Caring For Your Grass The Professional Way- Kansas City Landscaping Essentials
by Lorian Gonzalez
A well informed and inspired person doesn't need to leave a professionally kept lawn to the professionals. But as the same time a lush yard requires much more than a weekly cut and water. This article will give you an idea of the broad spectrum of lawn care approaches that professional Kansas City landscapers apply.
You must acknowledge the demands of your grass as a living thing. Properly addressing each part of the lawn- root and leaf- means the lawn will get what is requires in the right time and right way. Being aware of the demands of your grass will not fix anything, however. You must also understand how to take care of them properly.
Preparing the top layer of soil is always the first step professional Kansas City Landscapers take. Correct preparation will use sand or organic materials like manure to result in a texture that is rich in organic matter and somewhat "sticky", retaining moisture but also draining correctly. Professionals know the important of soil that is conditioned for optimum water and gas exchange.
An alkaline or acidic soil must also be treated. There are various types of test-kits in Kansas City landscaping supply stores. The acidity can be tweaked with lime or other products, like sphagnum peat moss, sulfur, or wood ash. A slightly acidic pH (6.7) is the best for most grass varieties. Check with local Kansas City landscaping suppliers for the price of 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. Both of these issues can be avoided with some proactive care. Heavily saturated soil will not promote lawn-growth and may bring fungus, while erosion will wash soil, nutrients, and possibly the roots themselves away. Use extra soil to re-grade steep or bowl-shaped areas. Use creative landscaping to deal with particularly troublesome areas.
Check with your local supply store for grass varieties and whether they are offered in seed form or sod form. If you have the money and need for pre-cut sod it is the smartest choice when covering large areas, while the much less expensive choice would be seed.
Many lawns require multiple types of grass because of the varied conditions present, many lawns have high-traffic areas that are also heavily shaded, for instance. A downside to using several types is that the shade of the turf my be mottled. If this is not acceptable and you have varied conditions you will need to remove those conditions through landscaping. You may need another opinion on the subject. If so, speak with a local Kansas City landscape specialist..
Watering is a commonly misunderstood concern. Too often unawareness and assumption lead to a stressed and unhealthy lawn. Saturating the soil once per week, enough to keep the soil damp, is the general rule of thumb among Kansas City landscapers. Thatch and fungus are a result of over watering, while watering too little will obviously dehydrate the roots. The soil conditioning plays the largest role in deciding how to water. If it drains too quickly without retaining water or does not drain well you will have to adjust. One watering per week at around 2 inches is sufficient for most lawns.
Thatch will need annual or semi-annual treatment. It has the ability to choke and stress the grass. A small layer is fine as long as the shoots and leaves are easily covering it.
De-thatching is therefore a required part of regular lawn-care. Expert landscapers in Kansas City advise you simply rake it with a stiff metal rake or a power-rake. This will draw the dead vegetation to the surface and collect it for removal. Remove the thatch with a mower or by hand, being careful not to mulch it back into the yard.
Rain, snow and foot-traffic will compact your yard's soil all through the year. Consequently the grass roots will not be able to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide productively; a key barrier in cultivating an excellent lawn.
Kansas City landscapers treat this condition by aerating. To aerate the yard you will need to rent or borrow an aerator and run it over the yard several times. This will let the roots exchange water and nutrients properly.
At the start of Spring Kansas City landscapers apply a pre-emergent chemical that keeps weeds from germination. This chemical stops a critical enzyme process that makes weed-seeds germinate. Meaning the weeds don't even take root. This will save a lot of time and labor trying to take out established weeds.
Food is needed if your grass is going to stay healthy. Essential nutrition is leeched from the soil 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 recommend feeding the yard twice ever year at least. Manure and other organic materials are good options for replenishing the soil.
Remember, fertilizing should be done when the grass is not too long so that the nutrients reach the soil, otherwise the nutrition will be concentrated in some areas and never reach other areas. But, also, remember not to fertilize immediately after mowing. That will add stress to the grass as it tries to grow back and potentially burn the cut leaves, sucking water from them. Often home-owners think that cutting the grass as short as possible is good for the yard. But this will be detrimental to the grass over time and in the Summer.. Kansas City landscapers usually understand this and use higher settings on mowing equipment.
Applying a fungicide is highly suggested by Kansas City landscapers to be proactive against fungus. If your yard or garden is overly shaded or constantly damp you should be particularly watchful. Kansas City landscaping is specifically more prone to fungus in warmer months while it rains and the water does not dry completely.
As is true in so many cases, being diligent now will be much better in the long run than being reactive later. Making your lawn reach its peak health now will help it when hard times come, just like a healthy immune system will take on disease better if it is kept healthy. A stressed or underfed lawn can be fragile and permanently harmed by even one day of bad weather but a healthy yard will stay strong through tough times.
These are the fundamental issues that every lawn-care strategy should include. Don't give up if things take a while and stick to the plan. It will teach you about your plants and maybe even something about yourself. What are you waiting around for? Get going!
Do you think you would like to discover more pertaining to lawn care? You should look at additional facts about <a href="http://naturetalk.xanga.com/771687980/pre-emergent--landscaping-tips/">Kansas City commercial landscapers</a>.
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New Unique Article!
Title: Caring For Your Grass The Professional Way- Kansas City Landscaping Essentials
Author: Lorian Gonzalez
Email: autodetailinghq@gmail.com
Keywords: Lawn Care,Landscaping,Home Improvement,Garden Maintenance,Lawn,Garden,Lawn and Garden,Yard Care,Landscape Maintenance,Landscaper Secrets
Word Count: 1113
Category: Hobbies
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