Landscape Advice

Ask Craig: Native Plants

What are native plants and what are their benefits?

A native plant is any plant that has naturally developed in a region over a period of time.  This means a native plant has not been introduced to a region due to human introduction.

Since native plants are indigenous and have grown naturally over a period of time, they have formed a symbiotic relationship with nature and native wildlife over many years. The benefit of native plants, therefore, is that native plants offers the most sustainable habitat. 

Planting native plants in your area can help you care better for your local ecosystem. These are the plants have already adapted to the local climate and soil where they naturally grow and occur. Native plants help the environment the most when planted in places that match their growing requirements. They will thrive in the soils, moisture and weather of your region. That means less supplemental watering, which can be wasteful, and pest problems that require toxic chemicals. Native plants also assist in managing rain water runoff and maintain healthy soil as their root systems are deep and keep soil from being compacted.

Exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world or were cultivated by humans into forms that don’t exist in nature do not support wildlife as well as native plants. Occasionally, they can even escape into the wild and become invasive exotics that destroy natural habitat.

Ask Craig: Summer Maintenance

How often should I mow my lawn during the summer?

How often you mow your lawn during the summer is dependent on the growth of your lawn. The growth of your lawn is dependent how much your lawn gets sun and rain. So your lawn mowing schedule can range from once to several times a week depending on your lawn’s growth rates and your lawn’s desired height. A good rule of thumb is to cut your lawn on the highest setting and then continue to reduce the height setting as the summer progresses. If you start to see any brown spots on your lawn, then the height setting is too low.

Another important thing to remember is that your lawn needs to stay at a certain level to fight off drought and other lawn hazards like weeds so do not cut your lawn too short. If you cut your lawn too short, this will destroy the lawn’s natural ability to thrive. When in doubt, stay on the high side of your mower’s blade settings.

And, always remember, check your mower’s blades every spring before you start to mow. If you sharpen your mower blades every spring, they should cut cleanly throughout the summer. Dull mower blades can rip your grass, leaving jagged ends that can and will easily turn brown.

Should I use organic fertilizers or chemical fertilizers?

At the end of the day, organic fertilizing is still one of the best and most important lawn and garden maintenance choices. One fact about chemical fertilizers is that you can easily over fertilize because the nutrients will start working quickly. This quick release doesn’t help your lawn or garden, and in fact, it can can actually burn your grass and plants. Over-fertilizing or even misapplying chemical fertilizers puts too much nitrogen on your lawn or plants and will burn them, especially when temperatures are high. So to prevent any damage, choose an organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers reduces the acidity in your soil. They add soil organic matter, improve soil structure and preserve essential nutrients that your lawn or garden needs in order to grow well.

Many garden centers and feed stores carry organic fertilizers for gardens.

Here is a link to an article I found about fertilizers and the cheapest organic fertilizer for your lawn. It’s a quick read: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lgen/type-of-lawn-fertilizers.htm

When is the best time to water my lawn?

When it comes to lawn hydration, the most common summer lawn care mistake is not watering your lawn enough or properly watering your lawn.

ALWAYS avoid watering the hottest parts of the day. This is because the water will evaporate before it reaches the roots. And, during the hotter parts of the day, many plants and types of grass go dormant. This means that water consumption is neither adequate nor efficient.

Try to avoid watering after the sun goes down as once the sun sets, water will leave grass moist overnight and promote fungal growth.

The best time to water is in the early morning. This is when temperatures are lower and your lawn can make better use of the hydration. If you have an irrigation system, set it up automatically to deliver water in the morning.

How do I get rid of Dandelions?

Dandelions are invasive, and it detracts the overall appeal from the yard. It is not easy to get rid of dandelions as they have a long tap root. NEVER pull a dandelion flower thinking that in itself will get rid of your dandelion problem. Here is a link I found on how to get rid of dandelions effectively: https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-dandelion-control/

Ask CRAIG: What is core aeration and de-thatching your lawn?

What Is Aeration?

Aeration pokes holes into the soil of your lawn, to allow oxygen, fertilizer and water to more easily penetrate the grass’ root zone. Aeration is most commonly done in the spring or the fall, in lawns that are compacted. Spike aeration pokes holes in your soil, and core aeration pulls cores of dirt and turf. These are usually left on the lawn surface to decompose naturally, or broken apart.

What Is Thatching?

Thatching is sometimes called dethatching. It removes a dead layer of roots and stems that is found between the grass base and the native soil. When this layer is found to be more than a half-inch thick, it may interfere with the ability of oxygen, water and other nutrients to reach the grass roots.

Thatching is done using power equipment in the spring or the fall. It tears out grass tissues. This is more stressful to your lawn than aerating is, and is generally only done if your lawn is thinning out due to thick thatch.

If you are having your lawn overseeded, the landscaper needs good soil to seed contact and proper watering. Aerating and thatching are both commonly recommended if your landscape company plans to overseed the lawn.

How Does Core Aeration Help Your Lawn?

Core aeration is helpful is your soil is compacted. It will allow more nutrients and water to get to the roots of the grass. It does not expose a great deal of soil. As a rule, the holes are about 1/2” across, so the holes do not comprise more than 2% of your lawn. Leaving plugs on top of the lawn rather than raking them or breaking them up will leave some soil exposed. It increases the amount of exposed soil and can dry out swiftly.

How Is Thatching Beneficial?

Thatching removes the layer of thatch and exposes more soil. Detacher tines cultivate your soil, which may help the seeds to become embedded in your soil, rather than laying on top. A dethatching tool is helpful in grooming the grass roots that lie closer to the surface. This gives new roots room to grow.

Thatch rakes also expose grassy weeds and crab grass, since the blades and stems may be longer than the grass.

How Much Thatching Is Too Much?

For most average lawns, the amount of thatch is usually about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. If it is any thicker, it may hamper growth by preventing water, nutrients and air from properly penetrating to root level. It will also create an environment for disease and pests to flourish. Your lawn care professional knows how much thatch to remove.

Thatching is usually done with a rake, for smaller areas, or with a machine, for larger areas. Lawn care companies have the proper equipment to use for thatching. Thatching is often done in the late spring weeks, giving your lawn lots of time to recover and grow. The temperatures in the spring tend to be more moderate, which can also help your lawn to recover.

Your RC Marc-Aurele Landscaping will know how many times your lawn will need to be thatched each year. The buildup of thatch is related to the kind of grass in your lawn. Warm season grasses like Bermuda and Buffalo grass usually have more thatch. It is best for the lawn to be de-thatched before it gets thick; so, many homeowners have it done once a year.

The lawn should be dethatched when it is actively growing and the soil is moderately moist. The best time of year for dethatching is the same as for aerating: early spring or early fall. Call us for an estimate at 978.500.3197. We can discuss your lawn and yard needs and requirements.

Source:

http://www.organiclawndiy.com/2009/06/aerating-vs-dethatching-when.html

10 Mulch Dos and Don’ts by Lori Johnson

Here is a great article by Lori Johnson.

Protect your plants and avoid top mulching mistakes by following these dos and don’ts.

BY Lori Johnson

Lori is a former Associated Press writer and magazine editor who contributes daily to newspapers, magazines and websites. As an HGTV contributor, each week she talks to designers and DIYers for their best ideas, tips and examples of how to bring style, function and affordability into interior and outdoor spaces. She lives in a Craftsman-style home in Georgia with her journalist husband, Andy, and son, Ty.

Making mistakes when mulching can keep your soil from reaping benefits such as conserving moisture, suppressing weeds, reducing erosion and decreasing water runoff. Landscape designers and researchers provided their best tips for making the most of mulch in your yard.

Do use it as an accent.

Mulching can help create healthy lawns but also has an aesthetic value. Choose colored mulch that complements the exterior colors of your home in the brick, stone, stucco and siding. For example, brownish/red pine mulch goes well with brick houses, says Jeremy Becker, owner of FireFly Landscapes in Kansas City. Using a dark mulch can contrast with flowers, improving your landscape design. Mulch also can be used to enhance your landscape theme and setting.

Do look at your entire landscape.

Some landscapes have big expanses of mulch with a few shrubs poking around, says Susan D. Day, an associate professor in the Department of Forest Resources & Conservation and Department of Horticulture at Virginia Tech. “You want to design your landscapes so your shrubs cover all of the soil and you have complete vegetative cover. Then apply mulch to them, to control moisture,” she says.

Do clean it out.

If re-mulching a bed, remove some of the old mulch, Becker says. Sometimes mulch has been added to the beds three to four times, so he recommends taking out some of the mulch that has built up over time.

Do tweak the thickness.

When you get close to an edge, such as pavement, stepping stone or tree trunk, thin it out. “There’s no benefit in having a pile of mulch next to a tree truck. You want to taper it down,” Day says.

Do try out a different mulch.

There’s an array of textures, starting with options such as pine straw and shredded hardwood bark. If you’re looking for a new look and need to update your mulch, try options, such as cocoa bean shells (they smell good too!), nut hulls, salvaged palettes that are ground up and even seaweed.

Don’t ignore bare soil.

Researchers are finding mulching has significant environmental benefits. Having bare soil on your property will cause erosion and sediment runoff, Day says. Mulching can help control erosion. Research by Day and Virginia Tech graduate student David Mitchell found that bare soil lost about five times as much sediment as soils covered with mulch.

Don’t use too little or too much mulch.

About 3 inches of mulch is recommended for beds, and Becker recommends mulching twice a year. Mulching with the right amount each time will help fend off weeds and conserve moisture, which will reduce your need to irrigate. One exception is if you use pea gravel mulch or inorganic mulch. Then, you could get away with using just 2 inches, Day adds. Another factor is if you have a bed of herbaceous plants that may be too small for 3 inches of mulch.

Don’t forget your trees.

Place mulch around the base to protect the trunk, especially if you have younger trees, Day says. Mulch rings makes a protective area to reduce threats from other plants and keep mowers away.

Don’t assume you need something underneath.

Some people may want to use plastic or geotextiles, such as landscape fabric, to separate certain mulches, such as inorganic stone mulch, from the soil, Day says. There’s a belief that black plastic will keep weeds down. But adding a layer of plastic or landscape fabric could cause more water runoff and keep your garden from having a clean, streamlined look.

If you use an organic mulch that will break down, like shredded hardwood bark, avoid landscape fabric because you want the mulch to be in contact with the soil to improve it, Day says. Plastic or landscape fabric could prevent water and rain from reaching the soil, and actually could increase runoff. Weeds also could grow into the landscape fabric, she adds.

If the mulch shifts around or is replaced, the plastic or landscape fabric could show through. “It looks hideous when you have plastic or landscape fabric being exposed under the mulch,” Day says.

Don’t use bad mulch.

The biggest pitfall is getting your mulch from an unreliable source, Day says. For example, mulch could be delivered with noxious weed seeds in it because it was stockpiled next to a field of weeds. “You could be paying for that for a long time,” she says.