Lawn Care When on a Vacation

Summertime is definitely fun. It’s a time when you want to take a relaxing vacation away from the daily chores of your regular life. But while you may feeling like packing up your bags and dodging the summers, landscaping companies suggest that you plan your lawn maintenance.

Landscaping companies offer professional assistance while you’re on a vacation. Nevertheless, you can yourself do a few things to make sure your lawn remains healthy while you enjoy your vacation.
Here are some useful tips to help your lawn get through your summer vacation:

1. Vacation period – How long will you be away? If it’s just a week or less, you may not need to worry. It’s possible your lawn won’t even miss you. If you plan a longer vacation that stretches about 10 days or more or live somewhere dry and hot, that’s when you need to look out for your plants.
2. Mowing – If you’re planning for a vacation longer than 10 days, it’s best to mow your lawn and mulch the clippings to add moisture-retentive organic matter. It’s best to do this a day or two before you leave.
3. Watering – If you’re dealing with dry summer heat, deep watering your lawn a day before leaving is in order. Also, make sure you have a plan to keep your lawn hydrated if you’ll be gone for a significant amount of time. You can take help from a neighbor, a gardener or a lawn care company.
4. Fertilization – Though most of the grasses grow slowly in the summertime, it’s advised not to fertilize your lawn much before leaving. After all, you don’t want a jungle by the time you return.
5. Turf Pest control –  Inspect your lawn for any burn spots, weeds, insects and diseases. Spot spray for any kind of infestation before going away.
6. Major lawn services – Don’t opt for any major lawn care services like aeration, dethatching, or resodding before you leave. Your presence is essential in such cases to closely monitor the health of your lawn.
7. Pots and planters – Most of us have some pots or planters as a part of our lawn. While going on a vacation, move them to an area that’s more shady during the day time. Keep them grouped together.  This creates a humid microclimate, conserves water, and keeps them healthy.
8. Weather forecast – The weather forecast back home is as important as that of the vacation destination. If the forecast announces long, hot or dry weather, make sure your lawn and plants are well-prepared to deal with those conditions and you have a caretaker for them.

The absence of a caring gardener can result in chaos for your lawn and potted plants. But with tips and techniques from landscaping companies you can have a worry-free vacation and come back home to a healthy and happy garden.

Contact us  :
Author         : TenderCareLawnService
Address       : 1497 W Houston River Rd,Sulphur, LA 70663
Telephone    : 337-313-3002

Tips for healthy lawn turf

Landscaping companies can be a valuable source of information for maintaining healthy lawn turf. The beauty of a perfect lawn begins with healthy green grass spread across the stretch of land. It not only represents a healthy lawn but also gives a spectacular look to your house.
But choosing the right grass for your lawn can be tricky at times. In fact choosing the right grass creates all the difference between a low-maintenance, environmentally-friendly lawn versus a dull and patchy, diseases prone lawn. You can consult landscaping companies for the right guidance when setting up your lawn.
But how do you choose the right type of lawn turf on your own?
First of all, don’t buy seeds on impulse. The type of grass you select should depend on several factors such as color, leaf width, characteristic appearance, density, compatibility with the climate and soil, water needs, etc.
Here are a few steps to follow before choosing the lawn grass:
Soil testing
Turf grasses usually thrive in well-aerated soil with pH between 6 to 7.5. It’s recommended to purchase a soil test kit from a lawn care company and test the soil. To take a soil test, gather soil samples from several places around your lawn. Mix it well and place it into the soil testing bag. Expect to wait for about two weeks to get the right results.
Select the grass
There are mainly two types of grasses, warm season grass and cool season grass.
Warm-Season Grass
Warm-season grasses are the ones that resonate with and grow better in warmer regions of the country. These include St. Augustine, Buffalo, Bermuda, Centipede and Zoysia. These grasses achieve their peak growth when summer is in full swing. They require full sun to thrive, although they may tolerate some shade.
Cool-Season Grass
Cool-season grasses are the ones that resonate with and grow better in cool northern regions of the country. These include tall and red fescues, perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. These grass turfs grow the most during the cool seasons of spring and fall. Cool-season grasses are more shade-tolerant, especially the fescues.
Hence one key factor while choosing the right grass seed simply depends on your region.
Levels of Shade
The next thing to consider is the number of trees in your lawn. Since different types of grasses tolerate different levels of shade, dense trees can be a problem. Most grasses enjoy sunlight and need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight to thrive. Even shade-tolerant grasses need around four hours of sunlight. If your lawn has more trees, opt for cool-season grasses, the shade-tolerant ones like rye and fine and tall fescues. There are also a few warm-season grasses that can grow in shade, like Zoysia and St. Augustine. It’s best to blend quality seeds of several types of shade-tolerant grasses and spread them around so if one dies, another can take its place.
Wear and tear of turf
It’s important to consider wear and tear of your lawn in advance. If you have a family with young children and pets who enjoy a summer pool and running around in the lawn, opt for a more resistant grass. Kentucky bluegrass is one such turf. It’s one of the finest choices for athletic fields, and is also self-mending. When bare spots occur, the turf can creep in to fill in holes automatically. However, it’s more demanding in terms of mowing, fertilizing and watering.
Fertilizing Your Lawn
Do research or consult landscaping companies to be sure of the fertilizing needs of the turf type you choose to grow in your lawn. If you’re more an organic kind of a person and love to fertilize your plants with organic fertilizers such as compost and other earth-friendly brews, make sure the grass you select responds well to that. Some turfs require more frequent fertilization. Also make sure you’re not planting a high-maintenance lawn when you have time only to grow a low-maintenance one. While buying grass seed read the label carefully. It should show weed seed content less than 1% and inert material content less than 4% with germination rate no less than 70%.
How to Water
Consider watering needs when you choose your grass seed. If you live in a region more prone to droughts and water scarcity, select a grass like Buffalo turf, tall fescue or Zoysia. Floratam is the St. Augustine’s variety that’s the most drought-tolerant, but it requires some shade. You may also need to install an irrigation system before planting the seeds.
Mowing needs
Finally, consider lawn mowing needs when selecting a grass type. Grasses like fescues have ideal growing heights and don’t need mowing as often as Kentucky bluegrass lawn. Among warm-season turf, Centipede and Bermuda grass needs more frequent mowing than Zoysia. Native grasses like Buffalo grass require the lowest amount of mowing. Turf that goes dormant in summer heat or winter chill also demands less mowing during periods of dormancy.
Growing a lawn from seed offers an affordable option, especially for smaller lawns. Keeping these points in mind can help you have the best grass and easiest maintenance for your lawn. You can always find newer seed types at a nursery or landscaping companies that specialize in lawn installation. In fact they can also help you with the details you need to keep your turf healthy.
Always buy top-quality seed. It’s worth the investment!
Contact Us today to schedule an appointment.
Author Bio:
Tender Care Lawn is a dedicated lawn care companystarted by Donald Lapoint and family in 2004 in southwest Louisiana. Our goal is to provide affordable, dependable, quality Landscape Maintenance Services. We believe in complete customer satisfaction. Our services include grass cutting, fertilization, weed control, shrub and hedge trimming in the Sulphur, Lake Charles, Moss Bluff, Westlake, Carlyss and surrounding areas.

Aeration of Lawn

While we never forget to take care of watering and fertilizing needs of our lawn, we usually don’t pay much attention to the aeration needs of their lawn.landscaping companies explain that plants depend on air in the soil. Even water and nutrients are absorbed better when the soil is porous. Compact soil disrupts nutrient absorption and prevents roots from growing, hence regular aeration is a must.
If you want to get rid of thatch and make way for a beautiful lawn be sure to prioritize aeration.
Your lawn will thank you for letting it breathe again.
What is aeration?
The main reason for aerating a lawn is to alleviate soil compaction. Excess lawn thatch or heavy organic debris buried under the grass surface can also starve the roots from these essential elements and cause soil compaction which needs to be treated.
Aeration involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate the soil and get absorbed by the roots. This helps not only the lawn grass to grow properly but also helps other plants in the lawn to become healthier and stronger.
Signs that your lawn needs aeration:
1.Your lawn suffers heavy footfall or vehicle driving and parking
2.You live in a region where soil has more clay content
3.Water puddles on watering and after rain
4.You find it difficult to stick a pencil or stick in the soil
5.Thatch layer is thicker than one and a half inch
6.Grass is thin, patchy or bare
7.When is the best time for aeration?
8.Though it’s advised aerate as soon as you see any of the signs mentioned above, the best time for aeration is during the growing season, when the grass can heal quickly and fill in any open areas after soil plugs are removed.
9.Ideally, aerate the lawn in the early Spring or Fall for cool season grasses and late Spring for the warm season grasses.
Aerating tools
There are two main aerating tools:
1.Spike aerators
2.Plug aerators
In a spike aerator, you simply poke holes in the ground with a solid fork or tine. While the plug aerator removes a core or plug of grass and soil from the lawn. Poking holes is less effective and can cause additional compaction in the areas around the holes.
For the best results, use an aerating tool that removes plugs of soil. Use an aerating tool that removes soil plugs approximately 2 to 3 inches deep and 0.5 to 0.75 inches in diameter with distance about 2 to 3 inches apart. These tools can be rented from a lawn care company together with the instructions to aerate the lawn properly.
Aeration is a beneficial practice toward achieving a beautiful lawn. It’s best to make it an integral part of your lawn care regime. It’s one of the most important landscape maintenance services to be performed for a healthy, green and disease free lawn.
Contact Us today to schedule an appointment.
Author Bio:
Tender Care Lawn is a dedicated lawn care companystarted by Donald Lapoint and family in 2004 in southwest Louisiana. Our goal is to provide affordable, dependable, quality Landscape Maintenance Services. We believe in complete customer satisfaction. Our services include grass cutting, fertilization, weed control, shrub and hedge trimming in the Sulphur, Lake Charles, Moss Bluff, Westlake, Carlyss and surrounding areas.

Lawn Care Company Tips for healthy houseplants

Any lawn care company will tell you that caring for indoor plants is quite different from the ones growing in your garden or lawn. One day they’re fine and the next they’re dropping leaves and are infested. For their proper maintenance you should get the right soil and fertilizer from a good land care company. These landscaping companies have mostly everything you need for your indoor plants.So how can you take care of your indoor plants properly?
You do need to pay attention to their basic needs, and take care of any pest problems right away. Here are a few tips that can help you keep your plants healthy:
1.Know your plants
First and foremost, know your plant. All plants have specific needs of food, water, soil, humidity and sunlight to survive. Make sure you choose houseplants that will thrive on the conditions you can provide at your home.
2.Sunlight
Different plants have different sunlight requirements. Sunlight is measured in these 3 ways – intensity, duration and quality. Always try to match your indoor plants to the environmental condition of your region and your home.
You can accordingly keep the plants near the windows, in the doorway or the patio. There are artificial light sources also, but nothing beats the natural light of the sun.
3.Quality of potting soil.
Purchase proper potting soil from a lawn care company or nursery. The right soil promotes healthy roots by providing a balance of proper moisture, aeration and nutrition.
4.Water
Just like sunlight, all plants have different water needs in different seasons. Plants tend to need less water in winter than when they’re actively growing in spring and summer. But there are some plants that grow better in winter and their needs are accordingly different.
Also some plants need to dry out slightly between watering, some need to stay moist at all the time, while some need to dry completely between watering sessions. It’s best to observe them and also study their watering needs before hand when you bring them home.
5.Fertilizing and controlling pests
Use of regular manure, fertilizers and pesticides is very important. Indoor plants are comparatively delicate and less resistant to pest attack. Since they are grown in pots, their capability of absorbing nutrients from earth are also restricted. As a result, they must be regularly fertilized and inspected for any infestation.
6.Warmth
Common house plants dislike hot and dry conditions. They’re more comfortable in a cooler, more moist condition than is typical in our homes. It’s advised to drop the temperature of the thermostat by about 8 to 10 degrees at night for better growth. But again you should study your plant’s needs first.
7.Humidity
Indoor conditions can get dry and drafty due to the use of radiators. Keep your plants away from heater vents, doorways and drafty windows. Increase humidity by setting plants on trays filled with water and layered with small pebbles.
You can also place them in naturally humid areas like kitchens or bathrooms but make sure they get adequate light and ventilation there.
Misting plants can also help increases humidity temporarily but it can also increase chances for foliage diseases.

8.Foliage cleansing
Dirty leaves block sunlight and harbor diseases and insects. Clean leaves by wiping them with a moist cloth or you may also hose them off once in awhile. Keep the temperature of the water lukewarm. Showering your plants will drain down the dust and also reduce the insect population.
9.Repotting
If you’re planning to re-pot your plant make sure to re-pot it in its growing season. This helps its chances to grow better in new spacing and soil.
Keep the size no more than 2 inches larger than the existing pot unless the plant needs a larger space than that.
While repotting use some part of old soil also as this will help your plant to adjust in new growing environment sooner.
Indoor plants bring nature to your home. They give a touch of green and improve air quality. Care for your plants properly and you’ll enjoy a healthy and beautiful home with them.
Contact Us today to schedule an appointment.
Author Bio: Tender Care Lawn is a dedicated lawn care companystarted by Donald Lapoint and family in 2004 in southwest Louisiana. Our goal is to provide affordable, dependable, quality Landscape Maintenance Services. We believe in complete customer satisfaction. Our services include grass cutting, fertilization, weed control, shrub and hedge trimming in the Sulphur, Lake Charles, Moss Bluff, Westlake, Carlyss and surrounding areas.