6 Steps To A Greener, Healthier Lawn
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Article by: Jim Reinhardt It is important to understand that a lawn , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 16) Temperature that is easy to care for and gives you the health and beauty you desire is dependant on several steps including those that occur before you make your first application of fertilizer. St. Augustinegrass, the type of grass , Constructing a Garden Path in most Florida homes, , Injury to Trees and Shrubs comes in many subtypes called varieties and have different characteristics that make them more or less suited for various conditions like shade tolerance and others. The term lawn , Buying or Building Your Own Water Fountain or turfgrass as found below will be used interchangeably to refer to St. Augustinegrass. 1. Turfgrass Establishment: Successful turfgrass establishment is important because without it lawns , Deer Ticks perform poorly and become infested with weeds , Iris Flowers Remind Me Of Mom! that later can be difficult or impossible to selectively control. Proper soil , Compost Tumblers - Gardeners Love Them preparation followed by the selection of quality sod that is of the appropriate variety (cultivar) for your general shade conditions, combined with properly installed irrigation all contribute to the success of turfgrass establishment. Neglecting any of these important steps can lead to necessary corrective action in order to maintain a healthy , Do It Yourself: An Attractive Rock Garden Anyone Would Be Proud Of desired lawn. , You Say Tomato I Say Mosquito This action can include removing sod from an area that is too shady for grass , Landscaping Combo Auto Detailing Business? to grow , Roman Concrete - How They Did It and replacing it with a more shade tolerant plant , The Tools You'll Need for Gardening material, pruning , Tips For Cleaning Your Patio a tree , Replacing Blossoms with Hanging Baskets to allow more sunlight, adding or moving sprinklers, or removing the existing weed , The Bonsai Braided Money Plant Tree infested areas and re-sodding with the appropriate variety following proper soil , Using Vines to Beautify Your House preparation. 2. Mowing: St. Augustine grass , The Bonsai Braided Money Plant Tree should be mowed frequently enough to never remove more that one third of the grass , The Tools You'll Need for Gardening blade and always with a sharp mower , Deer Ticks blade.Mowers should be set on the highest setting for all varieties other than semi-dwarf varieties such as Seville and Delmar, which should be mowed at about two and one half inches high. When mowing once per week, this practice can be easily followed during the slower growing , Solar Outdoor Lighting cooler months but becomes more difficult during the fast growing , June Gardening Tips rainy summer , Garden Pond Liners months. A dull mower , Some Of The Most Common Landscape Design Features blade will split and tear the grass , Solar Outdoor Lighting blades that will eventually die from their wounds. Split and torn grass , 6 Steps To A Greener, Healthier Lawn blades can thin the grass, , Landscaping 101 encourage weed , Solar Outdoor Lighting growth, cause an entry point for fungus and detract from the overall appearance of the lawns color , Landscaping Combo Auto Detailing Business? by combining dead grass , Japanese Gardens – Basic Design Questions That Should Be Addressed blades with green healthy , Solar Outdoor Lighting ones. Grass , Water Lilies - How and When to Divide and Fertilize clippings should be mulched and returned to the grass , You Say Tomato I Say Mosquito to be used as an additional source of nutrients. 3. Irrigation: Proper irrigation conserves both water , Garden Pond Liners and fertilizer and contributes to a healthy , Tips For Cleaning Your Patio lawn by encouraging healthy , Compost Tumblers - Gardeners Love Them root growth while discouraging weeds , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 16) Temperature that thrive during constant wet conditions. Irrigation should be performed as needed by recognizing temporary wilt symptoms and then applying three-quarters of an inch of water. , Teak Patio Furniture If a regular frequency is desired and you are in the St. Johns Water , Save Your Fish -- Heron-Proof Your Pond Management District, you must follow the irrigation requirements that allow watering only two times per week and only on specified days that correspond with your street address.You should then apply only three-quarters of an inch of water. , Bonsai Trees For Sale: What Are Your Options? Ask your Dr. Jack's horticulturist for a free irrigation gauge to help you determine how long you need to water , Using Vines to Beautify Your House each area (irrigation zone) and set your timer (controller) up accordingly. 4. Fertilizing: Fertilizer is a lot like vitamins. There are many different opinions on what fertilizer is the best and what the frequency and rate should be. Turfgrass experts will all agree that St. Augustinegrass must receive additional fertilizer other than grass , Need Landscape Design Help? This is The Time to Plan for Spring clippings in order to be healthy , Gallica Roses and have a good green , Buying or Building Your Own Water Fountain appearance. Most turfgrass experts will also tell you that St. Augustinegrass in Central Florida requires 4 to 6 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per year. Most will also agree that nitrogen should be applied at 1 pound per 1000 square feet, and that formulations should contain some slow-release fertilizer. We recommend that as much as 50% of the nitrogen applied should be a slow-release form. Do not be fooled by the term organic! , Gardening Supplies Organic , Bonsai Trees For Sale: What Are Your Options? can be an expensive slow release synthetic or natural , The Bonsai Braided Money Plant Tree long feeding product, , Mosquitos... Beware! or it can be a cheap quick release synthetic or natural , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 11) What Is pH? slow feeding product. , Garden Pond Liners The important key word again is slow-release. Since our soils , How To Divide Bulbs For Bigger Gardens in Central Florida usually contain adequate amounts of Phosphorus, and because Phosphorus is detrimental to the health of our lakes, it should be applied in smaller amounts than Nitrogen and Potassium or eliminated from the fertilizer completely. Potassium is important for root , Free Landscaping Ideas - How To Correctly Plant a Tree growth and should be included at rates close to those of Nitrogen. Micronutrients such as Iron and Manganese help with turf color , Using Push Reel Mowers but can cause staining if applied to paved surfaces. Generally, you get what you pay for when it comes to fertilizer. The cheaper the fertilizer the more you will need to buy and the shorter time it will last. This will ultimately cost you more than if you buy a more expensive fertilizer that requires you to use less but feeds your turf far longer. Good quality broadcast spreader types are the easiest to use and achieve the best results. Avoid getting any fertilizer on paved surfaces and if you do, blow or sweep the pellets back into the lawn , The Design Principle of Unity in Gardening and Landscaping area to avoid potentially staining paved surfaces. It is also important to apply fertilizer in a manner that can be utilized by the grass , Add Some Enchantment To Your Backyard With A Garden Gazebo and not wasted or cause pollution , Your Dream Garden to our lakes. Many of our paved surfaces drain into lakes and can carry misapplied fertilizers into our waterways during rainfall. All fertilizers are harmful to our lakes so you should always follow Florida's Best Management Practices (BMP) when making fertilizer applications. You can learn more about fertilizing and other Best Management Practices by visiting: http://tinyurl.com/eypua In conclusion, you need to determine several things before you apply fertilizer. Have you purchased the desired blend? Are you going to apply the right rate evenly so that you achieve an even, rich color , Garden Pond Liners that you desire while avoiding damage to the lawn , Get your Garden Cooking with Friable Soil from applying too much fertilizer? And most importantly, are you avoiding any detrimental environmental , Roman Concrete - How They Did It impact? 5. Pest , Injury to Trees and Shrubs Control: A certain level of expertise is required to properly identify the different pests , Landscaping 101 that can harm our St. Augustinegrass turf before you decide to use a pesticide. You can view pests , Using Push Reel Mowers that damage St. Augustinegrass by visiting: http://www.pestweb.com Proper identification of insects, diseases , Free Landscaping Ideas - How To Correctly Plant a Tree and weeds , Solar Outdoor Lighting will help you decide if a pesticide is required and if so which one should be used. You need to read and understand the label before making any application of pesticides. There are several things you can do to reduce the need for pesticides on your site. These include proper watering, mowing, fertilizing, reducing traffic where possible, and avoiding any other stress to the grass. , Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) 'White Ball' If you are unsure about what you are attempting to control, you should consult or hire a professional. Any pesticides that are unused in an application should be stored safely away from children, always kept in their original container with the label attached, and never disposed improperly by pouring them into a sink drain or body of water. , How To Divide Bulbs For Bigger Gardens 6.Change Your View and Perspective: If you think your lawn , The Bonsai Braided Money Plant Tree doesn't look as good as you think it should, or it is not as green , Free Landscaping Ideas - How To Correctly Plant a Tree as your neighbors across the street, try walking across the street to view your lawn. , Your Dream Garden There is no such thing as the perfect lawn , How Savvy Gardeners Use Mulch To Make Garden Work Easier and sometimes we see things up close that aren't apparent from further away. You will probably find several things wrong with your neighbor's lawn , Replacing Tree Blossoms with Hanging Baskets up close that were not apparent from your home , Using Vines to Beautify Your House across the street. Having a residential St. Augustinegrass lawn , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 16) Temperature that looks like a closely mowed Bermudagrass hybrid that you play golf on is an unrealistic goal. Remember, the grass , Constructing a Garden Path is always greener on the other side of the street! For more information, , Mow A Better Lawn, The Easy Way please visit www.greengrassnow.com Dr. Jack's, a Central Florida Plant , Garden Tables Aren't Just Decoration Care & Pest , Using Push Reel Mowers Control company, was founded in 1972 by Dr. Jack Reinhardt (Plant Pathology). The family owned and operated company provides high quality lawn , 6 Steps To A Greener, Healthier & ornamental lawn , History of the Adirondack Chair care, termite protection, and pest , Don't Forget the Birds this Winter prevention by degreed horticulturists. Jim Reinhardt, Jack's son, earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida. Jim's brother, Rick Reinhardt, president of Dr. Jack's, obtained a degree in Horticulture. Jim has been a licensed , Teak Patio Furniture Florida Pest , 6 Steps To A Greener, Healthier Lawn Control Operator since 1985. He has served on the Orange County Agricultural Advisory Board and many tasks committees with the Bureau of Entomology an Pest , Don't Forget the Birds this Winter Control (division of DACS). |
  
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