OUR BLOG
An ongoing series of informational entries to help people understand the beautiful outdoors.
OUR BLOG
An ongoing series of informational entries to help people understand the beautiful outdoors.
WINTER LAWN CARE TIPS
1. KEEPTRAFFIC TO A MINIMUM
Even brown and dying grass shouldn’t be walked on. Your lawn is sturdy to many things, but if heavy traffic remains consistent on one area of your lawn, then it’ll have a hard time growing back due to the compaction of the lawn. Another issue that tends to come with compacted ground is crabgrass, prostrate knotweed, and goosegrass. To keep traffic to a minimum, be sure to clean off all sidewalks and walkways to your home.
2. AERATE AND OVERSEED
Your lawn may be compacted during the summer months. Before winter begins, it’s a great idea to aerate your lawn. Aerating your lawn will break up any of this compaction and allow your lawn to breathe well during the winter. After aerating your lawn, water, air, and all good nutrients (from fertilizer) are then able to move throughout the soil without freely. Once this is done, then you fertilize your lawn.
3. PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME
All of these steps listed above are important for keeping your lawn in great shape during the winter. However, if you don’t prepare ahead of time, these steps won’t be beneficial. Prepare for the winter before it reaches your lawn. Have your winter lawn care plan set in place and ready to go the moment you feel that crispness in the air.
4. WATER IT AND KEEP DEBRIS FREE
After laying down the fertilizer and cutting the grass to a nice length, you should then water it. Water your awn evenly and ensure that it doesn’t dry out. You then need to do what you can to keep the lawn clean. All debris and furniture items should be removed from the lawn for the up and coming winter months. Because fall is now near its end, your lawn most likely has dead leaves on it that have fallen from your trees. Be sure to remove these leaves from your lawn (Check out the the article here. SCROLL DOWN AFTER CLICKING). Leaves that are wet and left on your lawn can cause diseases to grow. And dry leaves that are left on your lawn can suffocate it, causing it to die. If the leaves are all dry, you can consider going over them with your mower to break them down into tiny pieces that will then give back nutrients to your lawn.
5. USE MOWING STRATEGIES
There are a few mowing strategies that will help your lawn stay strong during the winter. When summer comes to an end, lower the cutting level of your lawnmower slowly but surely. Each time you mow your lawn from the end of summer until winter, you’ll want to lower your lawnmower another level. This cuts the grass shorter and shorter gradually without causing shock to it by cutting it down all at once. Short grass for the winter is ideal. Otherwise, mice and other pests and rodents will find comfort in your tall grass. HOWEVER, DO NOT CUT YOUR LAWN LOWER THAN 3" UNLESS YOU HAVE BERMUDA GRASS! This IS NOT a must but it won't hurt the lawn either.
6. Use Fertilizer
After you aerate your lawn, its best to go ahead and fertilize it. Fertilizing your lawn should be done carefully by following the instructions on the fertilizer. Late fall and early winter are when you want to fertilize your lawn to keep it healthy during the cooler season. You may also fertilize in the late winter, early spring. I'd say around 55 degrees would be optimal.
When you fertilize your lawn before winter hits, you essentially give it back the nutrients that it lost during the hot summer months. When the snow falls onto the ground, the fertilizer will remain on your lawn. The grass will then feed off of the fertilizer throughout the entire winter season. When winter ends and spring comes around and it’s time to remove snow and ice, your grass will be well fed and nourished. Nitrogen is a major factor for feeding your lawn and keeping it healthy.
LawnMasters would love to help you with all your lawn and landscape needs. Please call 785-473-8246 or email us at Lawnmasters1000@gmail.com or facebook
4 LAWN TIPS FOR THE SPRING
4 LAWN TIPS FOR THE SPRING
So Spring will be here before we know it! We all wonder what it takes too have beautiful lush green grass and have so many questions so what can you do. Here are four lawn care tips that can help you to get the best lawn possible.
1. Water Your Lawn Wisely
If you have read any lawn sprinkler guide, you will know that simply sprinkling water over your lawn a few times each week will likely not be enough to encourage healthy roots. Watering your lawn deeply, so that the water reaches deep into the soil will encourage root growth. As the roots grow further into the soil they will provide greater access to the grass growing above ground. Further, deeper roots mean that in dry seasons (hotter months) roots will have access to water deep within the soil. You can achieve all this by ensuring that you deeply water your lawn. Generally, 2-3x a week should be fine and about 20 minutes.
2. Cutting Your Lawn
First, we should remember that different grass types and each require different treatments. You'll have to know what type of grass your lawn has before you start cutting. Some types should be cut to shorter lengths than others to get the best results. Forexample, Tall Fescue needs to be cut around 4" and Bermuda can be cut much lower since it's a warm season grass. Tall Fescue is the most used here in Abilene Kansas, Junction City Kansas, and Chapman Kansas. Bermuda is used in the southern states mostly and goes dormant in the fall. It will turn a brown color when it gets colder.
In addition to the type of grass growing in your lawn, you should also consider the time of year that you are cutting. Your mowing strategy will likely be different in the winter months than in the summer. Plan your grass cutting carefully to get the best results.
3. Overseeding
Overseeding is an absolute if you want to get a thick, rich, green lawn. It doesn't come about by chance. They're generally a reflection of the hard work and love that their owner has invested in them. If you want a lawn that will make your property look attractive and maintained then lawn care is a priority for you. You must overseed bare spots if you have tall fescue. Bermuda will have runners which will be likes vines and it creep throughout the yard.
4. Fertilize
While there are many types of fertilizer available, natural fertilizers are still proven to be effective in stimulating growth.
Fertilizers not only encourage the growth of your lawn in the most but they also have a great impact on the soil profile to help with the harsh conditions such as really hot days.
If you're interested in learning more about how to make your lawn look beautiful, then I'm here to help. Contact me or check our other articles to find out more.
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Lawn service, lawn maintenance, Fertilizer, Beautiful yard, Lawnmasters, Landscaping
Leaf_removal_LawnMasters
Do I need a bagger for my zero turn?
Do I need a bagger for my zero turn?
So You have your brand new zero turn mower, its spring time but you have leaves everywhere and you can't wait to get on it at mow some grass. So ate b toy going to mulch the leaves or bag them? If you are wondering which option to go with, I'd recommend removing the leaves because There are many diseases and fungus the leaves can lead to. Especially wet leaves.
You would do better by removing the leaves and going with a fertilization program. Do the leaves provide organic matter? Absolutely but it's much easier to have them removed and not have to worry about diseases. So you don't have a bagger so what do you do? Simply put, you have to buy one and that's where you have to break the bank a little. For a zero turn, you can expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $4,000. Yikes right!
I'd say meet in the middle with something like an Accelerator bagger! You can find them online and you just have to let them know your make and model and they'll fix you up! I recently purchased one and I have to say, it's pretty awesome but it fills up fast. That means it does an awesome job! I'll have a YouTube video soon to give my full review.
LawnMasters service the Junction City, KS, Abilene, KS, and Chapman, KS area with these baggers and they are great for either bagging grass or leaf removal, fall cleanup, or lawn maintenance.
How to kill Crabgrass
crabgrass in concrete crack Junction City Kansas
How to kill crabgrass
How to kill crabgrass
March 15, 2019
Crabgrass, an annual weed common to North American lawns, is an iconic scourge of homeowners as weather grows warm. The weed is green with five flat blades and thrives in moist, fertile conditions in warm weather, especially in full-sun.
Overwintering as seeds, germination begins when spring temperatures consistently remain over 55 degrees. Crabgrass propagates through generous seed production. A single plant will produce as many as 150,000 seeds, which spread easily by wind. Because these invasive weeds sit very low to the ground, lawn mower blades do not reach the plant, but will agitate the seed heads, scattering seeds and accelerating propagation. Unmanaged, crabgrass can quickly overtake a lawn or appear along walkways or in pavement cracks during spring and summer months. Crabgrass will not survive the first frost, but the seeds remain to begin the cycle again when warm weather returns.
If crabgrass has been a problem in previous years, seeds lie in wait. The application of a pre-emergent herbicide a few weeks before the last frost date will keep seeds from germinating, solving a crabgrass problem before it begins. Once crabgrass appears, pre-emergent herbicides may still be applied, but other strategies must also be employed to prevent the spread of seeds from developed plants. Pre-emergent herbicides can affect the development of newly seeded lawns. Do not treat newly seeded areas and wait three to four weeks before seeding land on which a pre-emergent herbicide has been applied.
Hand-pulling weeds early will limit spread, but other cultural consideration will help prevent growth. Crabgrass thrives in sunlight. A lawn with bare patches or is cut too short will allow this low-profile weed easy growing conditions. A healthy lawn free of bare patches and cut taller will out-compete these low-profile weeds for sunlight, reducing its spread. In most cases, grass should be cut no shorter than 3 inches. Overseeding in the fall will help produce a thicker turf in the following season, limiting crabgrass germination. Seeding should be limited to cool weather months. Seeding or fertilization of cool weather grasses should be avoided during warm months in which crabgrass grows easily.
Proper watering techniques can also prevent crabgrass growth. If irrigation is necessary in hot weather conditions, frequent watering encourages crabgrass germination. Instead, soak turf deeply and infrequently, allowing the soil to dry completely between watering.
If cultural controls were established too late to prevent an oppressive crabgrass presence, herbicides may be employed though early summer, but effectiveness may be limited leaving a brown, patchy lawn in its wake.
Although it can be frustrating when crabgrass has overtaken an otherwise healthy lawn, herbicides are of little value as a late-season strategy. The first frost is soon to come, killing the crabgrass and leaving just the seeds behind. Plan a pre-emergent treatment before next season and overseed as needed. With a cultural control strategy in place and vigilant weeding when warm weather returns, next year will bring a healthy, crabgrass-free lawn. If you have any question feel free to call or message us at www.facebook.com/LawnMastersPro. We service Junction City, Abilene, and the surrounding area!
Crabgrass
Crabgrass junction city kansas
Rake and leaves Junction City Kansas
Rake and fall leaves green grass
Leaves! Good or Bad? It depends
Leaves! Good or Bad? It depends
February 14, 2019
The first step in learning how to get rid of leaves is to have the right tools on hand. The most popular rakes are beloved just for their size—a big rake makes the job smaller. Most home centers carry rakes up to 30 in. wide.
“No-clog” rakes are an option as the tines don’t skewer leaves, so you don’t have to stop and unclog the rake. Many manufacturers make them, also in widths up to 30 inches.
Blower/Vacuum Operating Tips
Twigs, garden mulch and landscape rocks can damage the impeller, so scout your yard and remove those objects before using the vacuum feature.
Wear a dust respirator when shredding dry leaves and emptying the shoulder bag—shredding kicks up a lot of dust.
Some people have BIG yards and lots of trees. So I bag the leaves with my mower. It does a nice job of shredding the leaves, so they’re ready to become compost or mulch.
When you throw away fallen leaves, you are also tossing out vital nutrients that your garden, lawn and plants can use. Here are a few tips below.
Mulch
Leaves are among the materials that can be used to create mulch. In order to create leaf mulch, you should first shred your leaves. Simply remove your lawn mower bag and mow over them and then rake up the pieces. You can also use a leaf shredder to do this.
Mulching your gardens with leaves can aid in:
•Warmth: Leaf mulch can help trap the warmth in the soil. Fall is a great time to mulch because the leaves act as an insulator to keep the soil and roots below warm during the approaching winter months.
•Moisture: Shredded leaves allow for moisture and water to travel easily down to the dirt. Over time, nutrients from the leaves make their way into the earth below. During the summer, your plants continuously soak up the minerals from the ground, so fall is a great time to give those nutrients back.
•Weed control: Leaf mulch, like other types of mulch, is used as a type of physical weed barrier. The mulch blocks the sun out while still allowing the plant roots to get the nutrients they need. Adding a 2- to 3-inch thick coat of mulch also acts as as an energy blocker for weeds. Weeds don’t have the energy to push through the layers of mulch to sprout.
THE BAD:
If the homeowner has many trees, the mulched leaves may create a layer that is too thick and covers the lawn, smothering and preventing light and air to reach the grass and soil.
Weather is a factor. Mulching too many wet leaves can create a layer that actually smothers the grass, and could lead to turf grass and lawn problems.
Disposal can be difficult. If a homeowner’s municipality doesn’t provide curbside leaf collection, the leaves may need transporting for proper disposal.
Raking can be time consuming, especially depending on the amount of trees one has. Mulching also doesn’t work well with pine needles, which would render your mulching efforts meaningless. However, in Kansas we don't have many pine trees.
Fall cleanups are important when headed into the winter. You want to make sure you keep a jump on the leaves on a normal basis instead of trying to knock the job out all at once. Maintenance in key here! We service the Junction City Kansas, Abilene, and surrounding area!
Bagging leaves in a yard
mulching leaves with push mower
Our First Blog Entry
Our First Blog Entry
January 15, 2019
Hello! My name is Frank and I'm the owner/operator of LawnMasters! I wanted to reach out and let everyone know we provide full service lawn care, landscaping, tree trimming, and more. I love the outdoors, animal lover, sports (Chiefs and Saints haha). I'm not used to the colder months but I get through it. I'm a southern native of Louisiana and Mississippi. I graduated from the local Cloud Community College! I look forward to servicing future clients and helping people with their lawn and landscape ideas! See y'all soon :-)