Search Tag: Winter

What to Check When Inspecting Your Sprinkler System

If you have a lawn sprinkler and irrigation system on your property, it’s important to conduct regular inspections at least once a year. Discovering issues with your system early on will reduce water waste, saving you money while helping to ensure your home is surrounded by a lush, healthy landscape. While more involved repairs should be left to a professional, checking your lawn sprinkler system for top-level issues is something you can easily do yourself. Whether you live in warmer...

The Benefits of Earthworms and Organic Nitrogen

Why you should apply Earthworms to your lawn Earthworms work as natural aerators by increasing the amount of air and water that gets into the soil. This improves the overall soil structure and loosens the soil for better root growth. They break down organic matter, such as leaves and grass, into things that plants can use. Earthworms maintain the fertility of the soil and therefor, play a big key role in sustainability. They also increase litter decomposition, soil organic matter dynamics...

Spring Fertilization Tips

Jump Start Like the Pros The secret to getting a quick start to a beautiful green lawn is to apply 100% nitrogen as soon as your lawn is at least 50% greened up after breaking dormancy. Name brand here really doesn't matter since pure nitrogen is pure nitrogen. 100% nitrogen is like giving your lawn a huge shot of caffeine, so be sure to follow the recommended application rates on the bag. This application is really not what we would call lawn food and is only used to "wake up" the lawn so...

DIY Lawn Care Pros and Cons

In this DIY world, there’s a good chance you might be considering tackling lawn care on your own. After all, why pay for something that you could easily do yourself? But therein lies the big question—how easy is it to really do lawn care on your own? There may be a number of reasons that you think DIY lawn care makes sense for you. But there are a lot of important points to consider before making that leap. So, in this article, we’ll be exploring some of the pros and cons of...

Benefits of a Smart Irrigation Controller

The purpose of an irrigation system is to maintain a consistent moisture level in the soil. While your irrigation (sprinkler) system is a complex system composed of check valves, and pipes, control valves, main lines, lateral lines, different zones, rotor heads, spray heads, bubblers, drip lines and everything in between–the single most important piece is the controller. Your controller acts as the brain of the operation and tells the rest of the system exactly when to apply water to the...

Choosing the Right Mowing Frequency

Being unsure of what mowing frequency to chose from is quite common. With ZipLawn, we do our best to provide as much information as possible to help you understand your lawn better. Please read over the following mowing frequencies, so you can then determine what suits your lawn the best! Growing Season and Weekly Mowing During the growing season we see a lot of rain and sunshine in the areas we service, which causes grass to grow at a rapid rate. Lawns differ between each other, however, we...

Tips for Mowing Your Lawn

Mowing your lawn may sound like a simple process, but with each cut you are setting it up for future success. Correctly mow, and your lawn will become healthy, drought-tolerant and lush enough to crowd out weeds. Mow poorly and your grass will struggle to survive. Our Top 8 Tips for Mowing Your Lawn. Never remove more than one-third of the leaf tissue (grass blade) with each cutting. Avoid scalping your lawn. If you notice certain areas are regularly scalped you may need your lawn...

Fall Pre-emergent Soil Temperature

Winter weeds, such as annual bluegrass (poa annua), chickweed, henbit, as well as some perennial weeds, such as clover and dandelion, must have several consecutive days of fall soil temperatures below 70 degrees before they germinate. During the fall, winter weeds will germinate only to appear during early winter. When to Apply Fall Pre-emergent It is important to apply fall pre-emergent at the right time based on the average soil temperature at your location. If you apply it too late...

When to Apply Pre-emergent

Summer weeds, like crabgrass, must have several consecutive days of soil temperatures above 55 degrees before they germinate. If the seed is near the surface of your soil, it becomes warm quickly. If it is buried deeper, it might take several weeks before the soil becomes warm enough for the germination process to begin. This is why you see weeds much earlier in the spring season around concrete driveways and sidewalks. Winter weeds, on the other hand, require several consecutive days of...

Watering Tips for a Healthy Lawn

Water is an essential part of a happy, healthy lawn. It’s important, though, to make sure you water it properly. If you run a sprinkler at night, for example, it sets up the perfect conditions for disease to take hold. If you water too lightly, the grass roots will not grow deeply enough, setting your lawn up for trouble when hot weather hits. Follow these steps for a hydrated lawn. When to Water the Lawn If you find your lawn has taken on a grayish cast or appears to be dull...