Monthly Archives: April 2010

Landscaping

Lawn Fertilizing Done Right

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Lawn maintenance for any sized yard can take up the better part of a day, if not two. A homeowner can spend countless hours weeding, cutting and feeding their lawn or they can choose to use a professional service and free up some of their time. This time may be better spent on home projects or even getting away for a bit.

Lawn fertilizing and aerating is a time consuming process that must be done right in order to be effective. This takes the proper equipment to spread the fertilizer and to aerate the lawn. If done wrong, the lawn can actually be damaged, instead of helped to grow and this defeats the entire purpose.

Aeration requires proper equipment and training in its use, which is something very few homeowners have access to. Proper lawn aeration removes plugs from the lawn at precise intervals to allow the soil to accept more water and nutrients to aid in rapid growth. Proper aeration can also give the grass room to grow and expand its coverage.

Proper aeration techniques can help the lawn expand and grow by breaking up harmful thatch. The thatch that sits on the surface can cause much needed water and fertilizer to be blocked from reaching the grass underneath. Thatch can also become a home for grass eating bugs and fungus that can harm the lawn.

Fertilizing is the only way to properly feed the lawn rather than hoping that what nature provides is going to be enough. By using a lawn care service that actually tests the soil first, they can determine what it is missing. Once this has been decided, they can then add the proper amount of whatever is missing to aid in growing the perfect lawn.

Using one company to provide both aerating and fertilizing services will allow them to get to know your lawn. They will determine the frequency of treatments most effective for the lawn and they will be able to keep an eye on the lawns progress throughout the year. In addition, many companies provide a discount should a homeowner request multiple services throughout the year. There really is no better way to go than using a professional lawn care company to provide both aerating and lawn fertilizing services.

If you want to get your lawn fertilizer service done right, you should really look at Nations Harvest. They provide fertilizing services in Englewood, CO and surrounding areas.

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Gardening

Unleashing Growth Of The Dahlia Root System

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Because most Georgia soils are rather heavy, the Father of Georgia Dalhia growing Conrad Faust went to great length to incorporate quantities of humus into his garden. Over the years he built up an ideal soil by adding leaf-mold, stable manure and peatmoss, in addition to which he plants his entire plot to a green cover crop after the tubers are dug in the fall. The cover crop, which may be of rye, vetch or Austrian winter peas, is plowed under in the spring in time to rot and mellow before dahlia planting time.

Moisture conservation is one of the phases of soil management that Mr. Faust stresses. He digs his soil thoroughly to a depth of 12 inches, breaking up any hardpan that may form in the subsoil. This permits an unrestricted growth of the dahlia root systems.

A strict fertilizing schedule is also advocated. Starting with the initial preparation of the soil just before planting time. “A fertilizer of 3 or 4 per cent nitrogen, 10 per cent phosphate and 5 or 6 per cent potash is ideal. When planting, two good handsful of bonemeal together with a small amount of the commercial fertilizer (say a level tablespoonful) should be added to the soil in a radius of at least 2 feet where the dahlia will be planted – or this can be broadcast over the soil.”

Fertilizing does not stop with this initial planting preparation, however, for supplementary feedings are very important for developing the giant prize blooms Mr. Faust famous. When the plants begin to show buds, some commercial fertilizer is worked into the soil, preferably just before a rain. This is repeated every two weeks, the quantity being increased as the plants grow larger.

But to return to the spring planting season, it is a revelation to watch Mr. Faust’s planting technique. In the first place, he does not set out his tubers until late May or June – he prefers June. His first step is to set out the stakes in perfectly straight rows 3-1/2 feet apart each way (he says 3 feet apart is all right where garden space is limited). He has tried bamboo and wood stakes but found them too susceptible to rot, and his answer to the problem is stakes made from sections of heavy steel concrete-reinforcing rods. Each one is driven well into the ground before actual planting commences.

 

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