Kansas City Landscaping- Year-Round Grass Treatment

By Dan Wilbert


You won't have to pay a professional for a professional quality lawn servicing. But full lawn care involves a lot more than the usual trimming and watering. Kansas City landscapers implement a scope of proactive services which will be articulated here.

It is fundamental to recognize that your grass will need much more than water and sunlight if it is going to reach its full potential. Understanding this and meeting those needs will inevitably result in a beautiful and healthy lawn. Knowledge of needs will not fix anything, however. You must then meet them.

The first step that Kansas City landscapers take for any new yard or bare area is to prepare the soil. The goal of this preparation is a "loamy" texture that holds moisture and holds together because of organic compost. Your goal should be proper water and gas exchange, while retaining some moisture. Grass roots need both water and oxygen.

The health of your lawn will also rely on the pH level of the soil. You can find testing tools from Kansas City landscaping supplier shops. After determining the level you will need to condition the soil to raise or lower the pH. Lime and ash are know to raise the levels (make more alkaline), while most organic compost, mulch, or nitrogen-rich material will lower (acidify) the level.. Most lawns are subject to become to acidic and need to be brought to nearly neutral (6.7 pH). Kansas City landscaping stores can provide the materials you need. Application methods depend on the material you are using, so ask about what you should do

Kansas City's heavy rainstorms and ice-storms pull the protective layer of soil away, which can eventually harm grass roots. If you aren't attentive, this will harm the grass roots and expose the yard to stress and disease. Loose soil will be washed away by fast water-flow and stagnant pools suffocate the roots and leaves. Innovative landscape designs should be a last result in fixing these issues. First, re-grade the areas that are low, steep, or channeling water improperly..

Now you should choose the grass variety (refer to a supply store for a list) and choose between laying sod or planting seed. Sod gives you instant grass. That's its greatest strength. But if you are needing a mixed variety of grass or needing to stay on a budget, seed is superior.

Mixing multiple varieties of seed can help you know first-hand which will thrive the best in your yard. One variety may grow well in one area that is heavily shaded and another may grow well a few feet away in a full-sun area. This will cause the yard to thrive, though some people do not like the resulting mixture of color and texture that may result. Each yard is unique and consulting a local Kansas City landscaping supplier or shop may be needed.

Watering is a commonly misunderstood issue. Too often unawareness and assumption lead to a vulnerable and patchy lawn. Saturating the soil once per week, enough to keep the soil damp, is the general rule of thumb among Kansas City landscapers. Thatch or fungus will be a clear result of over-watering. If the soil is correctly conditioned-draining properly but retaining moisture- 2 inches of water once a week is usually sufficient.

Your yard can become choked and overly stressed by thatch over time. The yard can switch into a different mode of growth that leaves bare areas of soil that are covered with debris. Ideally it should be present but not easily seen under the thick leaves of the lawn.

De-thatching is therefore a required part of regular lawn-care. A power-rake is the most common tool for this task, but, if one is not readily available, a stiff hand-rake will do. Raking should bring the dead grass to the surface and uncover the soil's surface. The dried grass can be a fire hazard so ensure that you dispose of it or compost it.

Snowfall and frost will compress the soil every year. This means the grass roots will not be able to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide effectively; a serious hindrance in raising a healthy yard.

To fix this problem of compression Kansas City landscapers aerate the yard. The aerator will create an even series of holes a few inches deep. Ideally this will provide access to roots and sufficient surface-area for effective gas-exchange.

It is far more effective to halt weeds before they will emerge. To accomplish this Kansas City landscapers take advantage of a pre-emergent. Before weed-seeds activate, this chemical stops the activation process. This will give the grass a distinct edge over competing plants that will steal nutrients, water, and sunshine.

Food is needed if your grass is going to stay healthy. Over time essential nutrients are extracted by erosion and the removal of grass-clippings. These must be replaced several times a year if the yard is going to be healthy and strong. Skilled Kansas City landscapers will perform two or three feedings every year to replace the leeched nutrients. Chemical nutrients are a common method for feeding or, a more natural method, compost and manure.

At the time for fertilizing, be sure the grass isn't so long that it effects the spreading pattern or the fertilizer will not be spread correctly. On top of that, 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's beneficial to say that many Kansas City landscapers recommend the higher settings on the mower for this reason and the stress grass experiences when it is cut too close to the ground.

A once a year treatment of fungicide is helpful in the Kansas City regions because local yards are prone to infection. A yard that has areas of shade or flooding will be more vulnerable than most. Don't assume that a fungicide guarantees protection, however. Keep a watchful eye on your yard and learn the signs of infection.

Defending the lawn should be a proactive job and not reactive. There is no better strategy than simply keeping the lawn as healthy as possible. Neglecting the yard not only makes it look bad now, but means it will die in tough times and consequently need to be replaced.

You cannot neglect any of these issues if your are going to have a professional-quality yard. Developing a beautiful lawn is hard but it surely is rewarding. So have fun and best of luck!




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