Does Your Lawn Struggle At The Edges?
There is always one area of a lawn that gardeners have difficulties with. It could be around trees, close to buildings, or most commonly, along the edges. This includes curbs, garden beds and pathways. It can be a strange problem as well since individual grass plants will appear to grow well, so well they grow over the path, garden bed or curb. However, I did say individual grass plants and the reason I say it’s a strange problem is because the area between the plants is bare earth – the grass just doesn’t seem to want to grow there.
Sound familiar at all? Is there a solution? Gardeners have been trying a wide variety of solutions for decades, some with success, some without. Every garden is different and for each the source of the problem is different. Generally speaking, the source of the problem is in the location. Edges, like curbs and paths, block the natural flow of water. The result can often be too much water, or not enough if there is a slight slope up to the path or curb. Where grass grows close to raised garden beds the problem can be exasperated by shade from the raised bed and the plants in the bed.
If you can identify the cause of the problem, you can take steps to solve the problem. If too little water is the problem then adding water retaining products may help. Likewise, if too much water is the problem, taking corrective action to improve drainage could help to resolve the problem.
Generally speaking, using a grass that is suited to those conditions is the best option. For gardeners who have a single grass type as a lawn – for example, those with Bermuda Grass lawns – there are varieties that tolerate shade and there are also varieties that tolerate either damp or dry conditions. Use a lawn seeding tool to prepare the area and sow your seed liberally. Water well and within a month you will find that your lawn is growing strongly, right up to the edges.
Watch the Video to see how the Grass Stitcher can help you repair your lawnIs An Annual Rye Grass Right For Your Lawn?
If you are in a warm season region then you may be frustrated each winter as you watch your lawn lose its color. It may even turn an unsightly yellow or brown. This is natural and no amount of water or fertilizer will change it. Your lawn has become dormant for the winter. The upside for you is that you won’t really need to mow during the winter.
For those that really miss having a strong green lawn, there are a number of options. The easiest is use an annual winter Rye Grass. One of the benefits of an annual grass is that, come spring, this grass will die back leaving your summer grass free to come to life again. The downside to a winter Rye Grass is that you will need to reseed every fall.
Reseeding a lawn is not that difficult. I highly recommend using a lawn care tool such as the Grass Stitcher. Seeding straight on top of a lawn is a hit and miss approach that will see some areas thick and lush while others are bare – hardly an attractive sight when are you looking for an even cover. The Grass Stitcher opens the thatch sufficiently to allow the seed to come into contact with the soil below. Add a little water and your seed should start to germinate within 5-10 days and start to thicken after about three weeks.
An annual winter Rye Grass is dark green, can look good in most lawns, and as we mentioned, will readily die back come the spring. This is ideal for those looking to have a great green lawn over the winter. A word of warning, however, annual winter Rye Grasses require regular mowing, so if you’re looking to put your feet up for the winter, forget it – service your mower instead so it’s ready to go to work again.
Watch the Video to see how the Grass Stitcher can help you repair your lawnLawn Fertilizers For The Seasons
Are you in a warm season region, cool season region, or do you fit into what’s known as a transitional region? While we call them regions, and while you can often draw them on a map, the reality is that climates are different across the length and breadth of the nation. To determine which region you are in, think about how hot and how cold it gets in summer and winter.
If you suffer from ice, snow and severe frosts, you’re in a cool season region. If you experience cool to cold winters with occasional frosts, but no snow, then you are most likely in a transitional region. For most others, you are in a warm season region. Having said that, transitional regions have a tendency to warm or cool regions. For example, you may not have snow but receive regular mild frosts and generally cold days. Your tendency is towards the cool season.
Why is this important? Apart from determining which type of grass grows best, it is also important for understanding when and how to fertilize. Warm season grasses should never be fertilized during the fall. The best time to fertilize them is during the spring. Warm season grasses go through a hardening off process after summer that prepared the grass for winter. In some cases, the grass will become dormant over winter so fertilizer is either wasted or interferes with this process.
Cool season grasses on the other hand need to build a store of food before the freeze commences. These grasses need a good boost of nitrogen so when looking at fertilizers check their NPK levels. The ideal level for a winter grass is around the 30-0-10. Cool season grasses should have bare patches repaired now to be ready for next summer. Use a seeding tool to prepare the ground and sow your seed quite liberally. This will ensure that your lawn is full and healthy when spring regrowth occurs. Know your regions and fertilize accordingly.
Watch the Video to see how the Grass Stitcher can help you repair your lawnLawn Care Tips – Everyone’s A Winner With A Regular Routine
One aspect of lawns and gardens that is often forgotten is that they are serious investments. And I really do mean serious as well. Even if you ignore the cost of establishing lawns and gardens, their look can seriously affect the value of your property and that is a big investment. It’s certainly not an investment you want to see undervalued, especially if you’re considering selling. It’s also not an area you suddenly need to spend a lot of time and money on because you are considering selling.
Once you have established your lawn, for example, a regular routine can save you time, often save you money and can generally make life easier. Your equipment will also appreciate a regular routine, especially if the routine is designed around growing habits. Your lawn? That definitely appreciates a routine that takes into account the seasons and the growth habits.
So what sort of routine are we talking about? Grass has periods where it grows very quickly and other periods when it grows much more slowly. Spring and summer are generally the faster growth periods while fall and winter are the slow growth periods.
Cutting your grass at least once a week in spring and summer is ideal. If you cut your lawn at regular intervals you should find you are only trimming the top off all the time. This means that mowing is easier for you and your lawn mower is not put under any strain. Leave the grass to grow too long and you will need to put more effort in, and your lawn mower will have to work harder. Your lawn may well suffer stress as well if it gets too long and you have to cut it back hard.
Do yourself, your lawn mower, and your lawn a favor. Mow it regularly, feed it at the right time of the year, use a quality lawn seeding tool to repair damaged areas as soon as they appear, and apply the right amount of water each week and you should have a perfect lawn. Your equipment will last longer, and so too will your back, and you never know, your well manicured lawn could help to add thousands to your property’s, value.
Watch the Video to see how the Grass Stitcher can help you repair your lawnLawn Care – Signs Of A Healthy Lawn
There is a lot of information around about unhealthy lawns so I thought it time we took a look at what signs indicate a happy and healthy lawn. Some of the signs of a healthy lawn are not always apparent when looked at from a standing position. For many people, your eyes are least 5-6 feet away from the lawn itself – that’s a long way when you’re examining something.
Never-the-less, the signs of a healthy lawn are fairly easy to read. Compare the following to your lawn:
Color
Most lawns will display a fairly even color that will range from mid-green to a dark gray-green, often referred to as blue. The color distribution will not always be even, especially if a grass mix has been used. Grasses grow at their best where conditions suit so a shade loving grass (which is normally darker in color with broader leaves) will thrive in shady areas.
Grass that is turning yellow, or looks moth eaten, will require closer examination – this does not necessarily mean your lawn is doing poorly. Grass continually dies and gets replaced by new growth. Likewise, a healthy lawn will be a complete micro-system with thousands of different bugs and organisms happily living together.
Bounce
The second test for a healthy lawn is its feel under foot. As you walk across your lawn it should feel like a firm plush carpet under foot. What is more important is the grass’s recovery rate. As you walk across your lawn it should bounce back almost immediately. Shaded or wet grasses will take a little longer but you should not be able to see your foot marks five minutes later. A lawn that is well fed, well watered, and cut to the right height should have a good comfortable bounce under foot.
Thatch
Thatch can be hard to determine. A simple test is a glass of water. Poor the water on the grass – does it sit? Does it flow through to the soil quickly or does it slowly float through? The latter is the ideal. If the water sits on top then the thatch could be too thick. If the water flows through like a drain, the thatch is too thick – water will evaporate up quickly when the weather is warm. A good thatch should allow water to flow through at a steady rate. A healthy lawn will have a nice even thatch that continually replaces itself.
Thickness
While color, bounce and thatch are important, so too is the thickness of the grass. The water test for thatch can tell a lot, however, if you can already see the soil then your grass cover is far too thin. A healthy lawn will have a fairly even thickness grass across the surface. It will never be perfect, you will always find areas that are a little thick while other areas are a little thin. A lawn repair tool can quickly help to thicken those thin areas when they appear.
A healthy lawn then has a fairly even color, a nice soft feel under foot, a good thatch cover at soil level, and has a good even cover when it comes to thickness. Tick all those points and you know your lawn is healthy.
Watch the Video to see how the Grass Stitcher can help you repair your lawnGrass Mixes Or Grass Blends – Which Is Best?
One argument that gardeners often encounter is that between grass mixes and grass blends. To clarify, a blend is put together using various strains of the same grass type while a grass mix is a combination of different grass types. For example, the popular Bermuda Grass blend will only have Bermuda Grass seeds; there will, however, be various strains designed to cover a range of conditions.
The theory behind a grass blend is that the variety that is best suited to your conditions will thrive while those not quite suited will not. This means you will have a lawn that is entirely made from Bermuda Grass, for example. These lawns can look great, however, if a pest or disease happens to strike, it can create havoc. Fortunately, most modern grass varieties have a resistance bred into them.
For a grass mix, the opposite is true when it comes to coverage. The idea is similar in that grasses that are well suited to that area will thrive while those not quite suited will not. Some pests are grass type specific so if your lawn is invaded not every grass plant is affected.
The question then is, which is best for your lawn? The old saying about having a dollar for every time we were asked a question certainly springs to mind here. The answer is to really throw the question back at you. What do you prefer? If you prefer a single grass type throughout your lawn then select a blend. If you like variety then selecting a mix could be your best option.
I suggest you take a walk around your area to see what others are growing. If you see a lot of single grass lawns then obviously they do well. If you see a lot of mixed grass lawns then they may be best for your region. Blends can often make repairs easier, but in the long run if you have a good lawn seeding tool then recovery of either type can be accomplished with ease.
Some questions simply cannot be answered. It all depends on what your preferences are, and to what use you intend putting your lawn.
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