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Fertilizer is a great addition to a normal lawn care routine, but it’s not something that needs to be done every day. The fact of the matter is fertilizer in an abundance can be bad for your lawn and even for the environment. Depending on the type of lawn fertilizer you use, you could be spreading harsh chemicals that might be great for your lawn, but are lousy for the water supply. To make sure you only fertilize your lawn when it’s needed, you need to exercise some common sense.

Before you fertilize your lawn:

Make sure you understand what type of lawn you have and its needs. Some grass types require very little lawn fertilizers and others will require more feedings to stay lush. To lessen your lawn care work, look for lawn materials that don’t require as much fertilizing throughout the growing season. This will not only save you time, but also money.
Understand the type of fertilizer your lawn actually needs. You might find one type of lawn fertilizer works better for your turf than another. Lawn care centers, extension services and other similar outlets can help you identify the kind of grass you have and what type of lawn fertilizer would be best.
Be aware of your lawn’s growing season. Some grasses grow a lot during the summer; others tends to peak in the spring. When and how much to use lawn fertilizer will depend a lot on this along with the other factors mentioned.
Study up on the kinds of lawn fertilizers you have at your disposal for your type of lawn. While most people want a lush, green lawn, this shouldn’t be achieved at the expense of the environment. Look for lawn fertilizers that work well without introducing harsh chemicals into your back yard environment.
Access the condition of your lawn before you choose to fertilize. You might find your grass doesn’t really require a lawn fertilizer to grow well. If this is the case, consider skipping the step if at all possible to save yourself extra work and extra grass growth that will require more mowing.
Read the instructions well. This is vital for any type of lawn fertilizer. Make sure you know what you’ve bought, how to apply it, when to apply it and how long to wait before watering. Lawn fertilizers that are store bought should have clear instructions and warning labels.

A good lawn fertilizer can really help make a yard look spectacular. Adding to the natural growing process, lawn fertilizers give lawns a healthy, more filled in look. This can help make your lawn look like a showplace with little work. Too much fertilizer, however, and you’ll find yourself mowing your lawn a whole lot more than you wanted to.

But do be certain you understand what you’re doing and how to do it. Too much is not necessarily a good thing. Take your time to research your options in lawn fertilizers and get the right one to suit your yard’s individual needs.

A beautifully mowed lawn is the cornerstone of a beautiful property. During the growing season, if you look around at the yards in your neighborhood, it is usually pretty easy to tell the lawns that look as though they were mowed by a professional landscape maintenance service from the ones that look as though they were hacked down by the kid who lives up the street. Whether you use a walk behind mower, or a ride on machine, this technique will work for you.

Here are 8 steps that, with a little practice and patience, are sure to give your lawn a professionally mowed appearance.

Before you begin, though, make sure that your lawn mower has been properly maintained, in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications. Make sure the mower blade is sharpened and balanced – replace if necessary, taking care to disconnect the sparkplug before reaching under the mower. Also, be sure to wear appropriate safety equipment like noise reducing ear-muffs, or earplugs, vibration absorbing gloves, and protective eyewear.

Set your mower to an appropriate mowing height of 2 ½” to 3 ½”, for most cool season grasses. To avoid damaging your lawn, do not cut more than one inch, or one-third of the total current length of the lawn, at any one mowing. Mowing your lawn every 5 – 7 days, with no bag, ensures relatively short grass clippings that will quickly dry up becoming unnoticeable, and eventually compost, nourishing the lawn.

Now you’re ready to mow the lawn, well, almost;

1. Using either a manual or power trimmer, proceed around the perimeter of the area to be mowed, trimming grass that would be difficult to reach with the mower. Trim the grass to the height you plan to mow the lawn – from the property line in about 4” to 6” should suffice. When the perimeter is done, continue trimming around trees, fence and lamp posts, islands and flower beds, drives and walks, and also around things like sprinkler heads and decorative rocks, making mental note to watch out for these obstacles when mowing.

2. Now, grab a trash bag and do a quick walk-about, picking up any debris and sticks, so they don’t get run over by the lawn mower. In your mind, divide the lawn into major sections for mowing.

3. Start your mower and make 3 complete passes around the perimeter of one of the major sections of lawn, allowing the grass clippings to discharge toward the center of the lawn. This gives you plenty of room to turn the lawn mower around without leaving patches of un-cut grass.

4. About half-way down one side of the section, turn so that you are facing the opposite side; with approximately equal amounts of lawn on your right and left.

5. Look across the section and pick a spot on the opposite side, directly across the lawn. Walk directly toward the spot you picked on the opposite side. Focusing on the spot, rather than the area directly in front of the mower, will help you make a straight line. Mowing in straight lines and proper trimming are the keys to a professional looking job. It is impossible to emphasize enough, though, the importance of bearing in mind the obstacles mentioned above. Pay attention and don’t run something over just for the sake of keeping a straight line.

6. Once you get across the lawn, carefully turn your mower around and look back at the line you just made. You can now see any places where the line varies from straight and, usually within the next pass or two, true it right up. Finish one side of the section, then the next, and then proceed to each section and repeat the process until the whole lawn is mowed.

7. When you are done mowing, take one more look at the important spots like entrance ways, walks and drives, and other places that draw your attention. If you missed any patches with the trimmer, or on lawn mower turn-around spots, now is the time to go back and get them. Paying close attention to the details is what sets the professional lawn care company apart from the kid who lives up the street.

8. Finally, use a broom or leaf blower to push stray grass clippings back on to the lawn. Beginning with the area around the primary entrance to your home, clean off the landing and steps, continue along the walkway and out the driveway to the road. Clean off any decks or patios you may have, or anywhere else that has collected unsightly grass clippings.

Here are three more things to keep in mind while mowing.

First, when using a power trimmer, like a line feed trimmer, the grass is ripped, not cleanly-cut, where it makes contact with the string. It is really easy to damage the grass, so be careful not to over-do – better it look a little less than perfect than you wind up whacking a hole in the lawn.

The next one applies when using a self-propelled mower, on turn-a-rounds. If the pivot wheel stops turning completely (or the power wheel loses traction), it will almost certainly tear up the grass, below. Always turn around slowly, but make sure that all the wheels of the mower keep turning, at least a little bit. This way you will minimize the damage done by the mower, on turn-a-rounds.

Finally, while you may have a favorite direction in which to mow your lawn, front-back, side-side, diagonal, or even something more unique, it is probably best to mow it a different direction, at least every other time. This, too, will help minimize damage to your lawn by reducing the frequency with which you turn around on the same spots.

As you can see, mowing to achieve that ‘professional look’ takes a bit more attention to detail, strategic planning and time than you may be used to spending on your lawn. With some patience and practice, though, your efforts will pay off, and your lawn will look as though it has been mowed by a professional landscaper.

In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, or so Alfred, Lord Tennyson once wrote. For some of us, our thoughts tend to turn to more mundane issues, such as the color of our lawns. Getting a gorgeous green lawn requires a bit of work, and the owners of the best lawns know that work starts well before summer hits.

Raking and Thatch Removal

Raking and thatch removal are probably the first couple of things you’ll do in the spring. In fact, this actually starts in the fall, because ideally you’d have raked your lawn then as well.

Raking isn’t just about removing leaves and surface mess from your lawn-it’s also one of the best ways to control thatch (the build-up of lawn clippings and other solid waste that collects on top of the soil). For this reason, raking thoroughly and deeply is very important both in the fall and the spring, to help get your lawn ready for summer growth.

In general, a thatch of half an inch or more will need raking. If the thatch on your lawn is less than a quarter inch in depth, you might be better off leaving the deep raking until fall, as a light thatch helps improve the condition of your lawn by holding excess moisture. The exception to this is if you live in a particularly humid climate. Even a relatively thin thatch can end up holding too much moisture, and leave your lawn prey to mold.

A thorough spring raking is also a good way of getting reacquainted with your lawn after the winter break. You’ll be able to take stock of its condition, find out if there are any bare or matted patches that need taking care of, and check for pests, mold, or diseases.

Aeration

Removing thick layers of thatch from your lawn is important for helping keep the soil aerated, but if your lawn has been, a high-traffic area for several years, thatching might not be enough.

High-traffic lawns will eventually start to decline due to soil compaction, which means that air has been squeezed out of the soil over time. Compacted soil tends to suffer from excessive run-off, and will make a poor root bed for any new grass you want to sow, so it’s important to get it taken care of.

There’s one very easy-and fun-way to fix this problem, which simply involves walking all over the lawn while wearing spiked shoes. The holes you poke in the soil will aerate it, and your problem is more or less solved.

However, if your lawn is severely compacted this may not be enough. In these cases, you can rent an aeration machine from your local garden center. This easy-to-operate equipment pulls plugs of earth out of the soil to provide more extensive aeration.

Overseeding

If “dog spots” or heavy traffic has left your lawn covered in bare patches, you’ll need to apply seed to fill in the patchy parts. This technique is known as overseeding, and involves sowing grass seed over the bare patches, along with a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Once the grass has germinated, apply a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer for a growth boost.

Note that the grass you sow is going to be competing with the existing lawn for vital nutrients. If you need to overseed, cut your lawn short before doing so, so that the seeds have a good chance to get past existing grass to the soil.

Finally, note that it’s usually best to overseed in the fall (due to the problem described in the next section). Sometimes your lawn problem will be too severe too wait, of course, but fall is generally regarded as the best time for it.

Weed Control

If your lawn has an annual problem with weeds or crabgrass, you’ll want to hold off on spring fertilization until you’ve applied pre-emergent herbicides. These herbicides address the weed control issue by preventing seeds from germinating, so that weeds are prevented from sprouting at all.

Note that if you need to overseed your lawn, pre-emergent herbicides may not be an effective option. These herbicides don’t distinguish between weed and grass seeds-they prevent both types of seeds germinating. There are one or two products on the market that allow you to overseed in spring and still use pre-emergent herbicides, depending on the type of grass you have. These include Tupersan, which is compatible with overseeding cool-season grasses.

Spring Fertilization

In the spring, slow-release fertilizer is a great kick-start for your lawn’s new growth. You don’t want to push the grass to grow if it isn’t ready, so it’s best to stay away from quick-release fertilizers, at least initially. This is particularly important if your spring weather is unpredictable, as you don’t want a situation where new spring growth is killed by a late frost.

Retest your soil regularly-every few years-to make sure you’re applying the right fertilizer for your soil type. When applying fertilizer, make sure you use the right amount for your square footage, and remember that grass growing in the shade will need around half as much as that which is consistently in sun.

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Lawn Aerator Sandals

Lawn Aerator Sandals

Lush green lawns add to the beauty of the house along with adding colors of nature to life. If you are proud possessor of attention grabbing lawns then you should be worried about its maintenance too. Good lawn movers cannot maintain the charm of your lawns but can also improve their quality. A zero turn lawn mower can assist you achieve this goal with much ease. Once you use this lawn mower regularly and in a proper way, you can clearly see the changes taking place in your lawns. Let us find more about these special gardening tools.

Zero turn lawn mowers are those kinds of special lawn mowers that can turn right around i.e. 180 degrees. This means these riding mowers have the capability to go right around in a full circle of 360 degrees. With this tool, you do not need to do the cutting and edging of the lawns manually. So, these devices offer you a freedom from spending hours on your lawns and yet not getting the wanted result. They can ably help you take care of your lawns in the best possible manner.

A zero turn lawn mower works on the similar pattern as of a tank or bulldozer. Like tanks, these lawn mowers can move right back on themselves. Thus, the mechanism in all these three machines is the same. The only difference is that a lawn mower uses its rear wheel instead of treads used by a bulldozer to control its movements. In a lawn mower, you should be aware of the technique to vary the direction and the amount of the drive power that is applied to the rear wheels.

These two rear wheels of these lawn mowers are linked to a hydrostatic transmission. This is used to transform the engine’s power to produce hydraulic pressure. In turn, this pressure is used to move the mower and control its direction. The older versions of the lawn mowers put the power of controlling the speed in the hands of the operator. He used to maintain the direction and the speed. However, nowadays, the newer versions are mush more advanced. They use a joystick or handlebar or a steering wheel to control the mower.

Zero turn lawn mowers were originally designed for the purpose of industrial use only. They had a fantastic maneuverability, which was used to maintain huge golf courses and landscapes. These tools were considered highly reliable for industrial use. However, now, these are available for private use also. They are available easily and also at affordable prices. You can secure one for your personal lawns and give an all-new shape to them. In addition, the new lawn mowers work on advanced technology and have a better battery back up. So, you can rely on them for your precious lawns.

Now, if you feel like owning a zero turn lawn mower then you have plenty of choices. You can search the Internet and find out the details of the manufacturers and suppliers of these lawn mowers. Some of them also offer you the facility of ordering online only. Buy a good lawn mower and see your lawns becoming more and more beautiful! You could make your neighbors jealous with your lawns by spending on a good lawn mower.

Grass; I always thought it was just that short green stuff I played football on and rolled around in when I was a kid, but as it turns out, grass is a bigger deal than I’ve ever given it credit for. There are magazines, books, websites, clubs, and innumerable businesses that specialize specifically in grass: knowing and teaching how to make a lawn as green, thick, and healthy as it possibly can be. In fact, in 2003, it was an $11.6bil industry, but this industry is more than just grass, it’s called lawn care. If you’re an entrepreneur interested in starting a home based business that will be profitable and enjoyable, entering the lawn care world as a professional may be a good way to go, and here are some great lawn care franchises to get you there.

Lawn Maintenance

There are a few different angles from which to approach lawn care as a business. The most obvious side of the industry is the actual work of maintaining the lawn itself, and there are three businesses I would recommend for their excellence in the market.

Spring-Green Lawn Care is a longtime powerhouse in the lawn care world, providing top-notch service to homeowners in 24 states for the last 30 years. Franchisees with this mobile franchise receive a week of initial training and a few days of on-the-job training before starting out as owner/operators; fertilizing clients’ lawns, controlling diseases and insects, aerating, and maintaining trees and hedges around the lawn as well. And that simple beginning can quickly turn into a more profitable operation with the franchisee overseeing a larger group of employees actually doing the work.

Home lawns aren’t the only option in the business, though; there are also small business opportunities in the field of commercial lawn care. U.S. Lawns is a company that has been franchising successfully since 1986. Their goal is to provide the corporate professionalism necessary in commercial landscaping with the personal touch of a small business. Franchisees need no previous experience to succeed with the business, and overhead is low, while business is very constant, as commercial clients tend to be repeat customers for a long time.

Since its inception in 1991, NaturaLawn of America has been the nation’s leader in organic lawn care. Unlike their competition, NaturaLawn of America refuses to use harsh chemical treatments to rid lawns of weeds and insects; instead, they fight disease and promote growth with only natural solutions. Increasingly, this is the preferred method of care for many consumers, and thus demand for this kind of business is growing.

Lawn Cleanup

Not all problems in a person’s yard are threats to the lawn, though; sometimes, the threat is to the people walking across the lawn instead of the lawn itself. It may not be a danger, per se, but dog waste in the yard is definitely an eyesore and an inconvenience, and there is a special class of lawn care businesses that concentrate on getting rid of it.

Doody Calls and Pet Butler are the big names in the pet waste management industry, each providing professional waste pick-up and removal to innumerable clients around the country. Their systems are incredibly well-planned and brilliantly functional, orchestrating numerous mobile units that run their circuits around town while tracked by GPS to check progress. Marketing plans are made available to all franchisees through central computer systems, and communication between franchises is encouraged to maximize effectiveness. It may not be the most glamorous work in the world, but it is certainly profitable, sometimes turning up to a 49% profit margin, and running in a $40bil-and-climbing pet market, the prospect of future business growth is a definite possibility.

Lawn Boundaries

Another opportunity for working in lawn care without having to worry about the maintenance of grass is with a franchise business called Kwik Kerb. Today, it has become incredibly popular to have artistic concrete boundaries between the lawn and planters in the yard, and that is precisely the product and service that this work from home business provides. Aesthetically, the product is pleasing to the eye, but it provides a very functional purpose as well, drawing a clear boundary between yard and planter that doubles as a barricade, keeping any weeds and diseases from the lawn out of the flower bed, and visa versa. There are many benefits to this business, aside from high profit margin in the world of landscaping, and one of those is that this particular brand of landscaping doesn’t require continued service, so once the franchisee finishes the work for a client, the project is complete. Some business owners like the consistency of repeat business, but for those who like to get a job done and move on to another, this is a good choice.

If getting your hands dirty at work is important to you, and you really find satisfaction in growing a deep, emerald green lawn, lawn care may be just the business for you to get into. With any of these franchises, it could easily be the road to success and financial freedom.

Local lawn care ‘pioneer’ fell into beloved landscaping business
Action Lawn & Landscape founder and president Gladys Collazo didn’t know she wanted to be in the lawn care business…until she fell in love with it.
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First things first, nothing beats smelling fresh and perfect lawn grasses very early in the morning. On a subtle level, the right lawn grass basically ensures that you have a beautiful, fresh and new day ahead.

The following are basic tips in choosing the appropriate grasses.

If you are in a cold area

The fact of the matter is that the best lawn grass for you to select if in case you happen to reside in a specific area that have winters that are very cold and summers that are quite mild, is bluegrass or those ryegrass. You could also consider choosing those tall lawn fescue grass.

Basically, all these belong to the cool season grasses. These grasses grow very vigorously during the cold months of fall and spring.

If you are in a warm area

The perfect lawn grass to select if in case you happen to live in a warm area are the Bermuda grass as well as the zoysia grass. Another lawn grass that is perfect for the warmer climate is St Augustine grass.

Such lawn grasses are perfect for the summer hot weather and the mild winters. The reason for this is that the lawn grasses that fall under the warm season types are a bit less hardy.

They also gro quite vigorously during the summer hot months and eventually turn to crisp brown during the months of winter.

Choose wisely

The best grasses to select are those that are perfectly adapted locally to pests. These lawn grasses must be the varieties which are called pest resistant.

You could also settle for variety blends or a mixture of various types of lawn grass. You could ask the help of the nursery in your local for additional information and to eventually help you choose.

What types of grass are best for spots that are shady

The perfect grasses for this are those that fall under the cool season lawn grass fescues as well as the warm season Lawn St Augustine grass. Another option is the zoysia lawn grass.

What kind of grass is perfect for the summer?

The type of lawn grass that is perfect for the dry areas come summer are the Bermuda grass, the tall lawn fescue grass as well as the buffalo lawn grass.

When you have chosen, now what?

A lot of the grasses that are perfect for the warm climate season are usually wiry and stiff. They do require that you own a reel power driven mower in order to keep these lawn grass the best they could possibly be.

How to keep lawn green when the weather is blue

The best thing to do during the months of winter when the climate is cold to the brim is to overseed the warm season lawn grasses early on in the fall. Through this method, the lawn grass is kept green and looking beautifully clean.

Usually, the buffalo lawn grass and the zoysia lawn grass are the lawn grasses that are hardiest if compared with the warm season lawn grasses.

What if your pet pees on the grass?

Dogs will always be dogs, and lawn grasses will always be lawn grasses. When your pets pee on your precious green grass, relax. It is not the end of the world.

When such a thing happens, the usual green lawn could suddenly have brown spots. What happens is that your pet’s urine has overly concentrated nitrogen content which causes the lawn to burn.

Why is this so? Believe it or not, your soil already has nitrogen in it. So when your pet dog puts a lot more of his nitrogen, your precious grass gets edgy and ultimately gets brown.

Take note that the pee of a female dog is a lot more potent than the male dogs. The best thing to do when the crime has been committed is to flood the specific area.

After a few days of thorough flooding and flushing, any damage would probably be averted and your lawn grasses will be back to its good and green color.

All in all, maintaining a lawn grasses is easy. All it takes is a little patience and know how.

All throughout the year, summer is one of the most wait for period. Beach activities could be endlessly experienced during this season. In addition to, a lot of summer fun could be anticipated without worrying if it gets rain.

Not all though is glad about the season. The plant owners in particular experience problems regarding minimal water supply, thus giving them difficulty on how to sufficiently manage their plantations.

Lawn care during summer can be a bit tough. There will be no rain to water your lawn, and the grass will dry out if you do not water them. This should be your priority when during the dry season. Lawns could survive weeks without water, but neglecting them for a long time would lead to drying, and the lush green colors would be gone.

It is recommended that lawn care is done at least once in seven days, if possible in the morning. Also, let the ground absorb the water so well. It is rather better to dampen the lawn with sufficient water only in just a matter of week than to shower the grass everyday.

Cutting of the grass is done differently during summer. A little portion of the grass is cut, setting the mower in its tallest measurement. This is a necessary lawn care method in order to prevent weeds from having a way into the ground and to allow grass extend its roots deeper into the soil. Only one thirds of the lawn should be cut. This would need additional trimming; even so, it makes lawn care easier.

Remember to follow the guidelines of lawn care during summer and in no doubt, you will encounter minimal problems that you had always experienced before. Instead of worrying about lawn care during summer, you can now enjoy and have fun.

For awesome lawn care equipment, look at echo weed eaters and of course poulan weedeater for awesome grass trimming power.

Whether you are starting a new lawn or just filling in some holes in an existing lawn there are some ways to assure that your grass will grow. It doesn’t require much skill to grow a green yard but it does require a fair bit of time for your grass to reach its full maturity. Each year many people look to their yards and begin the process of planting grass seed in hope of growing a green lawn before too long. Here are some tips for growing a green yard:

Water: The most important thing to do when you start growing grass is that it will require lots of water. You will probably need a garden hose and a sprinkler or sprayer. If it doesn’t rain each day you will need to give your grass at least 15 to 20 minutes of sprinkling.

Do Not Walk On It: Many people rope off an area around where they are growing grass in an effort to prevent the new grass seed from being trampled by careless walkers and animals. Other than not watering your grass, crushing on newly planted grass is an almost sure way to destroy your grass. New grass needs to be be left untouched and not walked on while it is starting to sprout.

Cut Your Grass High: Sometimes grass grow too fast and in those situations you should learn how to mow tall weeds.While mowing your lawn does make it look cleaner, it is important to remember that you should let your grass become mature before you mow it for the first time. Many people know that when you do cut your grass you should use a higher setting on your lawn mower so that your grass can become thick and green. Grass needs a chance to grow tall and healthy before you cut it down.

To grow a beautiful yard you only need to spend a few hours a week caring for it. The first time you attempt to grow grass you may need to buy some affordable gardening equipment such as the best lawn mower for under $300. It is easy to have the lawn of your dreams if you are willing to dedicate some time and effort each week.

Need to learn more information about planting grass seed? Visit our home improvement site for lots of lawn and garden tricks, photos and advice!