Friday, March 29, 2013

Complete Lawn Treatment Tactics From A Kansas City Landscaper

By William Johners


You won't need to pay an expert for a high quality yard servicing. But full lawn care involves a lot more than a weekly cut and water. Kansas City landscapers implement a variety of methods that this post will briefly go over.

A lawn is a living organism that needs much more than water and sunlight if it is going to reach its full potential. Properly treating each part of the lawn- root and leaf- will give the lawn what it truly needs. And yet realizing the need for food, breath, and water isn't enough. You must apply that understanding attentively and with strategic skill.

Before any other issue is addressed, Kansas City landscapers advocate preparing the upper 2 inches of ground. The right preparation should ideally provide you with a loamy consistency. The objective of this texture is proper moisture retention and gas-diffusion. Some people don't understand that roots need to stay moist and exchange CO2 for Oxygen.

The soil should also have the right level of acidity (pH). A Kansas City landscaping supplier will have a test-kit for pH. Then balance the acidity with organic elements that will also provide nutrition- acidifying nitrogen, garden compost, cow/horse/pig manure, and lime are the most common. A slightly acidic pH (6.8) is the best for most grass varieties. Kansas City landscaping suppliers will have the price on materials and instructions.

Kansas City's snow and heavy rain create problems of erosion and standing water, which will result in bare areas and potential disease. You have to guard the top layer of soil or the grass will die. Erosion will remove nutrients and loose soil at the least and the grass and yard soil itself at worst. And stagnant water will bring pests, disease, and stress to the yard. Standing water is easily avoided by removing the source water and re-grading low spots. Heavy erosion may require more than re-grading, however, and landscaping to change the yard itself may be needed.

The next step after soil-preparation is planting the grass itself, either in small bare areas or for a whole new lawn. Sod and seed are the two choices that you will have to look at and apply at your discretion. If you have the money and need for pre-cut sod it is the best choice when laying large areas, while Seed is cheaper and allows you to mix varieties of grass.

Some yards have issues like heavy traffic and erosion, which will mean you may need to look into planting two varieties in tandem. This will cause the yard to thrive, though the lawn may not be uniform in color and texture. Your unique needs may require the advice of a professional Kansas City landscaper.

It is very important that you understand proper watering methods. Many people unknowingly water at the wrong times or too often, resulting in an unhealthy lawn. Kansas City landscapers view each yard as unique and watering as a science that is just as varied in application. Warning signs of over-watering include- Fungus, Thatch (dead layers of grass throughout the yard), yellowing patches, burned grass (in the Summer heat), and an abundance of weeds. Yards rarely need more than 2 inches of water in Kansas City.

You must deal with thatch at least once ever few years, if not more often. It has the capacity to choke and stress the grass. But thatch that is kept in check, or that decomposes quickly enough, is actually positive.

Zoysia is one of several varieties of grass that must have a frequent de-thatching. Expert landscapers in Kansas City advise you de-thatch by using a power-rake. If this is not easily obtained a stiff-toothed hand-rake will also work. This is meant to rake the dead layer of grass up out of the living grass and remove it. A mower is usually used to remove the thatch. Remember not to mulch it back into the yard but bag it.

Each and every year water fall (rain and snow) will compact the soil around your grass roots. This compacting effect will eventually hinder nutrients, water, and gas from getting to the roots- a key hindrance in cultivating a beautiful yard.

Kansas City landscapers fix this issue by aerating. This process cuts uniform holes throughout the yard and breaks the surface of the soil. This not only decompresses the soil but also provides surface-area for the exchange of needed elements.

At the conclusion of Winter or start of Spring Kansas City landscapers employ an enzyme-inhibitor called "pre-emergent". This chemical stops a vital enzyme process that makes weed-seeds germinate. The grass will then mature and spread quickly to establish itself. Just be careful not to use the pre-emergent when you're seeding grass because it will do the exact same thing to grass seed as it does to weed seed.

For your lawn to develop and metabolize it requires food. The soil will lose nutrients over the years through various processes. These must be replaced several times a year or your yard will be vulnerable to stress and disease. Experienced Kansas City landscapers advocate two or three feedings every year to replace the leeched nutrients. There are organic and natural methods for feeding your yard.

The grass should not be too long when it is fertilized or the fertilizer will not be spread correctly. And yet, mowing the grass just before fertilizing can be harmful as well, since the the cut leaves will be vulnerable to chemical burns. Keep in mind that cutting the grass too short will force the grass to switch into a survival mode and stress it. This is why many landscapers in Kansas City use higher settings on their mowing equipment.

Every year Kansas City landscapers apply a fungicide for preventing fungus spores from germinating. If your yard or garden is overly shaded or constantly damp you should be particularly watchful. The Kansas City climate can make fungus thrive, so be watchful, even if you do treat the yard.

In lawn care, just as is said in sports, the best defense is a good offense. A vibrant lawn is the best shield against drought and stress, just like a healthy immune system will take on disease better if it is kept healthy. A neglected yard looks unsightly, will be prone to be prone to disease and pests and eventually need complete replacement.

These are the fundamental issues that every lawn-care strategy should include. Stick to a good plan and give yourself plenty of time to reach your goals. Raising a lovely landscape is hard yet it is fulfilling. So have fun and have a great time!




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