When the grass starts to reach about 3 inches, it will need to be cut and trimmed. Brush off any wormcasts before you mow.
Make sure the blades of the mower are set high so they trim off about 1 inch. Gradually lower the cutting height over the next few mows until it is cutting the grass back to 1.5inches. If lawn is mowed too short, this will results in thin and dying grass, shallow root systems, less green.
Collect lawn clippings from the early cuts, or you always make your own compost.
And more importantly, always, be sure to mow with a sharp mower blade whereby the cut should be clean with no shredding or tearing of the grass blade.
If you got no time to maintain your lawn, you can always contact BjGardeners.com, Your neighbourhood green thumb.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Watering Tips
The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning. It is unadvisable to water in the evening since this may leave the turf moist for a prolonged period of time. Most lawn disease activity will increase if there is available moisture in dark surrounding. This will in affect induce fungal activity and eventually deteriorate your turf.
When planting trees, insert a used cylinder plastic bottles with the top removed and bottom cut-away- along side the plant. When watering, slowly fill the pipe or bottle with water, which will go directly to the roots without evaporating. Wetting the soil to a depth of 6 inches is generally adequate.
Big trees usually do not require extra water, except during extreme hot weather. One way to retard water losses is to place mulch over the soil.
A common question: What if I’m to busy to water the plant every morning?
Install a sprinkler in few locations and set for at least one hour.
Well, that is it for today. We hope that by following these few tips, you will allow your lawn to achieve its highest potential, combined with the services that we provide. Remember, BjGardeners.com is just an email of phone call away!
When planting trees, insert a used cylinder plastic bottles with the top removed and bottom cut-away- along side the plant. When watering, slowly fill the pipe or bottle with water, which will go directly to the roots without evaporating. Wetting the soil to a depth of 6 inches is generally adequate.
Big trees usually do not require extra water, except during extreme hot weather. One way to retard water losses is to place mulch over the soil.
A common question: What if I’m to busy to water the plant every morning?
Install a sprinkler in few locations and set for at least one hour.
Well, that is it for today. We hope that by following these few tips, you will allow your lawn to achieve its highest potential, combined with the services that we provide. Remember, BjGardeners.com is just an email of phone call away!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Lawn Matters
Today’s entry might be a long one and its on ‘Lawn Matters’ – well, your lawn should matter!
1. pH- the measure of acidity or of a solution, or in our case, your soil. An improper pH practically assures you of non growth and weeds. Hence, your lawn needs to be growing at the proper pH or it will be unable to absorb the necessary nutrients.
2. Check that your lawn-mower blades are balanced and sharp- When the blades are dull they are likely to shatter or break the ends of the blades of grass, practically pulling on the grass rather than cutting it. This creates uneven lawn and not at all the attractive lawn that you are aiming for.
3. Keep the lawn properly aerated- Remember those pesky signs of ‘Don’t Walk on Grass’ which we can find on perfectly manicured parks? Well, those signs do have a point - continued walking on a lawn area can compact the soil and cause stress in the lawn as well as the surrounding plants.
4. Keep the lawn properly dethatched- Continued mowing over fertilization can contribute to problem of thatch. Excessive fertilizing also tends to decrease the pH of the soil, which leads to decrease in microbial activity resulting in more thatch. The buildup of thatch leads to reduced air, nutrients and moisture in the soil. Subsequently, your grass will become yellow and unhealthy looking.
5. Buried debris- Buried debris can be any number of things. The most likely objects to cause problems are building refuse, stones and stumps. When they are close to the surface, they can cause a moisture deficit that makes the grass die back. Stumps and logs can cause soil slumping as they decay. They can also be responsible for fungal growth, such as mushrooms.
6. Moss- It takes a number of conditions to grow moss; poor air circulation, low fertility, high compaction, and high air-moisture content. In most cases, shade and acidity are also contributing factors. Lime does not always correct mossy conditions, but is used to raise the soil pH. There are two options for dealing with moss. First is to learn to love it and the second is to break the chain of conditions that make it grow.
7. Those obnoxious algae- Algal growth relies on high fertility and weak, thin turf. It is most often found in low lying, compacted, shaded, and wet areas. An indication of past algal growth is a thick black crust that is cracked and peeling like the dried surface of chocolate pudding.
8. Salt injury- Lawn areas next to walk, roads, pavements are targets for salt damage. You can use a salt-tolerant grass or you can treat the area by flushing the salt out with water or applying calcium sulphate.
9. Water- Once you’ve grown the perfect lawn, it doesn't make much sense to ignore it. Always to make sure in keeping it watered and fertilized, and you’ll keep the lush lawn you worked long and hard to achieve. The ideal way to water is with an automatic underground sprinkler system. By using an automatic sprinkler system, you don't have to drag hoses around or waste water, plus you’ll get the whole lawn watered.
10. Shrubbery and flowers need to be watered separately. If you use the same amount of water on your landscaping as you put on the lawn, you could kill many plants from over-watering.
You can always check out BjGardeners.com to find out more about our lawn maintenance services. We are just an email or phone call away!
1. pH- the measure of acidity or of a solution, or in our case, your soil. An improper pH practically assures you of non growth and weeds. Hence, your lawn needs to be growing at the proper pH or it will be unable to absorb the necessary nutrients.
2. Check that your lawn-mower blades are balanced and sharp- When the blades are dull they are likely to shatter or break the ends of the blades of grass, practically pulling on the grass rather than cutting it. This creates uneven lawn and not at all the attractive lawn that you are aiming for.
3. Keep the lawn properly aerated- Remember those pesky signs of ‘Don’t Walk on Grass’ which we can find on perfectly manicured parks? Well, those signs do have a point - continued walking on a lawn area can compact the soil and cause stress in the lawn as well as the surrounding plants.
4. Keep the lawn properly dethatched- Continued mowing over fertilization can contribute to problem of thatch. Excessive fertilizing also tends to decrease the pH of the soil, which leads to decrease in microbial activity resulting in more thatch. The buildup of thatch leads to reduced air, nutrients and moisture in the soil. Subsequently, your grass will become yellow and unhealthy looking.
5. Buried debris- Buried debris can be any number of things. The most likely objects to cause problems are building refuse, stones and stumps. When they are close to the surface, they can cause a moisture deficit that makes the grass die back. Stumps and logs can cause soil slumping as they decay. They can also be responsible for fungal growth, such as mushrooms.
6. Moss- It takes a number of conditions to grow moss; poor air circulation, low fertility, high compaction, and high air-moisture content. In most cases, shade and acidity are also contributing factors. Lime does not always correct mossy conditions, but is used to raise the soil pH. There are two options for dealing with moss. First is to learn to love it and the second is to break the chain of conditions that make it grow.
7. Those obnoxious algae- Algal growth relies on high fertility and weak, thin turf. It is most often found in low lying, compacted, shaded, and wet areas. An indication of past algal growth is a thick black crust that is cracked and peeling like the dried surface of chocolate pudding.
8. Salt injury- Lawn areas next to walk, roads, pavements are targets for salt damage. You can use a salt-tolerant grass or you can treat the area by flushing the salt out with water or applying calcium sulphate.
9. Water- Once you’ve grown the perfect lawn, it doesn't make much sense to ignore it. Always to make sure in keeping it watered and fertilized, and you’ll keep the lush lawn you worked long and hard to achieve. The ideal way to water is with an automatic underground sprinkler system. By using an automatic sprinkler system, you don't have to drag hoses around or waste water, plus you’ll get the whole lawn watered.
10. Shrubbery and flowers need to be watered separately. If you use the same amount of water on your landscaping as you put on the lawn, you could kill many plants from over-watering.
You can always check out BjGardeners.com to find out more about our lawn maintenance services. We are just an email or phone call away!
Tips for Planting Trees
One might think that the course of planting a tree may be simple and a straight-forward task. Yes, it may be straight-forward, but there are certain rules that one must follow in order to ensure that the job would be fruitful, literally that is. The following are some of the few tips that one should live by when planting and maintaining a tree :
1. It’s important to take good care when it comes to mowing and handling your plant. It’s easy at this point to break the dirt away from the roots with rough treatment-so don’t.
2. You must at all time ensure that the plant’s rootball must not be dropped off a wheelbarrow or dragged on the ground.
3. Never lift a plant by grabbing it by the stem. Always lift from the base. It’s sometimes helpful to have help lifting the crown (the top of the plant), particularly for a large tree It is useful to have someone to help lifting the top part of the plant especially larger trees
If you need the right people to lift and plant your trees correctly, you can always contact us at bjgardeners.com any time.
1. It’s important to take good care when it comes to mowing and handling your plant. It’s easy at this point to break the dirt away from the roots with rough treatment-so don’t.
2. You must at all time ensure that the plant’s rootball must not be dropped off a wheelbarrow or dragged on the ground.
3. Never lift a plant by grabbing it by the stem. Always lift from the base. It’s sometimes helpful to have help lifting the crown (the top of the plant), particularly for a large tree It is useful to have someone to help lifting the top part of the plant especially larger trees
If you need the right people to lift and plant your trees correctly, you can always contact us at bjgardeners.com any time.
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