Posts Tagged clay soil

Aerating Your Customers’ Lawns

If your customers don’t have the thick, lush lawns they’ve imagined, you can rack your brain trying to figure out the cause.  While you interrogate them about their watering practices and second guess yourself on fertilization, the problem might be a lot simpler.  It might be time to aerate.

Are there tracks in the lawn?  Are there tons of weeds despite a good fertilizer with weed prevention?  Are pests becoming a problem?  Is water pooling in the lawn after heavy rains?  Are there bare spots that you haven’t been able to help?  The soil might have compacted, and it might just take a little aerating to make the lawn thrive.  If the customer has clay soil or it’s a dry area, you’ll need to aerate more frequently.  There’s a simple and pretty unscientific way to tell when it’s time to aerate.  Grab a stick.  If the soil is difficult to penetrate with the stick, you should aerate.

You should choose a nice, clear day to aerate.  If the soil is wet, you will have a huge mess and a lot of explaining to do to customers.  You’re also going to get compacted soil much more quickly if it’s wet.  If it’s too dry, you won’t be able to penetrate the soil with an aerator.  Pay attention to the weather.  You should have nice weather for as long as possible (a week at least) after you aerate for maximum benefits.

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How much water does a lawn really need?

Well, while your soil type, the amount of sunshine, and the climate all come into play, a good rule of thumb is 1 to 1 1/2 inches a week.

What is most important is HOW you water.  You want to water deeply and infrequently to have a healthy deep rooted grass lawn.

Let’s say you decide on 1 1/2 inches a week.  You can do it in 2 doses or one, but don’t do just a little each day.  If you do a little each day your grass will have shallow roots and you can have all kinds of drought problems.

Now if you have sandy soil it is best to water your lawn twice a week since sandy soil drains faster and soon the water becomes too far down for your thirsty grass roots to reach it.

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5 Must Know Tips For A Better Looking Landscape

There is no doubt that when landscaping one wants to save money, as well as have an attractive property. Not only can landscaping help you beautify your home, but it can also provide a source of satisfying exercise in the fresh air. When you take care of your yard on your own, it is possible to save money and to improve your physical conditioning. But if the landscape turns out to look bad, then that is so much time and money wasted. However, it is possible to ensure a better-looking landscape by following a few tips that can help you take better care of your yard.

Know your soil type. Some plants thrive in soil with more acidity, and others prefer a little more alkali. Additionally, sandy soil and clay soil, as well as the presence of a loamy soil, can make a difference in what types of plants will thrive in a landscape. You should have your soil evaluated in order to determine what types of vegetation should be planted on your property. When you purchase plants that will succeed in the soil conditions present in your yard, then you make a wiser money decision, and you end up with a more attractive landscape. If there are plants that you would like to use in your soil, but the soil is not quite ideal, it is possible to improve the soil to proper conditions. You need only add mulch or peat, or to add crushed limestone or clamshells, depending upon what you hope to accomplish. As long as there is not a great difference in what you have and what you hope to achieve, it is possible to make soil adjustments to be more accommodating.

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