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Preparing Your Lawn and Landscaping for Winter

24. January 2020 Chip Glennon Lawn Care Tips (0)

The things you must do to care for your lawn and landscaping change when fall and winter arrive. Fall brings mild temperatures and often moderate precipitation. It's a good season to perform restorative maintenance like fertilization and aeration. In winter, many plants either die or go into a time of no growth. Hard frosts and freeze/thaw cycles can wreak havoc on sensitive plants. Knowing what to do to prepare your lawn and landscaping for winter can help you protect your property, and ensure that your garden and lawn will be in good condition when spring and summer come around once again.

Aerate

Soil can become compact after a summer of intense temperatures, especially if your lawn didn't get enough water over the course of the season. Aerating your lawn prevents and reverses compaction, encourages good root development and prevents thatch from building up.

You can aerate your own lawn by renting a lawn aerator, or by hiring a landscaping company to do this for you. After aeration, your lawn will be covered in small, muddy chunks of soil, but soon enough those pieces will dissolve back into the earth.

After aerating your soil, spread a thin layer of compost over the aerated area. Compost adds nutrients to the soil, restores the soil's natural texture, and prevents the soil from becoming hard again.

Mulch

As the temperature outside drops, shallow roots become vulnerable to damage. Mulching around perennials and trees can protect these roots from the lowest temperatures. Mulch also keeps moisture in the ground, which can prevent some plants from drying out.

When mulching a vegetable garden, use undyed organic wood mulch. In a flower garden, feel free to use dyed mulches and mulches made from alternative materials. Spread the mulch on thick, but avoid piling mulch against the trunks of trees. Mulch piled against trees can lead to disease.

Re-Seed Your Lawn

Fall is a good time to re-seed your lawn. The cool temperatures are perfect for germinating seeds. Do this in mid-fall, when the last of summer weather has dissipated, but before the winter chill is in the air. Keep seeds well-watered for the first several weeks. Cut back your watering routine gradually until the new grass is hardy and healthy.

Fertilize Trees

Fall is a good time to fertilize your trees. Cool (but not freezing) temperatures are good for root development. Fertilizing at the right time will encourage the roots of your trees to grow stronger before the coming winter. When temperatures drop, a well-fertilized tree will be better able to withstand the frost and ice.

Before fertilizing, follow all manufacturer instructions. Trees have varying fertilizer requirements depending on the species, age of the tree, whether it produces fruit, and so on. Purchase the fertilizer to match the needs of your tree. Most fertilizers are made for specific types of plants, so you can find the right kind of tree fertilizer for your lawn.

Plant Bulbs

Planning in advance is a key part of growing a garden. Bulbs start growing in late winter and early spring as the ground thaws. Most bulbs need a period of cold weather before they will blossom. Plant bulbs in the fall to ensure that your bulbs will be ready to grow in spring. Tulips, daffodils and crocuses are common examples of bulb plants that need to spend time in the ground before they will sprout in early spring.

Rake Leaves

Rake your leaves regularly throughout the fall. Leaves left on the ground can lead to the growth of fungus in trees and plants. If left on the grass, leaves will starve the grass of sunlight and weaken the plant, causing disease. Leaves are a good ingredient for compost, so if you don't have a compost pile already, consider starting one now.

Continue to Mow Your Lawn

Grass continues to grow, even in fall. Allowing the grass to grow too long can lead to problems down the road. Continue to mow your lawn as needed, keeping in mind that grass may not grow as quickly in fall when temperatures are cooler. Strive to keep your grass the same length as it was when you were mowing it in summer.

Winterize Your Irrigation System

Water left in the pipes of your irrigation system can freeze in the middle of winter, causing the pipes to burst. Winterizing your irrigation system eliminates the water from the pipes to prevent this from happening.

If you're not able to keep up with lawn maintenance or are uncomfortable with certain DIY tasks, consider hiring a landscaping company to take care of your lawn throughout the winter and into the spring. Your lawn care company can help you keep your property in good condition, by tending the flowers, grass, trees and soil itself.

Z-Spray Parts Now With Exmark

5. November 2019 Administrator General Industry News, ProParts Direct Website News (0)

In acquiring L.T. Rich Products, Toro hopes to complement its existing equipment lineups. L.T. Rich Products’ Z-Spray line, for example, are innovative stand-on spreaders and sprayers. “With a shared commitment to innovation and serving customers, we look forward to having our products become a part of The Toro Company,” said Tom Rich, president of L.T. Rich Products, in a news release. “We believe that Toro’s strong history, market leadership, and resources will further enable our continued growth in the market.” The Z-Spray Line will remain its own independent line under the Exmark brand for now. Toro will make a few machines that will use the Zmax line of spreaders.

Z-Spray Calibration, Parts Manuals and Install Instructions

ProParts direct also has posted the calibration manuals, all parts manuals and Install instructions. All manuals are PDF's and can be printed off and downloaded at no charge. These Manuals can be found at the bottom of the Z-Spray parts models page.

Z-Spray Online Parts Support

All parts will be converted to Exmark part numbers over a period of the next year. ProParts Direct is taking the lead in providing Z-spray parts online and making it easy to order parts for your Z-Max, Intermediate, Junior and Z-Plug machines. You will be able to search for the new part using the old part number. You can also search by the machine you have. Here is a link to the Z-Spray parts. Click Here

Four Ways to Have an Eco-Friendly Lawn

1. August 2019 Kristin Louis Lawn Care Tips, Your Yard and The Earth (0)

A healthy-looking lawn does wonders for your property. Not only does it make your house stand out on your block, but it can also provide flood control, dissipate suburban heat, reduce fire hazards and if you’re trying to sell, definitely gives your home some curb appeal. Lawn care is big business, too. In 2015 alone, U.S. households spent almost $16 billion on lawn care and gardening services, which includes supplies, equipment, and lawn and landscaping services. Clearly, we spend lots of money to have great-looking lawns and landscaping, but could all the pesticides, fertilizer, and growth and greening additives we use be harming the environment, too?

It’s easy to go overboard with all the products when trying to keep a nice-looking lawn. However, you can still have green, thick grass, along with healthy trees, shrubs, and a garden, and fewer or no weeds if you follow these steps to creating an eco-friendly lawn.

1. Keep Your Lawn Green Without Chemicals
Paul Tukey writing for Popular Mechanics suggests some ways to mow your lawn that will keep it green, including keeping the mower’s blades sharp, using a push or electric mower to cut back on pollution, and leaving clippings on the lawn to create a natural fertilizer. He also suggests using compost as a natural, root-level fertilizer for lawns, gardens, shrubbery, and trees.

2. Water Wisely
While an oscillating or spinning sprinkler is a symbol of summer lawn care, both of those can waste a lot of water if you don’t monitor their use. Another option for watering is using low-pressure drip irrigation, where nozzles are placed at the base of plants, trees, or shrubs and water is applied slowly. This method can lower your water use. While a drip irrigation system might initially be expensive, it does reduce water usage and energy costs and improves seed germination. Regardless of whether you use drip irrigation, a sprinkler, or hand-watering, the key to using any type of system to water your lawn or your garden is to soak the ground to the depth of the roots.

3. Use Our Friends, The Bugs
Why spray your garden and foliage with aphid and other control products when nature provides its very own: bugs! Goodhousekeeping.com lists several species that can keep your greenery free of damaging pests, such as aphids, caterpillars, and Japanese beetles. These natural pest killers include ladybugs, ground beetles, soldier beetles, and tachinid flies. Many of these same bugs also help keep lawns free of pests, too.

4. Consider Using Plants As Ground Cover Instead of Grass
Unless your home is on several acres of land and there’s nothing but a wide stretch of lawn between the street and your front porch, consider using plant life as ground cover instead of grass. You can use flower and shrub beds, clover (just don’t step on the bees), or even several varieties of moss. Many of these and others, especially the mosses, grow easily in the shade, are easier to water (which is where the drip irrigation system can work better), and you won’t have to drag out the lawnmower every weekend. However, the ground cover does invite a number of unwanted pests and will have to be weeded frequently before fully grown. But once your insect friends make their home in it and you keep weeds from becoming a problem naturally with compost and organic mulch, ground cover will make your whole front yard look like a garden.

It doesn’t take a lot of chemicals to have a nice-looking lawn, just sensible use of mowing and organic fertilizer, the wise use of water, putting nature’s pest controllers to work, and using alternatives to grass. So, get out your gardening tools, pull on your gloves, and go play in the dirt to create an eco-friendly lawn you’ll be proud to call yours.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

How to Replace a Dingo Track

24. July 2019 Ed How To Articles (0)

Servicing the Tracks Check the tracks for excessive wear and clean them periodically. If the tracks are worn, replace them.
Cleaning the Tracks 1. With a bucket on the loader arms, lower the bucket to the ground so that the front of the traction unit lifts off of the ground a few inches. 2. Stop the engine, and remove the key. 3. Using a water hose or pressure washer, remove dirt from each track system. IMPORTANT: Ensure that you fully clean the road wheels, the tension wheel, and the drive sprocket (Fig. 29). The road wheels should rotate freely when clean.
	Replacing the Tracks When the tracks are badly worn, replace them. 1. Lower the loader arms, stop the engine, and remove the key. 2. Lift/support the side of the unit to be worked on so that the track is three to four inches (7.6 to 10 cm.) off of the ground. 3. Remove the locking bolt and nut (Fig. 30). 4. Using a 1/2 in. drive socket, release the drive tension by turning the tensioning screw clockwise (Fig. 30 and 31). 5. Push the tension wheel toward the rear of the unit to move the fork tube against the frame (Fig. 31). (If it does not touch the frame, continue turning the tensioning screw until it does.) 6. Begin removing the track at the top of the tension wheel, peeling it off of the wheel while rotating the track forwards. 7. When the track is off of the tension wheel, remove it from the drive sprocket and road wheels (Fig. 31). 8. Beginning at the drive sprocket, coil the new track around the sprocket, ensuring that the lugs on the track fit between the spacers on the sprocket (Fig. 31).

9. Push the track under and between the road wheels (Fig. 31). 10. Starting at the bottom of the tension wheel, install the track around the wheel by rotating the track rearward while pushing the lugs into the wheel. 11. Turn the tensioning screw counter-clockwise until the distance between the tension nut and the back of the fork tube (Fig. 32) is 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.). 12. Align the closest notch in the tension screw to the locking bolt hole and secure the screw with the locking bolt and nut. 13. Lower the traction unit to the ground. 14. Repeat steps 2 through 13 to replace the other track