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Laying the Sod Grass for New Lawns

February 21, 2011 By

Once your soil is prepared, you can get to the phase of installing the sod. To obtain the best results, lay the sod in spring or fall when the possibility of rainfall is higher, which helps your lawn to establish.

Even though you can patch the bare spots in already installed lawns at any time of the year, with the exception that the land is not frozen. Should the weather be hot and dry, take care to moisten the soil slightly before laying the sod.

While you are laying the sod, be careful to store the sod in the shade, keeping it rolled and moist. Don’t bring it all to the site, but carry one or two rolls at a time. [Read more...]

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Sod Versus Seed

February 18, 2011 By

Even though you can enjoy a quality lawn either with seed or sod and the site preparation for either of them is quite similar, there are some differences in buying, storing and maintaining them.

Sod for soil stabilization eliminates both the seeding and mulching operations and it has its advantages regarding adequate cover and sediment control. However, compared to seed, sod is more difficult to obtain, transport, and store.

Probably the most important factor is the money. Take into consideration that the price of sod varies between $0.50-$1.00 per square foot, with installation running between $150 and $300 per pallet. [Read more...]

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How to Make Your Own Landscaping Project

February 16, 2011 By

Fortunately, the resources for home landscaping are numerous; so your task is not to find possibilities, but prioritize and decide how do you want your home to look like and what you need for that.

First of all, create a landscaping wish list. Ask your family members also what they would like to have around the house and put everything on paper.

Types of gardens, a brick patio or wooden deck, a hedge, a swimming pool, a private retreat, a lawn where you can play, an outdoor barbecue…practically, everything that comes into your mind. [Read more...]

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Landscaping on a Budget

February 14, 2011 By

To make your house the perfect place for you to live by landscaping needs some money and many times too much. But don’t think that you’ll go bankrupt after landscaping, as there are many methods to decrease the costs and the return on your investment will be for sure rewarding.

First of all, you have to plan everything before you start buying. Make a detailed plan on how you want your yard and house to look after the landscape, knowing exactly what you need and where it’s going to be placed. You might want to build everything in different phases if you don’t have all the money, so you can avoid taking loans. Like this, you also have the time to adjust your plans and evaluate what have you been doing until then. [Read more...]

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Solutions for Small Space Landscapes

February 11, 2011 By

Landscaping for small spaces takes a different approach from that used in large yards as you have to increase each element’s impact to the maximum level. Here are some practical tips for having a practical and eye-catching landscape on a small space:

  • Consider using some professionals for hardscape. When you are dealing with a small space, any detail counts so bad job will stick out. [Read more...]
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Backyard Landscaping Tips

February 9, 2011 By

If the front yard of your house requires not necessarily a formal landscape, but a simple design that makes a nice welcome for you and your guests, the backyard gives some more room for you own creativity and, of course, desires and necessities.

The backyard landscape focuses more on usable living space and is meant for relaxation, entertainment, living, all these being based on privacy as the most important factor. [Read more...]

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Irrigation System Maintenance Tips

February 7, 2011 By

Efficient irrigation requires a quality irrigation system design, water management skills and regular system maintenance. Maintaining irrigation systems is one most effective ways to reduce wasted water and reduce pollution from run-off and over-irrigation.

Also, a proper system will improve plant health by applying the correct amount of water where it can be utilized.

The minimum set of rules you have to stick to says that you should check the irrigation system twice seasonally, once in the beginning of the season and another time at the middle. Ideally, you should check it on a monthly basis. [Read more...]

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How to use fertilizers

February 4, 2011 By

Your soil supplies some of the nutrients that turfgrass needs. In some cases, fertilizer is necessary because your soil cannot supply the grass with all of the nutrients it requires to stay healthy and green over the years. But first of all, try not to use fertilizers and see how your turf reacts. In case you do need them, follow these rules:

1. Test your soil to have a proper fertilization. The test will tell you what nutrients the fertilizer should contain, the pH (acidity and alkalinity) levels and if there are any pest problems. Pest problems should be remedied before applying fertilizers, or the problem could be exacerbated.

2.  Before choosing any type of fertilizer, take into consideration the time of year, the climate, soil type and most importantly the type of grass and health or condition of the lawn. Use a fertilizer with a low first number, preferably less than 10, and that contains a minimum of 505 slow release nitrogen.

3. Fertilize only once in the spring and once in the fall and don’t fertilize when rain is expected in the next 24 hours. Rainwater not only leaches polluting nitrogen into the Bay, it also removes the fertilizer from your lawn so your soil won’t take advantage of it.

4. If your household utilizes reclaimed water, it may not be needed for you to fertilize the soil so much or so often. Reclaimed water contains nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which are also in fertilizer.

5. If you are fertilizing near any water bodies, leave a free area of about 10-foot (or a strip you consider large enough) for no pesticide and no fertilizer to get into the water body. Use a broom to remove fertilizer spilled onto driveways and sidewalks.

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Tips on watering your lawn

February 2, 2011 By

To have a beautiful and fresh lawn requires constant care and watering it properly makes a huge difference. Irrigation depends on many factors like grass variety, soil, climate and your lifestyle, of course. Establish all these and you can determine the five fundamentals of your lawn watering: time, quantity, frequency, method and place.

You can start watering your lawn during spring, but don’t rush. Let the lawn to find its balance with the soil in the beginning of this season to become more resistant once the hot summer comes. Depending on the type of grass, you can decide when is the perfect moment to start watering.

The ideal time to water the grass is in the early hours, between 3 am and 6 am. If this is too early for you, water as early as possible, before it gets warm. Watering on a different schedule leads to evaporation and loss of water, and it can also promote disease.

Turf generally needs about one inch of water a week during the growing season to stay green and grow, but there are grass varieties resistant to drought and warm season grasses that can survive with much less water. To establish the correct amount of water the soil should be soak just below the root bed. You can determine the depth with a kitchen knife for example and calculate the amount of time your system should operate to achieve it.

As a rule, you should try to water your lawn less frequently and deeply for the grass to develop strong and deep roots resistant to drought. A shallow and frequent watering schedule will not lead to good roots, as they won’t be forced to grow and burrow deep into the soil through seeking out water. Depending on the climate and season, you can water your lawn between once-twice a week and once each two or three weeks.

As your lawn might require more water than the amount provided by the rainfall, you must compensate the lack of water by using an irrigation system. This can be a sprinkler system or an underground one. Try to use a sprinkler system that applies water on concentrated patterns than the ones that cast water over long distances, to avoid evaporation.

Also, some parts of the yard may retain moisture longer than others in the case your yard contains different soil types. Also, take into consideration that some parts are under shade so they require less watering.

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How to use the rain water for irrigation

January 31, 2011 By

The use of rain water for irrigation is not only helping you to save money, but is also a healthier way of watering your plants. Like this, you will be filtering out deposits like calcium and lime, and chemicals like chlorine from your plants, lawn and underground water.

Designing a rain water system is simple and you can do it on your own during a weekend day. First, you have to check what happens around your garden area during rainfall and which are the areas where the water may be wasted. Don’t forget about the water that falls on your home – you can collect the water from the downspouts. Calculate how much water you can harvest and how much water does your garden usually need. Even on the Internet you can easily find out the indices for your state’s average rainfall in any given month, and, by knowing the dimensions of the areas where you can collect water from, you’ll be able to calculate the amount of water you can harvest. Like this, you can predict how many rain barrels you’ll need to store the water. To choose a site for your rain barrel, find the downspout that is closest to the plants with the heaviest watering needs to absorb any overflow from the barrel.

A rain barrel is a device designed to catch runoff from your roof or other surfaces that don’t absorb rain water naturally. A covered water barrel is recommended to help prevent insects and to keep the water clean. As far as styles go, you’ll be able to find rain barrels in many different shapes and sizes. To distribute the water through a hose to the garden you can elevate the rain barrel or use a hose with a valve.

Once you built the rain barrel, you have to take care of it. Always keep it covered and, if the winter is very cold in your area, you might want to disconnect it during these periods to prevent repeated freezing that could cause cracks. Cover the downspout and drainage spots with netting or wire mesh to prevent mosquitoes and debris from getting in your water. Also, clean your roof and gutters at least once a year to minimize debris.

An alternative to the rain barrel is to create channels alongside your plants to direct the rain to them or to create a berm around your garden to keep the water in the area.

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