Strive for Five
Top Five Tips to Help Your Landscape Thrive
It’s Tuesday afternoon, and you’re almost home from work. You’re eager to get home and relax, but as you pull into the driveway, you notice a few things… The lawn is yellow and even turning brown in some spots. The hedges are overgrown. There are weeds growing in areas where you thought nothing could possibly live. You think to yourself, “How is this yard ever going to look good??”
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you get started! We’ve put together a list of the top five things you should do to help make your yard look good:
1. Clean up and maintenance – mowing, trimming, weeding, etc.
2. Irrigation and watering schedule
3. Fertilizer
4. Aeration
5. BBQ with family and friends
BBQ?? How is BBQing with family and friends going to help my landscape look better?
Don’t worry, we’ll explain that below. 🙂
Clean up and Maintenance are Key
If you don’t do yard work regularly, your landscape will become overgrown. Landscapes aren’t like wine… they don’t get better as they sit and are left unattended. It’s a constant battle. Here’s a fun fact: many weeds can grow up to an inch per day, and some even faster!
So where should you start? First, get everything cleaned up. Mow and edge the lawn. Pull any weeds you see. Trim all of the bushes and hedges, and clean out all of the dead plant material. Once everything is cleaned up, you just have to maintain it. This means spending time every week or two in the yard. If it sits for too long, everything will become overgrown and you’ll have to start over.
Blue and Yellow make Green!
When your lawn or other plants are yellow, there’s usually a very simple solution: Add blue, or in other words… you need to water more! Just like us, plants need water to survive. They’ll die if they aren’t getting enough water, by first turning yellow and then finally brown. The best way to maintain proper watering is by having an irrigation system.
Be sure to regularly check the system though to be sure there are no leaks, and also adjust the timer schedule as needed. It’s important to water more in hot weather, and to not waste any water when it’s been raining.
A plant’s favorite food? Fertilizer dude!
If your lawn or other plants start to look yellow or unhealthy, and you’ve already checked the irrigation, then it might be time to spread some fertilizer. It’s best to fertilize once every 2-3 months, and always be sure to run an irrigation cycle immediately afterwards if it’s warm weather.
An aeration will help too!
Aeration is a very helpful and effective method to increasing the health of your lawn, and it’s the perfect combination when paired with fertilizer and grass seed. We suggest having your lawn aerated once every 6-12 months.
How did having a BBQ make this list?
BBQs with friends and family are extremely important for three reasons. First, you’re likely to clean up the yard when you’ve invited friends over for a BBQ, especially if you invited family too. It’s typical to try to impress company.
Second, it’s always good to have a different pair of eyes looking at the yard. One of your friends may notice something that you didn’t see. Just like with everything else, it’s helpful to have different perspectives.
Lastly, the more you are outside and enjoying your yard, the more pride you’ll take in keeping it clean and looking nice. It’s a great way to keep yourself motivated!
We’re here and are happy to help.