Lawn Care Tips: Choosing the Right Grass for Shaded Areas

September 23, 2024 by
Lawn care in Conway SC

Lawn care in Conway SC

Lawn care can be a challenge, especially if parts of your yard are often in the shade. Whether you have tall trees, a garden shed, or large fences casting shadows, shaded areas tend to struggle with grass growth. However, this doesn’t mean you’re stuck with bare or patchy spots. By choosing the right grass seed and following a few key care tips, you can transform those shaded areas into a beautiful part of your lawn.

Lawn Care: How Shade Impacts Grass Growth

Before diving into the best grasses for shaded areas, it’s important to understand why grass struggles in low light. Grass, like all plants, relies on sunlight for photosynthesis. Without enough sunlight, grass can:

  • Grow slowly
  • Become thin and weak
  • Develop shallow root systems
  • Be more prone to disease
  • Struggle to recover from stress, like foot traffic or drought

For this reason, areas with limited sunlight will need grass species that are more tolerant of shade.

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Understanding Fertilizer Burn and How to Prevent It

September 10, 2024 by
fertilizer in Conway SC

fertilizer in Conway SC

Fertilizing your lawn can feel like giving it a nutritious boost, much like feeding it a superfood packed with essential nutrients. However, just like overindulging in anything, too much fertilizer can be harmful.

This is where fertilizer burn comes into play—a common issue that can affect both the health and appearance of your grass and plants. So, what is it, and how can you avoid it? Let’s dive in and explore how to keep your lawn lush and vibrant all year round.

What is Fertilizer Burn?

To put it simply, fertilizer burn happens when too much fertilizer is applied to your lawn. Fertilizers in Conway SC are made up of key nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are crucial for plant growth. But they also contain salts that, when over-applied, can draw moisture away from the roots of your grass and plants. This lack of moisture leads to dehydration, causing visible damage to your greenery.

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Lawn Care: When and How to Apply Fertilizer for the Best Results

August 19, 2024 by
Lawn Care in Conway SC

Lawn Care in Conway SC

Applying fertilizer is a key step in maintaining a lush, healthy lawn. However, knowing the right time to apply it and understanding how to do it properly can make all the difference. While many homeowners jump into fertilizing their lawns, timing and method are crucial to ensure your lawn gets the most benefit. Let’s delve into the best lawn care practices for fertilizing your lawn and why these steps are so important.

Why Timing Matters in Lawn Fertilization

When it comes to lawn care, timing plays a critical role, particularly with fertilizer application. You might think that applying fertilizer as soon as spring arrives is ideal, but doing so can actually lead to less effective results. For example, applying fertilizer too early might encourage the grass to focus on leaf growth before the roots have fully developed. As a result, your lawn could become more vulnerable to drought and disease later in the season.

Instead, waiting until late spring, when the grass begins to grow more vigorously, allows the fertilizer to support both the roots and the blades of grass. This timing helps your lawn develop a strong foundation, which is essential for withstanding the hot summer months. Moreover, starting your fertilization at the right time sets your lawn up for success throughout the growing season.

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Fertilizing and Mulching for Beginners

December 2, 2021 by

mulchingMulch can be fertilized on top. However, the success of fertilizing depends on how quickly it decomposes and the type of mulch. You can fertilize the mulch with fast-decomposing mulches like seed hulls and grass clippings before you apply it again each year. This is when most of the mulching from last year will have been removed.

To ensure that organic mulch such as bark and wood mulch is not decomposing too quickly, it’s important to remove mulch from your garden soil before you apply fertilizer.

Granular fertilizers should be used in as close to the ground as possible. Granular fertilizers are most effective when they come into contact with moist soil. This is where they can break down and release their nutrients.

When fertilizing mulch tops, liquid fertilizers are the best option. They will penetrate the mulch and reach the soil below.

Fertilizing and Mulching

When fertilizer is applied to mulch, timing is crucial. You will need to reapply mulch every spring if you are using fast-decomposing mulches like straw, grass clippings or cocoa hulls. It is a good idea to fertilize before you add new mulch. This is because most of the mulch will have been broken down by this time. It is easy to fertilize and then add mulch.

It may be harder to fertilize mulch if it is slow-decomposing, like bark mulch or nuts. You need to choose a liquid fertilizer that penetrates mulch best and helps plants grow.

Apply granular fertilizer or liquid fertilizer to gardens with less than 1/2 inch of mulch left. Then add new mulch. To discourage future weed growth, add at least 2-3 inches of mulch.

Avoid granular fertilizer in gardens or areas where there is a lot of mulch (greater that 1/2 inch). To ensure that you reach all tree and plant roots, use liquid fertilizer.

Fertilizing through Wood Chips

For your lawn care, it is best to remove mulch from plants before fertilizing them with wood chips. This will give you the best results and the most fertilizer for your plants.

It may not always be possible to remove mulch from large gardens to apply fertilizer. The following is a list of things to remember if you have to fertilize with wood chips:

Avoid using granular fertilizer for your landscaping Conway SC. It can get stuck in mulch and won’t break down properly.

Add a liquid fertilizer to the top of the wood chips. After fertilizing, water to soak the fertilizer in the soil.

Make sure to read the instructions for your liquid fertilizer. You may be advised to increase the fertilizer in areas that are mulched.

Mulch Fertilizes the Ground and Soil

Mulch gradually fertilizes the ground by releasing their nutrients. Mulch is a thin layer that gradually turns into compost.

Mulchs can be broken down over time and added nutrients to the soil. This is usually a very good thing. Mulchs that have chemicals or acidic mulches, such as those made from commercial wood mulches, can potentially increase these properties. Be careful when selecting your mulch.

Mulch can increase Nitrogen in the soil?

Mulch does not reduce nitrogen in soil, so don’t believe it. This myth is totally false. This is completely false.

Mulch myths claim that mulches steal nitrogen. This myth is still commonly believed by gardeners who want to use mulch to encourage them to fertilize with more fertilizer. Mulch won’t rob nutrients from your soil. Mulch can absorb some liquid fertilizer, so it is best to remove mulch from your soil before fertilizing.

Is it possible to add compost to Mulch?

It is best to add compost or compost tea directly to your soil. This will give you the most effective and fastest results. There are certain cases when you can add compost to mulch.

For gardens that have less than 1/2 inch of mulch, you can add a layer of compost to the soil, and then cover it with new mulch.

Mulch that is more than 1/2 inch thick in gardens should be removed to make room for compost.

Applying compost on top of a thick mulch layer may not penetrate the soil to feed your plants. It can also become a breeding ground of weeds if left untreated.

Fertilizing on Top of Mulch

Apply fertilizer to mulch when it is less than 1/2 inch thick. Mulch-covered areas should be raked away so that your fertilizer can be applied directly to the soil.

Apply fertilizer to mulch. Water thoroughly after fertilizing. Granular fertilizers work better on top of mulch than those that are liquid.

Call Conner’s Lawn Care Service if you need help in taking care of your lawn.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/

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Should you mulch your yard in the fall?

November 3, 2021 by

mulchingIs mulching your plants alright in fall? To put it simply, the answer is yes. Mulching around autumn plants has many benefits. It can prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds, and protect them from temperature shifts and moisture loss. For fall mulching tips, keep reading.

Fall Mulching Tips for Plants

Autumn is a season of cooler temperatures and dry air in many areas. It is a highly recommended lawn care tip to cover perennials and cool-weather annuals with mulch if you want them healthy for the winter.

For introducing nutrients to the soil, organic mulches like pine needles and sawdust, straws, grass clippings, fallen leaves, and straw are all good options. Straw can be a problem if it is full of seeds. You can either buy weed-free straw, or compost it for one year.

Fall leaf mulch is great because it’s completely seedless and, if there are trees, free. Place your leaves several inches (8 cm) around your plants. You should plant the dead leaves at least 8 cm deep. Dead leaves are low in nitrogen, which is an essential nutrient to spring growth. For every cubic foot of leaf, apply 1 cup of nitrogen-rich fertilizer.

To avoid grass clippings becoming slimy, you should apply thin layers in multiple passes. If you have used herbicides on your lawn, don’t use grass clippings.

Mulching around Plants in Autumn

Fall doubles as a weed suppressant for your Conway yard maintenance. It will be great to have no weeds between the cabbages during the fall. However, it will also make spring a lot easier. Place 1/4 inch (0.5cm) of newspaper or weed barrier on the ground. Place newspaper stacks or a weed barrier where you don’t want any weeds. Cover it with 8 inches (20cm). Wood chips.

Mulching around plants in autumn can also help to maintain rich soil. You can also use a sheet made of strong plastic and filled with rocks to cover any bare areas. This will ensure that you have soil that is not eroded and warmer than the soil around it.

Call Conner’s Lawn Care Service now if you need the help of a professional in taking care of your yard.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/

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When Should You Apply Mulch and Fertilizer?

August 11, 2021 by

mulchingYou can fertilize after mulching but how much success you’ll have will depend on the kind of mulch that you have added and how fast it will decompose, and the type of fertilizer that you’re using.

Seed hulls, leaf mulch, grass clippings, and other fast-decomposing mulches lets you apply fertilizer on top of the remaining mulch before the annual reapplication of the mulch. Most of the past year’s mulch will have decomposed at this time.

With organic and slow decomposing such as bark mulch and traditional wood, you must rake the mulch aside before you apply fertilizer to your flower bed or garden soil. This will help make sure that there will be great contact with the surface of the soil.

If you’re using granular fertilizer, you should provide ground contact as much as possible. They work well with moist soil when breaking down and releasing their nutrients.

Liquid fertilizers are excellent lawn care options when adding one on top of mulch. They go through the mulch and then reach the soil below.

Tips For Fertilizing after Mulching

Timing is crucial when adding fertilizer on top of mulch. If you are utilizing fast decomposing mulch like cocoa hulls, grass clippings, and straw, they you need to reapply the mulch every spring season. Adding fertilizer before adding new mulch is an excellent idea since at this time, most of the mulch in the garden will have already broken down. You could fertilize, then add in a layer of the mulch with minimal effort.

In case you are using a slow decomposing much like nutshells and bark mulch, it might be harder to add fertilizer on top of the mulch. It requires choosing a liquid fertilizer that will work best when it comes to penetrating mulch and assisting plants to grow.

In gardnes wherein most of the mulch has already decomposed, you should add liquid or granular fertilizer over the old mulch, and then add a new layer of mulch. You can discourage weed growth in the future by adding a minimum of two to three inches of mulch.

In areas and gardens with a lot of mulch still remaining, you should avoid using granular fertilizer. It’s best to use liquid fertilizer to ensure that you reach all of the tree and plant roots.

The best way to fertilizer your garden using wood chips is to get rid of the mulch first or at the very least rack the mulch away from the plant’s base before adding a fertilizer. This will provide the best results and give the highest amount of fertilizer to the plants.

In bigger gardens, it might not be ideal to rake or remove the mulch to apply the fertilizer. In case you need to fertilize through the wood chips, there are a few lawn care Conway SC tips you need to remember.

You should avoid the use of granular fertilizer, which might get trapped in the mulch, which could cause its improper break down. You should apply liquid fertilizer above the wood chips and make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Call Conner’s Lawn Care Services now if you need help in mulching, adding fertilizer, or with anything that involves taking care of your lawn.

Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/

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