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How To Get Rid Of Weeds Without Killing Grass

how to get rid of weeds in lawn without chemicals

It’s exciting when plants you have nurtured begin to grow in your yard. Green, lush grass. Colorful flower beds. A thriving vegetable garden. UUnfortunately, when it comes to caring for our lawns, there’s always one thing you can count on: you’re going to have to deal with lawn weeds. One topic that’s always in season is how to kill weeds, not grass – and how to do it naturally.

If you make a lawn weed control plan in advance and attack the problem early in the season, you can make less work for yourself over time. Below, our experts identify some common weeds in the south and what you can do to get rid of them naturally without killing grass or plants.

Common Lawn Weeds

Many weeds in our lawns and gardens spread through airborne seeds or runners and can be difficult to fully eradicate. Here’s what to watch out for when planning … Read Full Post »

Spring Lawn Care Tips For A Thriving Outdoor Space

spring lawn care tips

Spring is just around the corner. Many homeowners take this time of year to get your lawn ready for the growing season. We share our best tips for spring lawn preparation and a spring lawn care schedule to help showcase the beauty of your outdoor space.

Spring Lawn Care Tips

The most important part of spring lawn care is to make sure that your lawn has plenty of opportunity to come back to life gently during the early spring months. The sun and soil will do most of the work for you.

For many of the southern states, spring is a time to nurture warm-season grasses like as Zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede and Bermuda, which typically thrive in the heat and go dormant during winter.

Water Wise

Once your grass starts growing, make sure that your lawn gets at least one inch of water per week. Until then, you can water less frequently, … Read Full Post »

How To Start a Vegetable Garden From Scratch

How to start a vegetable garden from scratch

There is nothing quite like enjoying food that you grow yourself. Whether you are just looking for some herbs to add to recipes, a way to spend quality time with your family outside or if you want to embark upon something more ambitious, homeowners should know that starting a vegetable garden from scratch is not impossible if you learn the basics.

How to Start a Vegetable Garden from Scratch

Although springtime is the most popular time to start a garden, the growing season in warmer parts of the country is virtually year-round. Whenever you decide to give Central Texas gardening a try, we have some tips to help set you up for success.

Prepare Your Garden Bed

Choose a spot in your yard that receives full sun. In hotter climates, a fence or building that shades the plot during the hottest afternoon hours can give your plants a helpful reprieve from the heat and … Read Full Post »

What Is Pruning? A Complete Guide To Pruning Your Plants

What is pruning

The importance of pruning has been well-documented. Pruning or trimming has many benefits for your landscape, including maintaining plant health, restricting growth (and overgrowth), “training” plants and improving the quality of a plant’s flowers, fruit, foliage or stems.

In our complete guide to pruning, you’ll learn:

  • What is pruning?
  • How to prune trees
  • How to prune shrubs
  • How to prune fruit plants and flowers, including roses
  • What equipment you need and
  • When to prune

What is Pruning?

Pruning is the process of cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems to promote healthy plant growth. Most plants, including trees, shrubs and garden plants like roses benefit from different methods of pruning and maintenance. Pruning at the wrong time of the year does not necessarily kill your plants, but regular improper pruning may cause damaged or weakened plants.

To help you take the guesswork out of pruning, we’ll go over the common tree and plant types found in the … Read Full Post »

How to Trim a Tree

how to trim a tree

The most valuable part of your home’s landscape is the trees. Healthy, mature shade trees significantly improve a home’s curb appeal and value, and often reduce energy costs.

How To Trim a Tree

In this article, we’ll look at how you can safely trim a tree without causing harm to the tree itself.

Why Should You Prune a Tree?

There are a number of reasons why a homeowner might want to trim trees on their property. Here are a few of the reasons why pruning a tree makes sense:

  • Removing dead limbs before they can cause damage to property, people or pets.
  • Allowing more sunlight into the yard.
  • Preventing rodents and other pests from using branches as a pathway to your roof.
  • Eliminating branches that interfere with fencing, structures or other landscaping.
  • Creating a better shape or removing erratic growth.
  • Removing suckers (new growth) at the base … Read Full Post »

How To Improve Soil Quality In Your Lawn

how to improve soil quality

A healthy lawn and garden begin with your soil. In fact, many problems with home gardens, trees, and an unhealthy looking lawn are caused by poor soil quality. Wondering how to improve soil quality on your property? Luckily, a simple switch is all you need to make a big difference.

How To Improve Soil Quality

One of the ways you can improve your lawn by is by incorporating more organic material into your soil. With countless amendments and enrichment products on the market, however, knowing which to choose can be overwhelming.

Read below to learn about soil improvement methods which can help improve the quality and health of your lawn.

Test It Out 

When thinking about how to improve soil health, one way to start is to conduct a soil test. Having a better understanding of the current nutrient levels in your lawn and what your soil is missing can help you determine what … Read Full Post »

Zoysia Grass Maintenance: Advice From The Experts

Zoysia grass maintenance

Let’s face it. Your grass is the first aspect of your lawn that visitors notice. Despite well-placed flowers, towering trees and winding pathways, your grass is still the main focus. That’s why you want to ensure your lawn is well cared for and healthy.

A popular grass species in the southern United States is zoysia grass. It’s perfect for warm-weather climates, and when cared for properly, it’s heat- and drought-resistant. Even with such qualities, though, this species still requires proper maintenance, including mowing, feeding and watering.

Read below to learn how to properly care for your zoysia grass.

How To Grow A Healthy Lawn

Zoysia is among the turfgrass varieties that turn a straw-like color when the first frost comes. Along with bermuda grass, buffalo grass, centipede grass, seashore paspalum and St. Augustine, zoysia is a warm season species that can go dormant during the coldest months of the year. Best established from sod, … Read Full Post »

How to Aerate Your Lawn for Happy Green Grass

happy healthy grass

Beautiful, healthy grass makes a great yard for play, right? While this is something many of us would love to have, it’s easy to overlook some of the factors involved in having such a luxury – including the soil below the lawn.

In many ways, the soil underneath your lawn is like the foundation of your house. The key function of the foundation is to provide a stable base, so your house doesn’t shift.

Similarly, the soil beneath your lawn must be healthy and nutrient-rich for your lawn to thrive. The best way to keep the soil beneath your lawn healthy is to aerate your lawn.

Aeration provides important benefits to any lawn

The process of aeration removes small plugs of dirt and help to break up compacted soil, where it can be difficult for plants to grow. There’s less space for roots to spread out in compacted soil. That means those roots can … Read Full Post »