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29 March 2013

Taking Good Care Of Your Grass The Right Way- Kansas City Landscaping Essentials

By Bob Johnson


You won't need to pay an expert for a high quality yard servicing. But full lawn care involves a lot more than a weekly cut and water. Kansas City landscapers utilize a scope of proactive methods that this post will briefly go over.

You must understand what the plant's need as a first step in cultivating the yard. Failing to meet these needs will result in a lawn which will be vulnerable to pests and disease, not to mention ugly. Being cognizant of the needs of your grass will not fix anything, however. It remains for you to answer them.

For new lawns or bare areas, Kansas City landscapers encourage thinking about the top 3 inches of ground. Organic material and sand are commonly used in Kansas City, mixed together in correct ratios to supply a loamy texture. A large amount of clay in the soil will choke and stress roots while too much sand will result in dry soil or over-compressed clay soil.

The soil should also have the right level of acidity (pH). Pretty much any Kansas City landscaping supplier or garden store should stock a simple pH testing kit. When you find out the level you can then treat the soil. Materials like Limestone and Wood Ash will raise the pH while Peat Moss and Sulfur will lower it. A good standard pH is a little bit acidic (6.7-ish). Kansas City landscaping retailers will have the tools and materials you need. Each material will have its own method for applying to your lawn so ask the supplier what they suggest

Grass will die in situations involving water in stagnant pools or excessive erosion. The grass will not survive without the protective layer of soil to protect the stems and roots. Heavily saturated soil will not promote lawn-growth and may bring fungus, while erosion will wash soil, nutrients, and possibly the roots themselves away. Standing water is easily avoided by removing the source water and re-grading low spots. Heavy erosion may require more than re-grading, however, and landscaping to change the yard itself may be needed.

Now you should choose the grass variety (refer to a supply store for a list) and choose between laying sod or planting seed. Sod requires less time and labor but it is much more expensive, while Seed is cheaper and allows you to mix varieties of grass.

When seeding, using mixing seed types could be helpful in areas that have several threatening circumstance, many yards have high-traffic areas that are also heavily shaded, for example. Mottling of color and texture is the only complaint some people have with a yard containing several grass species. The alternative to this is simply re-landscaping the yard to remove the varied conditions. Each yard is unique and consulting a local Kansas City landscaping company or shop may be required.

Watering is a commonly misunderstood subject. Too often unawareness and assumption lead to an unhealthy lawn. Kansas City landscapers know it is an art that should be given attention. This is because fungus and other disease flourish in constantly wet environments, while watering too little will obviously dehydrate the roots. Proper water, with soil that correctly retains moisture, should rarely exceed 2 inches of water per week.

Your yard can become choked and overly stressed by thatch over time. This breeding ground for pests and disease can harm the grass in several ways. Ideally it should be present but not easily seen beneath the thick leaves of the lawn.

This means that sometimes you will need to de-thatch the lawn. Kansas City landscapers would once simply burn the dead grass in the wintertime but this is no longer lawful so they power-rake it into piles instead. The main objective is to simply get rid of extra thatch. This replaces the normal decomposition process. 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 year-round. The compacting of the soil will inhibit several important processes and therefore must be dealt with.

To fix this problem of compression Kansas City landscapers aerate the lawn. This breaks the surface of the soil and places holes several inches deep. This will let the roots exchange water and nutrients properly.

At the conclusion of Winter or beginning of Spring Kansas City landscapers make use of a pre-emergent to prevent the germination of weeds. Pre-emergents are just what the name implies- a chemical that stops the weeds before they emerge. The grass is just starting to grow at this point and taking the competing plants out before they steal precious sustenance will give the yard a big advantage.

All living things need food to survive and your lawn is no exception. Nitrogen and other nutrients are continually leeched from the soil through different processes. Food must be put back in the soil or the yard will become sickly and prone to disease. Spring and Fall are the best times to replenish the soil. Compost and manure are great alternatives to common chemical fertilizers.

At the time for fertilizing, be sure the grass isn't so long that it effects the spreading pattern or else the nutrition will never reach some areas of the yard and be too strong in others. At the same time, be careful not to cut the grass too short. That will add stress to the grass as it tries to grow back and potentially burn the cut leaves, sucking water from them. It is necessary to highlight that some people believe cutting their grass shorter will save them work later, but this is not true. Kansas City landscapers usually appreciate this and use higher settings on mowing equipment.

Employing a fungicide one or more times a year is commonly advised by Kansas City landscapers for preventing disease before it happens. If your whole yard does not get full sun throughout the day it will be particularly vulnerable. Kansas City landscaping is specifically at risk of fungus pores in milder seasons while it rains and the water does not dry completely.

Good Kansas City landscapers will always strive for a healthy lawn in the good times before the bad times come. 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. Kansas City landscapers know that you need to take advantage of the good times and work hard. Don't lose your yard through neglect or laziness.

Do no forget any of these tips as you make your particular lawn-care strategy. Make a plan and stick with it, giving yourself time to learn and not giving up easily. There are few rewards more satisfying then cultivating a lush lawn. So get out there and enjoy the hard work!




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