Lawn Tips

Ever find yourself envious of your neighbors lush, green lawn?

Want to be the one with a lush, green lawn that your neighbors envy?

Alright! We can help do that!

• The first step in getting that perfect lawn is being in balance
  • What? Being in balance?!  Your probably wondering what-in-the-world balance has to do with a green lawn?
  • Of course I'm talking about your soil pH level
    • The ideal pH for your soil is 6.8
    • How do you find out what your pH is?
      • You can...
        • Send your soil to a soil sampling facility (most accurate)
        • Purchase a pH meter tester (available at Buckingham's)
    • Do you know that your lawn absorbs less fertilizer the further from ideal your pH is?
      • It pays to balance your lawn!
    • How can I balance the pH?
      • Lime! Lime! Lime!
        • Available in...
          • Liquid form
            • Simple to apply
            • Leeches immediately
          • Pelletized form
            • Clean, dust free
            • Easily spread through most spreaders
          • Pulverized form
            • Leeches faster than pelletized 
            • Messier than liquid or pelletized form

 

• Next step is fertilizing
  • Establising the proper pH level optimizes the nutrient absorption from fertilizers
  • Four components of fertilizers
    • Nitrogen- vital to plants for foliage color, density and root growth
    • Phosphorus- critical for seed development, cell building and root growth
    • Potassium- assists plants in resiting diseases and stress
    • Filler-
      • The nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium make up only a percentage of what is in a bag of fertilizer.
      • Filler is a substance used to reach 100%
        • Most fertilizers use ammonium sulfate as filler
          • Ammonium sulfate is acidic and counteracts lime
        • Our 26-3-3 fertilizer is filled with pelletized lime
          • 50lb bag

 

• Final step is watering
  • Most people don't give their lawn the proper amount of water! 
  • Depending solely on rainfall (unless it's an extremely wet season) isn't adequate amount of water
  • How can you tell if you are watering enough?
    • Simple probe test
      • If you can stick a metal probe 6-8 inches into the ground and soil sticks to your probe, you are watering enough

Of course these are just the basics of having your neighbors envy your lush, green lawn.  If your interested in more information, just stop in anytime to Buckingham Hardware and we will get you on your way!