Tips To Keep Your Lawn Green All Summer Long

20140711_hclservice_0562A number of individuals strive for a lush, perfectly green lawn to last all throughout the summer. However, lawn care takes dedicated effort that comprises steps like fertilization, moderate mowing and regular maintenance and repair. You or a professional should also have the capacity to troubleshoot as problems arise. Below are some lawn care and landscaping tips that can be used to keep your lawn green all summer long:

• Fertilize to Promote a Healthy Lawn

Synthetic and organic lawn fertilizer can be used to prevent invasive pests and weeds, promote lush growth and strengthen roots. A wide variety of lawn fertilizer is available but there are three main nutrients they supply — namely potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. For leafy growth, nitrogen is the most essential of the nutrients. However, when used in surplus amounts, it can result in discoloration, yard burn and excessive growth.

Many fertilizers are available in liquid and granule forms and in organic and synthetic blends. There is also the option to decide on a fast-release or slow-release fertilizer. Additionally, there are blends with emergent controls to fight weeds and crabgrass. A professional can help you decide the one that is best for you.

• Mow Moderately

Cutting the lawn as short as possible might seem like the natural thing to do. However, experts recommend allowing it to grow higher and mowing it more regularly. Therefore, you should resist the urge to do the buzz cut. Cutting the lawn too short restricts deep root growth and places stress on the grass. This decreases its capacity to resist pests, weeds and drought conditions. Elevate the blade to prevent scorching the grass in the blazing summer heat.

• Maintaining and Repairing the Lawn

Dead patches, bare spots and areas infested by weeds, crabgrass and dandelions are some of the most common problems associated with the lawn. The most noticeable of them all are bare spots; however, with a little bit of persistence and patience, they can be repaired. For large patches, you can use sod as an option but it might be difficult to blend it with the existing lawn. For smaller patches that do not have full-sun exposure for extended periods, grass seeds can be sown to fill in the bare area.

These are just a few helpful tips that can be incorporated in your regular lawn care routine. They are useful for keeping your lawn green all summer long.

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Summer Tips For Controlling Garden Pests

In addition to the flourish of the month of June, weeds and other pests seem to thrive around this time. It is important to note that even the healthiest looking gardens are not free from potentially being damaged by diseases and pests. However, keeping on top of the situation will keep your garden healthy and blossoming. There are a number of pests that come about at this time of the year. They include:

• Strawberry root weevil
• Miller moths
• Spruce spider mites
• Cottony maple scale
• Pinyon spindlegall midge
• Striped pine scale
• Poplar borer
• Rose leafhoppers
• Peach tree borer
• Douglas fir tussock moth
• Cooley spruce gall adelgid
• European elm scale
• Elm leaf beetle
• Honeylocust plant bug
• Honeylocust spider mite
• Two spotted spider mite
• Flea beetles
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While the situation may seem overwhelming, there are steps that can be taken towards pest control that will keep your landscape thriving. It is important to engage in sustainable gardening practices.

Below are some landscaping tips and summer lawn care guidelines to keep your yard healthy and looking great:

• Do your hoeing on warm days and leave the weeds on the surface, in the sun, to wither and die. Among other things, this benefits the lawn by holding water and neutralizing acid.

• Take a preventive pest management approach rather than practice reactive pest control. Problems should be identified and monitored before any strategy is formulated to address them. After the problems have been identified, you should take the least toxic approach to remedying them.

• The conservation of predators, parasitoids and other biological control agents should be chosen over chemical pest controls. Chemical controls should only be used when absolutely necessary and only after the pesticide label has been thoroughly read and understood. Cultural, physical and then biological controls should be considered and in that order. Again the least toxic options should be chosen, such as horticultural oils, insecticidal soaps, organic pesticides, botanical insecticides and synthetic pesticides, but only when used very carefully.

Pest control can be a daunting task and could require the expertise of a professional. Fortunately, you are able to fight against these predators without spending a fortune or risking your health or the health of your garden. In a number of cases, by simply changing the way in which you maintain your garden, you can prevent problems before they even come about.

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