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DALE NAPIER
As a lawn care service professional from Nixa, Missouri, it is my goal to answer some of the most commonly asked customer questions about lawn care. |
DALE NAPIER
As a lawn care service professional from Nixa, Missouri, it is my goal to answer some of the most commonly asked customer questions about lawn care. |
Hello everyone! This week's blog was written for the sole purpose of getting you excited for the holidays! And of course, with a little bit of plant care mixed in there. Here's a list of the best plants to have around to increase your home's curb appeal, and impress all your family members coming over for the holidays! Poinsettia Nothing says Christmas like an abundance of poinsettias! And with a little love and carefulness, these colorful plants can remain vibrant and blooming for weeks after Christmas is over. Poinsettias need proper light, water and temperature to hold their bloom. Poinsettias should be watered thoroughly, and kept in semi-cool, humid areas with indirect sunlight. be careful not to over water them, or root rot can occur. Never fertilize poinsettias while they're in bloom, and only do so if you intend on keeping them after the holidays are over. Christmas Cactus Christmas cactus are beautiful, and typically bloom at Christmas! And by doing so, makes it a wonderful addition to any holiday decor. Not only is this plant incredibly easy to care for, but it makes a great gift. As for care, Christmas cactus does well under normal indoor home conditions, and requires little care. Christmas Cactus will produce the best blooms if placed indirect sunlight, and if the soil is kept slightly moist, but letting soil dry out between watering intervals. Holly Holly bushes can make an excellent addition to your outdoor garden decor. The bright berries add a beautiful splash of color in the winter, and mix well with other blooming flower come spring. Care-wise, Holly bushes are best planted in spring or fall. low temperature and increased rainfall make it less stressful for Holly. The best location for Holly is in moist soil with full sun, but Holly can adapt in less-than-ideal conditions. Amaryllis Amaryllis is a big, beautiful addition to any holiday decorations. They make an excellent statement piece to decor, since they bloom big, vibrant colored flowers. As for care, they can be cared for Indoors with a little work, and their bulbs will be ready to bloom around mid-November. Indoor Amaryllis needs to be watered twice a week, fertilized every 2 to 3 weeks, and out of direct sunlight for long portions of time. And if you can do that, you'll have some of the most beautiful flowers you've ever seen! Scotch Pine
Last but not least, the infamous Christmas tree. Christmas trees, either cut or live, are the centerpiece of all Christmas decor. Most commonly used and grown In Missouri are Scotch Pines and White pines. Scotch Pines are found in most of North America, and grows well in deep, well-drained and moist soils, and is highly adaptable. Scotch Pines are often used as Christmas trees, due to them being extremely durable as well as attractive, and are able to withstand indoor conditions for weeks after being cut!
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Boy, is it getting cold outside! And before that first killing frost comes, heres a fall to-do list to make sure your lawn and garden survive the winter. Fall clean-up and leaf removal Fall cleanup is a must before Thanksgiving! Get all those fallen leaves out of the yard, get some new mulch and get rid of the old, weathered mulch. Tree trimming, weeding, and removing old dead plants is important to help your yard return to its formal glory in the fall, and tree trimming should be done late October to November, after all the leaves have dropped and they are dormant. Mulching the leaves in your yard is also a great option for leaf removal, adding nutrients back into the soil and helping your lawn retain moisture. Seed Spreading A dense lawn is good protection against weeds, and over-seeding is important for achieving just that. Fall is great for over-seeding since the air is cool and the soil is still warm. Not to mention it fills in those dead spots on your lawn! Flower clean up and last minute planting. While some plants and flowers are better left alone through the winter, some require a little extra care before the cold hits. Some perennials don’t do so well in the cold and don’t handle frost well, and need cut down in the fall. If you see damaged or diseased plants, be sure to just throw them out. Check each plant you have and make sure that they do or do not need cut back before winter to ensure the survival of your garden! As for new additions to your garden, blackberry lily, blanket flower, daylily, painted daisies, and peonies are a few flowers that require a period of cold to set buds for the following season, and are extremely cold resistant, as well as beautiful! Garden clean up With cleaning up the garden before the snow hits, first things first: Get all the dead plants out. Any plants or vegetables that have been eaten by bugs, diseased, or otherwise didn’t make it need removed and added to a compost pile. Next on the list is weeding. Weeding thoroughly one more time before winter will mean a lot less work for you come spring, and leave more room for your new plants and vegetables to grow big and beautiful next season! Pro tip: If you’re planting new vegetables in the spring, make a note of what plants and vegetables were grown where in your garden. That’ll make it easier on yourself when the time comes next spring, and its never good to grow plants of the same family in the same spot every year, since it depletes the nutrients in the soil quickly. Holiday decorations
If you’re that person who likes to put up Christmas decorations the day after Halloween, we support you! Or if you’re the kind of person who goes for a more thanksgiving feel, we have some ideas for you! A fall weath is a great way to add some color and décor to your yard! And, theyre really fun to make. A hobby lobby trip, picking out your favorite arrangement of fall-color flowers and pinecones is a great way to start. Pumpkins, apples, and cornhusks are also a great addition, looking more natural and definitely festive. Hanging leaves, cornucopia, and rustic décor are also a great additions to your home for thanksgiving, and is sure to wow your family! We all love our four-legged friends more than anything. And more importantly, we want them to be safe. Here are some pet-friendly lawn hacks to keep your yard healthy and your dog happy! Keep Fido out of the garden! Most dog owners have been there. The garden looks amazing, the tomato plants are doing well, and you just trimmed all the flowers. And then suddenly, they’re dug up and eaten because dogs are dogs. A tip to keep them from using your garden as their own personal salad bar, spray some odors around! Dogs hate vinegar, and it’s a great pet repellent for your flower bed. Marigolds also work, keeping out harmful insects as well. Pet Paths and off-limit areas Many times, with pet owners, you’ve got a certain spot in your yard that your dog has claimed as “Theirs”. Holes, dead spots in the grass, dirt piles everywhere. A good way to fix this problem is a little bit of landscaping! River pebbles are commonly used to give the dogs a good dig space, without hurting their paws or your lawn. Setting some boundaries could also help keep your garden bed alive through the season. A little chicken wire goes a long way, and is great for keeping our rabbits and other pests as well. High Levels of nitrogen in pet urine is what causes those dead spots all over your lawn. To fix this, a designated “potty-area” should do the trick. A small area of your yard, with gravel or mulch and something vertical to help your dog quickly identify the spot should work great to keep your lawn looking good and spot free. Be sure to reward your dog for using the spot when its time to go out! Keep the grass a little longer The grass in your backyard is your dog’s favorite thing. They love to roll in it, run on it, nibble on it. And keeping the grass around 3 inches is a good way to provide them with a softer bed for their daily dog activities, not to mention strengthening the root system of your grass. Go Organic While Fertilizer and Insecticides help with keeping pesky fleas and ticks out of your yard, both can be potentially harmful to your four-legged friend. Opting for organic soils with no added chemicals can be a great alternative and leaves you worry-free. Be sure to water after you’re done fertilizing, and wait a bit for everything to dry before you let the dogs out! Be mindful of the mushrooms Certain weeds and mushrooms can be very harmful to pets. Just like you pull weeds from your flowerbeds and gardens, be sure to keep an eye out and check around your yard to make sure there isn’t any suspicious fungi growing around within your dogs reach! With that in mind, avoid toxic plants in your flower garden as well. That includes...
Fall is here, and we all know that means winter will be here before we know it. With that in mind, you may not be spending too much time thinking about your lawn, but fall is the best time to start preparing your lawn for spring! Right now, grass is working to absorb nutrients, moisture and energy to prepare for a dormant winter. But with a little love, you can have a wonderful and green lawn come spring! Here’s what you need to know. Aerate that soil! It is important to make sure your lawn gets a breather in autumn and winter. Your lawn is needing that oxygen, water and fertilizer in those grass roots. This process of aeration can provide room for seeds to sprout, and new grass to grow and spread, without competing with annoying weeds. If you have kids that like to play in your yard or have an otherwise high-traffic lawn, it is recommended to aerate twice per year: once in the fall and once in the spring. If not, once a year in the fall will suffice. Leaf Cleanup! It’s very important to keep fallen leaves off your lawn. As soon as they start to fall and begin to build up, we recommend doing it as soon as possible. If not, the leaves will become wet and form into a thick layer on top of your lawn, keeping out the sun and oxygen the grass needs. Whether you use a rake, or a lawnmower fitted with a collection bag, be sure to remove the leaves or else the grass under that soggy mess of leaves will be dead come spring. Fertilize! Pro tip; If you only fertilize your lawn once a year, fall is the time. Grass leaves grow much slower in cool weather, but the roots continue to grow quickly. With a fall fertilization, it gives the roots the necessary nutrients they need to form deep roots to keep some nutrients on reserve for spring! Give the plants a little attention! Cut back dead growth on perennials. Pruning your plants will allow for regrowth come springtime. If you have annuals, you can pull them up once they die when the weather chills, or simply wait until spring. Cover flowers and tree bases with mulch, compost, or dead leaves. For ideal protection from the winter weather, consider buying some nutrient-rich mulch to provide the best care against hard freezes that could kill your plants for good. The last mow of the season!
Just because the weather is getting chilly doesn’t mean you have to stop mowing! You should mow your lawn right up to the time it quits growing in the late fall. The grass should be cut to a level of two inches at last cutting. If it gets longer than 3 inches, it can mat. This can lead to lawn disease problems, such as snow mold. If it is shorter than 2 inches, its ability to store food for growth will be limited. A good sign it has quit growing is the absence of lawn clippings when you run the mower. |
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