Get to Know Your Grass Type
We get a lot of interesting questions about lawns and grass types. These are some of the most common grasses for our area: Why seed a tall fescue lawn with bluegrass? More efficient with water than fescue Resistant to most of the diseases of tall fescue such as brown patch Spreads to fill in the [...]
Benefits of Native Plants
There are so many reasons to find an area for native plants in your lawn. Native plants create beautiful garden areas with less work and cost. Facts about Native plants: Help conserve water Reduce mowing, labor, fertilizer and pest management costs Provide a habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife Protect and enrich the soil [...]
Verticutting and Core Aeration for Seed Preparation
There is no better time to improve, repair, or rebuild a lawn than late August through September. While seed selection and watering are critical (seed care instructions), seed preparation is the key to maximizing germination and roots. Stated simply, the goal of soil preparation is to provide good seed to soil contact. CORE AERATION Used [...]
Choose Grass Seed Wisely
Most lawn problems can be easily repaired, but the use of the wrong seed can ruin your lawn like nothing else. It is extremely important to choose grass seed wisely by: Never buying grass seed unless the label says it has at least an 80% germination rate, 0.0% weeds, and 0.0% other crop. Weed and [...]
No Need to Worry About Tree & Lawn Mushrooms
The Kansas City summer is coming to a rainy ending. Continuously wet soil has promoted more tree and lawn mushrooms than usual this year. Mushrooms are the fruiting body of a much larger fungus. Tree Trunk Mushrooms grow on tree trunks from fungi feeding on the dead wood of the tree. The only way to [...]
The Perfect Flowering Shade Garden
A flowering shade garden can be a simple addition to the old hosta and ivy bed, or it can be elevated all the way up to a dramatically inviting, rewarding and restful experience that continuously inspires the gardener and all who visit. It's a great way to brighten up the dark areas of your lawn. [...]
Frost Damage to Grass
Beware of Frost Damage to your Grass. If grass feels crunchy underfoot, stay off! We see it every spring & fall. There comes a heavy frost and then within a day or two, brown spots appear, mostly in the form of trails and patches across and around the yard. The culprit is not Jack Frost [...]
Apply Pre-Emergent in Beds
It's time to Apply Pre-Emergent in Beds The first round of pre-emergent in flower, shrub, and vegetable gardens should be applied in March or early April but not before mulch is applied first. There are, however, exceptions to that generalization when you apply pre-emergent. Each year we see the same costly pre-emergent and mulch mistakes. [...]
FINE TUNE YOUR EARLY APRIL LAWN
Here's what's going on in your early April lawn this year: Mowers should be set to a height of 3.5 to 4 inches for the rest of the year and mowed every 4 to 7 days. High, frequent mowing promotes healthier roots, thicker and greener leaves, and chokes out weeds before they can get started. [...]