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4 Myths and 6 Tips for Properly Watering Your Landscaping

Written by hrcgasqt-ca on . Posted in Irrigation and Water Management, Landscape Maintenance, Lawn Care. No Comments on 4 Myths and 6 Tips for Properly Watering Your Landscaping

The Truth About Properly Watering Your Lawn and Landscaping

  • Myth 1: If it rains, the drought will be over.
  • Fact: While the recent rainfalls help, they won’t necessarily end the drought. The ground is so dry it acts like a sponge, absorbing rain and preventing crucial runoff into streams and lakes. It’s going to take steady rainfall over a sustained period of time to catch up. Heavy rains over a short period of time won’t solve the problem.
  • Myth 2: Watering daily is the only way to maintain a healthy, green lawn, especially during the summer.
  • Fact: We recommend watering your lawn deeply and infrequently to promote a strong root system. A total of one inch a week is enough for our area. Over-watering is just as bad for landscapes and can cause wasteful (and harmful) run-off. Call us if you are interested in speaking to an irrigation company or are interested in installing a sprinkler system.
  • Myth 3: The best sprinklers shoot high, fine sprays, which mist your landscape without wasting water.
  • Fact: Just the opposite. The best sprinklers throw large drops of water low to the ground rather than misty sprays that allow water to evaporate quickly. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, you’ll really impress your neighbors by replacing your timer with an evapotranspiration (ET) controller. These smart controllers monitor information about soil moisture, rain, wind and evaporation so your system only waters when it’s truly needed. Traditional timers require manual adjustments every time the weather changes. ET controllers use real-time data from local weather stations to make adjustments automatically and can reduce water use by about 30 percent.
  • Myth 4: Keep your lawn short. Shorter grass uses less water, so you don’t need to water as much.
  • Fact: Let your grass grow. Raise your lawnmower blade to a height of at least 3 inches. A taller lawn will help shade your soil so it requires less water. When you let your grass grow taller, its roots grow deeper, and you’ll have a healthier lawn. If you need help with landscape or lawn maintenance, for your home or business, give us a call. We are a Huntsville landscaping company, but we work all across the country providing the best work you can imagine.

Basic Tips:

  1. Water your lawn deeply and infrequently to promote a strong root system. An inch a week is all you need.
  2. Operate your in-ground sprinkler system manually—don’t use the timer. Check sprinkler systems frequently for directional aim and broken heads to prevent watering driveways, sidewalks and streets.
  3. Use plenty of mulch in your beds—especially during a drought. Consult an expert at your local nursery or home improvement store on the optimal amount and type of mulch needed in your area.
  4. Choose “water-wise” plants like lantana and Mexican sage. Ask your local nursery or landscape professional for advice.
  5. Raise your lawnmower blade and cut grass to a height of at least 3 inches—this shades the soil, which reduces evaporation and allows roots to grow deeper.
  6. Use soaker hoses instead of sprinklers to water trees, shrubs and beds more efficiently.

It may not seem like much, but every time you practice one of these easy tips, you’re not only using water more efficiently and wisely, you’re helping make water supplies last for your community.

4 Simple Tips for Effective Summer Lawn Care

Written by hrcgasqt-ca on . Posted in Landscape Design, Landscape Maintenance, Lawn Care. No Comments on 4 Simple Tips for Effective Summer Lawn Care

Cut your lawn higher in the summer, it helps the blades retain moisture and puts less stress on your lawn.

With summer in full swing, everyone is mowing their yards and we wanted to provide you with some great tips to keep your lawn in the best shape and make it look like it was done by a professional lawn service.

Summer Lawn Care Tip #1: Mow

How and when you mow your lawn is a critical component of Summer lawn maintenance.

  • Mower Height: A mowing height between 2.5 to 3 inches is best for most of the season when mowing fescue grasses, except during summer stresses when the lawn mowing height should be raised one-half inch to mow at 3 to 3.5 inches. Raising the mowing height provides more insulation from summer heat and reduces water loss from your soil. Bermuda and Zoysia should be cut weekly as low as possible without scalping it.
  • Grass Length: Be sure not to let your grass grow too long, because removing more than one-third of the total leaf blade height at one time could stress your lawn. Keeping your lawn mower blades sharp helps to protect the grass from lawn diseases. A dull mower blade shreds or tears the tips of the grass, leaving the grass vulnerable to lawn disease.
  • Grass Clippings: Many homeowners are confused about what to do with their grass clippings. Mulching and returning your clippings to the lawn returns nutrients and does not contribute to thatch. The only times it makes sense to collect clippings would be if you had a severe disease and you did not want to further contaminate the lawn, or if the leaf clippings are too long.
  • Mow Wet? Or Wait? If you have the dilemma of deciding whether it’s better to cut the grass when it’s wet or let it get too tall, it’s better to cut it when it’s wet. Although this can create some clumping with your clippings, it’s better to get the grass cut, and remove the clippings rather than letting the grass get too tall. Do not mow a wet lawn if you have lawn disease in order to minimize the spread of many diseases including red thread, dollar spot, patch disease or other lawn fungus diseases.

Summer Lawn Care Tip #2: Irrigate

Like mowing, watering your lawn may sound easy enough, but many homeowners are unsure about the best frequency and amount of watering is required as a part of their total summer lawn care program. The amount of water your lawn requires can vary depending on weather conditions, soil drainage and the amount of sun or shade in your landscape. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that your summer lawn receives approximately one inch of water per week. You may use a rain gauge or a container to determine how much water you need to supplement any rainfall. If you don’t have the time, or are often out of town, landscape irrigation may be the right option for you.

Summer Lawn Care Tip #3: Identify and Treat Lawn Diseases

A professional lawn care service can survey your landscape to spot any dangers for early lawn disease and to identify the best types of weed control products or other lawn care treatments to ensure a healthy, green lawn throughout the summer.

The most common types of summer lawn diseases are dollar spot (Bermuda), brown spot (Fescue), and Zoysia patch. Patch disease is another common type of summer lawn disease, but the infection doesn’t become obvious until the plants go into stress, so preventive treatment as a part of your lawn care program is important.

Summer Lawn Care Tip #4: Control Weeds

An important component of a summer lawn care program is weed control. Quality weed control starts with an inspection of your turf in order to spot unwanted growth early on. There are two basic types of lawn treatment for weed control in your landscape: pre-emergence weed control treatments and post-emergence treatments. Your lawn specialist will develop a program that addresses your personal preferences and integrates carefully targeted treatments for weeds such as crabgrass and other problems in your lawn.

Water Your Lawn…When?

Written by hrcgasqt-ca on . Posted in Irrigation and Water Management, Landscape Maintenance, Lawn Care. No Comments on Water Your Lawn…When?

Tips to properly water plants and lawns to avoid wasting water and to keep your landscape at optimum health!

Follow the advice of Southern Scape: Huntsville’s best landscaping firm!

Water properly to promote plant health and avoid runoff, the tips are easy and easy to remember.

  • Check soil moisture before watering. This will prevent over-watering, and might save you wasted time.
  • Water plants during the early morning rather than during the heat of the day or in windy weather. Avoid watering in the evening because it often will not allow enough time for your lawn to dry before nightfall. And a moist lawn at night will promote fungus growth that is not good for your lawn.
  • Use drip irrigation and soaker hoses to deliver water only where needed.
  • Use mulches on the soil surface to conserve moisture, control weeds, and maintain a uniform soil temperature. Mulch has many uses and values, it is not just to beautify your planters, though it definitely does that as well.
  • Discourage root and crown diseases by watering established trees and shrubs at their drip line. Watering trees and shrubs at their trunks is just wasting water, and can endanger your trees and shrubs!

Irrigation Scheduling, when to water your plants, trees and shrubs.

  • The amount and frequency of water needed varies greatly, depending on plant species and soil conditions.
  • Newly planted trees and shrubs need more frequent watering for up to two growing seasons until they become well rooted.
  • Once established, plants can be weaned to tolerate less frequent watering. Proper weaning develops deep roots and helps plants better tolerate drought.
  • Proper weaning develops deep roots and helps plants better tolerate drought.
  • Water established trees, shrubs, and ground covers deeply but infrequently. In the absence of rain, most trees and shrubs benefit from a once-a-month thorough watering.
  • Normal lawn watering is not a substitute for the thorough watering required by the deeper roots of trees and shrubs.

Those are some simple tips that will make a big difference in maintaining your landscaping!