lawn care Archives - Native Edge Landscape

Artificial Turf: Spend Less Time Maintaining And More Time Enjoying

by Rowan Marney / April 3, 2021

There is nothing better than a lush, green lawn. However the time, money, and effort needed to keep a lawn looking nice is sometimes too much to keep up with. Artificial turf is a great alternative for those who want the look of a healthy lawn year round without all the hassle!

Let's go through the pros that artificial turf brings to the table. Because the ground is rolled out prior to installing, there are no puddles in uneven ruts after it rains. The ground must be flat before installing, ensuring that water can fall through to the ground below without pooling. Artificial turf is made of plastic, so sun and shade conditions do not matter to the health of the lawn. This eliminates browning and bare patches which need time and money to fix. It also does not require you to purchase or use harmful pesticides, fertilizers, or gas powered maintenance tools. It also eliminates the need for watering the lawn which not only saves you money, but helps preserve water!

The benefits of artificial turf are appealing, however there are some drawbacks to this option which should be noted before selecting this route for your landscaping. The turf is made using recycled plastic which gives it the long life of 20 years or more, but it is unable to be recycled and is not biodegradable once you're done with it. It also does not absorb liquids. With pets, the best option is to have turf installed over the ground instead of a hard surface so that liquid can be absorbed beneath the grass. There are other options to add drainage if you prefer it on top of a less porous surface, though they add to the overall cost. Artificial turf has been reported to get slightly warm when exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time. Unlike real grass that has the cool ground below, the turf collects the heat making it warmer to the touch than real grass.

We recommend you do some research on artificial turf to decide if it right for you and your space. We at Native Edge Landscape can also provide you with our opinions on using this turf in your specific space! We recommend this route if you are wanting lush grass year round with very little time spent toward maintenance. Instead of spending the weekend caring for your lawn, with artificial turf you can spend more time enjoying your space!

There Is Fertilizer In Your Future

by Erin Spencer / March 5, 2018

Everyone knows a well-fed lawn is a happy lawn, but in order to avoid having pounds of fertilizer empty into local waterways, without much growth to show for it, it's important to do your reading first. Below, I've compiled list list of key questions from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service you should consider before taking the plunge:1. W H A T T Y P E O F G R A S S D O I H A V E ? This may seem like a given, but it should be no surprise that different kinds of grass need different ratios of nutrients. While there are a slew of grasses and ground covers to choose from if you have a Texas warm season grass it will likely be one of the following: bermuda, buffalo, centipede, St. Augustine, or zoysia. Centipede and buffalo grass require much less nitrogen than a variety like bermuda, and zoysia and St. Augustine both land somewhere in-between.

2. W H A T K I N D O F L A W N D O I W A N T ? Or in other words, what do you want your lawn to look like? Depending on the amount of money and time you have to spend on irrigation and fertilizer, you may be looking to achieve anywhere from a low, moderate, to high maintenance lawn. The more lush and green you want your lawn to be, or the more foot traffic the grass receives, the more fertilizer you'll need.

3. H O W M U C H A N D W H I C H F E R T I L I Z E R T O A P P L Y ? The safest way to ensure you are fertilizing your lawn with exactly what it needs in exactly the right amounts is to do a little math. Firstly, making the effort to take a soil test can benefit you greatly in the long run. The test will show you which nutrients your soil lacks and which are at adequate levels, recommending the number of pounds of each nutrient you need to apply per 1,000 square feet of lawn. If you know the size of your lawn, or calculate it yourself, you can then figure out how many pounds or bags of fertilizer you'll need to buy to cover your lawn.

4. W H E N A N D H O W O F T E N T O F E R T I L I Z E ? As a good rule of thumb it's best to fertilize when your plants are actively growing because that's when they can take up and utilize the fertilizer the most! In Austin the growing season typically lasts from March 1st (the last spring frost)-December 1st (first autumn frost). You'll know your grass is growing if you've had to start mowing again. After you've mowed it two or three times, you are good to go. Split the fertilizer into two applications, one in spring and one in fall (at least 6 weeks before a freeze), to allow for it to integrate into the soil with ease.

5. H O W B E S T T O A P P L Y F E R T I L I Z E R I N M E A S U R E D A M O U N T S ?In order to spread your fertilizer uniformly throughout your lawn the two best options are with either drop or rotary style spreaders. Drop type spreaders work as they are described, dropping single streams of fertilizer as you push forward. These are easier to maneuver around large objects, like trees and shrubs; however, the fertilizer is less dispersed. When using these spreaders it's best to overlap wheel tracks and apply fertilizer in two different directions perpendicular from one another. Rotary spreaders have a mechanism that rotates in a circle, dropping fertilizer throughout the rotation. They are great for covering a larger area and fan the fertilizer out to the very edge of your yard.

For a more detailed explanation of how to fertilize your lawn check out the full article here: Lawn Fertilization for Texas Warm Season Grasses