawn feed such as this contains phosphates and potash whilst omitting nitrogen which would cause unwanted growth.

Many gardens may have goalmouths and beaten paths to washing lines that are tread-bare, sparsely populated by grass or compacted. Address these now to have them ship-shape for next season, start by driving the prongs of a garden fork approx 15cm (6 inches) into the compacted turf at various points throughout the affected area. This is a form of aeration, which allows more air to reach the grass plants roots on compacted soils.

To thicken up your grass sward in these high traffic areas we must introduce fresh seed, so firstly we must create a seedbed. Add a light layer of clean loamy topsoil (This is available bagged in most garden centres), rake this with a flat garden rake to the consistency of large cake crumbs and follow this by shaking on some lawn seed at a rate of 40 to 50g per square metre. Tamp down lightly with the flat of the rake to ensure firm seed-soil contact, alternatively on large areas use a light garden roller. Try to avoid mowing the reseeded area until next season, as most lawnmowers tend to unsettle the new seed due to their vacuum action.

As well as being a good month for reseeding bare areas, September is also a good time to sow new lawn from seed, with many being sown over the early autumn weeks.

About the Author:

James Kilkelly is a freelance horticulturalist and garden writer for four Irish regional newspapers. His forum, http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/ offers you free access to an wealth of horticultural information specific to Ireland. He also regularly posts at http://www.gardenstew.com/

Tags: tips, fertilizer, garden, sprinklers, seeders, tools, aeration, landscaping, lawn care, weed control

A lawn is the canvas on which you can draw the colorful garden you dream about. In winter it will provide colour and life when other plants are scarce. In summer it will pull together and frame all the features and colours in your garden.

A lawn is also extremely useful! Think about it for a moment - it’s great for walking on, ideal for playing games on and lovely for just sitting on. It’s soft, good looking and provides a forgiving surface when kids and adults trip over.

Modern grasses are very forgiving of neglect and severe weather. With very little lawn care and maintenance, they can be improved greatly. Here are 5 steps towards a healthier, more attractive lawn garden:

1. Improve the Soil - The first step is to test the soil’s pH - it should read between 6.5 and 7.0, which is slightly acidic. Soil that is too acidic will need a sprinkling of lime; sulfur can be added to soil which is not acidic enough. You can buy a pH tester (see below, this page) for $40 - $60. Another solution is to have your soil tested professionally; first call your extension office - they often provide soil testing as a free service.Lawns grow best in loamy soils that have a mix of clay, silt and sand. Too much clay in the soil mix, or heavy use, can compact the soil and prevent air and nutrient flow. Compacted soil may need aeration, a process of lifting small plugs of turf to create air spaces in the soil. For best results, rent an aerator or hire a lawn service to do the job - this will remove “finger size” plugs which improves aeration. Aeration is best done before top dressing and fertilizing.Organic matter, such as compost and grass clippings, will benefit any type of soil; it lightens soil which is heavy in clay, and it builds humus in sandy soils, which helps retain water and nutrients.

2. Choose a Locally Adapted Grass - Grasses vary in the type of climate they prefer, the amount of water and nutrients required, shade tolerance and the degree of wear they can withstand. Ask your local garden center to recommend grass which is best adapted to your area.

3. Mow Often, but Not Too Short - Giving your lawn a “Marine cut” is not doing it a favor. Surface roots become exposed, the soil dries out faster and surface aeration is reduced. As a general rule, don’t cut off more than one-third of the grass at any one time. Most turf grass species are healthiest when kept between 2.5 and 3.5″ tall.

4. Water Deeply but Not Too Often - Thorough watering encourages your lawn to develop deep root systems which make the lawn hardier and more drought-resistant. Let the lawn dry out before re-watering; as a rule of thumb, the color should dull and footprints should stay compressed for more than a few seconds. When watering, put a cup in the sprinkler zone; it should get at least one inch (2.5cm) water.The best time for watering is early morning - less water will be lost to evaporation. Ideally, it’s better to water the first half-inch or so, then wait for an hour or two before watering the second half-inch.

5. Control Thatch Build-Up - Thatch is the accumulation of above-soil runners, propagated by the grass. This layer should be about 1/2″ ( 1.25cm) on a healthy lawn, and kept in balance by natural decomposition, earthworms and microorganisms. Too much thatch prevents water and nutrients from reaching the grass roots. You can reduce thatch with a steel rake, or by renting a de-thatcher which does a more thorough job.

About the Author

Lawn Maintenance

Tags: lawn, garden, fertilizer, grass seed, tools, weed control, seeders, aerator, landscaping, aeration

Flower beds are a great way to showcase your flowers, add vibrant color to your lawn, and keep flowers in certain parts of your lawn. Flower beds can be placed almost anywhere on your lawn. Some of the most common places include:

Along walkways
Along front of house
Side of house
In the center of the lawn
In the backyard
In planters
Around rocks

Any of these places will work and many people will have three or four flower beds depending on how large their yard is. When building a flower bed, you will need the following materials and equipment:

Small shovel
Rake
Trowel
String
Small posts
Mulch
Landscape fabric
Fertilizer

You should aerate the soil and add fertilizer before planting your flowers. You should also give some thought as to the color scheme you want to create. Even though it may not be perfect as flowers can change their growth patterns, you should be able to group colors that you think will work for your lawn easily.

Once you have determined how your flowers should be planted, you should prepare the soil and plant them.

Choose mulch that is darker because this will make the color of the flowers stand out even more.

Flower beds can be changed each season in order to ensure flowers that will bloom each year. Perennial flowers will bloom in the spring, while annual flowers will bloom in the fall.

Using different decorating techniques such as planting flower beds, you will give your lawn many dimensions. This will add character and pizzazz.

Tags: fertilizer, garden, tips, seeders, aerator, tools, grass seed, weed control, maintenance, lawn care

First of all, what are they exactly?

Well, lawn care can be summed up in the exact words that it uses to describe itself. When you have a home or you rent a place that has an outdoor area, this is usually called the lawn. Sometimes it has lots of trees, sometimes it is just grass, and sometimes that are other areas that are sandy, rocky or otherwise changed to make them look better. No matter what types of areas you have, this is called, in general, your lawn. And caring for it in the proper way is what you do for lawn care.

There are many steps to lawn care. First of all, you have to be sure that the materials that make up your lawn and all well cared for and are living. You have to be responsible for planting grass, making sure it grows, and for getting rid of dead material and weeds. You also have to be responsible for taking care of your yard in the way that you rid it of refuse. Garbage, dead plant life, leaves, and sticks that are in your yard have to be removed in a timely manner, and this is all a part of lawn care for you. In general, your lawn care is going to be making sure that the outdoor areas around your home are clean, well cared for, and alive.

Next, you should know about landscaping. Landscaping is something that goes above and beyond simply caring for your lawn. Think of caring for your lawn as putting a bed in the bedroom, a couch in the living room, and making sure that the dishes are washed. Then, you can think of landscaping as putting up curtains, displaying the dishes that you think are beautiful, and putting up decorations for yourself. This is what landscaping does for you and for your yard.

There are many methods of landscaping. You might use all kinds of materials. Basically, you are organizing and decorating your yard in a way that looks nice to you. This might include putting things around trees where no grass will grow - such as rocks or mulch. It also might include creating and maintaining flower beds around your home or adding charm to other areas of your yard that appear to be bleak and dull and not interesting. These are all facets of landscaping, and they are all important.

The most important thing that you can do for your yard is to have a plan and to execute it. When it comes to lawn care, you should have a plan for each of the seasons. How often will you be working your yard for each season, and what things will you need to be doing in all of them. Lawn care is going to be ongoing - no matter how long you live in the home or how long you rent the home, you are going to have to do the same chores in order to take care of your lawn and the other areas. Lawn care is not something that ends.

On the other hand, when it comes to landscaping, a plan and execution is also important, but in a different way. When you first move into a house, or when you are thinking of changing the outdoor appearance by doing landscaping, you have to make a plan as to what you wish to do with these areas. This can be any number of things, but you should be able to have a set plan as to what you want to do. Then, you should buy the materials and do what you plan to do. After you have done your landscaping, you don’t need to keep doing it, but you do need to add caring for your various landscaped areas into your general lawn care plans. With a little time and care, landscaping and good lawn care can help you make your home into the best place in the world for you and your family to live. It will be a yard that you are happy with and that you are proud of, and it always will be.

Tags: seeders, lawn care, landscaping, aeration, aerator, weed control, lawn, garden, maintenance, tools

Lawn Mower

The first and most important thing that you are going to need to do your lawn care is going to be a way to cut your grass. No matter how much of a lawn you have, or how big it is, or what shape it is, you need to be able to cut the grass often. This means that even if you only have a small amount of grass, you are going to need a lawn mower. There are many different types of lawn mowers, and you can pick the one that is right for you. If you don?t have much of a lawn to mow you can buy a mower that you push. However, there are also riding lawn mowers that are becoming less and less expensive that you can buy in order to have the lawn of your dreams. You can also choose to have a bag on your lawn mower, or to pick up the grass that you cut by hand.
Rakes

The next things that you need, whether or not you have a mower with a bag, are rakes in order to clean up the lawn. You will need several types of these, but for the mean time a simple rake that you can use for grass, leaves, and debris is going to be best. You want to be sure that the rake you use is strong enough to get up all of the things that you no longer want to have in your yard, but is gentle enough to make sure that you are able to continue to use it without hurting the lawn underneath.

Watering System

Another important aspect of your lawn care is going to be how you water it. If you have a very small lawn, you might be fine with just a hose. However, for larger lawns you are going to need a sprinkler system to make sure that you can keep it watered. Remember that as you water your lawn you are going to have to make sure that you are able to keep up with the rules and regulations regarding watering practices and what you should and should not be doing.

Trash Bin

Next, you are going to want to be sure that you have someplace on your property to take care of the garbage that is part of lawn care. This means that you have to be sure you are able to take care of things like leaves and sticks, but also trash that comes into your yard that you want to throw away. These are all important factors when it comes to your lawn care, so you want to be sure that you have an appropriate place to take care of it.

A Good Shovel

If you live in an area where it snows, you already know the importance of snow removal items. You are going to want to have a whole array of these things if you live in an area that sees a lot of snow. However, even if you don’t live in an area that snows, you are going to have to have a shovel. A good shovel is an important part of lawn care. You can use it to dig holes, to get rid of things that are on your lawn that you don’t want, and for a whole variety of reasons. You should always be sure that you have one at your disposal.

Lawn care can be a big and daunting task for most home owners, or even for people that are just renting. However, you want to be sure that you are able to have the five most important pieces of lawn care materials at your disposal. If you can be sure that you have these things, you will see that your lawn care is much easier than you think it is, and you will be able to do much more for your lawn than you ever thought you’d be able to do. Taking care of your lawn is something that takes practice and patience, but it can be much easier if you take the time to make sure you have the correct tools before you start. It can be much easier that way.

Tags: aerator, lawn, aeration, tools, lawn care, weed control, garden, landscaping, maintenance, fertilizer

Scott lawn care has been in operation for many decades. The business can be found all over the United States, North America and Europe. It provides solutions to all your lawn care needs such as pest control, fertilizer and weeders. In fact, Scott Lawn Care has come up with a program called Annual Lawn Care that makes it easy for people to maintain a healthy lawn. The following is a description of the steps.

Lawn Care Pro Step 1

The first step is to use Scott Lawn Care crab grass preventer plus fertilizer. It comes in 14.05 pound bag to fertilize a five thousand square feet lawn or a 42.18 pound bag to fertilize a fifteen thousand feet lawn. This product allows selective control of weeds that sprout and it last for more than one month.

This product has enough nutrients for the grass to growth and its a detergent for crabgrass. The Scott Law Care Pro Step 1 ensures that no grass roots are burnt with its time release formula.

Apply this feed at the beginning of spring around February and April, or before the dandelions are at the puffball stage or before your fourth time mowing the lawn.

Lawn Care Pro Step 2

Next apply the weed control plus fertilizer. This weeder selectively kills off a number of weeds. In addition, it fertilizes your soil so that your grass can get all the nutrients it needs to remain healthy.

A bag of weed control plus fertilizer from Lawn Care Pro Step 2 can kill off most broadleaf weeds, dandelions, horseweed, knotweed, bittercress, lippia (matchweed), bindweed, aster, black medic, button weed, carpetweed, red clover, bur clover, hop clover, bull thistle, chickweed, chicory, curly dock, castsear (coast dandelion), cinquefoil, filaree, primrose, lespedeza, fleabane, red sorrel, knotweed seedling, ragweed, English daisy and among others.

Lawn Care Pro Step 3

This step helps address the issue of insects using Scotts Lawn Care Insect Control with Fertilizer. Bugs like army worms, earwigs, ants, Bermuda grass mites, flea beetles (in dichondra), mole crickets, chiggers, clover mites, chinch bugs, cut worms, fleas, sod webworms (lawn moth larvae), leaf hoppers and in dichondra (vegetable weevil) are reduced by using Scott Lawn Care Pro Step 3. It also contains a fertilizer with time release to maintain the steady growth of grass.

About the Author:

Jane Wyvern is an established freelance writer. You can find more of her writing at canopywire.com and soslawncare.com.

Tags: weed control, aerator, aeration, sprinklers, lawn care, landscaping, tools, grass seed, maintenance, garden

Choosing a lawn sculpture

Lawn sculptures can be very attractive pieces of art for your lawn. There are many different varieties of sculpture you can choose from including:

Water fountains
Bird baths
Statues
Figurines
Pillars

Of course, unless you are an artist or happen to know one, you will have to order a sculpture from a factory or lawn sculpture supply shop.

While some sculptures can be expensive, you should create a budget and not go over when shopping. You will be amazed at the variety you will have to choose from. When shopping for a sculpture, you should keep in mind the size of your lawn, the types of plants and flowers you already have, and the types you want to plant for the fall or spring weather. You should bring a picture or two of your lawn in order to have a fresh image of it in your mind.

There are many ways to decorate using sculpture:

Make it the focal point of a certain area of your lawn

Surround it with flowers and plants so that it blends with the rest of the lawn

Group one or two sculptures together

Place bird baths and fountains in shaded areas

Use smaller sculptures near driveways and walkways

Vary the use of colored sculptures and concrete sculptures

Lawn Sculpture Maintenance

Caring for your lawn sculptures will depend on the materials they are made from. Lawn sculptures can be made of the following:

Stone
Concrete
Metal
Plastic
Wood

If choosing sculptures that will need to be stored away during the winter, you should be able to lift them easily or be able to cover them. Otherwise they may be ruined.

During the wintertime, you should look at your sculptures to see if there are any cracks or broken pieces caused by the rain or the snow.

While most lawn sculptures should adopt a certain ?weathered look?, they should not be falling apart on your property.

Plastic and metal sculptures are usually the easiest to clean because they can be wiped off after a rain storm. Other sculptures will need extra care.

Tags: aeration, grass seed, weed control, tips, seeders, maintenance, tools, fertilizer, aerator, lawn

The typical pieces of lawn care equipment are necessary to create and care for a wonderful, green lawn. A knowledgeable gardener will have the lawn mover which will probably have some kind of mechanism for grooming the lawn to a perfect height. No skilled gardener will want to mow the lawn too close to the soil for this will result in an inferior look. A lawn that is left too long will not have the desired look of a smooth carpet of greenery. The lawn mower is the staple of lawn care equipment, but these machines come in a wide variety of makes and models which means choosing the proper lawn mower is an important decision. Manual mowers are still available and there are gardeners who still insist on pushing their mower around the property. Most gardeners choose a model with a motor to make the task easier.

Lawn Care Equipment Provides for the Latest Techniques

A beautiful lawn requires more than just the proper cut, and agricultural scientists have studied techniques for the best results. A beautiful lawn needs to be aerated periodically and lawn care equipment is available to perform this task. Professional landscapers will have sophisticated lawn care equipment to aerate the lawn properly, but there is simple lawn care equipment available for the gardener responsible for only the lawn in their home.

In order to start a lawn and to keep it vibrant, grass seed needs to be distributed throughout the targeted plot. Uneven distribution of the seeds will not produce the desired effect. Most nurseries and garden centers have lawn care equipment for distributing the seeds evenly over the plot so that the lawn has a smooth, luxurious appearance. Small, manageable tools are sold in the stores that a gardener can fill with the appropriate seed to distribute it evenly over the area. These machines can also be used to distribute fertilizers and lawn care products over the lawn when necessary.

About the Author:

Tangopang is the author and owner of http://www.howto-lawncare.com For more information on Lawn visit How To Lawn Care

Tags: garden, grass seed, landscaping, weed control, aeration, seeders, tips, lawn care, lawn, fertilizer

One of the most important outside chores is lawn care. It is almost considered an American pastime during the summertime. A trim, neat, and attractive lawn can give you a great sense of pride and ownership in your home. It is also less expensive to do the work yourself and you may find that it gives you a great deal of pride and satisfaction in realizing that even you can make your lawn beautiful. It is important that you keep several things in mind, however, to ensure that you stay safe and keep your lawn looking neat and beautiful all year long. Learning some lawn care basics can help you to accomplish the lawn that you want and deserve.

Before you begin taking care of your lawn, you first want to clear the lawn of anything that may cause you problems. This includes raking leaves, removing any debris, garbage, or unwanted brush, and ridding your yard of any dips or valleys. To rid any little valleys that may be in your lawn, all you have to do is use topsoil to fill the holes and then plant grass seed. A bump in an area that is sodded can be remedied by cutting across the bump in an X pattern and peeling it back for easy soil removal. Then you simply put the sod back. By clearing your lawn and leveling it, you will find that it makes mowing the lawn much easier and it will make your lawn look much more neat and beautiful.

Grass needs to be mowed on a regular basis during the growing season. How regular depends upon how quickly your type of grass grows and your climate, but you may need to mow your lawn once a week or even every two weeks. You need to adjust your lawnmower blades to ensure that no more than 1/3 of the grass’ height is cut. This will help to keep the grass healthy and green. If you cut the grass too short, it becomes more susceptible to disease, which can harm your entire lawn.

Soil compaction is a problem that you want to watch for in your lawn care. Your soil can become hard under the grass after a period of time and this can make it very difficult for your grass to get proper moisture and can cause root problems. By aerating your lawn, you can make it easier for your soil to get air and moisture. Aerating the soil is done in one of two different ways. One includes simply punching holes in the soil and the other is called plugging. Plugging is when small plugs of soil around the size of a pencil are removed from the ground. Each of these methods allows water to get to the soil much better and it provides a place for helpful insects and bugs to thrive. You should aerate your lawn about once a year or so. If an aerator is not in your budget, they are available for rent.

Adding fertilizer to your lawn can help it to grow, too. Fertilizer is not a necessity, but it will give your lawn the right additives to enable it to become greener, thicker, and even more beautiful. You can apply it too liberally, though, and this can cause your lawn to die, so it is essential to monitor how much fertilizer you use. Fertilizer comes in tow different forms - liquid and granular. The granular form is dry and after you apply it, you will need to water your lawn. This form is easily spread over the lawn using a hand spreader or mechanical spreader. This kind of fertilizer lasts anywhere from two to three months. A liquid fertilizer is a fast-acting fertilizer that needs to be applied about every two weeks. It can be applied using a watering can or a hose-end sprayer, whichever you prefer.

Your lawn may not be healthy for children for several days after you apply the fertilizer, so keep that in mind. Give the fertilizer enough time to completely absorb into the surface before you allow your family to frolic on the grass. Many people’s lawns do not necessarily need fertilizer to have a beautiful lawn, but if your lawn does, then take the proper precautions.

About the Author

Andrew Caxton is the editor of http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com . For additional information regarding gardening or lawn care basics go to lawn care

Tags: landscaping, tips, sprinklers, tools, garden, lawn, weed control, aerator, aeration, grass seed

1. Do Not Scalp the Lawn. People tend to scalp their lawn so they can mow less frequently. Big mistake. Scalping will require more lawn care help in the long run. Grass cut too short will absorb less sunshine though its leaves, hurting its ability to survive and defend itself against diseases and insects. Sunlight can more easily penetrate what’s left of the lawn, providing an ideal environment for weed seeds to germinate.

2. Leave Grass Clippings on Lawn. Grass clippings less than 1 inch filter down to the soil surface and decompose quickly. These clippings provide several benefits when left on the lawn: they shade the soil surface and reduce moisture loss due to evaporation. In addition, decomposing grass blades are a valuable source of plant nutrients.

3. Change mowing pattern. Start at the 12 o’clock position and mow to the 6 o’clock position. Next time, begin at the 9 o’clock position and mow to the 3 o’clock position. This prevents turf and soil compacting and wheel patterns from forming in your lawn and gives it a nice stadium look.

4. Weed Control. Control weeds early. Apply herbicide to grassy weeds, such as crabgrass, in the spring, and to broadleaf weeds, like dandelions, in the fall. Do not use pre-emergent weed control at the time of seeding because it will negate any grass seed that hasn’t germinated. This is a common mistake. Wait until the new grass is mowed three times before applying a pre-emergent herbicide.

5. Fertilize. At a minimum, fertilize 3x/year–Late spring, Early Fall, and Late Fall. At a maximum, fertilize 6x/year–Early Spring, Late spring, Late Summer, Early Fall, Late Fall. Avoid a fertilizer overdose. Too much of a good thing can be harmful.

6. Keep Beds to a Minimum. Beds require a lot of maintenance–weeding, edging, trimming back overgrown plants and shrubs. Too many beds scattered throughout the property begin to look cluttered. A bed bordering the house is usually sufficient, unless you have a boatload of time and energy to keep up with the maintenance. Keep it simple. Manicured. When in doubt, put lawn where there was a bed.

7. Water deeply, but infrequently for established lawns. This trains roots to grow deep in the soil for strength. Deep roots help your lawn better survive a hot dry spell. Water early in the day to avoid evaporation. The sun will be up shortly to dry the lawn’s surface, minimizing moisture-loving diseases. Over- watering wastes money and resources and is bad for the grass. Waterlogged soil is the breeding ground for summer lawn diseases.

About the Author

Virginia DeStaso is the author of www.the-lawn-advisor.com

Tags: lawn care, weed control, fertilizer, lawn, tips, maintenance, landscaping, garden, grass seed, tools