How to prepare your lawn for spring

When the winter season ends, you will probably want to spend more time outside, appreciating the warm weather and the simple pleasures of a nicely kept lawn. Here are a few steps you can take toward creating and maintaining a healthy and gorgeous lawn.

Remove debris

Rake away the debris from the fall and winter months, including leaves and sticks. This will give you a fresh start for the spring. If you have leftover rubbish on the lawn, this can get in the way of mowing, watering, planting seed and so on. Raking has the added benefit of loosening the surface of the soil, encouraging healthy airflow.

Chris Lemcke, national technical director of Weed Man (a lawn care company), advises raking up last year's leaves and matted grass that were hiding under last fall's leaves and sticks left in the yard. This can keep the thatch level at half an inch or less. It will also allow you to care for the lawn properly.

Apply more grass seed

Look for areas with we ak grass growth or dead grass. Use a strong rake to open the surface. Mix the grass seed with new, healthy soil. Then spread this soil/grass seed mixture over the surface. Don't forget to regularly water this area to foster hearty and fast grass growth.

Mulch

Mulch is a protective covering that you can apply to soil to lock in moisture. "Mulching with a depth of 2 to 4 inches around the bases of trees, shrubs and in flower beds will retain water and keep plants warm," says Lemcke.

Water deeply

Many homeowners water their lawns Sprinklers often -- but with little water. However, it's better to water only when your lawn needs it with a lot of water.

If you water deep and sparingly, you will train the grass roots to dig deeper into the soil. Whereas, if you water lightly and often, you will train the roots to stay near the surface, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Snow m old

Look for snow mold. This condition is caused when the grass doesn't receive enough oxygen because it's been covered in snow. Snow mold reveals itself when the snow melts.

If you rake Sprinklers your lawn before the arrival of snow, this can reduce your risk of snow-mold. Some people, with a history of snow mold, try to avoid this condition by mowing the lawn well into the autumn and spreading snow evenly across the lawn during winter. The latter, however, is deemed excessive by many people.

Mow high

Mow your lawn with a sharp blade. You should also mow often because grass doesn't adjust as well to infrequent mowing. If you keep your grass a bit on the longer side, it will grow thicker and healthier, with a better-established root system.

Better roots help your grass survive insects or drought. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, many turf grass species shoul d be kept between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches.





http://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/2012/04/24/how-to-prepare-your-lawn-for-spring.html

Gardening :: How To Care For Perennials In Your Garden

Perennials have long been one of the most popular classifications of flowering plant, and this is likely to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjreVlmEbis continue for some time. There are many advantages to using perennials in the garden, not the least of which is their ability to regenerate year after year. The ability to plant once, and enjoy season after season of beautiful flowers, is one of the things that make perennials so popular with beginning and experienced gardeners alike.

Another great thing about perennials is that they are usually very easy plants to care for and to work with. Most perennials have needs that are quite undemanding, requiring little more than good soil, sufficient water and adequate sunlight. Even so, perennials also have their own issues, and one of the biggest issues is that perennials, due to their nature, are more prone to insect infestation and disease infection than are annuals, whi ch have a much shorter life span. The very fact that perennials remain in the ground season after season means that infection can gain a foothold, even in the off season.





The best way to combat infection is to stop it from starting in the first place, and one of the best ways to accomplish that goal is to buy only the healthiest most vibrant plants. It is important to pay careful attention to the plants you buy at your local nursery, and to reject an y that show signs of damage, disease or insect infestation. That is because healthy plants are better able to withstand any pathogens that may exist in the soil. A healthy plant will be able to withstand and fight off an infection that would kill a weaker one.

In addition, many perennials have been bred http://londongardens.net/ to be resistant to common diseases and pest infestations, so if these disease resistant varieties are available it is a good idea to seek them out. Perennial growers have spent many years using selective breeding to choose those plants that are best able to withstand commonly seen garden problems.

After the plants are in the ground, it is a good idea to check them often for any signs of problems. The best time to examine your plants is often when you are weeding the plants or watering them. This is a great time to look at the plants for any problems. Note any plants with wilted leaves, holes in the leaves, spots on the leaves or flowers, wounds on the stems or other possible problems. If you notice any problems, be sure to diagnose it accurately, using either a guide book or the eye of a more experienced gardener. Diagnosing the problem accurately is the first step toward curing it.

How you water perennials can have a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjreVlmEbis big impact on their health. Overhead watering encourages water spots to remain on leaves, and these wet spots can be conduits that allow infection to spread from one plant to another. It is best to water deeply, using either drip irrigation or a soaker hose. Not only will this avoid standing water on the flowers and leaves, but it will also allow much needed water to reach the roots.

Of course, proper care for perennials does not end when the growing season is over. It is important to care for these plants the right way after they have finishe d blooming. It is important to trim and prune is variety of perennial according to the recommendations for the species. Some perennials need to be radically trimmed back, while other varieties should be trimmed only lightly or not at all. It is important to pay attention to the needs of each variety in your garden.



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