BLOG
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. |
Smart tech gadgets don’t just come in handy for our home entertainment systems or grocery shopping from the kitchen counter. There are also plenty of clever smart tech devices that help make our home gardens more eco-friendly. Plus, they can help cut back on labor intensive chores that can eat up an entire afternoon on a regular basis. And, finally, there are inventive smart home gadgets that can help us monitor and maintain healthy conditions for our plants, aiding homeowners as we help our plants grow.
So, let’s take a look at four clever and helpful smart home upgrades that can enhance your home’s landscaping. 1. Smart Sprinklers Your smart sprinklers will water the lawn and the garden on a regular timer, keeping your lawn and garden well-hydrated and healthy. But a smart sprinkler system can do so much more than that as well. With automatic sensing capabilities, your sprinkler system can analyze the weather and recognize any leaks in the system. That means that when it is raining heavily, your sprinklers will take a break from watering, so you won’t be contributing to water waste. You can access and adjust your sprinkler system remotely via a Bluetooth connection on any smartphone, laptop, or tablet. 2. Smart Garden and Weather Monitor Every gardener, from the most novice to the most advanced, can benefit from this smart device. A smart garden monitor allows you to track specific factors that can affect your plants’ health, including light levels, moisture levels, and humidity. Your garden monitor will be able to measure the nutrients present (or absent) in your soil, so that you can adjust accordingly to ensure that your plants are being treated to the optimal conditions to support their individual growth. You can track rainfall, heavy wind conditions, and extreme weather events so you know the best possible time to plant in your area. Plus, water level measurements and analysis allow you to understand and adjust how much water is not only present in the soil, but how much water is necessary for each plant. That way, you can adjust your smart irrigation system accordingly, so all your gadgets work together in harmony to create a bountiful home landscape. 3. Smart Lawnmowers Mowing the lawn can really take the joy out of that beautiful lawn that surrounds your home. With a simple smart tech upgrade, you can remove the hours of sweaty labor required to maintain your lawn’s lovely appearance. A smart lawnmower can automatically complete the task for you. Similar to robotic smart vacuums, the smart lawnmower will venture out and cut that grass for you on its own, with little oversight or monitoring required. Most smart lawnmowers come equipped with GPS and connect to your home Wi-fi network, so, you can program them remotely from your smartphone and tablet. 4. Smart Planter For all of the potted plants jazzing up your home landscaping, upgrading to a smart planter or smart plant pot is a great choice. There are a number of options for upgrading to smart pots, including expandable pots. These pots automatically detect when your plant is ready for more room- and it expands accordingly, to accommodate your plant as it gets bigger. Another smart planter innovation comes equipped with a built-in water monitor and alarm system, so you will be alerted if your plants are ever lacking in water or sunlight. Some of these smart planters even come decorated with a sweet cartoon character, whose facial expressions illustrate how happy your plants are inside the pot. Final Thoughts Clever innovations to help boost your home’s landscaping will continue to emerge, with robotic weeders and thermal imaging among the smart home devices that will be released in the near future. In the meantime, try upgrading to some of the gadgets we have listed above. You will be more knowledgeable about your plants’ wellbeing, your plants will be happier, and your home landscaping will have a better impact on the environment. An all-around win-win situation.
0 Comments
As more and more leaves begin to fall, it is the perfect time of the year to think about putting a new tree or two in the ground. While there are many companies that provide quality tree planting in Nixa and Springfield, such as Dale’s Lawn Service, many people prefer to try their own hand at it. Here is a short guide that will help you know the basics of fall tree planting in the Ozarks. Timing Trees can be planted throughout the year, but many people agree that the fall months are one of the best seasons. Why? Because the cool temperatures are not as hard on a young tree that is being transplanted and trees planted in the fall months have time to establish themselves before spring. This means that they usually produce new growth and bloom earlier than others planted in spring time. Fall and winter is also a time when most of the nutrients are at work developing the root system of a tree, instead of the leaves and seeds, in the spring time months. Location Where you choose to plant your tree is even more important then when you plant. Be sure to select a place where there is adequate sun for the type of tree you desire to grow, as well as room to expand. Be careful about planting trees too close to homes, driveways, power lines, or similar. Check your tree’s maximum growth height and width, and plan accordingly. Be sure to also check for any underground utilities or lines that may interfere with the initial planting or the root expansion of your tree. Digging Once you have selected the tree you want to plant, made sure you have chosen the perfect location, and had all underground utilities marked for safety, it is time to start digging. An ideal hole will only be as deep as the root ball, allowing a small lip of roots to remain above ground level, but will be very big around. In most cases, experts recommend that the hole be at least 1.5 times as wide around as the roots, but can be even bigger if you desire. Planting To plant the tree in your prepared hole, remove any pots or wrappers and gently set it inside the space, as centered as possible. If the root ball is below ground level, fill in under it to lift it up a bit. Once you have it perfect, backfill around the roots with soil. You may want to use the dirt that came out of the hole, or you may choose to supplement with enriched soil, designed to enhance tree growth. Pack the soil to remove any air pockets. Finishing Up Once the tree is in the ground, be sure to water it well. This will settle the soil, as well as provide a drink for roots that may have dried out slightly during transplant. Adding a nice thick layer of mulch on top is a great idea as well. Mulch will help prevent weeds from growing, will insulate the roots over the winter, and will also help with moisture retention as well. When applying mulch, pile it about 3 inches high over the area where the hole was dug, but do not let it touch the trunk, as wet mulch can lead to trunk rot in some cases. For more benefits of applying mulch in Springfield, visit this article. Sound like more than you want to tackle? Dale’s Lawn Service offers tree planting services in Nixa, Springfield, and the surrounding areas. Give us a call at 417-414-8355 or visit our contact page to request a free estimate. We also offer fall cleanups in Springfield, gutter cleaning, and a variety of other lawn and landscape services. Images Courtesy of Exsodus and Amenic181 via freedigitalphotos.net
The summer heat that has settled in the Ozarks seems to be leaving many Springfield and Nixa lawns in need of some TLC. For many people, keeping your lawn looking lush and green all summer long is a challenge, mostly because they are not sure how to handle the hottest months. Here is a quick tutorial that will assist you in keeping your yard BBQ ready…even during the hottest days and nights of the year!
Step 1: Mow A Little Higher One of the biggest mistakes that many homeowners make, when mowing their lawns, is not adjusting the height of the mowing deck as the days turn warmer. In early spring, mowing at a height of 3 inches is usually about right. You will, however, need to mow higher during the hottest months. Mowing higher, preferably at 3.5 inches, helps to shade the roots and ground below the grass, keeping it cooler. If cut too low, the hot sun will dry out the grass more quickly, causing it to turn brown and even die in spots. Already have dead spots? Here is an article to give you instruction on getting those repaired. Step 2: Water Deep, Water Late Watering your lawn during the summer months is probably a no-brainer for most people, but many people who water do it incorrectly, leaving their grass lacking despite their hard work. When watering during the hottest months, it is important to water for longer periods of time, allowing the moisture to soak deeply into the ground. As a rule, try to water to a depth of about 1 inch, every 3 days. This is better for your lawn than shallow watering daily. When to water is also important to consider. Watering during the hottest part of the day, when the sun is beating down on the lawn can actually do much more harm to the grass than good. The water also evaporates quickly, limiting the amount that penetrates the ground and gets to the roots. For best results, plan to water in the late evening or early dusk hours when the weather is cool and the sun is low. Step 3: Avoid Chemical Fertilizers While many lawn care companies will push their fertilization services all season long, fertilizing during the hottest months can actually cause the roots of your lawn to grow in a shallower pattern. This, in turn, makes the grass more susceptible to death by heat. Why? Because chemical fertilizers lay at the top of the soil and roots tend to stay where the food is instead of growing deep where they are safer from the sun’s rays and have more access to water. Are you in need of some professional Nixa lawn care? Dale’s Lawn Service Nixa offers lawn mowing, and a variety of other lawn care services to homes in the Nixa, Ozark, Republic, and Springfield areas. Give us a call at 417-414-8355 or visit our Contact Page to schedule a free estimate! We would love the opportunity to earn your business. Images provided courtesy of Toa55 at freedigitalphotos.net In the Midwest, our lawns are exposed to both blistering heat, as well as bitter cold. For homeowners trying to maintain their grass and lawn care in Nixa and the surrounding Missouri areas, this can mean patches of bare dirt and sections of dead grass from time to time. If you find yourself needing to do some spot repair, here is a short how to guide to get you started!
A four minute video that overviews lawn care advice for homeowners, courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information on lawn care services in the Nixa and Springfield, Missouri areas that our company offers , please visit our home page.
Here in Springfield, Missouri, our winters really are quite unpredictable. Some years we have massive amounts of snow and moisture, while other years, we have seen very dry winter months. With this much variation in precipitation, many people ask how they should handle watering their landscape and lawn during the winter months. Here are some simple guidelines to help you! Ditch the Schedule During the summer months, having a set watering schedule is key, to ensure that your active, growing grass does not become dehydrated and wilted. In the winter, though, the lawn is dormant, and needs much less moisture. So when do you water? Take your cue from the weather! A general rule of thumb is that your lawn will need 1-2 good waterings a month during cold weather. If mother nature provides this via snow or rain, then you really don't have to water at all. If not, plan to drag the hose out on a warm day and give your grass and landscape plants some moisture! Water Deep Because watering is much more sparse during the winter months in Missouri, plan to completely saturate the ground when you do water. This will ensure that the root systems have adequate supplies to last until the next watering. To water deep, leave your sprinkler or hose running until the ground becomes soft and the water is running away instead of being absorbed. Drainage Is Important Too While we are on the subject of watering and precipitation, I want to touch on drainage systems as well. Many times, I see lawns that fall victim to too much moisture, which can be just as harmful as not having enough. Keep a close eye on your landscape beds and lawn areas, to ensure that water is not standing when it shouldn't be. Lawns and beds should have drainage that allows excess water to run off of them in a timely manner. If you see areas that have poor drainage, make plans to address the problem before it harms your plants. For more information on lawn care services that our company offers in the Springfield, Missouri area, please visit our home page. Image Provided, courtesy of papaija2008, from Free Digital Photos |
Details
Archives
February 2022
Categories
All
If you are looking for a lawn care or lawn mowing company in the Nixa or Springfield, MO area, we would love to have the opportunity to earn your business.
Already one of our current customers? Show us some love with a review or positive comment on our Thumbtack page! |