Weed Control

When you are looking to have a beautiful lawn that everyone can enjoy there are several things that you need to do in order to make your lawn stay healthy and beautiful. One of these very important things is weeding. Weed control can be a little time consuming at first, but if you protect your yard against weeds then things will become easier overtime. There are so many options on what you can do to control weeds, it all depends on what choice or choices you want to make.

The biggest mistake that people make when they are trying to control the weeds in their yard is that they only use weed control products during the Spring season. Weeds grow all year long, so weed control is something that you need to focus on in every season of the year.

Many people use the multi-purpose lawn fertilizer that has weed control chemicals in it. This is fine for the growing season, but in the seasons that you are not fertilizing this is not helping to control the weeds in your yard. Be sure to use a product on your yard during all seasons that way when spring comes back you won’t have annoying dandelions popping up all over your yard without expecting it.

There are two types of weed control products. Make sure that you use the right one at the right time. In early Spring you are going to want to use a pre-emergent chemical. This chemical is made for weeds that have not sprouted yet and will control weeds from showing up in the first place. However, a pre-emergent is not going to get everything. Once a few do start showing up, you are going to want to use a post-emergent. This is made to kill the weeds that are already showing up above the ground. The proper use of the two types will help keep your yard weed free year round.

Spring: Time to Fertilize Your Lawn

Winter is finally over, the snow is gone and it is time to get that grass green and lush. You have high hopes; you see little patches of green here and there. The sun is out and warming things up nicely. This is the time to fertilize your yard. What is the correct fertilizer? How much do you need? How to you put it down?

For the spring fertilizer you want one high in nitrogen. You can fertilize again in late summer and in the fall, but use a fertilizer lower in nitrogen. If you are unsure of any part of the fertilizer purchase and use, it is always best to get professional advice, especially if this is your first time.

Go to a local garden shop or co-op, and ask the helpful people what is the best fertilizer for your particular yard and area. They know the answers to your questions and it’s best to let the experts point you in the right direction. If you tell them how big your yard is they will know how many bags of fertilizer you need to buy.

Once you get your fertilizer home, it’s time to dump a bag into your spreader. If you don’t have a spreader you can rent one of borrow one from a neighbor. Be sure to return it when you are finished!

Do not over-apply the fertilizer, it might burn the grass. Go up and down your yard and try not to overlap. Take notice of how far out your spreader throws the fertilizer. In a few short days you will see your grass will be greener. Within a few weeks your grass will be thicker and richer looking.

Now get your lawn mower or lawn tractor ready to mow your beautiful new green, lush grass!

Watering Your Lawn

After you have spent lots of money making sure your lawn looks as great as you want it to, you don’t want to let the whole thing go to waist by neglecting the proper maintenance on your lawn and allowing it to die out. Watering your lawn is very important, especially if you live in a dry climate where rain is very sporadic. It’s also extra important during the summer when the sun is beating down upon your plants and grass all day. The sun, while healthy for your plants, drys up the water in the ground faster.

One of the best ways to water your lawn is an automatic underground system. These systems, when properly maintained, will automatically insure that your lawn is watered everyday, that way you don’t have to think about it and you aren’t taking the chance at forgetting to water your lawn. Automatic systems can be set for the day and time, and amount of water that needs to be put on your lawn.

If you have plants in your lawn then they will need more or less water depending on what plants you have. The systems also can help you out with the area you can cover at one time. If you are using a water hose or an above ground sprinkler, then it could take hours and hours to water a large lawn, whereas the underground systems will get it done for you so that you are wasting hours of valuable time standing out in the hot sun.

Of course, if you have a small lawn then watering by hand is just fine. Make sure that your hoses don’t leak and cause water to pool up in certain areas of your yard. Too much water in once place can kill the grass and cause more problems. You can also set up an above ground sprinkler for small lawns and just keep an eye on it so you don’t over water anything.