Kansas City Landscaping- Exhaustive Lawn Care Tactics And Strategies

By Debbie Anderson


A well informed and driven person doesn't need to pay a professional landscaper for basic lawn care. At the same time a professional servicing takes a lot more than cutting the yard and fertilizing once a year. This post will briefly discuss techniques professional Kansas City landscapers utilize.

The first step must be to acknowledge the plant as a whole (roots, stems, leaves) and the unique needs of each part. Understanding this and meeting those needs will inevitably provide you with a great lawn. Simply being aware of the lawn's needs is not enough though. It remains for you to take care of them properly.

Kansas City Landscapers know that the upper 3 inches of dirt should be conditioned if the lawn is going to reach its full potential. The correct ratios of clay, sand, and organic matter will offer a loamy consistency. If this texture is not balanced excess clay will suffocate the roots while an absence of sand will result in a clay texture that is too hard on the grass.

An alkaline or acidic soil must also be treated. Every Kansas City landscaping shop will have a test-kit for pH. When you find out the level you can then treat the soil. Materials like Limestone and Wood Ash will raise the pH while Peat Moss and Sulfur will lower it. A level of around 6.7 (slightly acidic) is good. Kansas City landscaping distributors have the common products and materials. Different products have different application methods so do your research on how to apply them

Kansas City's water run-off tendencies can mean pools of standing water or heavy erosion on your property, which will result in bare areas and potential disease. There is no other remedy than preemptive management. Heavily saturated soil will not promote lawn-growth and may bring fungus, while erosion will wash soil, nutrients, and possibly the roots themselves away. The solution is relatively simple- level off and re-grade areas that are low or prone to high drainage, and plant sod or erosion-resistant vegetation, or place mulch, rock, or erosion-controlling materials over extremely steep areas.

While there are numerous varieties of grass to select from when planting or covering bare spots, the only two systems are seeding or laying sod. If you have the money and need for pre-cut sod it is the most suitable option when covering large areas, while the much less expensive choice would be seed.

Yards with a variety of conditions may demand multiple species of grass to fight each issue, such as shaded areas or damp areas that are more prone to disease. Using several seed varieties together is a very common practice used by Kansas City landscapers for battling the diverse threats to Kansas City lawns. Yards and even neighborhoods present their own unique challenges and a professional landscaper may be contacted for suggestions.

A smart landscaper knows that watering too often can be just as bad as not watering enough. Keeping the soil partially damp but not flooded is the general rule of thumb among Kansas City landscapers. Thatch is a common result of regular over-watering. It is a layer of dead grass that becomes a breeding ground for insects and fungus. With correct soil preparation, watering should be done once per week at 1.5-2 inches.

Too much thatch can become an issue if left unattended. Disease and pests not only breed in it but the grass shoots will be choked and stressed. But at the same time, thatch itself isn't bad. A thin layer of dead grass can retain moisture and nutrients in the soil. But if it is not decomposing quickly enough it will do more harm than good.

This means that sometimes you will need to de-thatch the lawn. Landscapers in Kansas City will de-thatch with a power-rake or hand-rake. Take care not to harm the actual grass as you rake the dead thatch out from the yard. If properly dried, thatch can provide great composting material.

Rain, snow, frost and foot-traffic is going to eventually compact the dirt in your yard. This has to be dealt with if your lawn is going to reach its highest potential.

Kansas City landscapers get rid of this concern by aerating. An aerator cuts holes throughout the yard that simulate the natural holes of foraging birds and animals. This will eliminate the problem of compacted soil and permit the roots to do what they do best.

In order to keep weeds from even emerging, Kansas City landscapers employ a pre-emergent. This chemical stops a key enzyme process that makes weed-seeds germinate. This will give the grass a distinct edge over competing plants that will steal nutrients, water, and sunshine.

You have to nourish your yard with proper food just like any other creature. Nitrogen and other nutrients are continually leeched from the soil through different processes. The grass must have these elements readily available or it will not be able to feed properly. Kansas City landscapers recommend at least two feedings per year. And if it does not get too hot, where the grass is too stressed to feed, a Summer feeding is ideal. Don't assume chemicals are the only way to feed the turf. Organic and natural alternatives are readily available.

The grass should not be too long when it is fertilized or the fertilizer will not be spread correctly. Cutting the grass too short is at least as bad, however, since the the nutrient will draw water out of the cut leaves and dehydrate the plant. Often home-owners think that cutting the grass as short as possible is good for the yard. But this will be detrimental to the grass over time and in the Summer.. Professional Kansas City landscapers always advocate cutting it at a medium height so that the grass does not have to perpetually recover.

A once a year treatment of fungicide is helpful in the Kansas City regions because local yards are given to infection. Lawns that are overly shaded or constantly wet are more liable to this threat. Don't assume that a fungicide guarantees protection, however. Keep a watchful eye on your yard and learn the signs of infection.

It is as true in life as it is in landscaping, diligence and working hard in the good times will give you the extra assistance you need in tough times. Strategic care will always save you work and headaches later on. Everyone knows an unhealthy yard dies easily but a cultivate yard will stay strong and healthy.

Every excellent Kansas City landscaper knows that being diligent and proactive is not easy but it is worth it. Raising a lovely lawn is challenging but it is worthwhile. So have fun and have a great time!




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