Lawns Hub

Lawn care requires a reasonably high amount of attention. While not the single most labor- or time-intensive aspect of the landscapes around our homes, lawn care does require some attention to detail. Regimes concerning lawn mowing, fertilizing and watering face us all with the necessity to try and wrestle with something usually enjoyable, yet often challenging, time wise. I know that from the perspective of one who installs entire lawn and garden systems, from grass to irrigation, seeing my product taken good care of means I will have a sense of pride and design ownership for long years

Generally, I install places and then leave. I acquaint clients with the systems of course and generally leave a sheet with instructions and tips. I also recommend certain lawn care professionals. For me, I generally recommend Tru Green – who have provided great services for me over a long period of years. I realize the actual amount of time couples and families have for the work. Installing the landscape itself is a chore some folks take on by themselves. Obviously, I make my living with those who are reluctant to take on such high-energy, high labor tasks, especially in newer homes. In this day and age when everyone is necessarily busy making a living, it can be a delight watching someone else provide your lawn care services at reasonable rates.

And, before I pound the lawn notion into the ground, businesses who provide lawn care also provide analyses of tree and plant issues. Being the professionals they are, they have a professional interest in seeing every growing thing in a landscape do well. It is not only a reflection on them, it is just good business. These lawn care pros can analyze issues such as diseases, pests, and over- or under-watering issues in the midst of their daily routines and recommend some easy cures.

My interest is in seeing a home owner’s investment pay off in beauty and natural enjoyment of their landscapes. Lawn care and what good attention to detail and progress can provide is the real secret behind good-looking and long-lasting landscapes.

Who does it better? Golf courses are the penultimate source of state-of-the-art issues regarding grass lawns. We sit in front of our TV’s sometimes and just drink in the other-worldly green wonders of a Pebble Beach or Augusta and find it satisfying and relaxing, somehow. I’m speaking of just the ambiance, and not even the players themselves. We even now have a TV channel totally devoted to the game of golf: The Golf Channel. I often wonder how many of us are drawn more to the simple gorgeousness of the sport, as opposed to the competition. Or, of course, the combination of the two.

From water conservation techniques to fertilizer applications, the innovations inspired by the constructions and maintaining of golf courses has propelled lawn and garden technology and turf science to new heights. Golf courses are the Guinea Pigs for our own personal affairs with our own lawns. They continually innovate, led by the urgency of continuous beauty and grounds that are beneficent to golf equipment. Oh, and the roll of the ball! Better not leave that small detail out.

Golf instruction includes a focus on taking care of the golf course itself as well. Divots are to be sought out after a shot and every golfer gets to play “gardener” as they replace them by properly relocating them and patting them down as firmly as possible. Obviously, this is done so that it will grow back. Since most courses are watered nightly, it happens almost seamlessly. Below is the picture of a course – Pebble Beach Golf Course – which has hundreds of players every day, almost year round. Find the divots:

Not easy, is it?

Granted, a golf course is a special place, with oodles of care provided and budgets to cover maintenance on a nearly minute-by-minute basis. But what is far more relevant to homeowners and people like us is what they find in their own science of golf course lawn care. Their findings winnow their way down into classic conventional tactics regarding issues like drainage, fertilization and mowing techniques. In the end, we, as end users, gain immeasurably in the most practical ways. We owe golf courses some huge props for lending that science back down to us.

Oh, and we owe some thanks for those killer views The Golf Channel gives us too! There’s nothing like discovering the 14th Green at Pasatiempo at 1 AM when one feels a bit too restless for sleep. As far as I know, looking at Paradise has never been a bad experience. Maybe we should call it a “transitional sleep aid” instead.

I realize it’s mid February, but it won’t be long now before we are all concerned with things like getting the mower ready for action, tweaking the irrigation – if we have some – and fertilizing. Naturally, being a gardener/landscaper, I am always optimistic about the arrival of Spring. The fact is, I generally hope it gets here early, without fail. Of course, sometimes it doesn’t cooperate at all! There’s nothing worse than snow in April, is there? Nevertheless, it is never too early to prepare for those chores leading to another year with a great lawn.

I always make my own checklists at this time, hoping by doing so, I will actually read them later. Those I make for others, I tell them they MUST pay attention. What a hypocrite I am. I amaze myself sometimes. Anyway, here are a few things I look at at the onset of every Spring:

Fertilizer: Did I use a Winterizing fertilizer? If so, how has it worked in the past? Did it last into Spring at all? If not, then I will need to have mine handy for when the daytime temperatures get above 50 degrees consistently.

Irrigation: Did I drain the system appropriately? I often find a reasonably warm day in very early Spring where I actually run through the system. Yes, it does mean shutting the entire system down again, as we did in the early Winter, and sometimes we entrust that chore to others. In any case, what I can do easily enough is to make sure the timer has a 9 Volt battery sufficient for the year and even do an quick inventory on the obvious aspects such as sprinkler heads, valve boxes and the rest. Just take a look at them, not much more, necessarily. If they are broken, either flag them or make a note and get it fixed early rather than having to wait when the entire world is out fixing lawn systems. It could be an excellent time as well to prune away branches that might interfere with sprinkler arcs, too.

The Mower:  Unless you already did the work, it is close to the time when any servicing needs doing. Listen, beat the rush. Small engine guys get swamped in late March, all over the Northern Hemisphere. Having that baby ready to go is quite a solid feeling.

There are a bazillion other small chores to pay some attention to, but these are your typical ready-made challenges. Addressing these things take just a little while but pays off handsomely when we are all organized when the season hits.