Helen Writings
Whether you have children or not, a beautiful designed lawn is a positive addition to any home. If you plan have a new lawn installation then you have two choices, you can either fit it yourself or hire a professional landscaping company to do the job. Whichever method you choose it is important to have an understanding of what the process involves.
The most popular method for lawn installation involves the use of turf grass. There are many different types of lawn grass that are available; you need to choose the right one for your garden’s requirements. Many professionals will suggest using a grass that is native to your region, but other varieties are still very popular such as Buffalo grass and Kentucky grass as local grasses are not always easy to get hold of. If you can get a local variety then it is likely to be more water efficient and will take to the conditions much better.
When creating your landscape plan it helps to minimize the area of lawn so as to improve the overall water efficiency; this is more of a concern today than in the past due to well-known environmental and ecological factors. You need to consider whether it makes sense to have narrow strips of lawn close to paths and fences. Such strips are likely not to be able to hold sufficient water to flourish.
For any lawn installation to have the desired outcome it is important to prepare the soil well. This will quicken the time it takes for the grass to take root and flourish. You need to think about the contours of the lawn, good drainage, an even layout, and healthy topsoil. The lawn should not slope towards any building if it can be helped, and it needs to be below the level of any paths or paved areas.
Anybody that has experience with laying a lawn will know that it is best to use a well drained loam as topsoil. Sandy or gravelly options may dry out too fast especially during the summer months. Clay based soils are best avoided as they can contribute to water logging. More often than not, the soil that already is present will be adequate enough.
By adding organic matter and compost the soil should become richer. This can include ordinary garden compost or rotten mushroom manure, peat moss, or sawdust mixed with chicken manure. It is vital that whatever organic matter is added it is spread evenly throughout the topsoil so as to provide a good dispersion of nutrients.
Before laying the turf you should apply a thin layer of lime and then till it over. You can use a pitch fork or a roto-till to break the soil up to a depth of around five inches. It is best to leave the soil to stand for a couple of days before levelling it off with a rake and then roll and compact.
A well laid lawn will last many decades and also add value to your property.
If you are in the orlando area and are in need of sod installation visit Ground Source Landscaping or call 321-231-5961 Orlando Sod Installation | distributed by Orlando Marketing Firm InBusiness, Inc.
Tags: irrigation installation, landscaping advice, landscaping companies, orlando landscaping, orlando sod installation, Outside, sod installation
Posted in Outside · November 13th, 2009 · Comments (0)
It’s that time of year again, the leaves are changing, the temperatures of the hot summer are beginning to cool off, and the days are beginning to feel shorter. These are all signs that it’s the fall season; they are also signs that it’s that time of year again when homeowners need to begin to prepare their homes for winter. The following are some suggestions of things you should put on your “to do” list before old man winter comes knocking on your home’s door.
If you are using a swamp cooler or and air conditioner, make sure to cover up your unit for the winter time. There are damages that can occur if not waterproofed correctly. Some of the common problems with not water proofing your units are rust and most importantly is moisture entering your electrical box of the AC unit. By keeping the rust out, turning your unit on for the summer time is a breeze.
Although chores aren’t that fun, one important chore around the home is cleaning up all of those leaves that are covering your lawn. This is not only done to make sure your house looks nice, but it also allows moisture and sunlight to be able to penetrate you grass making sure that your lawn comes back thicker and greener next spring.
A good way to pick up the leaves is with a mower. Some use rakes, but a mower can be good to chop down the leaves to smaller pieces for convenience of throwing them away. You may also want to consider keeping the chopped up leaves for a mulch for next spring in your flower beds.
The last tip before Santa comes, is get up on that roof to clean out your rain gutters. In the Spring time when the snow melts off, or rain comes, there needs to be a clear run off path. This can easily prevent flooding during big storms.
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Tags: Landscapers in Phoenix, Outside, Phoenix landscaping
Posted in Outside · November 12th, 2009 · Comments (0)