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Spring Clean...Your Lawn?

Spring is here! Start the season off right with a sound spring lawn care regimen.

More spring activities

Lawn Care Spotlight10

Earth Day is a great time to get your soil tested

Friday April 22, 2011

Forsythia in bloom.

Why not start an Earth Day tradition and get your soil tested. It doesn't have to be every year,changes in the soil take time, every other year is fine. Unfortunately most people don't get their soil tested even once.

The best place to get your soil tested is at your local cooperative extension office. It's usually under $20 and provides a wealth of information that you will base your lawn care program on. Find your local cooperative extension office here.

Taking soil samples is easy. A soil probe works best but a shovel or trowel will work. Find out how to take soil samples from your lawn here.

Learning about what makes up the soil is the first step in establishing a lawn care regimen. Once you know what's in the soil, you can find out what it needs to properly grow grass.

Considering Organic Lawn Care? Consider the food web

Wednesday April 20, 2011

Organic lawn care is a tricky thing. It's not a matter of just switching fertilizers and using natural pesticides. The first years of an organic program will probably not yield the results you are used to, and it's easy to become discouraged when there's not an easy fix for every issue encountered in the lawn. Rest assured though, an organic lawn care program is the right thing to do and the best way to understand it is to consider the food web.

When a lawn goes organic, you should focus on the soil and not the grass. A beautiful lawn is the by-product of healthy soil. Healthy soil is the result of a thriving food web. The food web is the key to everything in and above the soil.

Every insect, every worm, every microorganism including fungi, bacteria and nematodes, work together in harmony to create an intricate web of eating, digesting and respiration which, when in balance, creates the ideal living conditions for grass. Synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides alter the food web, breaking specialized chains and relationships which result in a dependency on the product for lawn survival. The two methods of lawn care are basically opposite in their approach, one natural, the other essentially artificial.

Read more:

The Food Web

The Precautionary Principle

Easy IPM

Time to think about starting up the sprinkler system

Monday April 18, 2011

An annual spring chore in northern parts of the continent is starting up the irrigation system. This task is much easier than winterizing the system since an air compressor is not needed, just a working knowledge of the sprinkler system.

Many people have their system charged in the spring as a service package from a lawn company, but it can be done in-house if it can save a few bucks or water is needed sooner than the scheduled start-up date.

When starting your own system up for the first time, be sure to inspect valve boxes for debris and broken parts. Be sure to open a drain or sprinkler to allow an outlet for air as it's replaced by water. Once water is coming out of the drain, close it, and run through the sprinkler stations to ensure proper function. Be sure to inspect for leaks and breaks that may have occurred over the winter.

Read more:

Charging a Sprinkler System in the Spring

Watering the Lawn

Another Lawn Mower Recall - Cub Cadet Z-Force riding mowers

Friday April 15, 2011

Lawn mower manufacturer Cub Cadet is recalling various models of their riding mowers due to the possibility of a fuel leak on the bottom of the fuel tank which can pose a fire hazard.

The recalled 2011 Cub Cadet zero turn riding lawn mowers are from the Z-Force series which are intended for both commercial and private use.

Consumers should immediately stop using the mowers and store them outside and contact their local Cub Cadet dealer to schedule an appointment for a free repair.

For more information, contact Cub Cadet toll-free at (888) 848-6038 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.cubcadet.com

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