Any recipe is only as good as its ingredients and that goes for lawn care too.  If you don’t have good flour and shortening (soil and pH level), it doesn’t matter how much frosting (or fertilizer) you add, your recipe (lawn) isn’t going to turn out well.  That’s why it’s important to get a soil test and start with a good foundation.

A soil test can measure many things like soil fertility.  Elements like phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, manganese, copper and zinc are removed from the soil to determine nutrient and contaminant content.  One of the most important things a soil test measures is pH.  Experts say if a soil is too acidic or too alkaline it can be toxic to plants.  The acidity in the soil can limit plant growth to such extremes that the plants won’t be able to utilize any fertilizer applied.  So, the soil test can help determine the best lime and fertilizer recommendations.  It’ll help save you money in the long run and help the environment by limiting the over-use of fertilizers.

Basically soils in moist climates tend to be acidic while those in dry climates are generally alkaline.  A soil pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil, anything higher is alkaline.  The soil has to be adjusted to fit the needs of the particular plants planted in the area.

There are do-it-yourself testing kits available in many areas at reasonable prices or you can hire a company to do the testing for you.  Either way you’ll be getting important information that will help your lawn and garden grow and will make you look like the expert with the green thumb without all the effort.

While you may be closing your windows and turning up the heat this winter season, the window of opportunity for a better lawn in the spring is closing as well.

If you haven’t already taken advantage of these few simple treatments that make a large difference in your turf’s spring green up, there may still be time. Depending on your geographic location, chances are the ground hasn’t frozen and you still have time for a very late fall feeding.

Many different fall fertilizers offer the nutrients your turf needs to sustain itself throughout the winter and achieve a fuller, greener look next season. Specifically choose a “winter” fertilizer as they typically have a higher concentration of phosphorus and potassium that will better develop and strengthen your turf’s root system. In doing so you will allow it to maximize absorption and how efficiently your lawn uses nutrients, making it more resilient in dry conditions or times of drought.

Not sure which winter fertilizer to select for your lawn? A soil test around the end of the season is a great way to find out as well as get a measurement of your lawn’s progress. A soil analysis will give you a full reading of your lawn’s pH levels and point you in the right direction for next season.

Don’t forget your ornamentals! A dormant oil treatment is an effective way to get a better foliage bloom in the spring for your ornamental trees and shrubs. Dormant oils combat against many harmful insects like scale and mites that rob nutrients your lawn and ornamentals. They also burrow into your ornamentals leaving nasty scars and marks to survive the winter.

Check back next week to find out how to best prepare your ornamental trees and shrubs for colder temperatures.

If you live in an area of the country where clay soil is an option, lawn care specialists say this might be an ideal alternative to typical soil in order to produce a beautiful lawn.

Typical soil is often subjected to erosion, especially in climates with heavy rainfall. When the soil is washed away, the roots of your lawn and other plants become exposed, making them vulnerable. Clay soil also is better for retaining moisture. If you live in an area where the heat often dries out your lawn, clay soil could be a better alternative so your lawn doesn’t become brown and brittle. Because clay soil holds moisture in better and longer, you can save money by watering less!

Another reason lawn care specialists recommend clay soil is because its pH level rarely needs adjusted. Most clay soil is neutral, which is exactly what it needs to be in order to grow a perfect lawn. Soil lawns need to be tested annually to ensure the pH level is correct. If it is too acidic or not acidic enough, you need to apply pH conditioners, which cost money and take some guesswork to figure out the right amount.

Clay soil is typically devoid of nutrients, which may seem like a negative, but it is in fact a good thing. You can add the nutrients you deem necessary and have greater control over your fertilization regimen.

If you are considering a lawn soil change, contact your local lawn care professionals and find out more about whether or not clay lawn soil is right for you.

Are your best efforts to grow a picture-perfect lawn being literally trampled? Growing a lawn that is often traversed by kids and animals can seem like an uphill battle that is often lost; however, there are some lawn care tips that can make the process a little more successful.

The first step is choosing a resilient type of grass and making sure it is well maintained. Lawn care specialists recommend using tall fescue blended with perennial rye grass. Different parts of the country respond differently to various grass types, so it is important to contact your lawn care company and get an expert opinion on your specific location, but tall fescue tends to do well in most climates. Tall fescue also performs well under high-stress conditions such as constant traffic. Regardless of what type of seed you use, what is more important is aerating your lawn once a year (sometimes twice). Core aeration alleviates the compaction that occurs when people and animals are constantly walking over the lawn. An added benefit is that aeration also improves the color and density of your lawn.

Another way to combat the effects of high traffic is to regulate the traffic itself. Instead of allowing your dog to roam free in your yard, take him to a dog park where he can wear himself at the expense of someone else’s lawn. If you have both a front and back yard, have your kids switch their play areas every few weeks to give one area a chance to recover. Even better, send them off to the park as well!

If none of these options are ideal, lawn care professionals recommend artificial turf. It is more expensive than a regular lawn, but its resiliency is much, much higher than a natural lawn.

If you aren’t sure what to do to keep your lawn healthy, contact your local lawn care company and put it in the hands of the professionals!

You are really looking forward to sprucing up your lawn this year and have decided to add fertilizer into your lawn care regimen, but you might be wondering which is better: liquid or granular fertilizer?

The choice between liquid and dry fertilizers may depend on what lawn care goals you hope to achieve this season. If you have a persistent weed problem, then liquid fertilizer may be the way to go. Some fertilization treatments include pre- and post-emergent weed control elements and when they come in liquid form, they are absorbed more quickly, producing faster results. Lawn care specialists also suggest that liquid fertilization treatments are better for the environment because the fertilizer does not spread all over your landscape like granular treatments.

Liquid fertilizer has the benefit of taking less time to be effective. In order for granular fertilization to work properly, there must be adequate moisture. If you’re having a dry season, the results may not be as successful as with liquid fertilizer.

There are some lawn care experts who suggest using a combination of dry and liquid fertilizer for optimal results. When you begin to fertilize in the spring, the weather is typically wetter than in the late summer and early fall months. You can take advantage of this moisture and use granular fertilizer to jumpstart your lawn. The warmer months typically produce less rainfall, so liquid fertilizer is more ideal during this period, along with proper hydration.

For the best results, contact your local lawn care company and leave it up to the professionals. Employing a lawn care company often allows you to expect higher quality results.

Lawn care involves many steps, but perhaps none is as important as proper hydration. After all, a lawn cannot grow without water. Adequately hydrating your lawn is not an exact science, but it is close. The best plan is to install a sprinkler system that ensures your lawn is watered every day at the same time. Sprinkler systems with a timer are even more ideal, but you still have several options there. Lawn care specialists highly recommend pulsating sprinklers for the best results.

Pulsating sprinkler systems spray water into the air and allow the water to fall back down to the ground in a fine mist. There are five different types of pulsating sprinklers: impulse, traveling, stationary, oscillating and rotary. Impulse sprinklers are the top choice of lawn care professionals who need to water a larger area such as an entire landscape or vast lawn.

It is important to know if you have high or low water pressure, as that also factors in to which type of pulsating sprinkler you choose for your lawn care needs. If you have low water pressure, an H-base is a better choice than a spike-based sprinkler which is better suited for high pressure.

Pulsating sprinklers have the benefit of being designed with gusty winds in mind, as well as low-hanging trees or tall shrubs. The height of the water spray can be adjusted accordingly and since the water is typically sprayed close to the ground, its spray is unaffected by the wind.

If you think a pulsating sprinkler may be beneficial to your lawn, contact your local lawn care company. Many lawn care providers also install irrigation systems, especially since proper hydration makes their job that much easier!

Mowing might seem like the simplest of lawn care tasks, but it is actually quite important to know how to properly mow your lawn to ensure the best results. Over-mowing or mowing at the wrong times or height can have detrimental effects on your lawn. Here are some lawn care tips on proper mowing procedures.

Most lawns are dormant during the winter months, so once spring rolls around, it is time to drag the mower out and get back into the routine. But when you should begin mowing? Lawn care technicians recommend keeping the mower stored away until the ground is thoroughly thawed. Once the ground is soft, that means that grass is growing and mowing it will not cause any damage to the crowns or the shoots.

Most people know that allowing the excess clippings to remain on the lawn is beneficial because as the clippings deteriorate, they become natural fertilizer for the soil below. However, for the first few cuts, attach the bag and gather the clippings. Allow your lawn to grow and breathe without the weight of clippings on top of it.

Lawn care professionals recommend mowing your lawn at a slightly shorter height than you may typically have your mower set. If you normally mow at three inches, take it down to two. This will allow your lawn better stimulation to get the season started off right.

If you have any questions about spring mowing, contact your local lawn care professionals.

If you’ve taken care of your fall cleanup and removed all leaves and debris, your lawn is almost ready for maximum absorption of nutrients. Thanks to the seasonal weather changes, nutrients are well on their way via rainfall and other debris like leaves and grass clippings that may have temporarily composted before your fall cleanup. Insects will also pose less threat as they head into hibernation; leaving any last standing weeds from a final post emergent treatment your lawn’s only competition for nutrients.
The next logical step would be to apply a final fertilization treatment to winterize your turf, but wait! Be sure to read ahead before you feed your lawn for maximum absorption of nutrients.
Soil naturally becomes compacted from rain and general use all season which closes pathways for nutrients to be absorbed by the roots of your lawn. A core aeration treatment allows maximum ventilation of your soil and opens up more pathways for nutrients to be effectively and efficiently absorbed by the roots of your lawn. While spike shoes and other do-it-yourself techniques can produce some positive results, often times they don’t penetrate deep enough or pull enough plugs of soil out to naturally fertilize your lawn.  An aerator will evenly ventilate and penetrate your lawn for maximum absorption of nutrients in less time. The plugs of soil will also act as a natural fertilizer for the surface of your lawn. Is your lawn in a little rougher shape than most? Are there section of turf missing only to leave spots of soil? Once your lawn has had a core aeration treatment, it is now ready for a seeding treatment to renovate sections of your lawn that are in less than top form.
After you’ve checked these items of your lawn’s to-do list you’re now ready to winterize your lawn with a late fall feeding fertilizer application.
Not sure which type of winter fertilizer to use? Check back next week to learn how to determine the best winter fertilizer for your turf type.

It’s not just an old wives tale; vinegar really does get rid of weeds, if you know how to properly use it.
Vinegar is a popular choice among homeowners who are in favor of a more organic method to get rid of pesky weeds. Lawn care specialists offer organic weed control products, but when weeds sprout in between applications, you may have to take weed control into your own hands.
So what kind of vinegar is effective against weeds? If you’ve tried this method before, you may have been disappointed when the only result you got was a very vinegary garden. The reason your previous attempt may have been ineffectual was because you didn’t use the right kind of vinegar. Lawn care studies have shown that in order to be effective against weeds, the vinegar must possess a 20 percent concentration of acetic acid. Now that you know what kind of vinegar to use, how should it be applied?
Most people spray organic weed control products directly on the plants, thinking it won’t do any harm. In most cases, this is probably true. However, when using vinegar, you’re using an acidic liquid that can remove the waxy layer of defense plant leaves have, leaving the plant susceptible to dehydration. The second application alternative is to drench the soil directly below the plant. However, this also presents complications as the pH level of the soil is lowered to a level that plants cannot survive. The plants won’t immediately die, because the acidifying effects will last for up to a year. The plant may have one last period of bloom, which is when you should apply lime to neutralize the soil.
Vinegar might take a little more planning than some other organic weed control products, but it is still an inexpensive method to eliminate weeds without posing harm to the environment. Lawn care experts suggest applying the vinegar on warm, dry days. If it happens to rain immediately after you apply the vinegar application, you’ll need to re-apply because the original application will have been washed away.
If you aren’t sure if this is the right solution, consult your local lawn care company for the best organic weed control solution.

If there’s anything more annoying than weeds sprouting up throughout your lawn, it’s pulling each of those weeds. It might even seem like the old wives’ tale about pulling gray hairs applies to weeds: pull one weed and two more grow back. But if you time your weed pulling or weed control treatments right, you might just be able to see a decrease in the following season.
Lawn care specialists advise that if your lawn is comprised of 50 percent or more weeds, then it’s time for a “do-over.” But if you haven’t quite hit that limit (even if sometimes it seems that way), then you just need to strategize your weed control and come up with an effective battle plan.
For optimal weed prevention, lawn care experts recommend weeding in the spring and fall when they’re at their weakest point. During the spring, all plants are gearing up to grow, even weeds. The roots are trying to pump as much energy into the leaves as possible, which is where you need to take them out, thus eliminating much of the energy supply and ensuring they don’t have a chance to spread their seeds around.
If your weed problem rears its ugly head during the summer, lawn care technicians recommend weeding throughout the summer season, but get ready for the big battle in the fall. By treating germinated seeds, you’re able to get the weeds before they’ve even sprouted. If you were lucky enough to jump on the weeds in the spring, by fall they will be still trying to recover from the damage and will likely die off during the cold winter months when their much-needed nutrients and sunlight aren’t as prevalent.
If you’re tired of weeds in the summer, call your local lawn care company before spring and fall to get a jumpstart on your weed battle!