By Liberty Lawn Lawn • Spring 0 Comments

Can I Overseed My Lawn in Late Spring?

For many homeowners, achieving a thick, lush lawn in a battle they fight each and every year. From winter damage to summer droughts, there are many things that can get in the way of achieving your dream lawn. If your lawn is looking weak, or is thin in some areas, there is a solution beyond just fertilizing: overseeding. Many people don’t realize that overseeding is a great solution to keeping your lawn healthy, even after your grass has established itself. Read on to learn about how overseeding helps your lawn, the best time of the year you can do it, and how you can tackle this task yourself.

Why Should I Overseed My Lawn?

Overseeding simply refers to applying new grass seeds over your existing lawn. Unlike reseeding, it doesn’t require removing any of your existing growth. Instead, overseeding works to fill in bare spots, improve the thickness of the lawn, and enhance its color. In addition, overseeding newer varieties of grass into an older lawn can improve its ability to withstand insects, disease, drought, and heavy traffic.

When Should I Overseed My Lawn?

There are two ideal times of the year to overseed your lawn – fall and spring.

  • Fall is the best time of year to overseed. This is because your soil is still warm, which means that the grass seeds will germinate faster. And because there are fewer weeds growing this time of the year, your grass will have fewer competitors vying for their water, sunlight, and nutrients.
  • Overseeding in spring is still a good option. The key is to wait until the soil warms up enough that the seeds can germinate before they’re eaten by your local wildlife. You’ll also want to be sure you overseed before the hot summer months, which can kill seeds and new sprouts if there isn’t enough rain to keep them moist.

How to Overseed a Lawn

In order to give your need grass seeds the best start, you should follow these steps:

  • Choose a Grass Seed

Which type of grass seed you choose depends on your existing grass type. There are many options to choose from, including warm and cool season grasses, as well as ones that are aimed at helping to thicken thin lawns. If you aren’t sure of the best grass for your area, your neighborhood garden or home improvement center can help you choose the right seed.

  • Mow Low

Before overseeding your lawn, cut your grass shorter than normal and be sure to bag the clippings. Next, you should rake the lawn to help loosen the top layer of soil and remove any dead grass and debris. This helps to give the grass seed easy access to the soil so it can root quickly after germinating.

  • Improve the Soil

Before spreading you seend, it’s a good idea to rake in a thin layer of compost over your lawn to help the seed settle in, especially in areas where grass is thin or completely gone. Aim for about a quarter of an inch of compost so that you don’t kill your existing grass.

  • Spread the Seed

Spreading the seed is the easiest part of the overseeding process. Simply fill up your spreader, adjust the setting according to the label directions, and apply. You can choose either a hand-held spreader, or a push-type model which is very handy for large yards.

  • Feed and Water

To give your new grass seedlings the nutrients they need to grow strong, apply a quality fertilizer after spreading your seed. Then, be sure to keep the soil consistently moist by lightly watering once or twice a day until the seedlings are the same height as the rest of your lawn.

We hope that this information has helped you to learn about overseeding your lawn. If this isn’t a job you’d like to tackle yourself, Liberty Lawn is here to help. We offer all kinds of yard services, including overseeding and fertilization, to keep your lawn lush and green all season long. Give us a call today to schedule a free consultation!

By Liberty Lawn Spring • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

Spring Yard Cleanup Checklist

Now that temperatures are finally rising and spring is in the air, it’s time to consider completing some spring cleaning tasks for your yard. Yards that are left unkempt not only look unsightly, but they also aren’t able to maximize their growing potential throughout the season. We’ve come up with a spring yard cleanup checklist to help you get your yard nice and tidy in time for spring and summer outdoor activities.

  • Check for lawn damage and prep for reseeding.

While your grass can withstand cold winter temperatures while hibernating, sometimes you’ll end up with damage from traffic, road salt, or disease. Prepare to reseed damaged areas by removing dead areas with a heavy square metal rake. Then, apply a ¼ layer of compost to help give seeds a jump-start when it is time for planting.

  • Prune dead and damaged branches on shrubs and trees.

Any branches that have been damaged by winter weather should be trimmed back to keep your shrubs and trees happy and healthy throughout the growing season. If you have hedges, use hand shears to shape them as electric shears can cause damage that prevent the hedge from being able to grow a nice thick outer layer. Prune summer-flowering shrubs, such as Rose of Sharon, before buds swell, but wait to prune spring bloomers, like forsythia, until after they flower.

  • Cut back and divide your perennial plants.

To start, prune flowering perennials to a height of 4 to 5 inches and ornamental grasses to 2 to 3 inches. This helps to encourage vigorous new growth. As soon as the ground has thawed, it is safe to dig up perennials to thin your beds or transplant them to other areas of your yard. Make sure to leave at least three stems per clump. Cut back any rose canes that have been damaged to about 1 inch below any blackened areas.

  • Clean up fallen leaves and debris.

All leaves, dead foliage, or remaining dead annuals should be cleaned up and removed from your yard. Now is also a good time to remove any mulch that you plan to replace, which also allows you to see heaved plants that need to be tamped back into the ground.

  • Start your compost pile.

If you choose to compost your yard waste, now is the time to start your new compost pile with the debris and old mulch that you’ve collected from around your yard. Shred leaves and chip branches over ½ inch in diameter if you can, or add a bagged compost starter to give the pile a boost. Make sure to keep it evenly damp, and aerate it with a pitchfork every two weeks.

  • Tidy up paths and patios.

If any decorative gravel has moved out of its boundaries during the winter, now is the time to rake it back to where it belongs. Order more gravel to fill any areas that are thin or bare. Remove any pavers that have been heaved by winter freezes, tamp down and add base material as needed to get it back to level. If you have flagstones, refill joints with new sand or stone dust as needed.

  • Replace or repaint wood fences and trellises.

Start by checking that all posts are still securely in the ground, then remove any badly damaged pickets, boards, or lattices. Next, scrape off any loose old paint and sand smooth for the best results. Install new wood and perform any required patching with wood epoxy. Once temperatures are above 50 degrees, you can apply your new paint.

We hope this checklist has helped inspire you to get your yard back in shape this spring. If you simply don’t have the time or the patience to do your spring yard cleanup, we offer many different services to meet your needs. Give us a call to set up a free estimate today!

By Liberty Lawn Spring • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

Pruning Tips for Spring

Pruning Tips for Spring

Spring is just around the corner, which means that now is a good time to start thinking about pruning your trees and shrubs. Well-maintained trees and shrubs don’t just look better, they’re also healthier. Pruning helps plants maintain their shape, encourages new growth, and helps prevent pests and diseases. We’ve got some tips in order to help you to time your pruning based on what’s right for each of your trees and shrubs.

Trees

Recent research has shown that the optimum time to prune living branches on trees is late spring and early summer. Pruning at this time helps trees to quickly seal off wounds, because tree cells are most active during the growing season. Pruning outside of this timeframe can still be accomplished with little risk to plants, and should always be done as quickly as possible to repair tree damage that occurs during a wind or ice storm. The only exception to these tips is for oak trees, which are best pruned in December, January or February, as this helps to avoid potential infection with oak wilt.

Shrubs

The correct time to prune your shrubs depends on their variety. Summer-flowering shrubs, such as spirea, potentilla, and smoke bush, should be pruned during dormancy, typically late February to March. Spring-flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, weigela, mock orange, lilacs, and viburnums, should be pruned when they are finished blooming.

Fruit Trees

Fruit tree pruning is often neglected either due to a lack of pruning skills and knowledge, or a fear that the tree will be damaged or killed by incorrect pruning. But productive fruit trees that have an abundance of high quality fruit do not just happen by chance. They are the result of good cultural practices, including proper pruning.

Most fruit tree pruning is best done during the dormant season when no leaves are on the tree. For most fruit trees, late February through March is the best time to prune. Tree species that are susceptible to winter injury, such as peach and apricot, are best pruned in late spring before growth begins. Regardless of the cultivar, do not prune any tree before January or winter injury can occur.

Fruit trees may also be safely pruned outside of their dormant period. Trees may be prune at planting, during July and early August to restrict growth, to remove water sprouts, or to remove diseased or damaged wood. Once the basic structure of your fruit tree is developed, you should avoid pruning until fruiting occurs.

We hope these tips have helped to clear up any confusion you may have had about tree and shrub pruning. If you’re ever in doubt about pruning, or would like to have a professional tackle the task for you, give us a call to set up an appointment today!

By Liberty Lawn Spring • Tips and Tricks • Trees 0 Comments

To Fertilize or Not Fertilize Our Trees

Liberty Lawn & Landscape believes it is important for our customers to be updated on the most current information in the landscaping industry. Here is an article written by an accredited arborist, instructor and educator.

To Fertilize or Not Fertilize Our Trees
by the Plant Health Department @ Terry Hughes Tree Service

In the green industry, there is always that question of whether or not it is a good idea to fertilize. I have heard both sides of the story, and both have valid points. I tend to believe that it is always in the best interest of the plant in the current urban settings to do so.

People will say, “The trees in the forest don’t get any fertilizer.” Well, that is true. The trees in a forest or wooded area don’t need the deep root feeding like they would in a housing development. They have the luxury of natural decomposition. This breakdown of natural material will give the plants in that type of setting the minerals and nutrients that they need over a period of time. The problem with the urban setting where our plants and trees are put in the ground is that they lack that decomposition of plant material. Everyone rakes and bags their leaves and grass. Therefore, there is nothing being put back into the soil. Not to mention that the land developers come in and change the grade of the land and only leave the bare clay soil. This is not the best type of surrounding for a newly planted tree as we all know.

That being said, we as arborists should be fertilizing our trees and shrubs to give that plant what it is so lacking in this clay soil we are surrounded by. This brings up another benefit to deep root fertilization by breaking up these compacted clay soil conditions. In doing so, this will also allow air to get to the root system enhancing the vigor of the plant. The main objective in deep root fertilization is the healthy establishment of the plant’s root system.

By Liberty Lawn News • Spring • 0 Comments

Spring Start Up

It’s about that time again!

We will be starting our first round of lawn treatments in late March. Please, have your yard cleaned up prior to this time. If you need assistance, please, contact us.

This spring, we will be using two applications of Pentamethalin for our pre-emergent. This product has been proven to be the best for preventing crabgrass and foxtail in Nebraska. Several seasons ago, we changed our broadleaf weed control product to Q4, which gives us extra control for crabgrass, ground ivy, nut sedge and spurge. We always offer the highest quality products and services available.

We will use Merit grub control exclusively again in 2013 to give longer control against these and most other insects feeding on the turf. Grub worm has been a serious problem in Nebraska for a few years, but our “Merit” control works great in nullifying this pest along with sod webworm and cutworm.

Our program will control broad leaf weeds and most insects, and provide enough nutrients for the turf throughout the long growing season without promoting excess growth.

The weather forecast for this year is hot again, but wetter. This forecast, if true, will help keep us reasonable water bills.

I am hoping gasoline prices remain somewhat reasonable throughout 2013. Unlike other companies, we have never charged a gasoline surcharge and hope to never have to do so in the future.

Check out our website at www.LibertyLawn.biz. It is full of useful information on many subjects. The site will help us provide even greater service to our prized possessions – you, our customers.

Please, contact us if you require help starting or repairing your sprinkler system.

In the event you will not require our services for the upcoming year, please send written notification to the office. If we do not receive a cancellation request, we will continue our services as usual.

Thank you for your business.

See you soon!
Doug McIntosh
Owner