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Mulching Kit

Spring Lawn Care

Spring Lawn Care

If you neglect spring lawn care, you could end up paying for it the rest of the year.

Most of you will need to implement only about half of the following ten tips for spring lawn care, depending upon your own unique circumstances.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #1: Raking

Raking will be your first task of spring lawn care. Raking is for more than just removing leaves: it is for controlling thatch, too. Discovering a thatch build-up of more than 1/2 inch while raking indicates the need to dethatch!   I use an organic bio-enhanced liquid dethatcher.  It is more effective than mechanical dethatching, and it puts all the nutrients and trace elements captured in the thatch back into the lawn soil creating fertile humus.

There is another good reason for a spring raking if you live in colder climates. As you survey your lawn in spring, see if there are any matted patches, in which the grass blades are all stuck together. This can be caused by a disease known as "snow mold." New grass may have difficulty penetrating these matted patches. However, a light raking will be sufficient to solve this problem.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #2: Check for Compaction

• Aerate your lawn – Compacted soil hinders water, nutrients and air available to the plants and deters root growth.  Bio-enhanced liquid aerators are much more effective than core aerators and less expensive to utilize.
  • Core aerators are less efficient (2-3 inch penetration)
  • Promote lawn weeds
  • Are very messy
  • Aerate only I inch every 6 inches
    • Liquid aerators penetrate 8-12 inches
    • Aid in natural dethatching
    • Leave no lawn mess
    • Afford 100% lawn coverage

Spring Lawn Care Tip #3: Check and adjust your soil pH

All grasses do not have the same ideal pH requirements.  They range from 5.4 for Centipede Grass to 7.2 for St. Augustine Grass.  In addition, most broadleaf weeds such as Crabgrass like a soil pH greater than 6.6.

I use Liquid Lawn Sulfur to lower pH and Liquid Lawn Lime to raise pH.  Pelletized lime and sulfur can take years to change pH.  Chelated sulfur and lime take only days.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #4: Over seeding

Is your lawn riddled with bare patches due to dog spots, heavy traffic or neglect? If so, you may need to apply grass seed to fill in those bare patches. This solution is known as "over seeding lawns." Apply an Organic Fertilizer when you over seed.

Spring Lawn Care Tip #5: Fertilizing

Lawns can be fertilized organically by using compost teas and mulching mowers.  Chemical fertilizers are rapidly becoming outdated.  Eleven States have banned the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.  I use bio-enhanced liquid fertilizers.

Spring Grass Care Tip #6: Applying Pre-emergent Herbicides

If you know that you have a problem with the annual weed, crabgrass, then fertilization in spring should go hand in hand with the application of pre-emergent herbicides. As their name suggests, pre-emergent herbicides address weed control not "after the fact," but before their seedlings can even emerge. Pre-emergent herbicides accomplish this by forming something of a "shield" that inhibits seed germination.

Over seeding is incompatible with the application of pre-emergent herbicides.

Spring Grass Care Tip #7: Organic Weed Control

We can tell the health of the soil below a lawn by the weeds that are successful in the competition for space.  They are a problem because they are not as effective as grass in achieving the desired results of a lawn.  Safety, erosion control, water purification, water infiltration, atmospheric carbon reduction and other environmental benefits that are the result of lawn grasses are reduced by most weeds.

The best defense against weeds is a healthy lawn, because grass can easily out-compete weeds when conditions are maintained in the grasses favor.  Nutrient deficiencies, nutrient excesses, soil compaction, acidic soils, excessive shade, wet soils, bioactivity and many other problems can be detected by what plants are successful in infiltrating a lawn.  Below is a list of some of the common names of indicator weeds that can help determine what issues are making your lawn less than perfect.  Correct the problem that creates a competitive advantage for the weed and you will have an easier time getting the lawn results you are looking for.

Weeds Associated with Different Soil Problems

Acid soil: sorrel sow thistle, prostrate knotweed, lady's-thumb, wild strawberries,, plantain, rough cinquefoil ,silvery cinquefoil, hawkweeds, knapweeds

Alkaline soil: field peppergrass, goosefoot, gromwell, true chamomile, bladder campion

Soil pH maintenance has been harmed by the misnomer that turfgrass grows best in a pH of 7.0. The different grass types require different pH soils for best growth, health, weed control and disease resistance.

Wet or poorly drained soil: horsetail, sedges, lady's-thumb, joe-pye weed, silvery cinquefoil, curly dock, mosses, Pennsylvania smartweed, tall buttercup, creeping buttercup, sheep sorrel, Canada goldenrod, lance-leaved goldenrod, meadow pink, jewelweed, coltsfoot, sweet flag, ground nut, annual bluegrass, common chickweed, crabgrass, goosegrass, ground ivy, mouse-ear chickweed, violets, yellow nutsedge

Dry soil: Virginia pepperweed, rough cinquefoil, potato vine, yarrow, black medic, red Compacted or heavy soil: wild garlic, dandelion, broadleaf dock, creeping buttercup, plantain, annual bluegrass, common chickweed, goosegrass, knotweed, mouse-ear chickweed, prostrate spurge

• A healthy sodded lawn absorbs rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay field.
• A sodded lawn will absorb greater amounts of rain than a seeded lawn; even after three years of growth.

Soil with a hardpan or hard crust: horse nettle, pennycress, quack grass, field mustard, morning glory, pineapple weed

Previously cultivated soil: Lamb's-quarters, plantain (several species), ragweed, purslane, dandelion, chickweed, pigweeds, carpetweed

High fertility soil: chicory, pigweeds, purslane, dandelion, lamb's-quarters, burdock, pokeweed, butter print, Queen Anne's lace, annual bluegrass, bentgrasses, Henbit, yellow woodsorrel, crabgrass, mallow, purslane

Low fertility soil: plantains, red sorrel, white clover

Shaded soil: annual Bluegrass, common chickweed, ground ivy, mouse-ear chickweed, nimblewill, violets

Tip #9: Buying a New Lawn Mower

Get one with a mulching kit.  Mulch your clippings and leaves and put their nutrients and trace elements back into your soil.

Tip #10: Reviewing Lawn Mowing Strategies

PROPER LAWN MOWING

Proper mowing contributes to the overall health and appearance of your home lawn. Here are some mowing basics that will provide you with the best possible results:

• Instead of a clean scissor cut, a rotary-mower whacks the grass blade off.  It is especially important to keep rotary mower blades very sharp.  Remember to balance the blade if you sharpen it yourself.
• You should mow grass in the coolest part of the day for the cleanest cut.  Grass blades are more adversely affected when they are under heat stress.  However, dew interferes with good early-morning mowing, especially if you are mulching your clippings (which you should be for a healthier lawn), so evenings are usually best.  Also mowing under wet grass conditions will aid in the spread of turfgrass disease pathogens that are already present on your lawn.  Always clean your mower deck after mowing for the same reason.

• The longer the grass, the deeper the root.  Cut turfgrass at the highest setting possible.   2-1/2 to 3 inches is the ideal height for most home lawns.  Grass growing in the shade needs to be cut as long as possible, since it needs more leaf area to intercept limited light.  Most broadleaf weeds are deterred by the shade generated by higher grass heights.
• Never remove more than 1/3 of the height of the grass at a time." (Example: If you are mowing your lawn at 3 inches, always cut it before it gets beyond 4-1/2 inches in height)
• Mulching your clippings helps return nutrients to the soil.  For thick thatch conditions apply a bio-enhanced dethatcher (this aids soil biolife to turn thatch into healthy humus.
• Don't refuel mowing equipment on the lawn in case there is a spill.

Tip #11Water Your Lawn Properly

• Water your lawn properly. 
  • Water early in the day- By setting irrigation systems to run early in the morning (4:00am to 6:00am) we can maximize water usage by preventing the evaporation that's common in the heat of the day. Early morning watering is also recommended by plant pathologists, since evening irrigation can encourage lawn disease development.
  • Water infrequently- Most Pennsylvania lawns and ornamental plants require approximately one inch of water per week during the growing season. During periods when rainfall is less than this amount, it may be necessary to provide an equivalent amount to keep lawns and plants looking their best.
  • Water thoroughly One thorough watering per week is more beneficial to lawns and plants than several light watering's. Light watering's can promote shallow roots, making plants more vulnerable to drought stress. 
    To prevent water from running off the soil surface, consider setting your sprinkler system to run two or three times the same morning, allowing time in between cycles for water to soak into the soil.
  • Override device Consider adding an override device added that will deactivate your sprinkler system if there's been adequate rainfall. Most devices are simply small cups that hold rainwater, and once the rainwater evaporates, the system is reactivated.

Tip #12 Raise the Brix Level of your Turf

• Increase the Brix level of your turf.
  • Brix is the sugar concentration of the sap in your lawn
  • Most grasses have such low Brix value (typically no greater than about 6 or 8 and often much lower) that insects will feed on them all day long.
  • A Brix value of 12 or higher is all it takes to eliminate most insect infestations of any plant
  • Raising the Brix of a plant is really quite simple. Provide good nutrition, including a balanced diet of macro and micronutrients and trace elements.
  • Nature's Magic is probably the best soil amendment package on the market today

Why should you switch to organic lawn care?

What are the Benefits?

• It is safer for humans, pets and the environment than synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
• It improves the quality of the soil, which will have an increased ability to retain water and nutrients.
• You will enjoy significant financial savings by transitioning from synthetic to organic lawn care, especially after the first year of use.
• Organic products will significantly reduce pests by restoring balance to your lawn's ecosystem. You will benefit from reduced maintenance in mowing, watering and fertilizing because you will have a naturally stronger and healthier lawn.
• A report by the National Academy of Sciences shows that the health of 1 in 7 people is negatively impacted in some form by lawn pesticides.
• Numerous studies link lawn chemicals to cancers and other long-term diseases.
• Several studies also link exposure to artificial lawn chemicals to an increased risk of cancer and other health problems in pets.
• Children are especially at risk for negative health consequences due to their size, physiological development and proximity to the ground.
• Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers destroy the naturally present beneficial organisms in a healthy lawn's ecosystem. This destruction then transforms your lawn into an increasingly needy "junkie," requiring more and more chemicals to sustain it.
• Organic lawn care focuses instead on soil management techniques and long-term results, building up the nutrients and organisms in the soil in order to make your lawn better able to withstand drought, pests, and other common problems.
• Organic lawn care also eliminates damage to the environment and to human and animal health caused by synthetic lawn care products.
• Organic products function by building up "life in the soil," or soil biology, their payoff is more long-term and lasting.
• Synthetic products, by their nature, are instantaneous and must be frequently reapplied in greater amounts to maintain the appearance of the grass. Due to the need for frequent reapplications and the reduced effectiveness of synthetic chemicals.
• The user of organic products will spend considerably less money on lawn care over a two-year period than the user of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Steve

The Organic Lawn Care Store

About the Author

Age: 62, There's a lot of experience in these gray hairs!

Education: Master of Science in Quality Management, Quality Control

Status: Married 38 years, 4 children, 10 grandkids

Company: The Organic lawn Care Store - http://www.theorganiclawncarestore.com/

 

Riding Lawnmower / Tractor - Are all of them MULCH capable?

My lawn is huge and am finally considering a riding lawnmower. I've found several on Kijiji but like my current push lawnmower I do not want to have to bag a thing.

Are ALL riding lawnmowers capable being used as a mulcher? That's is, is all it takes to convert a standard riding lawnmower into a mulcher is to switch out its blades for a couple mulch blades (the very same i use on my existing push lawnmower) and cover up the side opening shoot area? Or does each riding mower require its own proprietary mulching kit, sold seperately thru the manufacturer.

Thanks for the info.

The mower's maunal should indicate whether its meant to mulch or not. You can try with the mulch kit, but another consideration is the amount of power the mower delivers to the blade. You may not get the results (material not chopped well) you expect and/or the mower may stall often especially where there is a large amount of material to mulch and the volume keeps the blades from turning.

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Black & Decker MM275 18-in Electric Mulching Mower $199.99 18-in Electric Mulching Mower - MM275. Attachable Side-chute

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Grow a Beautiful Garden the Water Wise Way

Grow a beautiful garden the water wise way

Saving water and enjoying the beauty and environmental benefits of plants are not only possible, but easy says the American Association of Nurserymen (AAN). "Water Wise" gardening is built on some basic, commonsense principles:

Planning

Planning a water wise garden or landscape is as easy and fun-as planning any type of garden. Talk to the professionals at your local center/landscape firm to see which plants will do well in your area. You may be surprised to find that some very beautiful, colorful plants are low on water consumption-and they may fit into your landscape perfectly.

Group together plants that require the same amount of water. Plant trees and shrubs to provide shade to cool buildings, air conditioning units, patios, decks, and other landscape features.  Shelter container plants by moving them to shady areas. Spike or aerate lawns to insure maximum water penetration. Control weeds which compete with useful plants for water.

Soil Improvement

Soil improvement is another easy and beneficial step in building a water wise garden. Soil that is well prepared at the time of planting influences the plant's initial development and yields the best results. And plants placed in the proper soil will be healthier, often needing less water.

Soil characteristics include texture, structure, depth, and nutrients. To find out more about your soil content, test your soil with the following garden products: Accugrow Soil Test Kit or the Sunleaves Three-Way Meter.  

Wise Irrigation

Efficient irrigation is a critical part of water wise gardening. Your irrigation system can be simple, such as a hand-held hose, or elaborate, such as an in-ground sprinkler system. Consider a drip water conservation system, which can save up to 60% of water used by sprinkler irrigation. Whatever you choose, make sure you plan your watering to get best results.

Deep, infrequent watering, promotes root growth and is the wisest use of water and encourages strong rooting. This provides greater tolerance to dry spells.  Water early in the day, and on less windy days, to reduce evaporation loss. The ideal time is from dawn to 9:00 a.m.   Turn off sprinklers before water is wasted as runoff into gutters and streets.

Mulching

Mulching is always a benefit to your garden and can help prevent soil erosion and evaporation, conserving the water that is available and keeping your plants healthy and strong.

Maintenance

Maintaining your water wise garden means learning how to water all over again. You may find that watering less means having more time to sit back and enjoy your garden. Generally, plants should be watered less often and for a long period of time. Drip, soaker, or deep root watering promotes healthy plants and less water use.

Water Wise Gardening Tips

Follow these handy watering tips from AAN, and you'll soon be started on your own environmentally sound garden or landscape.  For garden products mentioned in this article, please visit http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com

About the Author

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Mulching Kit