ProParts Direct Learning Center

The Benefits of Using Organic Fertilizers for Your Lawn

18. July 2023 Ed Lawn Care Tips (0)

A pristine lawn all year round is an aspiration for many homeowners. The secret to achieving this might be using organic fertilizers for your lawn. Homeowners universally share a common goal - a vibrant, lush green lawn that's the envy of the neighborhood, a personal oasis that radiates health and vitality. Attaining this ideal may be easier than it seems with the help of organic fertilizers. These eco-friendly products have captured the attention of many homeowners, garden enthusiasts, and lawn care professionals. Organic fertilizers are gaining appeal with the rise in sustainable living and environmentally friendly practices. This article will demystify organic fertilizers, exploring why they are an excellent choice for your lawn care routine.

Understanding Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are vital in gardening and lawn care, often deemed the magic elixir for healthier, greener lawns. At their core, organic fertilizers are materials derived from living organisms loaded with nutrients vital for lawn health. They're the eco-friendly counterparts to synthetic fertilizers, offering a more sustainable approach to lawn nourishment. An appealing trait is their slow-release mechanism. They deliver nutrients over an extended period,ensuring consistent nourishment for your lawn.
Furthermore, they work by enhancing the health of the soil itself. They stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms, enrich the soil structure, and provide long-term nutritional benefits. This natural approach fosters a more vibrant lawn and contributes to an eco-friendly lawn, promoting broader environmental sustainability.

Improving Soil Health

A cornerstone benefit of organic fertilizers lies in their remarkable ability to enhance soil health. They work like a nutrient buffet for the soil. They contain diverse essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other trace elements. These nutrients are crucial for promoting lush, vibrant growth in your lawn. Besides, these fertilizers also focus on the soil structure, enhancing its ability to retain water and nutrients more effectively. This results in a fertile foundation that promotes the growth of beneficial microbes, key players in soil health and nutrient cycling. These microbes, in turn, aid in breaking down organic matter, releasing more nutrients for plant use.

Environmental Friendliness

Furthermore, using organic fertilizers for your lawn is a conscious step towards environmental friendliness. One of the most significant ecological concerns with synthetic fertilizers is the issue of chemical runoff. This runoff can find its way into local water sources, causing harm to aquatic life and potentially contaminating drinking water. Organic fertilizers, however, significantly reduce this risk, being derived from natural sources and breaking down more harmoniously within the environment. Moreover, they contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Synthetic fertilizers are notorious for releasing nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. On the other hand, organic fertilizers have a far lower emission profile, making them a more climate-friendly option. Thus, choosing them benefits your lawn and supports wider environmental conservation efforts, reaffirming our collective responsibility towards a sustainable future.

Lawn Health and Resilience

Another crucial benefit of organic fertilizers is their capacity to bolster lawn health and resilience significantly. When you nurture your lawn with organic fertilizers, you provide a steady stream of nutrients. This support encourages improved grass growth, leading to a fuller, more vibrant, and lush appearance. Furthermore, lawns treated with these fertilizers demonstrate a robust resistance to pests and diseases. This resilience owes to the enhanced ecosystem within the soil that organics help foster, including an array of beneficial microbes that naturally deter pathogens. And let's not forget their role in bolstering your lawn's tolerance to weather fluctuations, a key factor in maintaining a healthy lawn on a budget.

Safety for Humans and Pets

Lastly, safety is essential, and using organic fertilizers for your lawn truly helps. Traditional synthetic fertilizers often contain chemicals that can harm humans and pets. However, with organic fertilizers, this concern is significantly minimized. They are composed of natural materials, which means they don't contain the harmful chemicals often found in their synthetic counterparts. Consequently, you can let your children and pets play on the lawn without worry, knowing they're not being exposed to potential toxins. Additionally, they can help reduce allergy triggers, relieving those sensitive to certain chemical compounds.

Creating New Gardens

Moving to a new residence often signals a fresh start, and for homeowners, this fresh start could involve a chance to set up your new garden. It's an exciting endeavor, but nurturing a new lawn from scratch can be daunting. Here's where organic fertilizers can play an instrumental role. Applying them can quickly rejuvenate the soil, giving your new garden a fertile, nutrient-rich foundation to start from. This foundation sets the stage for healthy plant growth and paves the way for a flourishing garden in your new home.

How to Choose and Use Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers come in various types, each catering to different lawn needs, and knowing how to choose and use them can make a significant difference in your lawn care routine. The options are vast, from bone meal, rich in phosphorus for strong root growth, to compost, an all-around soil conditioner. Deciding which one to use often depends on your lawn's specific needs and the nutrient content of your soil.

When it comes to application, the key is to spread the organic fertilizer evenly over your lawn. Uneven application can lead to patchy growth, defeating the purpose of using these beneficial products. Seasonal changes also influence application rates. Colder months typically require less, while warmer months might need more. Always adhere to guidelines provided by the manufacturer to ensure your lawn receives the right amount of nutrition it needs.

Final Thoughts

Using organic fertilizers for your lawn brings a wealth of benefits. It goes beyond simply cultivating a lush, green landscape. It extends to ensuring safety for your family and pets, acting responsibly towards the environment, and promoting long-term health for your lawn. With their capacity to enrich the soil, foster resilience, reduce environmental impact, and ensure safety, these fertilizers are an exceptional choice for lawn care. As more homeowners embrace sustainable practices, the move towards organic lawn care is gaining momentum. Let your lawn be a testament to your commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle and a symbol of your dedication to nurturing nature in your backyard.

Best Evergreen Plants for a Year-Round Curb Appeal

20. June 2023 Ed Lawn Care Tips (0)

A front yard with evergreen plants for a year-round curb appeal

When it comes to landscaping, one of the most important things to consider is the curb appeal of your home. This is especially true if you are looking to sell your home in the future or simply want to make a great impression on your neighbors and visitors. One of the best ways to achieve this is by incorporating evergreen plants into your landscaping and achieving that curb appeal all year round. These amazing plants are known for retaining their leaves, maintaining their color, and staying green and vibrant all year round, providing a beautiful and inviting look to your home. Learn more about some of the best evergreen plants for a year-round curb appeal and for creating a stunning landscape that will look great all year long.

What Are Evergreen Plants?

Evergreen plants retain their leaves and remain green throughout the year instead of losing them during the winter. This allows the plant to continue photosynthesizing and producing food for itself, even during periods of low light and low temperatures. This means that they will retain their leaves and foliage throughout the year, even in the cold winter months. This awesome feature makes evergreen plants ideal for homeowners who want to add a touch of green to their landscapes, even when everything else is brown and asleep.

Why Is Curb Appeal Important?

Curb appeal is essential because it is the first impression that potential buyers have of a home. A well-maintained and attractive exterior can increase a home's value and make it more appealing to buyers. In addition to that, a house with good curb appeal is more likely to sell quickly and for a higher price than one with a neglected exterior. Improving curb appeal with evergreen plants for a year-round curb appeal can also increase a home's energy efficiency and make it a more comfortable place to live. If you are reading this article, chances are you are selling your home or flipping your next investment. In the case of the former, you will probably need to move out once you have made a sale. Make sure to hire experts for moving services if you need assistance. You might have some precious plants you have grown fond of and want to take with you—the right movers will know how to take care of them and transport them properly.

BoxWood

Boxwood is a classic evergreen that has been used in landscaping for centuries. This plant is a popular choice for landscaping due to its versatility and ability to be shaped into various forms. It is a resilient plant that adjusts to a variety of climates, making it an ideal choice for homeowners who want to add a touch of green to their landscapes. It is super versatile and can be used as a hedge, a topiary, or even as a specimen plant. Boxwood is also an excellent option for privacy hedges, making it perfect for homes with large windows or a lack of privacy. It is a slow grower, so it requires minimal maintenance and can be trimmed to any shape or size.

Boxwood is also quite low maintenance and disease resistant. It also comes in different varieties; therefore, it can be used for different gardening styles. Another cool feature of boxwood is that it comes in different shades of green. This means that homeowners can choose from a variety of different colored boxwood plants, depending on their preferences and the overall style of their landscape.

Pine

Pine trees are another popular choice for evergreen landscaping. Pine is a classic option for curb appeal as it is easy to grow and maintain, and it comes in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Pine trees can be used as a privacy screen, a windbreak, or even as a focal point in a garden. Their needles stay green all year long, providing a fresh contrast to the snow. Pine trees are great for larger yards or homes with large front yards.

Juniper

Juniper is a hardy evergreen that is tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions. It is great for landscaping due to its ability to adapt to different soils. It can be used as a ground cover, a border plant, or even as a small shrub. It is also great for privacy hedges, as it can grow quite tall. Juniper's blue-green foliage creates a beautiful contrast when paired with other evergreens like pine and boxwood

Holly

Holly is a popular plant that can be used to create a hedge, a topiary, or as a focal point. Its remarkable glossy, spiky leaves and red berries make it stand out in any landscape. Holly is an excellent choice for curb appeal because it is easy to care for and provides a beautiful and festive look to your home during the holiday season. It is often used to provide year-round interest in a garden and is also good for privacy hedges.

Yew

Yew is one of the most versatile evergreen plants for a year-round curb appeal. It can be grown as a low hedge, a tall hedge, or even as a small tree. Its dense, dark green foliage provides a striking contrast against other plants, and its long-lasting red berries can provide a pop of color in winter.

Last Words on the Best Evergreen Plants for a Year-Round Curb Appeal

Finally, evergreen plants are a great option if you want to create a beautiful and inviting curb appeal for your home. They are known for their ability to stay green and vibrant all year round, making them an excellent choice for privacy hedges and landscaping. These plants are easy to care for and provide a beautiful and inviting look to your home. When choosing evergreen plants for a year-round curb appeal, be sure to select those that are well-suited to your specific climate and soil conditions. Also, consider the size and shape of the plants at maturity, as well as the amount of sunlight and water they will receive. With the right evergreens, you can create a stunning landscape that will look amazing throughout the seasons and increase your curb appeal.

Winter Wonder: What Can You do With Your Yard?

14. December 2021 Chelsea How To Articles, Lawn Care Tips (0)

By Guest Blogger Carrie Spencer

When winter weather runs amok, it may seem more like time to hibernate than worry about your yard. As tempting as it is, hibernation isn’t in the cards for us humans. So instead, use this time when there’s less foot traffic and slower growth to tackle some of the not-so-routine jobs in your personal green space.

Things like trimming trees and cutting back plants, tackling pesky weeds, and mulching can help your yard over winter, and get it ready for a vibrant spring. Here, ProParts Direct shares some tips on how to prep your yard.

In The Zone

Start by learning about your USDA Hardiness Zone and any microclimates in your area. If you’ve ever wondered why that bush you planted didn’t flourish, even though you planted it exactly as directed, it could be related to your zone. If you’re certain that you’re in a specific zone, you may want to check again. Hardiness zones are subject to change, based on the most recent 30 years of data. If you’ve done your homework, and picked the right plant for your zone but it still didn’t thrive, it could be a microclimate specific to your property or neighborhood.

Understanding all these factors will help you with your yard work all year-round, not just in the winter months

Time to Trim

It’s actually best to prune or trim many trees, ornamental grasses, and woody shrubs back during the winter months while they are dormant. When done correctly, this can lead to extensive new growth and flowering the following season. Removing dead or decaying branches can also eliminate safety hazards from your yard that may fall and injure children or pets.

This is also the time of year when many lawns go dormant, making it easy to spot stubborn weeds that seem to outlive all other plants. You can attempt to physically remove the weeds if you only have a few, but if your lawn is covered, it’s best to tackle this chore in the spring. If you are in an area that has extended periods with freezing temps or gets heavy snowfall, it’s best to keep everyone and everything off the lawn altogether to avoid permanent damage.

Time to Mulch

Mulching in winter will help protect your plants from unseasonably warm or cold weather. It will also help you avoid fungus that can grow during the damp fall months, and deter rodents that might be attracted to it during the fall as well. Mulching with leaves from your yard or the neighborhood can help you save a buck, all while nourishing your plants in a manner similar to compost.

Speaking of compost, winter is a great time to start. Composting is both beneficial for the environment and economical. Just keep in mind that your compost area should be isolated from where your kids and pets play to avoid any potential contact with dangerous mold spores or allergens. If you live in an extremely cold climate, it may take a little longer for your pile to decompose, but it will prove to be worth the wait.

Prepare to Sell

While you should tend to your yard every season, you may be especially concerned now if your intention is to sell your home in the spring. If this is the case, take care of what you can during the winter months, and be prepared for cleanup and replanting in the spring. You want to give your home a competitive edge by sprucing up the exterior prior to starting your marketing efforts.

When the time comes to list, make the most of those marketing efforts with a great presentation of your home. In addition to boosting your curb appeal, make updates to the interior and then carefully stage your home. Take quality photos to capture your home in the best light, and then make a point to post your listing on your favorite social media platforms. For a professional look, consider designing a logo specific to your home sale. Adobe Spark’s free logo maker is perfect for novice designers, and you can quickly create a fun design that speaks to your home and your aesthetic.

Winter brings a much more subtle color palette to the yard than other months, but it doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Pruning trees and woody plants in winter, while protecting others with mulch, will lead to enhanced beauty during the other seasons. Understanding the climate in your area is essential for lawn and garden success year-round, and will help you maintain it appropriately this winter and beyond.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Keeping a Pristine Lawn All Year Round

28. September 2021 Chelsea Lawn Care Tips (0)

By Guest Blogger Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

The secret to a pristine lawn year-round is a year-round maintenance program. Whether you hire a lawn care company or do it yourself, that green lawn can be a lot of work and likely requires something more than a lawnmower. That’s a hard sell if you only think about your lawn in spring and summer.

It all starts with the type of grass you have and where you live. Northern U.S. properties usually grow cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky Blue or a fescue. In the South, lawns usually consist of a warm-season type, such as Zoysia or Bermuda. For the best selection for your area, check with your local extension office.

Pro tip: a fescue will stay green throughout the year. Tall fescue is also one of the most heat and drought-tolerant varieties which is also able to resist winter freezes.

Water

A must-have is an irrigation system. The lawn needs water to stay green and grow. Supplemental watering depends on the type of lawn you have. No irrigation and long spells of dry, hot weather will cause grass to go dormant in summer. Stressed lawns also show footprints when walked on.

If you don’t have a programmable irrigation system, be prepared to use sprinklers to water the lawn. Opt for a sprinkler that delivers water close to the ground rather than overhead. Concerns about this precious resource – water usage, availability, and drought – have spread beyond the West to the Upper Midwest.

How much water? About 1 inch a week. When using a sprinkler, place tuna cans or something similar in the area being watered. When the cans have an inch of water, turn the sprinkler off. Or, apply one-half inch of water twice a week using the cans as a guide.

Fertilize

The best time to fertilize your lawn is in September. The second best time is November. Indeed, two fall applications of winter formula lawn fertilizer go a long way at keeping the grass green in winter. It also helps the lawn green up earlier in spring. Whether you or your lawn care company fertilizes in spring is up to you. Spring temps encourage the grass to grow, so fertilizing in spring frequently increases mowing duties.

Lawn fertilizer is typically a granular product. There are several types of applicators, which also can be used with other lawn care products. There are synthetic and eco-friendly, natural or organic lawn fertilizers on the market. With any lawn and garden product, always read and follow the directions.

Treat

Pesticide is an umbrella word for bug killers (insecticides), weed killers (herbicides), mites (miticide), and fungus (fungicides). Several brands of lawn fertilizers add weed killers to the mix, such as for crabgrass or dandelions.

Most of these lawn products are used if there’s a problem with insects, fungus or weeds, rather than as a preventative. It’s always best to know what the problem is before you treat it. That will save you money.

Mow

The best way to have a pristine lawn is to mow it correctly. That means the mower blade should be sharp, so the grass is cut evenly and not torn. You’ve probably heard the grass mantra to “mow high.” Mow lawns to 3 or 4 inches tall. Grass at that height shades out any weeds looking to take root. It also helps shade the soil to reduce the loss of moisture.

When mowing, avoid removing more than one-third of the grass blade. If the lawn is 6-inches high, mow at 4 inches. If 4 inches, mow at 3. Mowing duties are usually the most demanding in spring and early summer. Fewer mows are needed in late summer when grass growth slows.

A mulching mower allows the clipped grass to remain on the lawn, gradually breaking down and adding trace nutrients to the soil. Mowing leaves and leaving the bits on the lawn in fall also adds trace nutrients.

Rake

Leaving leaves on your lawn can allow them to become soggy, which leads to snow mold and insect infestations. Raking them allows the grass to breathe and absorb moisture. A thick layer of leaves will also deprive your lawn of the sunlight it needs to thrive.

Tips for DIYers

You will need a mower, a spreader for granular products, and an applicator for liquid products, such as insecticides. You may also need tools like a rake or shovel.
Check with your county extension service for a lawn care guide. It will lay out the lawn care schedule for you to follow. It also will explain when and if to use pesticides.
Make sure your lawn equipment is ready for the job. Keep the blades sharp and spreader distributing the correct amount of lawn product. Replace parts, such as blades or spark plugs, as needed.
Remember always to read and follow the label directions of any lawn and garden product.

Tips for Hiring a Lawn Service

Have a clear understanding and schedule of what the service will do and when. Ask what products they use and what precautions they take, especially around children or pets.
What is the service’s policy if a treatment damages or kills your garden plant? This can happen when the spray from weed killers drifts on the perennials, shrubs, or trees.
Tell the service that you prefer them to mow high, even if it means increased mows, especially in spring.
Ask the service to reduce mowing in the fall if it isn’t needed.

Keep in mind: Your lawn doesn’t have to be green year-round to be pristine. A healthy lawn may go dormant during the colder months. But with the proper care (and by keeping heavy foot traffic off the lawn in winter), it can bounce back stronger than ever once spring returns.

Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp award-winning garden writer, editor, and speaker. (She speaks at libraries, garden clubs, public gardens, home and garden shows, and horticulture industry events.) She frequently says her eyes are too big for her yard. She blogs at hoosiergardener.com.

The Benefits of Using Organic Fertilizers for Your Lawn

Best Evergreen Plants for a Year-Round Curb Appeal

Winter Wonder: What Can You do With Your Yard?

Keeping a Pristine Lawn All Year Round

ProParts Direct is your one-stop parts store for Lawn Mowers Parts, Chainsaw Parts, Engines Parts, Snow Blowers and all landscaping equipment parts.

Twitter

Facebook