Posts Tagged Landscape Maintenance
Lawn Treatment Basics
Lawn Treatment Basics Maintaining a healthy lawn can be an overwhelming undertaking for anyone. You have to find and use the correct fertilizers, pesticides, and treatments to control weeds and keep bugs at bay. If left untreated, your yard can turn into an eyesore due to the brown patches and out-of-control weeds. With the help of a landscaping professional, this does not have to be the case. Here are a few lawn treatment basics that you need to know to keep your turf green and healthy throughout the year.
What is Lawn Treatment?
Lawn treatment refers to a series of tasks to protect your lawn from pests and weeds and ensure healthy grass growth throughout the year. It may entail spraying, fertilizing, dressing, watering, and mowing the grass to make sure it remains damage-free all year round.
As the grass on your lawn grows, it will likely attract all sorts of weeds and plant-eating pests. Pest invasions and uncontrolled growth of weeds may wreak havoc on your landscaping, leading to brown patches and stunted grass.
Applying various treatments correctly and appropriately can help save your lawn from dying and ensure it remains green and lush just the way you want it.
Types of Lawn Treatment
As you already know, lawn treatment involves several activities to help keep your grass healthy and vibrant. The four main types of lawn treatment you should know about include:
Fertilization
The soil on your lawn may not provide all the nutrients required for healthy growth. For this reason, consider adding fertilizer to your yard to help promote foliar and root growth. You have the option to use either commercial or natural fertilizer formulated for that particular season.
Make sure the fertilizer contains vital nutrients such as nitrogen for foliar growth and phosphorous for root growth. If you prefer organic fertilizers, consider using compost or natural ingredients like blood meal and meat meal.
Pest Control
Well-maintained lawns are not immune to pests and insects. No matter how healthy your lawn seems, it will still attract all sorts of bugs and insects such as beetles, sod webworms, crickets, fire ants, chafer grubs, fairy rings, and liverworts. It may also attract millipedes and rodents like moles.
Without proper interventions, lawn pests can cause tremendous damage to your landscaping in the long term. You can use various lawn treatments such as pesticides and insecticides to keep these bugs at bay.
Weed Control
You will notice unwanted plants growing on your lawn after a few weeks or so. These weeds can wreak havoc on your yard as they will be competing with your grass for nutrients.
Fortunately, with the correct weed control treatments, you can prevent these unwanted plants from growing in the first place and eradicate those that have already started growing. Pre-emergent herbicides destroy weeds before they start growing, while post-emergent herbicides eradicate already established weeds.
Disease and Fungus Treatment
Brown or dead patches on your lawn are a sign of disease. Lawn diseases usually result from fungus, poor lawn care practices, excessive mowing, overwatering, humidity changes, temperature fluctuations, drought, and excessive use of fertilizers.
The good news is that you can tackle different lawn diseases using various treatments. Fungicides come in handy when treating fungus, while you can mitigate environmental causes by applying the appropriate lawn care techniques.
Benefits of Lawn Treatment
The benefits of lawn treatment are almost countless, and they include:
Root Development
Using the correct lawn treatments will help develop a solid and healthy root system for your grass. The grass will set firm roots in the ground, making it hard to uproot or erode through natural processes.
Even Distribution of Nutrients
The soil in your lawn may not have all the nutrients required for healthy plant growth. Fertilizing your yard will make sure the grass receives all the vital nutrients for healthy growth. Fertilization also ensures the even distribution of nutrients across your lawn.
Disease Resistance
Your lawn may experience various diseases caused by environmental factors and pests. Even though lawn diseases are common, you can make your turf less vulnerable by applying proper treatments.
Pest Resistance
Your lawn will inevitably attract all sorts of bugs and insects ranging from crickets to chafer grubs. Fortunately, you can boost your lawn’s resistance by spraying various treatments and pesticides.
Soil Conservation
Lawn treatments promote healthy growth and protect the soil from environmental stressors such as drought and runoff. They also help improve the soil’s composition by adding missing nutrients such as phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium.
Weed Control
One of the most significant benefits of lawn treatments is weed control. Using the correct treatment will keep weeds from your lawn, subsequently ensuring the grass does not have competition for vital nutrients.
Hire a Lawn Treatment Expert
Knowing when and how to treat your lawn is vital for healthy grass growth. You must know when to fertilize, weed, and spray to keep bugs and weeds at bay. A wrong schedule can cause tremendous damage to your lawn, leading to dead and brown patches.
Our experts at DK Landscaping can help schedule your lawn treatment appropriately and ensure your yard remains lush and healthy throughout the year. Contact us to learn more about our services.
Hire a Xeriscape Santa Rosa Expert When Facing Landscaping Problems
Some property owners have let their lawns go despite the intense focus on exceptional property exteriors and interiors. Though you might assume that the yard contributes little to your property, remember that people will base their opinion on what to expect in your interiors on what they see in your outdoors. Drab and messy lawns only paint your home or commercial premises in poor light.
You only get one chance for the best first impression, so you must make it count by hiring an expert to make your lawn. Some property owners think they have what it takes to plant and maintain exceptional landscapes. To them, a xeriscape Santa Rosa expert is unnecessary, even when in dry locations. Nonetheless, handling lawn care as a DIY project often leads to mistakes highlighted below.
Too much shade
Shade is essential when putting together the perfect landscape. It protects plants affected by excessive sunlight and introduces some interesting height variations in your outdoor. Nonetheless, large trees and structures can lead to excess shade. An expert can help you choose the ideal trees to plant on your lawn for just the right amount of shade or raise the canopy of your trees.
Voles and moles, among other critters
It is easy to pick mole damage on your lawn. This critter creates tunnels under the soil, thus pushing the ground and creating unsightly ridges on your property. Raccoons and skunks can also invade your yard to dig for food. You need a lawn care company well-versed in ways of humanely getting rid of the critters on your lawn. Moreover, the experts will institute measures to protect your lawn from invasion by the common pests in your area.
Patchy grass
With this issue, you will notice that the grass in your outdoors grows at different lengths, strengths, and colors. The leading cause of a patchy lawn is spot seeding or reseeding with a different grass seed species from what you have used on the rest of your yard. It can also follow the wrong choice of a grass seed species for your soil or climate. Consulting a lawn care professional on the grass seed recommendation for your lawn will prevent patchy grass. For example, when reseeding northern lawns, it is best to use Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass, while tall fescue, Bermuda grass, or centipede grass work best for southern lawns.
Overwatering
Some property owners, especially those in dry areas and sandy soils, assume that watering their plants is the only way to ensure their lawns thrive. Though watering is essential, most DIY landscapers end up overwatering their lawns. Even in soils that retain water, plants have different water needs. When you overwater a lawn, you will usually notice mushrooms growing and the discoloration or yellowing of grass. Lawn care experts well versed in xeriscape Santa Rosa techniques will suggest alternative ways of ensuring your plants have enough moisture even in dry climates. They will also help you pick the right irrigation system for your space and use the right water amount to keep your plants thriving.
Compacted soil
The soil on your lawn is a living, breathing component. Its compaction following heavy equipment use and repeated mowing patterns shrinks the pores that promote the aeration of your soil, thus squeezing the life out of your lawn. Some of the signs of compacted soil are discolored, limp, dull, or thinning grass and pooling water. An expert will often regularly change your mowing patterns and aerate your lawn in the fall to ensure your plant roots have enough room for growth.
Turf diseases
If you notice a lesion on your leaf blades, patches, and a smutty substance on your lawn, these might be signs of lawn diseases. Some diseases like dollar spot and ascochyta are generally cosmetic, but others like necrotic ring spot can be deadly. There are several fungicides available for treating lawn diseases, but some can be deadly and worsen the condition. Hire a professional to evaluate the diseases affecting your lawn, recommend the right treatment for it and monitor your turf’s response to medication.
DIY lawn care is often an attempt at saving costs or putting everything you know about plants to the test. Though these are valid reasons, the above issues will cost you more money to manage than hiring a lawn care specialist well-versed in xeriscape Santa Rosa and other techniques of optimal lawn care.
For commercial properties, professional lawn care saves you on the dollars lost when some clients make a poor first impression of your business and opt for your competitors. Thankfully, professional lawn care is quite affordable and thus within everyone’s budget. Contact us today for the best-looking outdoor space.
The Right Fertilizer and Landscape Maintenance for Your Unique Property
Every property needs landscape maintenance tailored to its unique idiosyncrasies. Though few know it, the winter fertilizer placed on your lawn makes a major difference in its look and quality. The degree of proper landscaping maintenance applied to your property matters a great deal. Instead of attempting to figure out all the nuances of lawn and landscaping management on your own, let our team do the work for you.
The Optimal Fertilizer for Your Lawn
There is a common misconception that any old fertilizer will suffice for a lawn. This is precisely why we closely evaluate local lawns to determine which fertilizer is best. Though you won’t notice results right away after we apply our specialized winter fertilizer, it will provide your lawn with all sorts of benefits.
Our special fertilizer for wintertime treatments bolsters grass so it doesn’t need nearly as much water. Our fertilizer stimulates root development and also boosts resistance to disease as well as traffic. Place your trust in our team to fertilizer your lawn and provide landscape maintenance and you will rest easy knowing the best in the business are hard at work on your property. We have provided service throughout Sonoma County for more than a decade. We have all the expertise, manpower and equipment necessary to manage your landscape during the challenging winter and also year-round. Let our team do all of the work and you will be liberated to sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of your property.
We Sweat the Small Stuff so You Don’t Have To
Our team provides a lawn fertilization management program so you don’t have to lift a finger to ensure your lawn is properly fertilized and maintained throughout the entirety of the year. This is your opportunity to kick back and relax while our team handles all the aspects of landscape maintenance on your behalf. We add lawn fertilizer once every two months. Our team applies truly elite fertilizers optimal for the specific season. In fact, we even add slow-release fertilizer in the summer and spring months to bring out the best in your lawn.
The Best Lawn Maintenance Management Program in Town
While many other landscape maintenance companies do the bare minimum, we take the opposite approach. We have gone to great lengths to ensure our standard maintenance program covers all aspects of lawn maintenance management. There are absolutely no hidden fees when you lean on our team for landscape maintenance. We do all of the work so you can enjoy the beauty of your landscaping. Our services extend to both local homes and local businesses. Take advantage of our maintenance management program and you will be treated to mowing, lawn edging, blow yard services, leaf/litter cleanup and our lawn fertilization management program as detailed above.
We really do go to the extent of adding fertilizers to your lawn that are optimal for each unique season. In fact, our team even controls and manages weeds on your lawn so it looks its best throughout the entirety of the year. Whether you are looking for your plants to be trimmed/pruned, herbicide to bet added to weeds, fresh batteries to be added to your timers or your irrigation to be checked by QWEL-certified personnel, our team gets the job done to perfection on the first try without exception.
Reach out to us Today to Schedule Service
If you own a home, a business or any other property, contact our team today to schedule landscape maintenance and additional services. You can reach our landscaping experts by dialing (707) 280-3632 or by emailing Kathyx159@aol.com.
Irrigation Options for Landscaping
Landscaping is the concept of redecorating a piece of land or a yard area with natural greenery like plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees. One must follow the prerequisite that backs landscaping concepts to maintain a green and lush garden. It is known as Irrigation. Irrigation is a synthetic procedure by which landscape contractors dispense water on greenery, on a piece of land, that is deficient of consistent water supply.
There are several ways by which homeowners can practice landscape irrigation. They are drip, sprinkler, blended systems, terraced, center pivot, and central control system. In this post, we shall expound these ways in terms of usage and importance.
Drip Irrigation
The most instrumental on the list is drip irrigation; although, one can zero in on its inadequacies. The propitious facet of this technique is that it keeps hold of the water, averts any underlying complication from water run-off, and keeps financial expenses extremely low. Furthermore, it lessens the amount spent on machinery and human resource.
It works by using a plastic pipe and tubing system to dispense water to the roots and stems of plants at a resorbable rate. The emitters (or drippers) discharges water steadily, at a possible interval of 2 to 20 liters every hour, through a stretched, big channel which then passes out of the vent.
Drip irrigation is a preferable choice for irregularly shaped topography or breezy areas. You can integrate this irrigation technique with a smart irrigation controller system for improved flexibility and energy management.
Sprinkler Irrigation
The sprinkler irrigation system is the type that harnesses a pipe and sprinkler head system combined for drenching the plants from the top. The sprinkler heads can withdraw itself or extend when you are watering the plants. The pitfall of using this method is evapotranspiration, which is the loss of water present on the leaves and stem of plants. The only way to confront this issue is to embrace the smart irrigation controller technology. By doing so, you will conserve the moisture as the controller documents the current weather conditions.
This type of method is mainly suitable for residential and office apartments. One can deploy this sprinkler system by hiring a specialized company at a price ranging from $1500 to $6000. If you seek to set up this system you will need to drive to a lawn specialist, sit down and plan then set up an improvised version for as low as $500.
Center Pivot Irrigation
This system of irrigation technique works by conveying water from a dependable wellspring stationed in the heart of the landscape and spurting water on the plants in a discoid motion. A system of hoses or sprinklers is responsible for wetting the plants underneath the maneuvered towers.
In this method, the landscapers have an idea of the appropriate quantity of water that the vegetation needs and the frequency of water supply. Landscapers leverage on full rotation, and three days recess that allows the periodic drying. It enables the spreading surplus quantity of water that will not quickly vanish off the soil surface.
Contact us for more information on how you can get the most out of any new irrigation system. Our expert team at DK Landscaping will provide you with sound advice on how you can achieve top results.
Landscaping Services – We do it Right!
Serious and well informed homeowners are the ones who invest time and money in landscaping services in order to ensure that their landscape is always beautifully designed and well maintained. This is because they understand the need to add value to their property in the event they might need to put it up on the market for a quick sale.
Most professionals are on the hunt for the best and most attractive job offers and find themselves moving and relocating to different states in order to get the job that pays top dollar. Others might move in order to benefit from lower costs of living that can be afforded in other states leaving them no choice to sell their current home and move to greener pastures.
Now when this happens you want to be in a position to sell your home at the best price and one sure way to do it is by the proper maintenance of its landscape. This not only adds value to the property but it provides a serene atmosphere for you and your family.
DK Landscaping Services
We at DK Landscaping offer the best home and commercial gardening services in Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa areas. We offer sound advice on how you can increase market value by installing the very best landscaping tools and techniques.
Many of our clients have been provided the opportunity to not only upsell their properties to the next buyer but also feel good knowing that they are offering a property that has been efficiently managed and maintained.
Our specialized team can manage all landscaping development projects including high end to low maintenance landscaping projects as well as irrigation installation projects. We remove shrubbery, cut trees and properly dispose of all waste in a manner that’s eco friendly and hassle free.
If you need to make a first time impression or simply just want to tidy your surroundings don’t hesitate to give us a call or contact us online for more information. You’ll be surprised to know that we’re more than what meets the eye.
Immaculate Yard Maintenance Rohnert Park
As seasons change, so do the landscaping needs. Landscaping services are essential for a beautiful and healthy outdoor space throughout the year. The first impression is the lasting one, and your yard sets the tone on how people see you. Weeds and fungi are not only unsightly; they compromise the soil nutrients, sunlight, and water that your landscape plants need for healthy growth. Regular yard maintenance Rohnert Park services involves regular weeding, and irrigation, among other landscape face lifting services. Here are the reasons why you should engage a landscaping maintenance professional for your home.
Time-saving
Handy homeowners willing to get their hands dirty and research more can dramatically change their landscaping appearance. However, yard maintenance Rohnert Park jobs are time-consuming and may cost more than you can imagine. You will need to attend to the yard throughout, and seasons like fall, spring, and winter will give you extra work. The lack of expertise in the area may see you rush through some crucial steps affecting the outcome. These shortcuts will also compromise the health of the plants. Professional landscapers work with the homeowner to bring out the best from their space. Apart from beauty, landscape maintaining companies take the least time possible in transforming your space into a haven.
Increases house value
The first impression is a crucial part of the buyers’ decision making process. Most people will decide if they will consider buying a house immediately they see it. Since the first contact with a property determines the prospective buyer’s feelings about it, a good yard will attract people more and stir their curiosity to see more of the house. Well done landscape increases a house value and reduces the time your home is on the market.
Healthier you
Landscape maintenance companies ensure a well done and clean compound. Cleaning services keep your homes healthier as pollutants are filtered, providing fresh air. Studies reveal that an attractive and clean environment also reduces stress levels increasing mental health. Sitting on a well-done landscape as you unwind is therapeutic to both the mind and body.
Conclusion
Getting a landscaping company in California is easy as checking “yard maintenance Rohnert Park” online will give you enough options. However, not all companies fit the bill. If you are looking for specialized services in irrigation and water-saving landscape designs, repairs, and general landscape maintenance, get in touch. Every house deserves a beautiful outdoor space. Contact us for more information.
How To Find A Good Landscaper in Rohnert Park
As per the survey conducted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, 67% of Americans agree that professional landscaping allows them to have beautiful yards. You, too, want an inviting yard and outdoor space. However, the challenge is finding the right landscaper. In this article, you will find out how to find a good landscaper Rohnert Park.
Identify what you want
There are different types of landscapers. Each specializes in different things. Some specialize in lawn installation and maintenance. Others, solely do gardening. While others offer full-range services, including landscape design.
After identifying what you want, you can know what type of landscaper to look for.
Research local landscapers
First, go to Google and search for landscaper Rohnert Park. You want to find landscapers that provide their services in your area.
Make a list of landscapers you could potentially hire. Then compare them. Compare services offered, price, and reputation.
Reputation is vital as you want to hire a company that provides quality services. So, look for reviews of the company on sites such as Yelp, BBB (Better Business Bureau), and Angie’s List. Also, check the landscaper’s website for testimonials or ask them for referrals.
Request quotes
At this point, you have identified a few (2 to 3) landscapers you consider best suited to handle your project. Go ahead and ask for quotes. Most landscapers will prefer to come and see the scope of the project before they can provide an estimate.
This one-on-one meeting is an opportunity to vet them further. As much as the budget is essential, it should not be your sole focus. Ask about:
- Insurance: you do not want to be liable to injuries to the people working in your property.
- Completion timetable: Landscapers often have multiple clients, and a company might delay your work as they are already engaged in several other projects.
- Guarantees: A good landscaping company will offer at least a 2-year guarantee on their work.
- How they will handle your project: By asking this question, you get to gauge how experienced and knowledgeable a contractor is.
Consider their personality traits
You don’t just need a landscaper with the right skills and qualifications. You need one that will understand what you need and work with you to make your dream yard come true. So, as you talk to them, look for the following personality traits:
- Excellent communication: You want a contractor that explains the processes and work involved clearly.
- Patience: A patient contractor will not only listen and but also understand your needs.
- Willingness to work with your ideas
- Creativity: so that they can improve your ideas
Do you need a landscaper Rohnert Park? Contact us today. We specialize in landscape repair and maintenance and irrigation. We are also specialists in xeriscape or water-saving landscape design.
The One-Third Rule of Pruning Shrubbery
Pruning your shrubs can give your entire landscape an amazing aesthetic appeal. Ideally, there are typically two types of landscapers when it comes to pruning shrubbery; those who prune timidly from fear of damaging their bushes and those who prune aggressively to come up with perfectly shaped shrubs. However, to achieve the best outcome when pruning your bushes, trimming about one-third of the good wood is ideal.
If you prune more than this, you risk exposing your shrubbery to excessive damage, which could stunt its growth. Prune less than this, and you might not do much to improve the appeal of your shrub.
Read on to learn about the one-third rule:
Why The One-Third Rule?
Moderate pruning is pivotal when it comes to stimulating vital growth. Plants typically live in a balance between the below-ground and above-ground parts. Once the plant loses a number of stems through pruning, it tries to gain back the balance by pushing forth new growth. This regrowth is essential, especially in moderation, since it allows the plant to heal as well as simulates growth from dormant buds.
If your shrubbery loses too much leafy growth, it goes into panic mode. This can be shown by the appearance of water sprouts or suckers, which can leave your shrubs ragged looking. Even worse, this suckering can go on for a long time, making landscape maintenance tough.
Use the Rule on Established Plants
The one-third rule is ideal for your fully established shrubbery- plants that have overcome their transplant shock. If you have newly planted shrubs, give them a grace period of one or two seasons before pruning them to ensure that their root systems become established enough.
Use the rule on small ornamental trees and shrubs. As for larger shade trees, limit pruning to at most a quarter of the total branches. While growth on shade trees is stimulated into new growth through assertive pruning, its pruning shouldn’t be as vigorous as that of multi-stemmed shrubs. Pruning the trees often is vital since it reduces the chances of wind damage.
When Might The one-third Rule Not Be Enough?
If you neglect your shrubbery for too long, it might overgrow and get out of control. Normal pruning might not suffice. For such shrubs, rejuvenation pruning (a severe form of pruning) might work. While rejuvenation pruning will leave the shrub looking unattractive for a while, it allows it to reform itself into a better shape.
As long as you show your shrubs love, they will light up your landscape. Pruning ensures that you can shape your shrubs to fit right into your ideal landscape design. Consider using the one-third pruning rule to improve the appeal of your landscape.
Shrubbery Like Boxwood, Lavender, and Camellia
Adding shrubbery to your home’s outdoor landscape is a wonderful way to frame your garden and border a winding path. One particularly popular way for doing both, or either, is with evergreen shrubs.
Benefits of Evergreen Shrubs
Evergreen shrubs are shrubs that can be a permanent fixture in your garden thanks to the fact that they will last all year.
In fact, evergreen shrubs like fatsia, lavender, and camellia can create beautiful flower displays and perfume-like scents throughout the year, even when everything else in your garden appears to have fallen dormant.
Evergreen shrubs will often be naturally variegated and create a colorful cascade of colors over your garden. Some shrubs are like trees and come with needled or broadleaf foliage.
Adding shrubs to your property will beautify the landscape all four seasons and provide a smooth transition between taller trees and the groundcover plants lining your walkway or garden.
Shrubs can be used for a number of different purposes beyond lining walkways and framing your garden as well.
Shrubbery can provide groundcover on slopes, buffer ambient noise from entering your home, and provide a breathtaking backdrop for your garden.
Boxwood Shrubs
One of the easiest-to-work-with types of evergreen shrub is boxwood shrubbery. Boxwood is hardy to zone 6, which essentially means that it will maintain its integrity no matter what nature throws at it.
Boxwood also fits most people’s initial idea of a shrub – boxwood has tiny, glossy foliage that can be hedged by Xeriscape’s landscaping experts into just about any desired shape.
Most homeowners like their boxwood shrubbery to be a few feet in diameter but, left to its own devices, boxwood can grow up to two dozen feet tall! This is a hardy shrub that will grow well in moderate sun and ligher shade.
Lavender
Lavender is a drought-tolerant plant that is a kissing cousin to mint, and each has a similar fragrance. Lavender, though, is a perennial shrub that has a lot of different size and color options to match your landscape.
There are actually four main types of lavender that homeowners in North America typically consider for their gardens: English lavender, Spanish lavender, Portuguese lavender, and lavandin.
English lavender owes its name to the English lavender trade of the 1700s and the fact that it smells so wonderful. English lavender can furnish homeowners with those variegated colors alluded to above: purples, violet, mauve, and mixtures of all three are afforded by English lavender.
Spanish lavender will come with pink and purple petals and have a unique pine scent. Portuguese lavender (a.k.a., Broadleafed lavender), on the other hand, will have paler purple leaves that are slightly larger.
Portuguese lavender can cross-pollinate with Engligh lavender, and both types are used in aromatherapy. The camphor in Portuguese lavender is good for attracting friendly insects into your garden and lending a sense of exotic variety and soothing color.
Lastly, lavandin might be a fancy name in this context since lavandin only means a cross between English lavender and Portuguese lavender. Lavandin produces sterile seeds but can grow in hot, arid climates and live through periods of sustained drought.
Camellia
Camellia is also a type of evergreen shrubbery, but the flowers of a blooming camellia are truly unique in certain species. There are more than 300 species of camellia, and approximately 3,000 hybrid species. Some camellia flowers are double.
Where does camellia work? Woodland gardens with dappled sunlight or gardens with slightly acidic soil are especially promising foundations for camellia.
Ask Xeriscape about the possibility of installing camellia shrubbery around your garden because the flowers come in a variety of beautifying colors: pinks, reds, yellows, and whites are common. Contact us for more information.
Why is Fertilizer Necessary? Is Organic Really Better?
Fertilizer has a host of nutrients that will enable your lawn and garden to reach its full potential, which really everyone wants.
The shocking thing is that fewer than half of home gardners in the United States use any kind of fertilizer in their yards, according to a Gallup Gardening Survey.
Why is Fertilizer Even Necessary?
Basically, if you’re not using some kind of fertilizer to nourish your lawn and garden, then your grass and plants aren’t getting the nutrients they need to thrive.
Even if you’re fortunate enough to live on a property or area of the country with fantastic soil, your plants will naturally pull nutrients from the soil to grow. This process depletes the soil and underscores the need for any homeowner serious about lawn care and gardening to invest in a good fertilizer.
The more plants that you have in your garden and the more depleted your soil, moreover, the more that you’ll benefit from fertilizer. Xeriscape can come by and measure your soil’s PH and perform a soil analysis to detect the levels of critical nutrients.
When you get the right fertilizer for your lawn – the “right” fertilizer is one that helps overcome particular deficiencies with your soil – you’ll have more beautiful flowers and much healthier produce.
Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorous
Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous are particularly important nutrients found in all fertilizers. Nitrogen allows plants to grow more robustly by giving plants the proteins needed for plants to create new tissue in the growing process.
Your plants will be constantly assimilating carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from the ambient air and water, but nitrogen is something that plants don’t always get in adequate amounts. That’s why plants gorge on nitrogen when the nutrient is around.
What about potassium and phosphorous? Potassium serves a number of different functions for your plants, including: helping your plants fight off diseases, improving your plants metabolism, and improving your plants’ ability to create carbohydrates.
Phosphorous is also critical for plant growth since it gives your plants the nutritional tools to grow strong roots, flowers, buds, and new seeds. Plant’s need a PH level of around 6.7 to effectively absorb phosphorous. Set up an appointment with Xeriscape to make sure your soil’s PH is good.
Micronutrients Calcium and Magnesium
After getting in to this trio of all-star fertilizer nutrients, you should know that nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous are known as fertilizing macronutrients (really important!) but fertilizers also contain secondary micronutrients.
Secondary nutrients include calcium (used for fighting diseases and cell membranes) and magnesium. You might want to consider using an organic, at-home fertilizer like eggshells because these lower your soil’s PH and provide calcium to your plants.
Magnesium is actually hugely important and almost considered a macronutrient since plants need this nutrient for chlorophyll and turning sunlight into energy. Plants couldn’t really grow without magnesium!
Organic and Synthetic Fertilizers
Organic and synthetic fertilizers contain many of the same nutrients, but the source of each is different and each enters the soil to nourish plants at different rates. Organic fertilizers enter plants more slowly, so now is the time to apply organic fertilizers.
Compost, manure, and mulch are organic fertilizers that might work for your yard. Home garden experts recommend applying organic fertilizers like those made from plant and animal byproducts (e.g., bone and plant meal) in the fall so that the soil can assimilate those nutrients over many months – in time for spring’s blooms!
If you determine with Xeriscape that your garden could benefit from a quicker-acting solution, then a synthetic fertilizer might be more desirable.
Synthetic (man-made) fertilizers are often cheaper than organic alternatives, and synthetic fertilizers let you get the exact combination of nutrients that will enable your lawn and garden to thrive! Schedule an appointment with Xeriscape today and have your soil tested. Contact us for more information.
