Simple Tips for Achieving the Best Lawn this Year

Simple Tips for Achieving the Best 

Lawn this Year

Why is it that sometimes even after all the hard work and money you've put into your lawn, it still doesn't look as good as you would like it to?

Here are some simple tips that will help you get the best looking lawn, on your street this year. The best part is it won’t cost you a lot of money to get it… in fact, it may help you save some of that hard-earned green.

One of the first things that you can do to help with the look of your lawn,is to water properly. Watering can have a big impact on a lawn,s appearance. We often blame a bad lawn on a lack of water, when over watering is just as much at fault. Homeowners generally irrigate their lawns every day for 20 minutes (simply because that is the way most irrigation systems are set up) without realizing that this type of light watering can lead to shallow rooting and disease. Shallow rooting creates a weaker plant that is prone to environmental stresses, which can result in an increase in lawn diseases. Also, not allowing the lawn to dry out can increase the likelihood of turf disease. This ultimately leads to discoloration of the lawn and poor visual quality.

When it comes to watering your lawn and helping it look its best, water only when the lawn needs it and be sure to water deeply. Watering deeply in the morning when the lawn requires it will give your turf the opportunity to dry out and prevent lawn diseases in the process.

Mowing is another important practice for getting the best lawn possible. A sharp mower blade allows the turfgrass to heal quickly and prevents diseases. A dull mower blade, on the other hand, frays the tips of the plant, giving the lawn a whitish appearance instead of that desirable dark green color.

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*** Sharp mower blade ***

Mowing to a height of no shorter than 3 inches allows the plants to shade their own roots and soil, helping them retain moisture and reducing the need for watering. The longer the Mowing  to a height of no shorter than 3 inches allows the plants to shade their own roots and soil, helping them retain moisture and reducing the need for watering. The longer the grass, the darker the color of the turf, and this will often be the biggest difference in the look of a lawn. Many homeowners will try to make the lawn resemble a golf course and cut the grass,  to a height of no shorter than 3 inches allows the plants to shade their own roots and soil, helping them retain moisture and reducing the need for watering. The longer the grass, to a height of no shorter than 3 inches allows the plants to shade their own roots and soil, helping them retain moisture and reducing the need for watering. The longer the grass, the darker the color of the turf, and this will often be the biggest difference in the look of a lawn. Many homeowners will try to make the lawn resemble a golf course and cut the grass,way too short. Shorter lawns require more input and will encourage more weedy grasses and disease. Keeping grass,longer will really make a big difference in the health and appearance of your lawn.

How to water your new lawn

Landscape Maintenance Tips:  Guide for cool season grasses -

A new seed bed must be kept moist in order for the grass seed to germinate.  This means watering 2-3 times daily.  IF THE SEED BED IS ALLOWED TO DRY OUT JUST ONCE YOU CAN LOSE UP TO 30% OF YOUR SEED GERMINATION.  What this means is if you are watering once a day with a garden hose it is not enough.  Water is the key element in the success or failure of your new lawn.



 

1. Water new seed bed 2-3 times a day to keep soil moist.
2. Once grass seed has germinated DO NOT STOP WATERING.  Now the seed is a young seedling with a growing leaf area to support with a very small root system to draw water with. 
3. Now that your grass seed has germinated and is about 2" tall you should increase the watering time to a minimum of 30 minutes 3-4 times per week.  This will cause the root system to grow down in search of water rather that up towards the surface where the moisture is after light watering.
4. The best time of day to water your lawn is the morning.  This will provide moisture for the grass plants well into the day when they are under the most stress from the midday temperatures and drying sun.  Also evening watering creates extremely high nightime humidity and optimum conditions for many fungus diseases.

How to Kill Moles !!

I hate moles, really I do. I know there are people out there that probably do not condone killing any animal, even moles, I’m not that type of person, but if you are, I can respect that, though this blog post is not for you.

Personally I like animals fine, I try to encourage animal habitat and would never hurt an animal out of spite, however I’ve hunted in the past, and will again in the future, and when that woodpecker destroys my siding, or that ground hog destroys my garden, or a mole destroys my yard, its game on.

And really, I grew up in the woods, our mailbox was a mile from our house. We lived down a dead end dirt road, at the dead end of the dirt road, this was nature people, and do you know how many moles my parents have crawling under their yard? None. How many ground hogs tore up their plantings? None. (though, deer always did). How many woodpeckers… well until they got vinyl siding those were a problem, but my dad took care of them with a 12 gauge. The point is, I see more rodents on a daily basis living in town than I ever did living out in the forest. Why? Because there are more predators in the forest, they keep the population in check. In town, not so much, so the population gets out of control. So for those who feel that it was their land first and we’re the intruders, remember that if not for us, in fact, there would be less of them. We created the environment in which they thrive, unfortunately.

A Mole Hill

So moving on, I’m going to talk about how to kill them. I know of no known live traps for moles, sorry, while there are deterrents they do not seem to work well and will just drive them to your neighbors yard. Still, I will cover them first. Also, I’m going to talk about voles. Voles are like smaller moles (more or less mice). They will both leave tunnels in your hard, but they are different animals. Voles will leave smaller tunnels and not tend to push up big mounds of dirt, they’ll also eat plant roots and kill them potentially. Moles tend to be carnivores, eating grubs and worms, will make bigger tunnels, and push up mounds of dirt when they make a den.

Milky Spore

Milky spore actually seems to work, though I’m not entirely sure because it isn't something I’m able to scientifically check and study, but to me it seemed to work. What it is is a bacteria that kills grubs, which is a prime food source for moles. One application can last for 10 years in your yard, or more even, as the bacteria thrive and reproduce and continue to kill grubs. Second plus, fewer Japanese beetles. This might be a solution for the more squeamish as it kills grubs and not moles. The good thing about this solution is that it is easy to treat your entire yard at a reasonable price. It can be hard to find locally, I recommend purchasing it online.

Castor Oil

Castor Oil (the same stuff used to make Ricin by the way) is supposedly abhorrent in odor to moles, and can scare them to your neighbor’s yard. This to me did not seem to work, though I’ve used it, it isn’t that expensive but unlike Milky Spore it doesn’t last very long at all. You can get it in sprays to attach to the end of a hose or in granular form. You’ll probably be able to find this locally no problem.

Sound Devices

Some vendors make these sound devices you stick into your yard that create vibrations in the subsoil that supposedly will drive moles away. I’ve seen these used in my neighborhood, but I’ve never used one myself. They’re worth a try I guess if you don’t want to get more medieval, but I cannot personally recommend them having no experience.

Traps

I have tried a variety of kill traps over the years, I’ve never once had a confirmed kill. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, maybe I’m setting the traps on the wrong tunnels. They often say “find the main tunnel” but if your yard is crisscrossed who knows which run they’re using all the time. Some traps are plunger based where the mole pushes up on the trap and spring loaded spikes clamp down. Others have a scissor like action where there are jaws open you put down into the hole and when the mole comes through them, clamp shut. Another one I’ve tried was more of a noose like trap, the smallest of the lot, you put down in the tunnel and covered up (and put in a marking flag so you remember where you put it). Again, I’ve never had a confirmed kill. I know professional outfits use traps a lot, so I imagine they do work, they just don’t work for me.

Poison Baits

Here I can buy these at Home Depot, but I understand they’re not legal in all states, I’m not entirely sure why. They come in a little yellow plastic cone bottle and you use the pointy end to poke a hole in the tunnel then dump in some bait. I’ve never ever seen a dead mole from using these baits, but I really think they work for me, as I usually notice less mole activity after using them. I sort of have to take it on faith that they work since there is no little rodent body for proof, but as long as the activity stops, I’m happy, so I’m happy to recommend them. There are also these poison worm baits which supposedly work even better. I will be trying them. I’m a big believer in poison baits for killing rodents.

Drowning

If you find a mole’s burrow you can put your garden hose down it and drown it out, this might also work to drown any mole babies down there. Sometimes it can help you finding the exit elsewhere as the water bubbles up. Of course the porosity of your soil will effect how useful this is. Also some people think that all you’re doing when you do this is giving them a drink of water up there. Also, if you do this, you should have a shovel (shotgun maybe) ready, because if they flee the water you’ll want to be able to whack them.

Patience

Speaking of whacking, if you have a beer and a rocking chair and a shovel you can just mow your lawn, stomp down a few hills, and then sit out there and watch your grass grow… and maybe, just maybe you’ll see a mole in action, pushing up the soil, and you can run over, stick the shovel in, flip it up, expose the mole, and whack it. The benefit of this method is you have a dead mole, so you know it works, the problem is the time needed to do it.

Suffocating

Another popular option is to take the exhaust from your lawn mower or car, put it into a garden house (so you stick the hose up the exhaust pipe while the engine is running – and that’s very dangerous for you so don’t breath that in) then stick the other end into the mole hole. The carbon monoxide will filter down into the mole area and they’ll die of suffocation. This might also work with dry ice. The problem is that you don’t know how extensive the burrow is and the gas might be coming up out somewhere else in the yard before it gets to the moles. Definitely keep animals, children, and even adults, out of the area while you try this. If the gas ended up emanating up under someone’s lawn chair that could be dangerous. Same thing with the water method, have shovel or shotgun handy. You can also do this with a little propane canister, like what you’d use for plumbing, remember many gases are heavier than air so they’ll sink down into the tunnels.

Flame On

This one is my favorite, though I’ve never tried it. You definitely should be a professional to do this, or at least, I’m saying, do this at your own risk. What you do is pump propane down into the mole hill like the suffocating method, and then… and then… you light it on fire. Boom! You burn them up or burn them out. This seems to me like it would be a very effective method, but as I said, I’ve not tried it. I do have a nice big propane torch which is actually a good gardening tool as I’ve blogged about earlier.

Summary
Any of my “shovel” options above you can also try with a pitch fork, in which case you can just try stabbing into the ground if you see the dirt moving. I’ve also heard of things like juicy fruit gum or human hair being repellents but I think those are likely old wives tales. One good idea I heard was getting worm oil from a fishing bait shop, and then coating your traps or holes or poison peanuts with it to attract the moles to their last meal.

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Use Impatiens to Brighten up Shady Spots

I just did a search on my blog for impatiens, I found 0 results, I can’t believe I've never mentioned this plant in a post before.

It is my firm belief that every ornamental gardener (and even vegetable gardeners – to attract pollinators) should plant both perennials and annuals. I love perennials because you plant them once and you’re done, they do well in droughts because they have stronger roots, and over time you can even get free plants as they multiply. But in general perennials only flower for a short period of time. LandXscapes 

A nice tropical annual on the other hand can flower, and flower, and flower, from your frost free date in the Spring (assuming you bought starter plants or started your own seed indoors), until the first frost in the fall. Mixing annuals in with your perennials allows you to provide constant pops of color, constant bee food, even when nothing else might be in flower. They’re great really. I also love them in containers, since perennials in containers will eventually become root bound.
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A large urn-style container in the shadier part of my yard bubbling with vivid impatiens.

Of course, perennials have their place too, because lets face it, gardening with only annuals would get quite expensive if you have to buy a garden’s worth of plants each and every year. Of course you’ll save a ton of money if you can start them from seed, but it does require some infrastructure, a greenhouse or a well setup, large, south facing window. One day when I get my greenhouse (next summer, yippee) I’ll probably do that, but for now, I’m out there buying flats like everyone else.

I do prefer to buy flats of the smallest, cheapest, annuals, not bigger plants all done up in premade baskets or anything, I don’t find value there.

Moving on, impatiens, I love them, they’re so neon bright it is amazing for a plant that doesn’t like the sun. They’re like little jewels glistening in the shade, really bright pops of color. Off the top of my head I cannot think of any other shade plant that flowers like that, not one. Something like a coleus can get bright foliage, but not like this. Hydrangeas and Rhododendrons do okay with some shade, and get big showy blooms, but not this vibrant.

So I’m moving this summer so I’ve greatly paired back the functional aspect of my gardening, fewer herbs, fewer vegetables, because I won’t be around to harvest them anyway. However I am increasing my annual flower planting to make sure there is always bright and beautiful flowers whenever a realtor might show the house. So I went to the big box store and bought a tray of impatiens, a mix of colors. There are more upright varieties, premium varieties, but like I said above, I like the cheap ones. Then I, with the help of my kids, planted them in some large planters in the heavily shaded part of my backyard. This was just a few weeks ago, and already they’ve filled in, and resemble large bubbling cauldrons of color.

Brilliantly bright impatiens. www.landxscapes.org

Generally I think each annual has a place. Petunias or marigolds love full sun, and being planted directly in the soil (I know, I know, you’ll find petunias planted in containers all the time, especially hanging baskets, but you will be watering them twice a day), so they have enough to drink. Begonias are my go to (and more or less the only thing I will consider) for small containers or hanging baskets in full sun, because they are highly drought tolerant. You basically never have to add supplemental water to a begonia basket so long as no roof is obstructing natural rainfall and you’re not in an arid climate. Impatiens are for shade, and they also do fairly well in shaded containers or baskets. I do not think they are as drought tolerant as begonias, but being in the shade there is certainly less need for water overall. They’ll also let you know when they’re thirsty by wilting, and pop back pretty quickly when quenched.

Bottom line, impatiens are a star in the shady garden, or in urns or planters on shady porches and decks (if there is a roof over them though, you must remember to water). If you’ve never planted them before, you really don’t know what you’re missing.

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Lawn Care: The Ultimate Guide to Lawn Care for New Homeowners

So you’re a new homeowner, huh? Congratulations! Purchasing a home is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of life, and we can feel your enthusiasm from here. But once the box dust has settled and your couch is placed just right, you might start to realize that you didn't just buy a house; it seems you also have to contend with the lean, mean, and (hopefully) green landscape that your house sits on.

If you’re not completely sure how to wrangle the beast, you've come to the right place. The experts at LandXscapes have put together this ultimate guide to lawn care for brand-spanking-new homeowners just like you and learn the tricks of the trade. Soon enough you’ll have a lawn that you can take as much pride in as your house, and an outdoor extension of your home that you can enjoy every day!

Mowing

First things first--it’s time to break out the lawnmower. The best place to start when getting your lawn’s life together is getting the yard cut down to size, and this will certainly become a regular chore for you. Although it might seem like a simple task, proper mowing entails a bit more than you might think. Before you start hacking away, consider the following:

Ensure that your mower blades are sharp. Dull blades won’t cut the grass--instead, they will just pull and tear the blades of grass and you will end up with a messy, not-so-polished look (unless that’s what you’re going for).

Set your mower blades to a higher setting. Although setting your mower blades lower in order to have to mow less often may seem tempting, cropping your grass too short puts a whole heap of pressure on the turf. It’s better to mow more often at a higher setting than the other way around.

Watering

Alright, you must be thinking, how hard can watering be? Does it really warrant a section on a lawn care guide? Well, unless you want your lawn to be either a soppy mess or an arid desert, listen up. Watering your lawn might seem like a nobrainer, but under and over-watering, or otherwise watering improperly, can cause serious issues down the road. To make sure your lawn maintains a happy moisture medium, follow these tips:

Water your lawn early in the morning instead of during the day. This practice, although a nuisance to your sleep schedule, will ensure that the moisture actually gets down into the soil and to the roots of your grass before the sun evaporates it away. The best time to water will be in the early morning hours, between 6 AM and 10 AM.

When you water, look for signs of improper moisture. If you see areas where water is pooling, or areas where the grass is discolored and brittle, adjust your watering accordingly. Areas with pooled water are over saturated, so you should water less in that area. Conversely, areas with discolored or brittle grass are likely not receiving enough moisture.

Water deeply and less often. In general, your lawn will need between 1 and 1.5 inches of water total per week. Water a few times per week and make sure that you are watering deeply so that the water is getting to the roots of your plants. In addition, watering deeply encourages plant roots to grow deeper into the soil, which creates a landscape that is more resilient to pests and disease.

Aeration

Have you ever seen someone walking around with a little machine that pokes holes in their lawn? That practice is called aeration, and it is one of the most important lawn care tasks that not a lot of people do. Think of aeration and thatch removal as an annual lawn rejuvenation-- a way to let your lawn breathe. Aeration is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep your lawn healthy and happy. We recommend this lawn practice in the fall after your lawn has suffered heavy foot traffic and drought throughout the summer.

Benefits of aeration include:

• Breaking up thatch
• Increasing fertilizer efficiency
• Improved irrigation and moisture
• Stronger roots
• A healthy and happy lawn

Fertilization

Regardless of the season, every lawn could use a little TLC in the form of fertilizer. Even the healthiest lawns can use a boost now and again, and keeping a fertilization treatment on your lawn care to-do list is a sure fire way to ensure that your landscape stays happy all year long. To revitalize your lawn after stressful seasons, feed it a fertilizer rich in nutrients like nitrogen to replenish lost nutrients and give it a healthy kick start to make it into the next season.

Trees and Shrubs

Once you've mastered your grass, you can move on to trees, shrubs, and other decorative ornamentals. When it comes to trees and shrubs in your landscape, it’s all about the species. Be sure to check which plant species grow the best in your area, so you don’t wind up with an unfortunate situation--like a dead lemon tree in the middle of Minnesota.

Follow these steps to ensure tree and shrub success:

• Pick the right plant for you. If you don’t have the time to devote to pruning or grooming your plants, be sure to buy one that requires minimal maintenance.
• Pick an area with the right ratio of shade to sunlight for the plant. Take the time to examine your yard before you decide on placement so you know where the full, partial, and low sun areas are. Your future happy plants will thank you.
• Make sure you water your trees and shrubs properly. They may have differing watering needs than your grass, so be sure to pay attention to how much--or how little--you are watering them.

Winter is coming Prepare !!!!!

The first thing you need to understand about winter: your lawn will feel its effects no matter how hard you try. 

Winter’s snow, ice storms and harsh winds can do permanent damage to your lawn, but you can help lessen some of winter’s harshest effects on your yard and get it ready to thrive in spring by taking some steps to prepare your lawn for winter. 

Take these preventative steps to help your lawn survive the season’s harsh elements.

Mow or Mold? You choose.

This tip is mainly for the northern states, where you may have to deal with extended wet weather and humidity: keep mowing your lawn so you keep the snow mold from living (on your lawn). Neglecting routine mowing could result in gray or pink spots. They’ll be small at first, showing up on your grass blades, but will likely spread if you’re not careful. The best way to play it safe is by ensuring your grass is properly mowed.

Break the Wind

No, not the wind you’re thinking of... THIS kind of wind.  While it might look beautiful, having your garden thrash to the wind is only suitable for a Harlem Shake video. Looking for a simple solution? Wind breaks! And no, we’re not talking about the jacket, either.

Decide on what trees and shrubs you should use as wind breakers (and insulation) based on what trees work best in your area. Evergreen options include Colorado blue spruce, ponderosa pine and Oriental arborvitae, but you should always double check with a TruGreen specialist on any additional suggestions. Make sure the number of rows of plants and trees amount to 2-3, and always estimate the mature height of your trees before deciding how far apart you should plant them. 

We’re not kidding about the insulation benefits: Texas A&M University reports “23 percent savings when comparing homes landscaped with windbreaks and homes without them.” You know win breaks are serious business when a university writes about them! Placing wind breaks in the right area will result in a decreased risk of your garden contracting winter damage, mold, and you’ll have a cheaper electric bill as well --who could say no to a thicker wallet?

Don’t Leave the Leaves

Resorting to a city pickup for excess leaves would be the easy route, but they’ll end up burning those leaves and the hazardous chemicals they contain will end up polluting our air past federal health standards for air quality. So here’s the million-dollar question: how do you deal with excess leaves in a sustainable way?
Reuse them! Leaves provide much needed natural fertilization, but be careful because if you use too much you’ll end up suffocating your grass. 

Through a process called “Grass cycling,” you can gather up your leaves and throw them in a leaf shredder, and follow that by sprinkling the leaves all around your yard to give your lawn all of the nutrients and micro nutrients it needs. Everyone wins and you’ll help in keeping our sky blue!

Time for a Trim

Just like your hair, trees and shrubs need a cut as the winter weather comes. Why? More so than any other season, trees are vulnerable to the weather and pests during December. Wide temperature fluctuation and extremely low temperatures are the biggest culprits for tree stress, meaning your tree is more sensitive to things like frost cracks, sun scald, and winter burn. And while it’s dealing with all of those, pests and critters plan on making your tree their stomping ground.

The winter pounding will seem like it never ends, but proper fertilization and grooming will help keep your tree healthy well into spring. LandXscapes can also help with tree and shrub services catered to meet your tree’s every need, whether it’s overwintering insect control or targeted trunk injections

Bundle Up

You’ll spend less time in the snow because we’ll deliver it right to your door. We know how much of a hassle driving is during the cold months and we want to make your property safer by clearing snow and ice effectively. 

What are some other ways you plan to prep your lawn for the winter? Share your ideas on our Facebook page with fellow LandXscapes customers!

MAKE A LANDSCAPING PLAN

HOW TO: MAKE A LANDSCAPING PLAN

January 08, 2016

With the New Year comes resolutions, setting goals, and looking forward to a fresh start and exciting adventures. One of those adventures you can begin at home in your front – or back – yard. Of course we’re talking about adventuring into landscaping! Landscaping is one of the most fun and less expensive ways to add some curb appeal. And  LandXscapes wants to ensure that the most exciting part of your landscaping process – the beginning – starts off with a bang. There are a few things to consider when starting a landscaping project:

1. What is your goal in landscaping around your home?

The answers we hear most are curb appeal, larger entertainment space, more lawn space for kids and pets to play, or you've just moved and love the house, but aren't quite in love with what surrounds it. Whatever the reason, we can get you started with an action plan to get your lawn in top shape ready to be beautified

2. How do you plan on getting your landscaping done?

Are you hiring a designer or designing and building yourself? Either way, we can provide the expertise on what grasses are best to grow in your region and what pests you may encounter in the process.

3. What is the budget for your landscaping project?

Depending on your home’s size, this number can quickly rise to a scary amount and have you reasoning your way out of this adventure. But there are ways to create beautiful landscaping without dipping into your savings.That gives you plenty to spend on a landscaper and beautiful greenery to up your home’s value.

If you have any questions about how LandXscapes can help you transform your home/backyard into an oasis and the envy of all the neighbors, let us know!